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This study aimed to present the methodology of the text data analysis to establish marketing strategies for fintech companies in a practical way. Specifically, the methodology was presented to convert customers' review data, which consisted of the text data (unstructured data), to the numerical data (structured data) by using a text mining algorithm “Global Vectors for Word Representation,” abbreviated as “GloVe”; additionally, the authors presented the methodology to deploy the numerical data for marketing strategies with eliminate-reduce-raise-create (ERRC) value factor analytics.

First, the authors defined the background, features and contents of fintech services based on a review of related literature review. Additionally, they examined business strategies, the importance of social media for fintech services and fintech technology trends based on the literature review. Next, they analyzed the similarity between fintech-related keywords, which represent the trends in fintech services, and the text data related to fintech corporations and their services posted on Facebook and Twitter, which are two of the most popular social media globally, during the period 2017–2019. The similarity was then quantified and categorized in terms of the representative global fintech companies and the status of each fintech service sector. Furthermore, the similarity was visualized, and value elements were rebuilt using ERRC strategy analytics.

This study is meaningful in that it quantifies the degree of similarity between customers' responses, experiences and expectations regarding the rapidly growing global fintech firms' services and trends in fintech services.

This study suggests a practical way to apply in business by providing a method for transforming unstructured text data into structured numerical data it is measurable. It is expected that this study can be used as the basis for exploring sustainable development strategies for the fintech industry.

Albania's commitment to safeguard and protect Roma minority rights, and integrate this community in society is expressed in its regular broad-based efforts and continuous policy dialogue to adopt its domestic legislation to find durable solutions to expand social coexistence. Its valuable contribution to shape diversity at local and national level combined with the fight against discrimination has fostered the development of national strategies on Roma minority inclusion and encouraged the implementation of various action plans to deconstruct prejudicial structures and stereotypes. Jointly sharing responsibility with various Roma and non-Roma civil society organizations through a cooperation model, the Albanian government has supported socio-economic empowerment of the Roma minority and promoted its equal access to education, health care, housing and employment. In line with the European Union enlargement process, Albania adopted Poznan Declaration setting clear goals to achieve full integration of this community.

Despite various efforts made to reduce the gap between the Roma and the Albanian population, limited progress has been achieved in the social inclusion of the Roma minority. In general, the institutional capacity to coordinate Roma-related policies is weak. Low socio-economic standards of this community including the lack of digital skills to unlock individual opportunities, segregation in schools, low health insurance coverage and poor access to technology hinder the acceleration of its inclusion (European Commission, 2022, pp. 36–37). This chapter will be mainly focused on education of Roma children in Albania highlighting some of the challenges they face and indicating some positive models to address them at local level.

In this chapter, Natascha Hofmann discusses the policy measures for improving the (education) situation of Roma in Europe. It concentrates on the post-war turning points and corresponding discourses before reviewing aims, outcomes and legacies of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 proclaimed by the European Union (EU). According to Hofmann the past decades reveal a shift in the discourse of how Roma living conditions and perspectives are perceived in Europe. Reasons for that can be seen in processes referring to fields of bottom-up movements of Roma organisations, top-down approaches of the EU and its member states, shifting borders and the implementation of human rights. Outcomes of the Decade of Roma Inclusion show the importance of educational achievements, but also the importance of educational work of mentors and mediators within the communities and within the regional and national societies. Regarding the bottom-up movement of Roma organisations there seems to be a generation change not only regarding educational achievements but also by dealing with being visible as Roma and by promoting new narratives of being Roma.

In this chapter, the author provides an overview of some central issues of the book. First she shows the similarities in the challenges to increase the participation and success of Roma people in education and lifelong learning in the selected European countries; then she discusses their policies and support programmes, which on the one hand try to improve the social situation of the Roma while promoting minority language and culture on the other hand. The author finds the reason for their similarities regarding the wording, defining and communicating and also concerning the main ideas and concrete projects for possible solutions, in the Roma inclusion policy of the European Union in the frame of the Open Method of Coordination, which has been introduced within the Lisbon Strategy, linked to the idea of lifelong learning. She considers the realisation of these policy measures at national, regional and local levels to have shown only unsatisfactory results until now.

In this chapter, Andrea Óhidy provides an overview of some central issues of the book. First, she shows the similarities in the challenges to increase the participation and success of Roma people in education and lifelong learning in the selected European countries; then, she discusses their policies and support programmes, which, on the one hand, try to improve the social situation of the Roma while promoting minority language and culture, on the other hand. She finds the reason for their similarities regarding the wording, defining and communicating and also concerning the main ideas and concrete projects for possible solutions, in the Roma inclusion policy of the European Union in the frame of the Open Method of Coordination, which has been introduced within the Lisbon Strategy, linked to the idea of lifelong learning. She considers the realisation of these policy measures at national, regional and local levels to have shown only unsatisfactory results until now.

The learning outcomes of this paper are to understand the supply side of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model and how a firm can develop and capture a new market using Blue Ocean Strategy principles; understand how to use the four actions framework and eliminate/reduce/raise/create (ERRC) grid to develop a Blue Ocean market; evaluate three strategic alternatives available to a firm along with the benefits and challenges of each; map out the current strategy to inform possible future strategies and envision how one can use the BMC to re-invent the execution strategies of a disruptor; and discuss the opportunities for growth and the challenges therein in a dynamic global business environment.

Sri Rao, President of Market Development and Strategy of Quatrro Business Support Services (Quatrro), a BPO firm, weaved through the bustling streets of Gurgaon, India, to get to work early on a blistering summer day. It was the beginning of the new 2017 fiscal year and there was a sense of anticipation and uncertainty in the office to which he was headed. Quatrro offered outsourced finance, accounting and payroll solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises across the world, but mainly the USA. Arriving at his desk, Rao gazed out the window and reflected on Quatrro’s journey so far, the ups and the downs and the strategy for moving forward. Growth had been moderate with small deals. Local and regional Certified Public Accountant firms continued to provide stiff competition and the cost of acquiring new clients was high. There was a need to rethink Quatrro target markets and business development strategy. Quatrro’s annual board meeting was coming up in three weeks and Rao wanted to present a credible plan to accelerate Quatrro’s growth. He was worried that if the plan was not accepted by the board, any further investments in the business would be challenging and could even lead to the board directing Quatrro to divest. He believed they had run out of patience with a business that had a lot of potential but was not growing. He had one last opportunity to get Quatrro’s strategy right before his planned departure from the company in just a year’s time. Rao waited for his team to discuss their recommendations based on a presentation he had made to them two days ago.

Undergrad/MBAs. While most growth strategy cases focus on firms seeking to outsource services for efficiency and concentrate on value added to the core functions and competences, this case centers on the supply side and examines the BPO firm itself. It focuses on the technology service industry (as opposed to product/manufacturing), which while growing and significant is not often written about in cases, and finally, the case integrates an understanding of the Blue Ocean Strategy along with the Business Model Canvas allowing students to envision how one can use the BMC to re-invent a business strategy. It does so with a traditional Ansoff Matrix as the backdrop.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 11: Strategy.

In this chapter, Natascha Hofmann discusses the policy measures for improving the (education) situation of Roma in Europe. It concentrates on the post-war turning points and corresponding discourses before reviewing aims, outcomes and legacies of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 proclaimed by the European Union (EU). According to Hofmann, the past decades reveal a shift in the discourse of how Roma living conditions and perspectives are perceived in Europe. Indications that underpin that argument can be found in processes referring to fields of bottom-up movements of Roma organisations, top-down approaches of the EU and its member states, shifting borders and the implementation of human rights. Outcomes of the Decade of Roma Inclusion show not only the importance of educational achievements, but also the importance of educational work of mentors and mediators within the communities and within the regional and national societies. Regarding the bottom-up movement of Roma organisations, there seems to be a generation change not only regarding educational achievements, but also by dealing with being visible as Roma and promoting new narratives of being Roma.

This masterclass examines the blue ocean value innovation process, how it works in practice and how it has evolved since the publication of Blue Ocean Strategy (2005) by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne as explored in their new book their new book Blue Ocean Shift (2017).

The main focus is the value innovation methodology that underlies blue ocean strategy.

Blue ocean strategy is a process of value innovation that uncovers new aggregations of demand by redefining the offering category.

Blue ocean strategy tends to focus on value innovation that uncovers new aggregations of demand by redefining the category while disruptive innovation tends to concentrate on new demand-creation that expands the current served market.

Blue ocean strategy sets out to reconfigure value propositions in compelling new ways that can deliver a quantum leap beyond the current red ocean value-cost frontier through raising buyer value and lowering company costs simultaneously. The emphasis on both value and innovation is essential to the creation of new “blue ocean” market spaces.

This introduction from Andrea Óhidy and Katalin R. Forray provides a brief overview of the social and educational situation of Roma in the Western Balkan region and the structure of this book. Like in the books Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Central and Eastern Europe (2019) and Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Western and Southern Europe (2020), Roma are here described as a ‘hidden minority’ (Cavioni, 2020, p. 68), because despite the great number and the century-long history of Roma people on the European continent, there is still only limited information and knowledge about them, both in public awareness and scientific research. Although most members of the Roma minority have been living for centuries in their European home countries, their situation is still different from the non-Roma populations: They often suffer from socio-economic disadvantages and hate-motivated harassment and discrimination (EU-FRA, 2020a). This is not only the case in the member-states of the European Union but also in the Western Balkan region. All across Europe, there are Roma groups, which are considered to be the most disadvantaged minority, regarding their health, employment and housing and also in education. To increase their situation, European Union member states have developed common strategies, which play a part in negotiations for an EU-membership status. The so-called Western Balkan states – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – might join the European Union in the coming years. The social inclusion of the Roma minority and the protection of their minority rights in these countries were formulated as a precondition for their application for EU membership. Therefore, several goals, policies and measures were implemented there to break the ‘vicious circle of poverty and discrimination’ (EU-FRA, 2020b). Participation in education and lifelong learning have become central elements of these political measures for Roma Inclusion. This book examines the education situation of Roma across the so-called Western Balkan region.

In this chapter, the author analyses the education situation of Sinti and Roma in Germany and calls for a ‘Dawn of Learning!’ The author asks: Who is learning (from whom and for whom)? What is learned? What has to be learned? To answer these questions firstly the author describes the social and legal situation of the Roma minority in Germany then analyses their attainment in the German education system. With the help of two studies (Hundsalz, 1982; Strauss, 2011) the author demonstrates that educational attainments of German Sinti and Roma had significantly increased over time. Then the author emphasises the importance of mentoring programmes – involving Sinti and Roma as educational mentors – especially for their important role in the integration process. Lastly, the author shows the results of her own study aimed at revealing correlations of education and integration opportunities of Roma youth, with or without a limited residence permit in Germany (Hofmann, 2011). The question: What has been learned – so far? The author answers as followed: A dawn of learning for mutual respect and appreciation can be seen. The question: What has to be learned? The author’s answer: she wishes for a common aim of our learning processes to be a conscious and respectful handling of diversity which allows differences but focuses on common ground as a starting point for social negotiation to shape the society in which we want to live – on regional, national and European grounds.