International Market Research Articles

THE EFFECT OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, LABOUR, AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, INTERNAL MARKETING, JOB SATISFACTION AND LIFE SATISFACTION OF PROFESSIONALS IN PORTUGAL

Purpose: The aim is to assess whether sociodemographic, labour, and organizational characteristics present differences in the average values of emotional intelligence, internal marketing, commitment, work determinants, performance, loyalty, job satisfaction and life satisfaction of employees’ active professionals in Portugal. Theoretical Framework: Recent literature has reported that Emotional intelligence is a topic that arouses a lot of interest, especially in organizations, as it allows individuals to manage their own emotions and, in turn, a better understanding of the emotions of others, which provides more stable interpersonal relationships both with peers and with others hierarchical superiors. Thus, there is still much to investigate and learn about organizations with human resources equipped with emotional intelligence are therefore more likely to achieve the desired productivity and success and their employees, in turn, have more satisfaction performing the functions assigned to them. Design/Methodology/Approach: We carried out an inferential quantitative analysis on a sample of professionals working in Portugal (n=1310), to find out whether their sociodemographic, professional, and organizational characteristics present differences in the average values of emotional intelligence, internal marketing, commitment, work determinants, performance, leadership, job satisfaction and life satisfaction of active professionals in Portugal. Findings: The results obtained reveal that professionals working in Portugal are moderately satisfied and their average levels of satisfaction present most sociodemographic, professional, and organizational characteristics, for the dimensions of internal marketing, emotional intelligence, performance, loyalty, commitment, satisfaction with life and job satisfaction, statistically significant differences in the average values of their satisfaction. Research, Practical & Social implications: At the organizational level, in the same way that an external customer needs positive experiences to be considered by the organization, a professional has to feel valued to perform their tasks successfully. Therefore, organizations must promote their internal marketing strategies by enhancing the recognition of their professionals. Originality/Value: The study demonstrates that Portuguese organizations must also invest in the implementation and development of internal marketing, valuing and recognizing their professionals, in order to strengthen organizational sustainability.

智汇岐黄，创领未来：科技赋能下的中医药传承与全球创新——2024TCMIID®中医药传承创新发展大赛综述Wisdom in Qi-Huang, Leading the Future: TCM Inheritance and Global Innovation Empowered by Technology: A Review of the 2024 TCMIID® Competition on Preservation and Innovative Development of Traditional C

2024 TCMIID® 中医药传承创新发展大赛展现了中医药与现代科技深度融合的最新成果，推动了中医药在智能诊疗、理论创新、健康管理、产业升级及国际推广等方面的发展。本综述系统分析了大赛的获奖作品，归纳总结其在人工智能赋能中医诊疗、现代中医理论创新、生态康养、绿色中医药产业化及国际传播等方面的创新点。研究发现，人工智能、大数据、区块链等技术正在推动中医药的智能化、标准化和国际化进程；中医药的理论现代化与科学验证成为行业发展的关键课题；健康管理与公共卫生结合，中医药的个性化、精准化应用日益增强。此外，绿色中医药产业链与ESG发展模式促进了行业的可持续发展。未来，中医药的高质量发展将依赖科技创新、标准化建设、国际市场拓展及绿色转型，以实现更广泛的全球影响力。 The 2024 TCMIID® Competition on the Preservation and Innovative Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine showcased the latest achievements in integrating TCM with modern technology, driving advancements in intelligent diagnosis, theoretical innovation, health management, industrial transformation, and international promotion. This review systematically analyzes the award-winning projects, summarizing their innovations in AI-powered TCM diagnostics, modernization of TCM theories, ecological wellness, green TCM industrialization, and global dissemination. The findings reveal that artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain technologies are accelerating the intelligence, standardization, and globalization of TCM. The modernization and scientific validation of TCM theories remain critical areas for development, while personalized and precise TCM applications are increasingly incorporated into public health management. Additionally, the green TCM industry chain and ESG-driven development models are fostering sustainability in the sector. In the future, the high-quality development of TCM will rely on technological innovation, standardization, international market expansion, and green transformation, ultimately enhancing its global influence.

How internal marketing can increase the satisfaction and retention of Generation Z employees in the banking sector

How internal marketing can increase the satisfaction and retention of Generation Z employees in the banking sector

Financial Openness, Trade Openness, and Economic Growth Nexus: A Dynamic Panel Analysis for Emerging and Developing Economies

International market openness has long been regarded as critical for economic development, and recent evidence highlights the distinct roles of financial and trade openness, particularly in emerging and developing economies. This study examines the impact of financial and trade openness on economic growth in ten emerging and developing countries from 1970 to 2023. It employs a dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) model, which is selected for its ability to address potential endogeneity and dynamic relationships within panel data. The analysis finds that both financial and trade openness positively influence economic growth and that stable macroeconomic conditions and political stability enhance these growth-promoting effects. In the context of growing geo-economic tensions, trade fairness, and national security concerns, the study underscores the need for policies that balance global integration with national interests. These findings suggest the importance of designing policies that promote greater integration into global financial and trading systems while ensuring sound macroeconomic fundamentals and supportive institutions. The study recommends that policymakers pursue strategic liberalization and strengthen governance structures to achieve sustained and inclusive growth.

A Multidimensional Exploration Based on Hofstede’s Cultural Theory: An Empirical Study on Chinese Audience Acceptance of American Animated Films

In the context of globalization, cross-cultural research is essential for understanding behaviors and values across different cultural backgrounds. The way audiences from diverse cultures interpret and accept film content significantly impacts the international dissemination and market performance of films. This study, grounded in Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions—power distance index (PDI), individualism vs. collectivism (IDV), uncertainty avoidance (UAI), masculinity vs. femininity (MAS), long-term vs. short-term orientation (LTO), and indulgence vs. restraint (IVR)—incorporates additional variables such as visual aesthetic appeal (VAA), narrative complexity (NCI), viewing motivation (VM), behavioral intentions (BIs), and brand loyalty (BL) to construct a multidimensional research framework. This framework aims to comprehensively examine the acceptance of American animated films among Chinese audiences and the cultural differences influencing such acceptance. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study analyzed the interrelationships between variables based on a sample of 507 participants with prior viewing experience. The findings reveal that different cultural dimensions significantly impact VM. PDI, UAI, and IDV exert significant negative influences on VM, with PDI being the most influential. Conversely, LTO and IVR do not demonstrate significant negative effects. In contrast, MAS, VAA, and NCI exhibit significant positive impacts on VM. Additionally, VM strongly influences audience acceptance, which, in turn, promotes the formation of BIs and repeated VM. This study extends the application of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to the domain of cross-cultural media consumption, enriching the theoretical framework with additional dimensions and offering a novel perspective for cross-cultural research. Furthermore, the study uncovers the intricate interactions between cultural context and film content, proposing strategies to enhance the acceptance of cross-cultural films. These findings not only provide valuable insights for the production and marketing of animated films but also offer strategic guidance for filmmakers in diverse markets.

International Marketing Diversification: A Path to Sustainable Enterprise Development

This study demonstrates the critical importance of international marketing diversification during wartime, particularly for Ukrainian businesses seeking to expand their sales markets and mitigate risks associated with specific markets. By adopting this strategy, businesses can better withstand conflict-induced challenges and remain resilient in difficult circumstances. The article explores strategies for international marketing diversification that can help companies maintain competitiveness during wartime conditions. Drawing on a synthesis of domestic and international scholarly perspectives, the study positions international marketing diversification as a forward-looking approach to securing enterprises’ sustainable development in global markets. The strategy emphasizes the selection of optimal development trajectories while accounting for various influencing factors and indicators. Given Ukraine’s significant role in the European apple market, its advantageous geographical location, and its annual apple production of approximately 700,000 tons – of which only 250,000 tons are high-quality apples for fresh consumption ­– it is concluded that Ukrainian apple producers have opportunities to export to new international markets. Investing in apple processing technologies, such as apple chips and apple powder production, could enhance export potential. An analysis of export-import operations for the product group “0813 Dried Fruits,” which includes apple chips and powder, from 2021 to 2023 identifies the United States, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Spain, and Poland as the leading markets. These countries account for 55% of global imports in this product category. Ukrainian companies involved in apple cultivation and processing are advised to target these markets, where demand for dried fruit is evident. Expanding export geography can enable Ukrainian fruit producers and processors to grow their businesses and increase production volumes. Diversifying customer bases through market expansion can secure stable revenues and foster sustainable growth, contributing to the broader development of the Ukrainian economy. The study underscores the importance of high-quality apple cultivation for several reasons. First, it ensures the production of premium dried fruit that meets high consumer standards. Second, diversifying apple processing into value-added products like chips and powders can expand product portfolios, align with food industry trends, and enhance competitiveness in international markets. Thus, supporting high-quality cultivation not only ensures the quality of processed products but also fosters industry development and product diversification. The convergence of new international markets for Ukrainian producers of the product group “0813 Dried fruits” is assessed, and it is determined which of them are the most attractive for the development of an international marketing diversification strategy by Ukrainian producers of the product group “0813 Dried fruits”. The markets of the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain showed higher scores, which indicates their convergence and readiness of conditions for the successful development of a strategy for international marketing diversification of Ukrainian producers in the product group “0813 Dried fruits”. It is substantiated that the implementation of the international marketing strategy of diversification by Ukrainian producers of the product group “0813 Dried fruits” in the markets of Great Britain, Italy, and Spain will allow to intensify the sale of dried apple slices and apple powder, which will become a promising direction of sustainable development. Keywords: International marketing diversification, sustainable development, enterprises, form, provision, internationalization, export, import, risk, strategy, competitiveness, markets, research, development, globalization, business, innovation

Supply chain constraints and the predictability of the conditional distribution of international stock market returns and volatility

Supply chain constraints and the predictability of the conditional distribution of international stock market returns and volatility

Global Competitiveness Potential of U.S. Nuclear Energy Technologies

The new Trump administration considers the U.S. nuclear energy industry as one of the most important and promising tools for maintaining the country’s global leadership in the international arena. In order to assess the validity of these calculations, this paper provides a retrospective analysis of the development of U.S. nuclear industry, identifies its strengths and weaknesses and the overall state as D. Trump is about to enter his second term. The first section outlines the key stages and drivers of the U.S. nuclear energy industry evolution in the second half of the 20th century. The author notes that the development of the industry was steadily slowing down after a period of rapid growth in the 1960–1970s due to both purely economic reasons and extraordinary factors, including the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. The second section compares the approaches of the administrations of George W. Bush, B. Obama, D. Trump and J. Biden to regulating the national nuclear energy industry. The research shows that, despite active government support of the industry, the trend towards a ‘nuclear renaissance’ emerged only with D. Trump's coming to power, as he set a course to restore the competitiveness of the country’s nuclear industry and establish dominance in this segment of international energy market. The author concludes that the U.S. nuclear energy technologies have significant potential in terms of strengthening the country’s global competitiveness, which, in particular, became possible thanks to the policy of the last two administrations to subsidize and technologically upgrade the nuclear industry, as well as to develop new markets in Europe and Asia. At the same time, as the author notes, there are still certain capacity constraints, related, in particular, to the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and the transition to cost-effective production of small modular reactors.

IMPACT OF EXCHANGE RATE REGIMES ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Changes in exchange rates have a major effect on the imports and exports of the participating countries because of the relative prices of commodities as production and consumption in Nigeria are largely dependent on imports. The purpose of this study is to examine the exchange rate regime on economic development of the country with a view to making relevant recommendations that could mitigate challenges confronting foreign exchange regime in the country. The study was anchored on dependency theory given the need of the state to protect the country’s economy from the vagaries of international capital market. In-depth interviews and a 5-point Likert scale were used to gather primary data. Four hundred (400) questionnaires were distributed in person to respondents selected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and Bureau de Change Operators. Based on their professional knowledge of the topics being studied, eight senior staff members with the level of Assistant Director and above were interviewed. Secondary data were generated from the internet, periodicals, and publications of government organizations like the CBN and NSE on the effects of exchange rate regimes and their economic ramifications for Nigerian growth. Simple percentages and absolute frequencies were used in the analysis of personal data of the respondents as well as in the analysis of all data generated from questionnaire, while weighted mean was used in analysing questions and statements related to the research propositions. Data from in-depth interview were analysed using narrative analytic technique, while data from secondary sources were analysed using relational-content analysis. Findings showed, among other things, the poorer the exchange rate regime, the more the level of economic development deteriorates in Nigeria. It is recommended, among other things, given the adverse impact of exchange rate regimes on economic development in Nigeria, the Federal Government and relevant organisations and agencies in Nigeria such as the Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigeria Stock Market should ensure that exchange rate regimes are used as a tool for mitigating the challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty in Nigeria.

Is the Digital Services Act Here to Protect Users?

The regulation of social media platforms continues to be a hotly debated issue in policy and academic circles. In these discussions, the Digital Services Act (DSA) is widely seen as a major piece of an architecture under construction. However, much of the current academic discussion focuses on the content of its new rules and their implementation, with very little work examining the context in which the DSA was passed. This paper explores this context by focusing on the strategic litigation by social media platforms against the Austrian Communication Platforms Act, a member state law adopted during the transition period from the E-Commerce Directive (ECD) to the DSA. The paper's case study shows how social media platforms successfully used EU internal market principles to challenge the Austrian law, paradoxically aligning their interests with the European Commission's goal of preventing legal fragmentation within the EU. This highlights an alliance between corporate interests and the EU regulatory framework and raises questions about the objectives of the DSA. The paper argues that it is important to challenge the narrative that the DSA represents a radical shift towards user protection in the digital sphere. Indeed, the Austrian case study shows how the ECD has been constructed in a way that is very favourable to companies. It is therefore doubtful whether the new compliance-based regulatory tools of the DSA, which are supposed to ensure user protection, can be effective forms of counter-power, given that the dominant paradigm of the ECD, which favours corporate interests, has largely been retained in the DSA.

The Issues of Carbon Pricing in the Russian Federation: The Local and International Perspectives Under the Cost Approach and the Role of Afforestation Projects

This paper discusses the role of afforestation projects and other climate technologies in the green agenda for Russia and aims to justify the anchoring of jurisdictional carbon pricing in the cost approach to valuation, specifically, with reference to the cost economics for afforestation projects given their centrality to the agenda. Through that, and due to the inchoate state of carbon pricing in the study jurisdiction, this paper aims to advance price discovery for national carbon credits in both compliance and voluntary schemes. The cost approach framework, moderated by international market comparisons, indicates the fair price of carbon in Russian jurisdiction at the level of USD 20–25 per tonne of CO2-eq, which is close to the global median but is more than double the amount of carbon levies set under the Sakhalin GHG quota experiment. It is argued that unless such a fair price for carbon is set in the country, the national carbon credits market will not achieve viable growth, nor will sustainable development be advanced, and funds for it be adequately collected. This represents a relevant contribution to the literature on the development of the national carbon credit markets.

Value Chain Opportunities for Pacific Coastal Resources

Oceanic tuna fisheries are a major contributor to the economic health of Pacific Island countries (PICs), with coastal fisheries underpinning the livelihoods of locals, providing food security, significant employment, culture, and human welfare. Livelihood development across various PICs is hindered by the inability to harness the maximum potential of coastal fishery resources, particularly through the lack of identifying targeted development needs. Development of coastal value chains facilitates resilience by reducing local reliance on tuna fisheries and associated vulnerability to tuna industry dynamics to support socio-economic development throughout the PICs while maintaining food security. The aim of this paper is to identify priority opportunities for developing coastal resource value chains in PICs, targeting increased local economic resilience and food security. A methodology developed by the World Bank was used to assist stakeholders and policymakers to coalesce around common strategies for the value chains. Six value chains were identified: beche-de-mer; ornamental black pearls and Trochus shell; fresh fish for the domestic market; reef fish exports; export of live lobsters; and export of aquarium fish products. Porter’s Five Forces framework was used for value chain analysis, and strategic repositioning considerations and areas for investment support within high-priority value chains were identified. Fisheries data collection, community-based sustainable management and aquaculture restocking programmes, habitat restoration, development of the cold chain, air freight logistics for export, and facilitating international market connections and market access were identified for external investment support.

Creating a well-functioning internal market for biofuels

Abstract State aid for renewable energy is a crucial element in the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system. However, various State aid schemes in different Member States can also lead to undesirable market distortions and hinder cross-border trade. This is particularly so when one Member State provides production aid, and another Member State has a demand side aid scheme or can result from some Member State providing both State aid and GOs for the same commodity. This undermines the level playing field for all actors within the biomethane markets and leads to subsidy competition, instead of product competition. The article addresses these questions and provides for solutions.

The EU's current strategy for expanding economic cooperation with the Western Balkans

The European Union is the leading economic partner of the Western Balkan countries. The issue of the integration of the Balkan republics into the EU has remained relevant throughout the 21st century and continues to be a leading topic on the political agenda of Europe today. At the same time, modern changes in the geopolitical picture of the world, as well as the activation of new foreign policy actors, primarily China in Southeastern Europe, create additional risks for Brussels' hegemony in the Western Balkans. The author of the article analyzes the latest EU initiatives in the fi eld of economic cooperation with the six Balkan republics and comes to the conclusion that Brussels is steadily moving towards its previously outlined goal of keeping the Western Balkans in its sphere of infl uence, avoiding early integration. However, modern foreign policy realities force the EU to intensify its activities in this area. With the adoption of the "Growth Plan for the Western Balkans" (2023) and the "Action Plan for the Common Regional Market for 2025–2028. (CRM 2.0)" we can talk about the beginning of a new stage in the integration process of the Western Balkans into the EU, which will be characterized by the gradual merger of the Common Regional Market created in the period from 2017 to 2024 with the internal market of the EU.

Flexing Armageddon: Displacing Climate Change Anxiety through Soft Power Nationalist Interests in Guo Fan’s The Wandering Earth (2019)

Abstract In recent years, apparently as part of the public relations for its global “soft power” initiatives, China has moderately relaxed much of its previously archaic policy control of its cinema production industry. One result has been the release of a spate of Chinese films to international streaming platforms such as Netflix. One highly visible example is Guo Fan’s The Wandering Earth (2019), a pre-pandemic apocalypse film that unabashedly appropriates conventions from the raft of fin-de-millenaire Hollywood apocalypse films such as Michael Bay’s Armageddon (1998) as part of China’s political economy bid to enter into the international cinematic market. But is it as simple as all that? While films such as The Wandering Earth represent a welcome diversification of more international fare on such giant media streaming platforms as Netflix, and give international exposure to such talented Chinese directors as Guo Fan, the particular ideological project of the film should not go unnoticed. While critics such as Petrus Liu (2020), Laura Waisbich (2020), Ping Zhu (2020), and Amir Khan (2020) have noted the film as an allegory of catastrophic climate change, and Petrus Liu (2020) and Jeroen de Kloet (2022) have noted its similarity to Armageddon in particular, the specific ideological projects of the displacement of techno-industrial responsibility for catastrophic climate change in concert with a “soft power” competition with U.S. hegemony in the context of what Chris Berry (2021) refers to as the phenomenon of “two globalizations” has not been clearly articulated. When compared against Armageddon in particular, it becomes clear how the film works to displace climate change responsibilities in a soft power ideological gambit against U.S. global-capitalist hegemony. Thus, the project of this article is to explore how The Wandering Earth narratively raises the stakes on a similar American ideological project in such spectacular Hollywood films as Michael Bay’s Armageddon, in particular, for example, and resolves contemporary issues of eco-catastrophe with a melodramatic tale of xenophobic Chinese patriarchal salvation that supersedes the American originals in a “soft power” gambit for global hegemony.

Based on the New Dynamic Network DEA and Malmquist Index of High-Quality Innovation in the New Energy Vehicle Economy Development Research of the Internet of Things

This paper takes the enterprise economic data of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2018–2023 as the research background, combined with the performance evaluation theory of the NEV industry, and systematically discusses how to make the high-quality innovative development of NEVs as the research purpose. We use the new dynamic network data envelope analysis (DEA) model, Marmquist Index and other and the Internet of Things internationally recognized, scientific and effective data models as research methods to make an in-depth analysis of the business performance of five representative enterprises on multi-quantitative input-output issues. The research results show that the NEV industry has a good development prospect and economic foundation on the whole, but it still faces challenges such as limited space for core technology progress, insufficient carbon emission reduction and environmental protection planning. At the end, this paper puts forward innovation suggestions such as accelerating technological innovation, optimizing production process and responding to preferential policies and exploring international market.

Big-data AI analytics in value-chain innovation and international marketing strategy: insights from SMEs in cultural and creative industries

Purpose Despite great consensus on the positive impact of big-data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) analytics (BDAI) on a firm’s performance, it still appears to be a black box mechanism through which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) strengthen their dynamic competencies to innovate and expand their global footprint. To fill this theoretical and empirical gap we examine the relationship between BDAI affordances, digital marketing capabilities (DMCs), value-chain innovation and international market goals.Design/methodology/approach The study incorporates the dynamic capability view an extension of the resource-based view and the knowledge-based view to empirically examine the primary data collected from marketing managers and executives of SMEs in cultural and creative industries utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis.Findings The study highlights the significant role of BDAI affordances such as intelligent process recommendations, customer intelligence and market intelligence on DMCs, where DMCs significantly affect value-chain innovation and international market strategy both directly and indirectly.Research limitations/implications The study minimizes the gap in identifying the BDAI affordances to drive innovation and international market strategy in the context of SMEs in cultural and creative industries. Marketing managers can incorporate these findings to enhance their digital capabilities for competitive advantages in international markets.Originality/value The study proposes a holistic framework of BDAI affordances for the strategic use of digital resources and knowledge to transform digital capabilities into new forms of value to expand in the international market. These insights are robust and grounded in findings provided by marketing practitioners.

Italian vermouth on the international market (1890–1960): a success story

Italian vermouth on the international market (1890–1960): a success story

European labour law as part of an economic union, monetary union and community of values—between harmonization and subsidiarity

Abstract The development of European labour law was neither straightforward nor continuous but followed the development of the European single market for a long time. Today, European labour law is an essential part of the social market economy in the European Union, even if there is no uniform European social model. The European Pillar of Social Rights is a commitment to a social Europe and accelerated regulatory practice. From a political science perspective, the development of European labour law was and is dependent on the legitimacy of its actions of the European Union. Therefore, unlike in nation-states, no clearly defined concept of (European) labour law has emerged. Rather, three central areas can be identified: (1) transnational labour law, primarily the free movement of workers, as nucleus of European labour law, (2) European labour law as a result of the interference of business-related fundamental freedoms with the welfare states in the Member States, and (3) European labour law as a result of a proactive social policy. However, the European Union has and will have to continue to organise its legislation in coordination with the welfare states in the Member States. Politically, it must prove that its measures are necessary because it can regulate the issues in question better than the Member States would be able to. Crises affecting several Member States are often the main driving force behind the deepening of the cooperation in the field of social policy. In addition, new developments can give the Member States reasons to take a standardised approach from the outset. Furthermore, the European Union should act primarily in connection with such social standards regarding which all Member States have already ratified international conventions without reservations and have thus agreed on a uniform standard.

Deposit return schemes of EU Member States and the EU's internal market

Deposit return schemes of EU Member States and the EU's internal market