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Gillette’s historically successful “razor and blade” business model (RBM) has been a promising benchmark for multiple businesses across diverse industries worldwide in the past several decades. The extant literature deals with very few nuances of this business model notwithstanding the fact that there are several variants of this business model being put to practical use by firms in diverse industries in grossly metaphorically equivalent situations.

This study adopts the 2 × 2 truth table framework from the domains of mathematical logic and combinatorics in fleshing out all possible (four logical possibilities) variants of the razor and blade business model for further analysis. This application presents four mutually exclusive yet collectively exhaustive possibilities on any chosen dimension. Two major dimensions (viz., provision of subsidy and intra- or extra-firm involvement in the making of razors or blades or both) form part of the discussion in this paper. In addition, this study synthesizes and streamlines entrepreneurial wisdom from multiple intra-industry and inter-industry benchmarks in terms of real-time firms explicitly or implicitly adopting several variants of the RBM that suit their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of evolution in situations that are grossly reflective of the metaphorically equivalent scenario of razor and recurrent blades. Inductive method of research is carried out with real-time cases from diverse industries with a pivotally common pattern of razor and blade model in some form or the other.

Several new variants of the razor and blade model (much beyond what the extant literature explicitly projects) have been discovered from the multiple metaphorically equivalent cases of RBM across industries. All of these expand the portfolio of options that relevant entrepreneurial firms can explore and exploit the best possible option chosen from them, given their unique context and idiosyncratic trajectory of growth.

This study has enriched the literature by presenting and analyzing a more inclusive or perhaps comprehensive palette of explicit choices in the form of several variants of the RBM for the relevant entrepreneurial firms to choose from. Future research can undertake the task of comparing these variants of RBM with those of upcoming servitization business models such as guaranteed availability, subscription and performance-based contracting and exploring the prospects of diverse combinations.

Smart entrepreneurial firms identify and adopt inspiring benchmarks (like razor and blade model whenever appropriate) duly tweaked and blended into a gestalt benchmark for optimal profits and attractive market shares. They target diverse market segments for tied-goods with different variants or combinations of the relevant benchmarks in the form of variegated customer value propositions (CVPs) that have unique and enticing appeal to the respective market segments.

Value-sensitive customers on the rise globally choose the option that best suits them from among multiple alternatives offered by competing firms in the market. As long as the ratio of utility to price of such an offer is among the highest, even a no-frills CVP may be most appealing to one market segment while a plush CVP may be tempting to yet another market segment simultaneously. While professional business firms embrace resource leverage practices consciously, amateur customers do so subconsciously. Each party subliminally desires to have the maximum bang-to-buck ratio as the optimal return on investment, given their priorities ceteris paribus.

Prior studies on the RBM have explicitly captured only a few variants of the razor and blade model. This study is perhaps the first of its kind that ferrets out many other variants (more than ten) of the razor and blade model with due simplification and exemplification, justification and demystification.

This study was inspired by research of strategists on strategic innovation (SI), aiming to provide a unique model to enhance the digitization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh to fill the gap toward a digital economy.

A survey was used to collect data from 180 SMEs in the manufacturing industry for this research. The results indicate that strategic innovativeness (SI), human capital (HC), infrastructure and technology and resistance to change significantly influence the digitalization in Bangladesh SMEs.

The link between SI and SMEs' digitalization in Bangladesh is mediated by HC. The results show that HC plays a big role in the connection between SI and the digitalization of SMEs. This study may be valuable for SMEs managers, researchers and policymakers in Bangladesh and other developing nations, who want to learn more about SI in adopting digitalization.

The specialized knowledge and abilities of strategists allow them to establish parallels between the past and present, enabling them to make a sustained forecast about the digital economy. This study encourages small and medium-sized businesses to develop their SI and advance their HC, which could further deject resistance to change toward enhancing and adopting digitalization in SMEs sectors.

Small farmers in India are collectivized and legalized as Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) to progress in agri-food value chains as small agribusiness enterprises. FPCs are dependent on timely information for their sustainability and profitability. Mobile apps are a cost-effective form of information and communication technology. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the major determinants of mobile apps adoption by FPCs.

Quantitative and qualitative data are collected by administering a semi-structured questionnaire and conducting in-depth interviews with board members of 115 FPCs, with a total membership of 30,405 farmers operating in 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The logit model is used for quantitative analysis, while dialog mapping is used for qualitative analysis, based on an integrated technology acceptance model and technology organization environment framework.

Logistic regression results evidence that amongst FPC characteristics, while company size and age are significantly impacting apps adoption, there is no significant association between board size, education level, multiple commodities business or export intention of companies on apps adoption. Digital literacy and technical hands-on training for FPC board members are quintessential to facilitate mobile apps adoption.

The findings are pertinent to policymakers to earmark funds for technical handholding and digital upskilling of FPCs. The need for developing comprehensive, location-centric, farmer-friendly apps by agritech companies is evidenced.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneering work in the domain of mobile apps adoption from a farmers’ agribusiness enterprise perspective in an emerging market economy using a mixed-methods approach.

The aim of this study is to assess the mediating effect of source appearance (SA) and self-influencer congruence (SIC) on the relationship between visual content (VC) and customer engagement (CE) towards mobile advertisement.

This study uses a quantitative approach to test the proposed model based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theory. The non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from Pakistani mobile users through a self-administered questionnaire.

The study results prove that VC alone cannot generate mobile users’ engagement. SA is the key in this regard, which has a relatively higher importance compared to SIC. Furthermore, the serial mediation effect of SA and SIC on CE shows that attractive sources are likely to induce higher SIC and subsequent CE.

The results reveal that without a pleasing SA and positive SIC, mobile users skip the ads by perceiving them to be irritating or interruptive. Mobile ads might cost relatively less, but the advertisers should understand the significance of the SA toward minimizing the mobile advertising skepticism.

Advertisers can enhance the user’s engagement on mobile devices by addressing both the SA and SIC in their VC. The combined effect of both the SA and SIC on CE has not been assessed before. Furthermore, this study has used the SOR mechanism to examine CE.

El objetivo general de esta investigación es evaluar el efecto mediador de la apariencia de la fuente (SA) y la congruencia del auto-influencer (SIC) en la relación entre el contenido visual (CV) y el compromiso del cliente (CE) hacia la publicidad móvil.

Este estudio utiliza un enfoque cuantitativo para probar el modelo propuesto basado en la teoría estímulo-organismo-respuesta (SOR). Se utilizó la técnica de muestreo intencional no probabilístico para recoger datos de usuarios de móviles paquistaníes mediante un cuestionario autoadministrado.

Nuestros resultados demuestran que el contenido visual por sí solo no puede generar el compromiso de los usuarios de móviles. La apariencia de la fuente es la clave a este respecto, que tiene una importancia relativamente mayor en comparación con la congruencia del auto-influencer. Además, el efecto de mediación en serie de SA y SIC en CE muestra que es probable que las fuentes atractivas induzcan un mayor SIC y el consiguiente compromiso del cliente.

Los resultados revelan que sin una SA agradable y una SIC positiva, los usuarios de móviles omiten los anuncios al percibirlos como irritantes o interruptores. Los anuncios para móviles pueden costar relativamente menos, pero los anunciantes deben comprender la importancia de la apariencia de la fuente para minimizar el escepticismo de la publicidad móvil.

Los anunciantes pueden mejorar la participación del usuario en los dispositivos móviles abordando tanto la AS como el SIC en sus contenidos visuales. Hasta ahora no se había evaluado el efecto combinado de la AS y el SIC en el CE. Además, este estudio ha utilizado el mecanismo del SOR para examinar el engagement del cliente.

本研究的总体目标是评估源外观（SA）和自我影响者一致性（SIC）对移动广告视觉内容（VC）和客户参与（CE）之间关系的中介效应。

本研究采用定量方法来检验基于刺激-有机体-反应（SOR）理论提出的模型。研究采用了非概率目的性抽样技术, 通过自填问卷的方式向巴基斯坦移动用户收集数据。

我们的研究结果证明, 仅靠视觉内容并不能引起移动用户的参与。在这方面, 源外观是关键, 与自我影响者一致性相比, 源外观的重要性相对更高。此外, SA 和 SIC 对 CE 的串联中介效应表明, 有吸引力的信息源可能会诱发更高的 SIC 和随后的客户参与。

研究结果表明, 如果没有令人愉悦的SA和积极的SIC, 移动用户就会认为广告具有刺激性或干扰性, 从而跳过广告。移动广告的成本可能相对较低, 但广告商应了解广告源外观对减少移动广告怀疑的重要性。

广告商可以通过在视觉内容中同时考虑广告联盟和广告投放中心这两个因素, 提高用户在移动设备上的参与度。之前从未有人评估过 “SA “和 “SIC “对消费者参与度的综合影响。此外, 本研究还使用了 SOR 机制来考察客户参与度。

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of online e-resource marketing tools used by university libraries to market e-resources. The specific objectives of this study were to uncover the e-resources that are showcased by university libraries, find out instructions posted by libraries to facilitate access and utilization of e-resources, examine marketing tools used, examine how current and relevant marketing messages and test the functionality of the marketing tools used.

An exploratory research design was used to assess the effectiveness of e-resources marketing tools. The study population included all public university libraries in Tanzania. The sample was purposively selected to include all publicly funded libraries as they work under similar management environments. Data collection involved the evaluation of online marketing tools using a matrix checklist.

It was revealed that most university libraries use websites for showcasing e-resources. The commonly used social media for marketing e-resources is Facebook followed by Instagram while Twitter and Ask a Librarian are the least used. The results further show that only a few universities provide instructions on how to access and use e-resources. The findings indicate that universities had active communication platforms for marketing e-resources. Furthermore, less than 50% of marketing messages are active and current. It is recommended that marketing e-resources should be integrated into the library’s plans and strategies and this should be informed by library policies.

Given that, this study involved Tanzanian public university libraries, it is possible that the findings do not represent the same situation in all academic university libraries in the nation.

This study assesses the effectiveness of online tools used to market e-resources in university libraries in Tanzania. It reveals the e-resources that are showcased online, the instructions provided on how to access the e-resources and the functionality of the marketing tools. Unlike the previous research, which primarily focused on evaluating the Web-based tools in university and college libraries, this study focused on public libraries in the country. The results will not only contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of the functionality of the marketing tools but also provide actionable insights to decision-makers in libraries in marketing their e-resources.

This study aims to integrate and extend leading contemporary underpinning frameworks such as the Stimulus Organism Response (S-O-R) model, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to assess the determinants of M-commerce usage during COVID-19 times. Besides direct effects, the study examines the mediating role of behavioral intention in affecting the relationship between a few external stimuli, internal states (of the organism) and M-commerce usage (the response). The study has also examined the moderating role of habitual behavior in the relationship between behavioral intention and M-commerce usage.

Data were gathered from 312 customers through an online survey using a structured questionnaire. PLS-based SEM, using Smart PLS 4.0, was employed to calibrate the measurement and structural models.

The study found that stimuli like social influence, perceived ease of use and perceived value substantially affected M-commerce usage. Behavioral intention has been found to mediate these cause-and-effect relationships partially or fully among the subject constructs. Additionally, a significant negative but weak moderating impact of habit (or habitual behavior) on the relationship between behavioral intentions and M-commerce usage has been corroborated.

Several studies have investigated the factors influencing the adoption and continued usage of M-commerce services while appealing to diverse theoretical frameworks. However, more research has yet to be expended to arrive at an integrated explanation grounded in these theoretical frameworks to examine the dynamics of M-commerce usage in tempestuous times like the COVID-19 outbreak. The most significant (counterintuitive) findings have been suppressing the effects of otherwise crucial elements like perceived security and habit in prompting M-commerce usage in the face of the socio-psychological pressures stemming from COVID-19 restrictions and consumers' lack of digital readiness. The study's outcomes offer several theoretical and practical implications for researchers, managers, practitioners, businesses and policymakers to develop effective strategies to mature M-commerce usage among the masses, especially during unusual times like COVID-19.

This chapter introduces what a digital ID is, why it is important, how it works, the design choices, as well as how central banks can collaborate with other stakeholders in promoting digital ID infrastructures for use in digital financial services.

This chapter examines mobile payments and digital banking services. The past decade has seen a rapid increase in the use of alternative payment systems, away from cash to electronic payments. The digitalization of payments includes business-to-business (B2B), customer-to-business (C2B), and government-to-business and consumers (G2B/C), whether the payments are by computer, wire transfers, and point of sale (POS) systems. POS systems have become a standard in many retail outlets. Mobile payments use a smart device for contactless pay. Consumers see the increasing prevalence of payment systems when they go to the retail checkout or service counter. Worldwide, mobile payments are approaching 50% of digital. Digitalized payment systems are becoming more secure, decreasing concerns over mistaken payments, fraud, and errors. Consumers' confidence in value and usage decreases with age. Most fraud is due to scams and not hacking. Greater access to improved infrastructure and affordable smart devices will expand the usage of digitalized payment systems worldwide.

The aim of this study is to examine in detail the impact of technological advancements on the workforce within the tourism industry. Specifically, it seeks to understand the effects of information and communication technologies (ICT), social media, the internet and websites, mobile technologies and other technological developments on workforce dynamics, skill requirements and job descriptions. The research intends to analyze how technological innovations are transforming the workforce and how these transformations are influencing practices within the industry.

This study employs a comprehensive literature review to understand the impact of technological innovations on the workforce in the tourism industry. The research aims to conduct an in-depth examination of empirical data obtained from extensive databases in the fields of technology and tourism and detail the effects of technological advancements on the workforce. Additionally, it includes a general assessment of trends and transformation processes within the sector by synthesizing findings from existing literature on the relationship between technology and workforce.

The results of the research reveal that technological innovations have fundamentally transformed workforce dynamics and job descriptions. Developments in information technology have led to the automation of routine tasks and the creation of high-skilled new job roles. Social media has contributed to the emergence of new job roles and skill requirements, while the internet and websites have altered digital marketing strategies. Mobile technologies have increased the necessity for the workforce to develop mobile skills. Furthermore, big data and artificial intelligence applications have enhanced the workforce’s data management and analysis capabilities.

This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the impact of technological innovations on the workforce in the tourism industry. The findings emphasize how technological changes have altered skill requirements and job descriptions, highlighting the increased need for continuous education and skill development.

The utilization of mobile fitness applications (apps) is on the rise, making user retention and engagement critical factors in the commercial success of these apps. However, research in this area is limited and fragmented. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough review of the available literature on the effects of digital innovations, gamification, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) on user engagement with fitness mobile apps. The findings reveal the relationships between gamification, the use of AI/ML and technology adoption on user engagement, interaction and intent to use. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of understanding how user experience, customer experience and brand experience impact customer retention and contribute to the overall success of mobile fitness apps. Furthermore, the study also identifies the gaps in the current research and recommends further studies to be conducted in these areas. Future research is encouraged to incorporate elements from the experience domains to provide consumers with engaging interactions and improve retention and commercial success for mobile fitness apps.