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Globalisation, “glocalisation”, deregulation, privatisation, mergers, acquisitions and a movement of labour toward less expensive economic locations, coupled with revolutionary advances in technology and simultaneous empowering of consumers coupled with changes in demand – are among the revolutionary forces impacting organisations around the world. In this dynamic context, organisations need to re‐evaluate their purpose and raison d’être. This evaluative process will help them to decide which changes: strategic or operational, will have to be made in order to perpetuate survival and growth. While, undoubtedly, organisations realise the importance of good communications, they often find it hard to forge the link between “what gets said” and “what gets done”. Aims, initially therefore, to explore the nature of the link between change, change management and internal communications. Ultimately aims to explore how internal communications contribute to the “successful” implementation of change management programmes. Develops as a theoretical contribution in the domains mentioned. As such, the authors would welcome comments and debate from colleagues with an interest in the fields of internal communication and change management.

Recent years have seen the development of the Enterprise in Higher Education (EHE) initiative. How an enterprise activity can be developed and integrated with academic criteria while drawing simultaneously on the resources of history and commerce is illustrated. The benefits of enterprise, using the Young Enterprise model, both for staff and students is outlined and it is postulated that the model utilised provides not only an important adumbration of the real world, but also fulfils the objectives set by the EHE initiative.

An interesting phenomenon in recent years has been the virtually unrecognised growth in Public Relations (PR) activity in the western world. Viewed here in a UK context, this article seeks to address a number of issues. What are the underlying causatory factors occasioning a growth in PR? What effect(s) might such PR growth have on advertising media and agencies? Why should PR be appropriate as a subject deemed of value for academic qualification at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is there any evidence of development in this area? These issues are investigated and the author would welcome commentary and interaction from the academic and business community.

This study aims to formulate a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews through the lens of interpersonal deception theory (IDT) and the persuasion knowledge model (PKM). It evaluates variables contributing to consumer intentions to purchase after reading deceptive reviews and proposes deception identification cues to be incorporated into the interpersonal communication theoretical framework.

The first study is qualitative and quantitative, based on sentiment and lexical analysis of 1,000 consumer reviews. The second study uses the US national consumer survey with a partial least squares partial least squares-structural equation modeling and a process-based mediation–moderation analysis.

This study shows deceptive characteristics that cannot be dissimulated by reviewing consumers that represent review legitimacy based on review valence, authenticity, formalism and analytical writing. The results also support the central role of consumer suspicion of an ulterior motive, with a direct and mediation effect regarding consumer emotions and intentions, including brand trust and purchase intentions.

This paper presents a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews based on IDT and PKM, adding new theoretical elements that help adapt these theories to written digital communication specificities. This study clarifies the role of suspicion in a deceptive communication context and shows the variables contributing to consumers’ purchase intention after reading deceptive reviews. The results also emphasize the benefits of lexical analysis in identifying deceptive characteristics of reviews.

Companies can consider the vulnerability of certain generations based on lower levels of suspicions and different linguistic cues to detect deception in reviews. Long-term, marketers can also implement deception identification practices as potential new business models and opportunities.

Policymakers and regulators need to consider critical deception cues and the differences in suspicion levels among segments of consumers in the formulation of preventative and deception management measures.

This study contributes to the literature by formulating a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews, adapted to the characteristics of written digital communication. This study emphasizes deception cues in electronic word-of-mouth and provides additional opportunities for theorizing deception in electronic communication.

Recent years have seen a substantial decline in the number of vacancies for graduates, and a corresponding increase in the number of graduates searching for employment not necessarily in their chosen field. Suggests that one approach to facilitate students in obtaining their desired employment may be application of the marketing concept. However, such an approach is predicated on also satisfying employer needs; not easy if their needs have not been taken into consideration.

A significant body of research has now been accumulated in the intercultural service encounter (ICSE) literature. However, no study to date has provided scholars and practitioners with a systematic review to map and better understand the ICSE domain.

To fill this gap, the authors systematically review and critically examine the state of academic research on ICSE.

Based on a systematic review of 31 journal articles published over the last two decades, the results illustrate that ICSE research is a vibrant and rapidly growing stream of the broader international business domain, and it is topically and methodologically diverse. This review also identifies significant knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers examining ICSE at different levels of analysis, a lack of contextual positioning, as well as poor methodological rigor.

Based on the findings, the authors introduce a multilevel and multidisciplinary conceptual framework that integrates the concepts of emotional intelligence (EI) and intercultural communication competence (ICC) as the key variables that explain trust development during the interaction between two key culturally different stakeholders: service providers (employees) and service receivers (customers). Finally, the authors discuss the contributions and implications for both academics and practitioners.

This paper aims to examine how customers encounter consumption-based evolution between mobile and offline platforms together with temporal and crossover effects. Counter to research on customer satisfaction theory, which shows that satisfaction directly affects loyalty, the authors show that when shopping between mobile and offline platforms, customers differently evaluate loyalty compared to the traditional satisfaction and loyalty approach. Also, customers differently evaluate three types of service quality from online to offline (O2O) platforms and response dynamically to firm satisfaction and loyalty.

This study tests temporal, carryover and crossover effects using longitudinal data sets.

From crossover loyalty shifts, the findings show that the relationship between offline provider satisfaction (OS) and mobile provider loyalty (ML) during consumption periods is consistently significant with similar impact. However, mobile provider satisfaction (MS) during the same periods does not impact offline provider loyalty (OL) in the same manner, but differs considerably in terms of pattern of influence. Specifically, the findings show that this crossover effect increases over time even though statistical impact is insignificant. Thus, the carryover loyalty shift has a positive impact when it originally occurs in the offline platform but differs significantly when it originates via the mobile platform. Practical implications – this study offers valuable guidance to managers on how O2O platform-centric firms try to enhance satisfaction with consumption system that links to three types of service quality and loyalty.

This study offers valuable insights into offline and ML. This is seen, however, as an experimental study and further research using the same method would enable cross-cultural comparators.

Insights can be drawn from the findings, enabling comparisons relative to service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms. The idea of evolution and progression over time is particular pertinent to business practice assuming data sets are gathered, maintained and analyzed.

Insights can be used from the research findings, including but not limited to comparing the service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms and providing firms with an explanation of temporal evolution.

The concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC) has now become an apparently integral part of the marketing and corporate communication strategies of many companies. Here, we seek to capture and evaluate perceptions of IMC derived from advertising and public relations executives who are developing integrated approaches and campaigns – as required and mandated by clients. Over and above this mandate, of course, they also have their own views as to what IMC is, and how it can best be operationalised. We commence the paper by reviewing the now extensive literature in this subject area, before tackling four research questions via an exploratory study within UK advertising and public relations agencies. The findings indicate that while IMC is here to stay – at least for the foreseeable future. Yet, there is still a significant developmental process that many businesses have to undertake. We conclude by suggesting that IMC development now needs to be researched in the domain of business practice. Certainly, more evidence needs to be provided concerning IMC and integrated marketing from within businesses.

Considers the development of public relations in UK fast‐moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms. Argues that public relations is making some inroads into the traditional marketing promotional mix by acting either in a complementary way or in place of traditional advertising. Also considers the diversification of public relations activities at the corporate level; and the trend towards interaction and integration of the corporate and marketing public relations functions. Through in‐depth interviews with ten leading, but unnamed, UK FMCG firms, argues that public relations has been developing in emphasis and expenditure within such firms over the past decade. Undertakes an approach to describing a rationale for the growth of public relations.