Search results

This research unfolds a holistic association between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and three important markets (oil, stock and gold) in the Indian context. To do same, the current study uses the monthly dataset of each variable spanning from November 2005 to March 2022.

The authors have portrayed the wavelet-based coherence, correlation and covariance plots to explore the interaction between EPU and markets' behavior. Then, a wavelet-based quantile on quantile regression model and wavelet-based Granger causality has been applied to examine the cause-and-effect relation and causality between the EPU and markets.

The authors’ findings report that the Indian crude oil buyers do not need to consider Indian EPU while negotiating the oil deals in the short term and medium term. However, in case of the long-term persistence of uncertainty, it becomes difficult for a buyer to negotiate oil deals at cheap rates. EPU causes unfavorable fluctuation in the stock market because macroeconomic decisions have a substantial impact on it. The authors have also found that gold is a gauge for economic imbalances and an accurate observer of inflation resulting from uncertainty, showing a safe haven attribute.

The authors’ work is original in two aspects. First, their study solely focused on the Indian economy to investigate the impact and causal power of Indian EPU on three major components of the Indian economy: oil, stock and gold. Second, they will provide their findings after analyzing data at a very microlevel using a wavelet-based quantile on quantile and wavelet-based Granger causality.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the market for various e-learning platforms existing globally. The global pandemic transformed the traditional education sector into an e-learning industry and impacted the digital education sector proportionally. The wide impact on people to maintain a social distance shortened the space and enhanced student engagement with digital screens. The merchandise of electronic gadgets and e-learning platforms boosted global revenues ever before.

A digital data analytical tool retrieved the data for e-learning companies. While screening companies, the authors came up with more than 150 and later narrowed it to 71. Furthermore, revenues and market capitalisation data were collected from open-source websites of respective e-learning platforms at national and international stock exchanges. The data from the year 2018 to 2021 was used to predict the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the 2022–2027 market value of e-learning companies. The demographics of the statistical data were plotted using GraphPad Prism and Python Plotly. Also, the study attempted to underpin the association of annual revenue with market capitalisation for e-learning companies using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

The financials of the e-learning platforms were compared from 2018 to 2021 based on the stock market exchange, which showed a gradual increase in revenues and influenced the market capitalisation by the 2022 financial year. Also, simultaneously validating the CAGR of 13.16%, the expected revenues from 2022 to 2027 were $830bn. The data plotted on the atlas choropleth exhibiting the e-learning users increased globally by 2022. The Web traffic data validated by the browsing gadget helped to validate the increase in revenues of the electronic gadget companies.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the pioneer studies postulating the study of e-learning demographics comparing the e-learning influence on the global digital market, Web user traffic and the education sector. The demographics of e-learning users by age, gender and gadget distribution validate the e-learning induction globally.

This study aims to propose a novel way to explore the narrative structure of advertisements, a nascent area of research, through the protagonist’s emotional arc progression.

The multi-methods approach is used. In Study 1, the authors explore the basic universal emotional arcs through the analysis of narrative advertisements from six key economies. In Studies 2 and 3, the authors experimentally test hypotheses concerning the narrative structure and viewers’ attitudes toward the narrative using representative samples (317 and 193 ads, respectively).

The authors identify five broad emotional arcs of the protagonist in audiovisual advertisements. Different emotional arcs are found to induce different attitudes in the audience. Narratives ending in a positive mode and the narrative arcs with higher emotional shifts are more favorably evaluated by the audience.

The present study is limited to textual stimuli tested in a US population and does not consider protagonist characteristic portrayal.

Understanding consumer preferences for different emotional arcs can help practitioners to develop more clutter-breaking and relevant advertisements.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the narrative structure theory in the context of advertisements using a positivist approach.

This paper aims to empirically indicate the factors influencing stock liquidity premium (i.e. the relationship between liquidity and stock returns) in one of the leading European emerging markets, namely, the Polish one.

Various firms’ characteristics and market states are analysed as potentially affecting liquidity premiums in the Polish stock market. Stock returns are regressed on liquidity measures and panel models are used. Liquidity premium has been estimated in various subsamples.

The findings vividly contradict the common sense that liquidity premium raises during the periods of stress. Liquidity premium does not increase during bear markets, as investors lengthen the investment horizon when market liquidity decreases. Liquidity premium varies with the firm’s size, book-to-market value and stock risk, but these patterns seem to vanish during a bear market.

This is one of the first empirical papers considering conditional stock liquidity premium in an emerging market. Using a unique methodological design it is presented that liquidity premium in emerging markets behaves differently than in developed markets.

Purpose – Stemming from extant literature on consumer brand narratives and the rising quest for consumption authenticity, the chapter aims at merging these two streams of knowledge. How can brand authenticity be defined and narrated? To what extent do companies and consumers interact? What are the consequences for branding?

Methodology – The chapter is case-based, and illustrates the branding strategy of l’Occitane en Provence, a company producing toiletries with a strong Mediterranean rooting. Data were collected through multisited ethnographic fieldwork in Paris and Manosque, Haute Provence. Depth and short interviews with customers and managers of l’Occitane were complemented by extensive observation and secondary data. The comprehensive dataset was analyzed consistently with interpretive research tenets.

Findings – Data document (i) five dimensions of brand authenticity contextualized to l’Occitane Mediterranean brand; (ii) the different branding strategies made possible to companies by the varied combination of these five dimensions; and (iii) the distinct profiles of brand consumers according to the specific authentic narrative each of them is more receptive to.

Practical implications – Implications for authentic brand narratives are drawn. I argue that when companies adopt a narrative approach to branding they can establish a stronger dialogue with customers and defend their competitive advantage more effectively. Actually, each brand narrative cannot be easily imitated by competitors since its imitation would turn out as a fake, unauthentic tale for the market.

Originality of the chapter – The chapter contributes to the fields of branding and authenticity, by extending the notion and understanding of consumption authenticity to brands.

Examines the relationship between organizational structure and market performance. Suggests that the complex nature of the new structures offers a challenge to the adaptability of management. Attempts to identify the key principles which govern how organizational structures shape market performance in order that top management might recognize and use them to their advantage.

Narratives are central to consumers’ understanding of brands especially during change. The financial crisis that began in 2008 offered a changing marketplace from which to develop two managerially useful frameworks of consumer narratives. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Consumer focus groups, interviews with bankers and qualitative consumer surveys were used to gather consumers’ narratives about retail banking. The narratives were examined through frameworks from both the humanities and psychology (narrative identity).

The individual consumer narratives were used to create first a possible cultural narrative or bird’s eye view and later archetypal narratives of groups of consumers for a ground-level view of the changing marketplace.

Like all early research, the findings must be examined in other contexts to improve generalizability.

The narrative results revealed the impact of change on consumers’ identities, views of other entities and retail banking activity to yield managerially actionable information for segmentation, target marketing, branding and communication.

Frameworks are developed for consumer narratives which are shown to be useful tools in examining consumers’ reactions to changing markets and in formulating marketing responses.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to suggest a modified sales comparison model that is scalable and adaptable to value under conditions of certainty and uncertainty. The model can potentially be applied to residential property, non-residential property and large item plant and machinery in determining the value, rental or capitalisation rate. The second purpose is to address practitioner and end user bias, which if unaddressed can lead to potentially inconsistent valuation results.

Literature was reviewed on decision theory, specifically cognitive limitations, heuristics and biases. A qualitative approach is followed in the paper although the output of the proposed model itself is quantitative.

The paper argues that practitioners and end users alike tend to avoid advanced statistical techniques when valuing under conditions of certainty, while advanced statistical techniques would not be possible under conditions of uncertainty. In addition, practitioners can, due to the representative heuristic, be over-confident in their ability, skill or knowledge when performing valuations under conditions of certainty. When valuing under conditions of uncertainty, practitioners tend to avoid simple rule models as they consider the process too unique to be standardised. The combined effect is inconsistent valuation results unless it can potentially be addressed through an integrated and modified sales comparison model that takes into account varying degrees of certainty and uncertainty.

The proposed modified sales comparison model is an integrated model that can be adopted by practitioners in valuing residential, non-residential and large plant and machinery. It can potentially be used to value under conditions of certainty and uncertainty and improve valuation consistency. End users such as mortgage lenders and investors can benefit from the adoption of this model.

The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated and modified sales comparison model for valuing under conditions of certainty, normal uncertainty and abnormal uncertainty. The integrated model can value based on direct comparison under conditions of certainty and uncertainty while addressing the in practice avoidance of advanced statistical techniques and the implications of the representative heuristic and halo effect as cognitive biases on valuation consistency.

The next set of decisions commits the organisation to some form of action, i.e. setting objectives. Within the context of strategic plans, objectives should have three characteristics. First, they should be quantified, i.e. to enable management to monitor programmes as the plan evolves. Secondly, they should relate to a specific time period, which will vary depending on the nature of the organisation and how it defines its mission. Thus, an oil company operating in the energy business may think strategically in terms of a quarter of a century or more because of the need to finance enormous amounts of capital investment. A school or university operating in the personal development business will set its time horizons much nearer to the present day. Thirdly, the objectives should be realistically attainable in order to provide the necessary motivation to those charged with the responsibility of so doing.