Search results

The purpose of this study is to examine the trends and developments of subscription business models (SBMs) over the past two decades.

The study extracted 469 documents (articles and reviews) from the Scopus database during 2000–2022 and analysed 132 documents (articles and reviews). A bibliometric methodology of scientific mapping was employed, including a cluster analysis based on the bibliographic coupling of documents. Content analysis was also conducted to reveal emerging trends in SBMs.

The study revealed six emerging themes in SBMs related to consumer behaviour, digital advertising, online news media, journal publications, circular economy and sustainability strategies.

The results of this study provide new and unique insights into the development and trends of SBMs over the past two decades and offer guidance for future researchers to investigate further the phenomenon of SBMs in emerging areas.

This study aims to explicate consumers’ intentions to use online food delivery systems (OFDS) subscription services. The study revisited the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

A typical methodology that involved a confirmatory factor analysis, followed by structural equation modeling, was used to test the hypotheses using a sample of 573 OFDS users from the USA.

The results revealed that social influence has the most significant impact on consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services, while effort expectancy and perceived security have relatively lower impacts on consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services. In addition, the study revealed the role of compatibility and convenience orientation in shaping consumers’ OFDS system perceptions (e.g. performance and effort expectancy).

The results provide several theoretical and managerial implications and open new avenues for future research. The study advances the literature by validating the set of antecedents of important core perceptions (e.g. performance expectancy and effort expectancy). The study also provides implications for two types of practitioners, such as OFDS and restaurants.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services. This study is also the first to examine key factors influencing consumers’ intentions to use OFDS subscription services.

本研究旨在阐明消费者使用在线订餐（OFDS） 订阅服务的意图。该研究重新审视了 Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 理论（UTAUT2）。

本研究采用典型的量化研究方法, 包括确认性因子分析和结构方程建模, 并使用来自美国的573名OFDS用户的样本来测试假设。

结果显示, 社会影响对消费者使用OFDS订阅服务的意图具有最显著的作用, 而努力期望和感知安全对消费者使用OFDS订阅服务的意图影响较小。此外, 研究揭示了兼容性和便利性取向在塑造消费者对OFDS系统感知（例如, 性能和努力期望）方面的作用。

研究结果提供了多方面的理论和管理启示, 并为未来研究开辟了新的途径。本研究通过验证重要核心感知（例如, 性能期望和努力期望）的前因完善了相关文献。另外, 本研究还为OFDS和餐厅等两类从业者提供了重要启示。

本研究是第一个调查了消费者使用OFDS订阅服务意图的研究, 也是首次研究了影响消费者使用OFDS订阅服务意图的形成因素。

The purpose is to review literature on sports season ticket subscriptions to distil current knowledge and guide future research and practice.

A systematic literature review is conducted of research on sports season tickets, a long-established and innovative subscription category.

In-depth examination of 28 papers showed a focus on drivers of satisfaction, churn and renewal causes, and product utilisation rates. Subscription markets typically involve many “solely loyal” consumers, most purchasing one or two subscriptions in a category. From reduced barriers to entry and exit to “curated” subscriptions, subscription marketing is changing very quickly. Sports marketers build relationships with subscribers using behavioural data, tier benefits to distinguish between casual and subscribing customers, and create recall and scarcity around key aspects of subscription to combat churn and increase utilisation.

Scarce research on subscription marketing practices remains the primary limitation. Existing research suggests that strong connections between subscriber and organisation, heavy product utilisation and/or strong barriers to switching drive customer satisfaction and retention.

Rapid expansion of subscription products should reduce “excess loyalty”, meaning that subscription models' main benefit will be limited to reoccurring revenue. Exceptions occur when consumers are heavily connected to the product or have little provider choice, so allocate their category buying exclusively. New subscription products face myriad challenges. Guidance on effective subscription marketing from sports marketing research and practice is outlined.

By combining research on market structure, marketing empirical generalisations and subscription marketing, this paper guides future research and practice.

This study examines the relevance of information and communication technologies in the effect of gender economic inclusion on environmental sustainability.

The focus is on a panel of 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005–2020. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments. The environmental sustainability indicator used is CO2 emissions per capita. Three indicators of women’s economic inclusion are considered: female labour force participation, female employment and female unemployment. The chosen ICT indicators are mobile phone penetration, Internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions.

The results show that: (1) fixed broadband subscriptions represent the most relevant ICT moderator of gender economic inclusion for an effect on CO2 emissions; (2) negative net effects are apparent for the most part with fixed broadband subscriptions (3) both positive ICT thresholds (i.e., critical levels for complementary policies) and negative ICT thresholds (i.e., minimum ICT levels for negative net effects) are provided; (4) ICT synergy effects are apparent for female unemployment, but not for female employment. In general, the joint effect of ICTs or their synergies and economic inclusion should be a concern for policymakers in order to better ensure sustainable development. Moreover, the relevant ICT policy thresholds and mobile phone threshold for complementary policy are essential in promoting a green economy.

The study complements the extant literature by assessing linkages between information technology, gender economic inclusion and environmental sustainability.

The purpose of this study is to use the structural model to determine the influence of mobile telecommunication on Egypt’s economic growth from 2000 to 2009. By focusing on mobile unique subscribers and mobile broadband-capable device penetration as indicators of telecommunications adoption, the authors seek to understand their overarching effects on the nation’s economic landscape.

The paper uses quarterly time-series data set over the period 2000–2019 and uses a structural econometric model based on an aggregate production function, a demand function, a supply function and an infrastructure function to detect causality and examine long-run relationships between variables.

The findings of the structural model reveal that both mobile unique subscribers and mobile broadband-capable device penetration significantly contributed to Egypt’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth from 2000 to 2019. Specifically, a 1% increase in mobile unique subscriber penetration and mobile broadband-capable device adoption is estimated to result in an average annual contribution to GDP growth of 0.172% and 0.016%, respectively.

The scarcity of panel data is the main research limitation for comparative study with other Middle East and North African Region (MENA) countries. Research extensions would include testing the significance of complementarities such as improving governance measures and building human capacity for both households and firms, which are necessary to boost the impact of telecommunication on economic growth in the MENA region.

Based on these findings, the study puts forth policy recommendations aimed at maximizing investment in network utilization, including mobile and internet services, as well as fixed broadband subscriptions. It highlights the crucial role of these investments in promoting social and economic development, not only in Egypt but also across the MENA region as a whole.

The findings of this research emphasize the importance of strategic investments in network utilization, encompassing mobile, internet services and fixed broadband subscriptions. Such investments are pivotal for fostering social and financial inclusion. The study underscores the potential of these investments to drive social and economic progress, not just within Egypt but throughout the entire MENA region.

Overall, existing literature generally supports the notion that the telecommunications sector has a positive economic impact. However, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to understanding the specific effects of the Egyptian telecommunications sector on the country’s economy, particularly in relation to the Egypt Vision 2030. The study aims to fill this gap by focusing specifically on Egypt and providing additional insights into the direct and indirect effects of the Egyptian telecommunications sector on the economy. By conducting a thorough analysis of the sector’s role, the authors aim to contribute to the existing literature by providing context-specific findings and recommendations.

The return on investment (ROI) model is a tool used to measure the financial benefits and costs of an investment, in this case, the investment in digital library resources. By applying this model to the AAU digital library resources, the study seeks to determine whether these resources are providing sufficient value for the investment made in them.

The proposed ROI model has two distinct phases and utilizes two different sets of data to calculate the return on investment for a database subscription. In Phase I, the ROI is calculated based on the total number of downloads of full-text articles from the database during the academic year 2019–2020. This information is used to determine the financial returns of the database subscription costs. In Phase II, the ROI is calculated by examining the citations drawn from the Scopus database on a sample of 30 funded research projects for the College of Engineering during the year 2019. These data are used to determine the impact of the database subscription on research output and its contribution to the success of the College of Engineering's research projects. The two phases of the proposed ROI model aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the value of the database subscription and its impact on both financial returns and research output.

The findings of the study indicated different results between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the study. The positive ROI in Phase 1 suggests that the investment in online databases has a good return for the AAU, as they are gaining almost a dollar for every dollar spent. However, the negative ROI in Phase 2 is concerning. It suggests that the investment in the IEEE database is not generating a positive return for the AAU and may even be costing the institution money. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of measuring ROI in academic libraries, particularly in Arab countries where resources may be limited. By understanding the impact of library investments on institutional outcomes, libraries can make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources and how to optimize their services to best serve their communities.

The findings of the current study were based on data collected from a specific sample, therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other academic libraries. A similar study with larger and more diverse samples can help to validate and extend the results of this study.

The findings of the study provide evidence that the proposed ROI model can be effectively applied in Arab countries and academic libraries in the Arab world, this could encourage more institutions in the region to adopt this model for evaluating their investments and projects. The study may also guide how to adapt the model to the specific cultural and organizational contexts of Arab countries.

A secondary research method was used to collect data for this case. The authors have made use of newspaper articles and articles by experts published in the public domain.

This case discusses the dilemma faced by Amazon Prime Video in India regarding content. Amazon Prime Video attained success and rapid growth in India ever since its entry into the Indian over the top (OTT) market in 2016. However, the pursuit of attractive and bold content landed Amazon Prime Video in a legal tangle in India. Amazon Prime Video was accused of hurting the religious and political sentiments of Indians by broadcasting bold shows like Tandaav, Family Man, Mirzapur, Family Man 2, etc. Litigations against Amazon Prime Video were filed in the Indian courts by members of religious and political organizations. Protests and online campaigns on Twitter caught the attention of internet influencers in India. The key dilemma faced by the protagonist in this case is whether to continue streaming attractive content that may be controversial and may occasionally hurt the religious/political sentiments of some Indians or stream only safe content that may be deemed as boring by its young target audience.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying marketing management and international business courses in business management and commerce streams can use this case.

The use of over-the-top (OTT) platforms grew substantially after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the pandemic receding, there is a concern that users may not continue with their subscriptions. To counter this, OTT service providers must strategize proactively to retain and acquire new users once the pandemic abates. Positing that understanding the consumption values that users ascribe to OTT platform usage can provide useful customer retention insights, the purpose of this paper is to use the theory of consumption value (TCV) to study the values that users derived from their use of OTT following the onset of the pandemic.

The mixed-method approach is used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Analysis of qualitative responses collected through interviews of 12 current OTT platform users helped identify two categories of OTT platform-specific values: attribute-level and benefit-based. Next, the study examined the association of values thus identified with one another, as well as with continued intentions to use OTT platforms, by analyzing data collected from 371 existing users.

The findings indicated that functional value quality and social value, representing the attribute-level values, were positively associated with two benefit-based values – functional value price and emotional value (EMV). Next, EMV was not only associated with intentions but also partially mediated the association of attribute-level values with intentions. Premium subscription purchased and increased viewing time were confirmed to have moderating effects on the association between attribute-level and benefit-based values.

The study is amongst the foremost research initiatives to examine consumption values derived from OTT platform usage after the onset of the pandemic. Its novelty also comes from its identifying OTT platform-specific consumption values for the first time and adding a new dimension to the TCV by examining the interplay of these values in the OTT platform context.

Netflix is the market leader in the streaming entertainment industry. In 2020 and 2021, Netflix’s subscriber numbers and revenue increased. During the first two quarters of 2022, Netflix lost millions of subscribers, revenue and profit declined and its share price and market capitalization deteriorated. The purpose of this study is to investigate how and why a company with such a strong track record as Netflix can experience this crisis and, most importantly, how it overcame the crisis and returned to growth.

This case study investigates Netflix’s rise, fall and recovery between 2020 and 2023 using qualitative research methods. It examines earnings calls, transcripts and letters to shareholders as well as the views of investment analysts, journalists and academics.

Netflix turned its fortunes around because its leaders faced the crisis head-on. They acknowledged that previous strategic decisions were no longer working, that no advertisements were on the platform and that there was no account sharing and they reversed these decisions. Netflix also realized that it needed to innovate, so it partnered with Microsoft to execute its go-to-market with advertising. It also launched games, made strategic acquisitions of gaming studios and developed its capabilities with new products.

This is a valuable case study. Investigating how a company as successful as Netflix can encounter a severe decline and how it changed its strategies and tactics to reverse the decline provides important lessons for other companies.

Digitalization and marketing technologies have made it possible to overcome some barriers to pricing – a multidisciplinary field between marketing, finance and IT – and have set the stage for a paradigm shift in the pricing profession. Value creation, the pricing process, and price communication have been transformed by innovative business models and advanced algorithmic and human–machine solutions. This chapter synthesizes the literature to date and provides a comprehensive framework for an all-encompassing 360° pricing approach that broadens the understanding of pricing in the context of digital business across all steps of the price management process. Starting from product attributes and motivational beliefs in consumers' value assessment and adoption of (technological or digital) products or services, new business models and pricing models emerge in the digital economy, human–machine solutions for price implementation and repricing are increasingly applied, and price search and communication take place through a variety of digital communication channels. Each stage of this framework discusses concrete examples, highlighting the freemium strategy, the subscription model, price tracking and repricing tools, and digital price information channels such as e-commerce, marketplace, or price comparison platforms. The implications for price management in a digital, technology-driven landscape are discussed from the executive level to the analyst level.