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This research empirically investigates the differential roles of utility and entertainment on the value obtained from the use of mobile phones by users belonging to low-income groups in emerging markets.

This research reports the findings from an investigation that obtains data through a survey of mobile phone users from urban and rural areas across five emerging markets. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data obtained.

Study findings demonstrate that users obtain utility, social as well as entertainment value from mobile phones.

This investigation uses the capability approach for conceptualizing the capabilities obtained from mobile phones by users from lower socioeconomic strata, a theoretical lens that is particularly suited for explaining behavior that may represent well-being of the user group.

Managers may explore whether the platform of entertainment is a suitable vehicle for offering additional services. This study’s findings also suggest that creating value for customers should be a primary concern in emerging markets, similar to that in developed markets.

This research is among a few that report investigations into the differential roles of utility and entertainment on the value obtained from mobile phones. This study also presents differences in terms of: urban versus rural, younger versus older and male versus female subgroups. This research presents a large-scale multicountry empirical study investigating mobile phone use by users from lower socioeconomic groups in emerging markets.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of parents (via family communication patterns) on teenagers’ electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions, via a serial mediation by internet usage and self-esteem, along with the moderating effect of online impression.

A conceptual model was developed based on the nature vs nurture perspective and theory of consumer socialization. Structural equation modeling was applied to investigate the interplay among proposed variables, using a sample of 797 teenage respondents in India.

The findings indicate that family communication, internet usage, and self-esteem are significant antecedents to eWOM intents of teenagers. Also, online impression is a strong moderator which influences whether teenagers would engage in eWOM activities or not.

This study presents actionable items for marketers interested in teenage consumers in an emerging economy. Marketers can benefit by tailoring their online communication to influence parent’s attitude toward the internet and to enhance online impression of teenagers to substantially increase eWOM dispersion.

This study provides original insights about how parents and individual characteristics act as antecedents and impact teenagers’ eWOM intentions including the moderating effect of online impression.

The purpose of this paper is to identify a model that provides explanations for normative behavior in information technology (IT) use, and to test the model across two different types of normative behavior (i.e. green information technology (GIT), and digital piracy (DP)).

The proposed model is based on the norm activation model (NAM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model (UTAUT). A total of 374 and 360 usable responses were obtained for GIT and DP, respectively. The authors use the SEM technique in order to test the proposed model on the two sub-samples.

Findings from the proposed model show that DP users’ personal norm (PN) negatively impacts behavioral intention and actual behavior. These findings indicate that users of IT who indulge in DP understand that use of pirated software may not be a socially approved behavior but they still indulge in it because their PNs are not aligned with social expectations. GIT users’ PN positively impacts behavioral intention and actual behavior, and the relationship is stronger for behavioral intention than for actual behavior.

The sample consists of college students and working professionals based in India who may be savvy with respect to internet use. Future work may evaluate whether the pattern of results that the authors report for normative behavior does hold across other types of normative behavior.

These findings hint at a gap between the moral compass and the final “action” taken by DP users. What managers need to do is to create awareness among their customers about the implementation of DP/GIT and help users engage in normative behavior.

This research contributes to the literature by integrating the UTAUT and the NAM to explain normative behavior of IT use. The authors propose and test a model that identifies cognitive as well as social-psychological motivations to explain normative behavior in IT use, which have been sparingly studied in extant literature, and provides a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. As such, this research contributes to the existing knowledge of understanding of normative IT behavior.

Multinational companies (MNCs) entering developing markets face cultural, language, and other barriers to understanding consumers. Ethnographic consumer insights research offers the best means of understanding needed product innovations and adaptations for these markets. This paper aims to focus on these issues.

The paper emphasizes qualitative methods and gives examples of their successful application in developing markets.

Despite a wealth of quantitative consumer data from surveys, online data, and secondary data analysis, these methods cannot provide a culture‐sensitive understanding of local consumers. Anthropological approaches are best situated to do this.

While MNCs have global experience they can gain local experience by coming to see through the lens of qualitative consumer insights.

The purpose of this viewpoint is to raise the issue of the development of marketing communication in and for emerging markets.

This is a conceptual piece which is not supported by formal research. It is based on existing literature and the experience of the author. Previous experience, writings, consulting and teaching are the primary base for the discussion. Suggestions and recommendations for further research and development are made.

This work suggests that present western models are inappropriate, therefore, it provides an alternative view and a new conceptual model. The model developed has been based on the needs and requirements of emerging markets and is presented and discussed.

This viewpoint provides practitioners with a new, practical way to consider and develop marketing communication programs in emerging markets. It also provides the academic community with a conceptual model which can be tested and refined over time. Thus, it serves a dual purpose: it provides a new, unique and relevant view of marketing communications in emerging markets and it also provides a platform for cooperative research among the academic and professional communities.

The concept suggests that consumers now and will in the future control the impact and effect of all forms of marketing communication. There are substantial implications of this shift of marketplace power if the suppositions of the author are accurate.

This viewpoint builds on other research, writing and developmental work by the author. It is the synthesis of several years of research, teaching, consulting and discussion by the author in a number of emerging markets and economies.

Identifying the loyalty drivers to cell phone operators is extremely important in today's competitive environment. Consensus is absent in the marketing literature on how loyalty should be conceptualized and measured in the service industry. The purpose of this study is to test an integrative model to examine the relations among customer satisfaction, trust, commitment, corporate image, attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty. It also aims to examine the mediating roles of commitment and corporate image on causal relationships between trust and loyalty.

Data collection was done in two stages: in the first stage in which the primary purpose of analysis was pre‐testing, the authors collected data from 250 respondents. In the second stage, data were obtained from 855 mobile phone users in India via questionnaire. The data were analysed by structural equation modelling (SEM) in order to test all the relationships between variables in the model.

The findings supported the proposed hypotheses, which are consistent with the theoretical framework. Analysis showed that corporate image is an important determinant of attitudinal loyalty.

In order to generalize the findings, the proposed model should be studied in different service industries. This research does not examine the interaction effects between customer satisfaction and trust. Future researchers can test these interaction effects and study its impact on development of behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. The proposed model should be tested using a longitudinal research design.

Firms should focus both on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty to create truly loyal customers. A defensive marketing strategy is important for the highly competitive and maturing mobile telecommunications service market. Mobile phone companies should develop and reinforce marketing strategies focusing on factors (satisfaction, commitment, trust and corporate image) which have the greatest influence on retention.

This paper examines the mediating roles of commitment and corporate image in the formation of customer loyalty.

According to Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the size of the Indian online retail industry is INR 2000 crore and the industry is projected a steady annual growth rate of 35 per cent to reach INR 7000 crore by 2015. Given the growing importance of the online retail industry in India, it remains imperative for web retailers and internet marketers to understand the determinants of online customers' purchase intention to decipher what is important to the Indian online customer. This paper attempts to identify the determinants of online purchase intention among youth in the Indian context.

Based on a detailed literature review, customer online purchase intention shopping orientation factors such as impulse purchase orientation, brand orientation and quality orientation were considered along with online trust and prior online purchase experience. The results are based on 95 valid responses received from the online survey.

The research established that impulse purchase orientation, prior online purchase experience and online trust have significant impact on the customer purchase intention. Males are found to have more intention to shop online than females.

A bigger and more representative sample which includes respondents from all walks of life would have been appropriate though the internet savvy students contribute the major share of online buyers.

The study has implications for web‐retailers, marketing managers, internet marketers, online vendors and web‐shoppers in India. Indian online shoppers typically tend to seek offers and great value price deals instead of brand or quality. Online retailers may target the impulse purchase orientation nature of Indian consumers and should focus on increasing online trust.

In the Indian context, this is the first time shopping orientations have been studied with customers' online purchase intentions.

Mobile commerce is a broad term used for mobile banking, mobile ticketing, mobile coupons, purchasing of goods and services using mobile phones. Considering mobile penetration and changing lifestyles of the Indian population, it has huge potential. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the adoption intention of mobile commerce.

For the study, a research model was developed based on constructs from the technology acceptance model and innovation resistance theory and a literature review on research related to usage intention of similar technologies which was then empirically tested using second generation statistical technique of SEM.

Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and social influence are found to be significant dimensions of technology adoption readiness to use mobile commerce while facilitating conditions were not found to be significant. The results also indicate perceived credibility risk defined by security risk and privacy risk is significantly associated with behavioural intention in negative relation, which indicates that security and privacy concerns are important in deterring customers from using mobile commerce.

This study proposed and validated a new construct – technology adoption readiness. The study developed an integrated model for behavioural intention towards financial innovations.

Knowing the factors affecting customers' behaviour towards mobile commerce and the relationship between these factors, various banks, merchants and mobile service providers can develop their marketing strategies to ensure that people use this new service. This in turn will influence the behavioural intention and change these intentions to actual adoption of this new technology.

This study is one of the few empirical studies which have investigated the adoption of mobile commerce in India, which is considered one of the fastest growing countries in terms of mobile usage. The study relates to inclusion of both utilitarian and credibility aspect of adoption intention. It gives an empirical basis on which mobile and banking companies can base their mobile payments marketing strategy.