Imitation Strategies Research Articles

Brand imitation strategy, package design and consumer response: what does it take to make a difference?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a brand imitation strategy for the package design of male-targeted, female-targeted and gender-neutral products.Design/methodology/approachThree (2 × 2 × 2) between-subjects factorial experiments were conducted with three independent variables, namely, visual shape, color and logo, each classified as relevant/divergent. The dependent variables were participants’ attitudes toward the brand, attitudes toward the product and purchase intention.FindingsThere were no significant main effects or interactions for the male-targeted product. The results for the female-targeted product revealed no significant main effect of visual shape, a significant main effect of color and significant two-way interactions between visual shape and color and between visual shape and logo. Significant main effects were found for visual shape and color for the gender-neutral product.Practical implicationsA color scheme similar to that of a leading brand in the same product category more powerfully influenced participants’ attitudes and purchase intention, while a more holistically similar design had greater impact than a less holistic design. Some “divergence” or distinctive design elements of the female-targeted product positively influenced participants’ attitudes and behavior. These findings suggest that a brand imitation strategy offers a means for competing in the marketplace, but should be used with caution.Originality/valueA conceptual continuum of brand imitation is proposed, incorporating visual semiotics, creativity theory and gender differences in cognitive styles to provide a more systematic method for delineating brand imitation levels.

The self-organizing impact of averaged payoffs on the evolution of cooperation

According to the fundamental principle of evolutionary game theory, the more successful strategy in a population should spread. Hence, during a strategy imitation process a player compares its payoff value to the payoff value held by a competing strategy. But this information is not always accurate. To avoid ambiguity a learner may therefore decide to collect a more reliable statistics by averaging the payoff values of its opponents in the neighborhood, and makes a decision afterwards. This simple alteration of the standard microscopic protocol significantly improves the cooperation level in a population. Furthermore, the positive impact can be strengthened by increasing the role of the environment and the size of the evaluation circle. The mechanism that explains this improvement is based on a self-organizing process which reveals the detrimental consequence of defector aggregation that remains partly hidden during face-to-face comparisons. Notably, the reported phenomenon is not limited to lattice populations but remains valid also for systems described by irregular interaction networks.

Creative imitation in late industrializing countries: the case of biopharmaceutics in South Korea and India

ABSTRACT Given that the patents of the first high cost and complex biopharmaceuticals have started to expire, biotechnology offers opportunities for developing countries to pursue an upgrading process by entering the sector as early imitators. In the case of biotechnology applied to the health sector, the characteristics of the innovation process and the specificity of the regulatory process for biopharmaceuticals raises new questions as to the learning path open to the developing countries that intend to build an industrial promotion strategy on the basis of early entry as imitators. Given those specific characteristics, it is worth asking how far creative imitation strategies could constitute an opportunity for late late industrializing countries to undertake rapid industrial upgrading processes.

New evidence of a fish–bird interspecific feeding association between the European seabass and the European shag in the Mediterranean Sea

Although they have received little attention, interspecific feeding associations are a particular predation behavior in which two or more different species temporary feed simultaneously on the same food sources to obtain greater success in predation. These collaborations can be either mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic. One of the best-known examples is the seabird–cetacean associations. Prey herding is the foraging tactic most used in these associations and consists of swimming around and under prey balls to trap them in the water column. Here we reported some new evidence of a fish–bird interspecific feeding association between the European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) and the European shag, Gulosus aristotelis (Linnaeus, 1761). We analyzed this association through the photograph and video documentation provided by “citizen scientists” in the Mediterranean Sea. We collected reliable proofs of this behavior, at least, in three instances from observations made by recreational fishermen in the Kvarner bay (Croatia, North Adriatic Sea). From the photographs and videos made available, we attempted to reconstruct a predation strategy adopted by these associated species to better understand the advantage this provides during hunting. Although it is not yet clear whether this association is an opportunistic behavior of the European seabass or a mutualistic strategy used by both species to improve their catching success, this feeding association seems to increase the chances to defeat prey defense strategies. Notably, some behavioral imitation of hunting strategies may be put in place by seabasses, which often feed in association with dolphins and other birds using similar prey herding strategies.

Industrial technology innovation management for sustained prosperity: True stories revealing the complexity of replicating South Korean success

The basic premise of this "perspective" essay is an observed persistent desire of many South and South-East Asian developing nations to acquire economic prosperity by directly emulating the South Korean "Selective Industrial Technology Innovation Induced Sustainable Economic Development" success model. Alas, this aspiration so far remained a mirage. To explain the inherent "problematic" associated with economic development using an imitation strategy, true stories are presented in this essay that shine on inadequate "cultural" interventions in national techno-economic development work. Recurring observations by Sharif brought to his mind that most country programs have generally been executed by focusing solely on the aspired model "mechanics" without necessary robust attention to the underlying principle of creating an "innovation culture/climate" as rock-bottom foundation mound for implementing sustainable development plans. To reveal some validity of this assertion, Sharif presents in this perspective essay "ten true stories" that he personally studied for two decades. The stories are: (1) True Story on Suspicion and Disrespect; (2) True Story on Mindset Constraint; (3) True Story on Caring for the Weak; (4) True Story of Super Achievers; (5) True Story on Failure to Follow Through; (6) True Story on 'Turn Right' into the River; (7) True Story of Motherly Protection; (8) True Story of Supreme Commitment; (9) True Story of KIST and MOST Illusion; and (10) True Story on Plan Implementation. Though these stories are a little dated, similar condition is still observed to be prevailing in many parts of the world. So, it is sincerely hoped that the extensive experience based lessons learned and noted pitfalls that need to be avoided might give useful guidance for all developing nations of the world having similar action agenda.

Benchmarking strategy for planning sustainable development of an enterprise in industrial value chains

Methods. The results are obtained through the use of scientific principles of determinism, conformity and additionally the following methods: dialectical comparison and generalization to clarify the concept of «benchmarking strategy»; methods of analysis and synthesis – to clarify the benchmarking strategy as a type of competitive strategies; theory of marketing of sustainable development – in the development of a methodical approach to clarifying the strategic vision of enterprise development in a competitive environment; theory of value chains – the formation of methodological approaches to defining the problems of benchmarking as a strategy of competitive development in industrial value chains; methods of synergetic – to study the model of benchmarking as a set of selforganizing and consistent principles of sustainable development and competitiveness of the enterprise. Results. It was revealed that in the context of the globalization of the economy and the general orientation of the world industry towards the global principles of sustainable development, it becomes important for small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine to have a flexible strategy, which, on the one hand, allows them to maximize commercial and market benefits, and on the other, meet the basic requirements of sustainable development. It has been found that for small industrial enterprises, the most appropriate benchmarking strategy is to constantly compare existing sales methods and technologies with the best practices in the market or industry. Novelty. A benchmarking strategy is proposed as a kind of competitive follower strategy (imitation or adaptation) and innovation in marketing technologies. The goal of the strategy is to simultaneously increase competitiveness and achieve compliance with the principles of sustainable development, which leads to an increase in the value of an enterprise in the value chain. A model for the implementation of a follow-up benchmarking strategy for small industrial enterprises has been developed. Practical value. Using the benchmark-follower strategy will allow small industrial enterprises to constantly gain competitive advantages in the domestic market and offer their value in global production chains in the context of Ukraine's European integration.

Стратегії інноваційного розвитку бізнес-структур

This article is concerned with researching the strategies for innovative development of business structures. The article is aimed at developing a classification of strategies for innovative development of various business structures. The publication discloses the essence of the innovation development strategy, taking into account three approaches. Conclusions have been drawn on the essence of the strategy for innovative development of business structures. According to the results of the critical analysis of the literature, the classification of existing business structures was carried out and the main directions of strategic innovative development were determined. The research highlights two key areas of strategic innovation development based on active and passive positions. An active innovative strategy involves the use of new technologies that have not yet been used in the market. This strategy can be followed by all business structures without exception, but depending on their type, achieving the goal will be more difficult or easier. In particular, business structures with a mixed form of ownership are more likely to stay in the market using active innovative strategies. At the same time, business structures formed by one person will experience much more difficulties in implementing active innovative strategies in the market. Another type of strategy is passive (imitation), which consists not in the development of new technologies, but in the use of already developed ones. The main conceptual task in building such a strategy is to study the market, competitive advantages and disadvantages of completed innovative technologies in order to enter the market with a similar but more market-adapted solution. We can confidently say that developed business structures can more easily implement the imitation strategy, since it requires a quick reaction and development, more rational solutions, which is associated with the use of more resources. However, despite this, innovation is the only way to enter and hold on to the market with a unique product, since they do not depend on the size of the enterprise, its finances or the number of personnel.

Imitation or innovation: To what extent do exploitative learning and exploratory learning foster imitation strategy and innovation strategy for sustained competitive advantage?✰

Using the theory of organizational learning and innovation, this study explores the positive effects of exploitative and exploratory learning on imitation strategy and innovation strategy and shows when these effects are strongest. This study also explores the positive effects of imitation strategy and innovation strategy on sustained competitive advantage and shows when these effects are strongest. The proposed theoretical model was tested on a cross-sectional data sample collected from industrial companies in South Korea. Analysis was conducted through component-based partial least squares (PLS) path modeling methodology. The results support the proposed hypotheses. The results confirm the complementary positive effects of exploitative and exploratory learning on both imitation strategy and innovation strategy. These effects in turn promote the achievement of sustained competitive advantages. Finally, the findings of the study, theoretical contributions, managerial contributions, limitations, and further work are discussed.

Aspiration Can Promote Cooperation in Well-Mixed Populations As in Regular Graphs

Classical studies on aspiration-based dynamics suggest that a dissatisfied individual changes strategy without taking into account the success of others. This promotes defection spreading. The imitation-based dynamics allow individuals to imitate successful strategies without taking into account their own-satisfactions. In this article, we propose to study a dynamic based on aspiration which takes into account imitation of successful strategies for dissatisfied individuals. This helps cooperative members to resist. Individuals compare their success to their desired satisfaction level before making a decision to update their strategies. This mechanism helps individuals with a minimum of self-satisfaction to maintain their strategies. If an individual is dissatisfied, it will learn from others by choosing successful strategies. We derive an exact expression of the fixation probability in well-mixed populations as in structured populations in networks. As a result, we show that selection may favor cooperation more than defection in well-mixed populations as in populations ranged over a regular graph. We show that the best scenario is a graph with small connectivity.

The Impact of Imitation Strategies, Managerial and Entrepreneurial Skills on Startups’ Entrepreneurial Innovation

The scope of this paper is to investigate whether imitation strategies adopted by startups are effective in the pursuit of enhanced entrepreneurial innovation. To this end, a literature review was carried out in order to develop a research framework with factors related to imitation predicting entrepreneurial innovation. Moreover, managerial skills and entrepreneurial skills were incorporated as predictors of entrepreneurial innovation. In this respect, a structured questionnaire was developed to address these research objectives, based on scales tested in previous studies. In 2020, a survey was conducted on 486 startup owners operating in Greece, and a total of 289 responses were received. A hierarchical regression analysis was employed in order to examine the research framework. In congruence with the hypotheses, the findings demonstrated that outcome-based imitation strategies and trait-based imitation strategies positively affect the development of entrepreneurial innovation. Moreover, the positive impact of managerial and entrepreneurial skills on the development of entrepreneurial innovation was also confirmed. In contrast, the findings suggest that frequency-based imitation strategies negatively predict entrepreneurial innovation. However, outcome-based imitation and trait-based imitation strategies have been shown as the determinants with a positive impact on entrepreneurial innovation.

Copy Me if You Can? Surviving Institutional Voids Through Business Model Evolution in Africa

The question of how a firm’s business model evolves in an institutionally voided environment still deserves research attention in the business model literature. Bridging the institutional-based view of strategy and interorganizational imitation literature, this study examines how a firm’s business model evolves in an institutionally voided environment in a developing economy. Using a qualitative data on Jumia—an e-commerce giant in Africa, our results suggest that the business model of a firm enfolded by significant institutional voids evolves through the following: first, the firm intentionally seeks to learn vicariously by imitating a successful firm’s business model template. Second, because of the substantial impact of the institutional voids, the intentional pure imitation of the business model template of the successful firm becomes impossible and therefore, the firm begins to modify various components of the imitated business model template through experiential learning that blends the business model imitation process with innovation. Based on our finding, we propose a business model evolution process-model we called “imitate-but-modify”, that explains how a firm’s business model evolves in four unique stages in institutionally voided environments in developing economies. Implication on theory and practice of this finding are discussed.

Strategic consensus on organizational performance: A contingency approach of organizational culture and isomorphic pressure

Purpose: This research aims to test and analyze the consensus of organizational strategy with the contingency of organizational culture and isomorphism pressure which have an impact on organizational performance moderated by human capital. The survey is conducted to the owners/managers of Batik Micro Small Medium Entreprises (MSMEs) in 18 villages in Pekalongan, Indonesia.Design/methodology/approach: The data collecting is using questionnaire and interview to some owner/managers and leader of the Batik group. Pekalongan is a city of Batik that has Batik MSMEs spread in every area of the villages. Therefore, the sampling technique used in this research includes two stages: proportional area random sampling and purposive sampling. 17 MSMEs were taken as samples in each village. Furthermore, after selecting 17 MSMEs, the study used purposive sampling technique with a sample size of 170 MSMEs. This research uses three variables: isomorphism, organizational culture, and organizational strategy measured by semantic scale and use two bipolar typologies. As for organizational performance, it is measured using Likert scale. The data analysis technique is using Euclidience Distance Simple Regression with contingency approach and moderation of Euclidience Distance Simple Regression.Findings: These results provide are; (1) The higher the alignment degree between imitation strategy and hierarchy culture, the higher the organizational performance will be; (2) The higher the alignment degree between innovation strategy and adhocracy culture, the higher the organizational performance will be; (3) Human capital strengthens the consensus of imitation strategy with the contingency of hierarchy culture and benign isomorphism, so that the organizational performance is higher; (4) Human capital does not strengthen the consensus of innovation strategy with the contingency of adhocracy culture and hostile isomorphism, so that the organizational performance is higher.Research limitations/implications: The sampling technique of this research is done using purposive sampling, so it is feared that it cannot generalize to the existing population. The data collection also uses primary data with measurement approach based on the owner/manager perceptions, which sometimes still requires assistance and good understanding for the respondents. Organizational performance will be increase if the condition of hierarchy culture, benign isomorphism, and imitation strategy are supported by the moderation role of human capital that can strengthen the relationship with organizational performance.Practical implications: The higher the alignment degree between imitation strategy and hierarchy culture, the higher the organizational performance will be. If the organization tend to choose imitation strategy, it is more emphasizes on low market pressure, support from government regulation, low public and media pressure, and stable politic and safety, and vice versa.Originality/value: This research wants to fill the research gap by examining the importance of having an alignment of organization strategy (Imitation vs Innovation) related with the contingency of organizational culture (Hierarchy vs Adhocracy) and isomorphism pressure (Benign vs Hostile) so that Batik MSMEs entrepreneurs can further improve their organizational performance (operational performance and environmental performance).

Yavuz Sultan Selïm (1512-1520) and his imitation strategies

AbstractUnlike his Ottoman contemporaries, Yavuz Sultan Selïm composed his poems almost exclusively in Persian. A great part of his poetic output consists of poetic replies inspired by the classics of the Persian poetic canon as it was perceived by Ottomans. Through an in depth analysis of four imitation poems inspired by four ghazals by Häfiẓ the present paper aims at highlighting the poetic strategies Selïm used when he composed poetic imitations.

The imitation-innovation link, external knowledge search and China's innovation system

PurposeThe authors attempt to answer the basic questions: How is imitation tied to innovation? This question is addressed in the context of China's innovation system in the 2000s where Chinese industrial firms simultaneously implement innovation and imitation strategies in their new product developments.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first build on lattice theory and supermodularity theory to provide a rigorous and careful mathematical proof. The authors further conduct the empirical analyses using an original data on Chinese manufacturing firms' innovation and imitation strategies in the development of new products in 2002.FindingsThis article reveals the complementarity relation between imitation and innovation strategies and identifies external knowledge search as the boundary condition that influences the extent to which two strategies reinforce each other.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the imitation-innovation complementarity suggest that imitation is not only an indispensable strategy independent of innovation, but also is vital to the effectiveness of innovation itself.Practical implicationsThe imitation-innovation complementarity finding provides some evidence for the contention that Chinese latecomers exploit the synergies of imitation and innovation, transforming themselves from imitators to innovators and vibrant competitors in the global market (Wu et al., 2016) and, as a result, national innovation system has evolved from a state-sponsored imitation program to the imitation-innovation mixture.Originality/valueIn contrast to earlier innovation studies in which innovation and imitation are unrelated, this study reveals that imitation complements innovation, and the extent of Chinese firms' external knowledge search affects the complementary relationship between imitation and innovation. These findings add important insights to the innovation management literature and contribute empirical evidence to the interplay of innovation and imitation enhancing national innovation system.

Imitación creativa frente a las oportunidades de la farmabiotecnología

En este artículo se analiza la experiencia de ascenso industrial de Corea del Sur y la India en la industria biofarmacéutica mundial. A partir de un abordaje histórico comparativo, se analiza cómo durante los últimos años y ante el escenario de expiración de las patentes de los productos farmacéuticos de mayor complejidad, estos dos países lograron avanzar en procesos de industrialización “muy tardíos” a partir del desarrollo de una estrategia de imitación creativa. Se indaga, en particular, cómo estos países siguieron trayectorias diferenciadas de entrada: por un lado, la de “salto de etapas”, que demandó un conjunto de acciones deliberadas orientadas a favorecer a ciertas actividades o sectores de una forma focalizada; por otro, la de tipo secuencial, en la que los cambios institucionales y de política fueron más graduales, asegurando un conjunto de condiciones generales de infraestructura tecnológica y propiedad intelectual.

Subtitling Strategies in “The Boss Baby: Back in Business” Series

This research aims to find out the translation strategies in “The Boss Baby: Back in Business” series from the application called Netflix. This research uses descriptive qualitative method in which the data is collected in the form of words or pictures rather than numbers. The analysis of this research focuses on the translation strategies used in the web television series on Netflix. This research applies strategies of translation theory by Gottlieb to analyze the subtitle of the series. The result of this research shows that there are six strategies in the web television series entitled “The Boss Baby: Back in Business,” namely transfer strategy, decimation strategy, deletion strategy, paraphrase strategy, imitation strategy, and transcription strategy.

Effects of product imitation on customer equity

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the differential effects of pure and creative imitation on customer equity and the moderating roles of market contingency (i.e. competition intensity) and institutional contingency (i.e. enforcement inefficiency).Design/methodology/approachA lab experiment with 181 subjects and a survey of both senior and middle managers from 149 pharmaceutical firms in China were conducted.FindingsPure imitation decreases customer equity, but creative imitation increases it. Competition intensity attenuates the negative effect of pure imitation and the positive effect of creative imitation, whereas enforcement inefficiency only attenuates the negative effect of pure imitation.Practical implicationsThe findings have significant implications for managers seeking to implement product imitation strategies in emerging economies. They can help managers understand the effects of two kinds of imitation strategies on customer equity. Furthermore, this shows that product imitation strategies should be aligned with various market and institutional contingencies to achieve better performance.Originality/valueThe authors distinguished between pure and creative imitation. Whereas previous studies have investigated the effects of pure and creative imitation on financial and market performance, the focus was on their differential effects on customer equity and the moderating roles of environmental contingencies at the market and institutional levels.

Unlocking the Secret of ‘Locksley Hall’

Despite its originality, Tennyson's poem ‘Locksley Hall’ (1842) shares considerable characteristics with the pre-Islamic Arabic poems the Mu‘allaqāt, namely those composed by Imru’ al-Qays and ‘Antara. The similarities include length, rhyme, metre, genre, themes and appeal, which this article compares in order to show that Tennyson adapts these source text resources to the concerns and subject matter of his own poem, and not for the purpose of translating the Mu‘allaqāt. It follows that ‘Locksley Hall’ needs to be studied in modern scholarship not only as a poem that reflects some aspects of Tennyson's biography and poetic craft, but also as an imitation of other poetry. This article analyses the details that unveil the imitative strategy Tennyson adopts in ‘Locksley Hall’. In so doing, it posits that ‘imitation’ is better suited than ‘intertextuality’ as a conceptual tool for articulating the links between ‘Locksley Hall’ and the Mu‘allaqāt. Furthermore, in contrast to previous critical studies that refer to the influence on Tennyson of the Mu‘allaqa of Imru’ al-Qays, this article argues that Tennyson combines two Mu‘allaqāt as source materials for his own poem.

ПРОБЛЕМА ПОДРАЖАНИЯ ОБРАЗЦАМ В ПОЭТОЛОГИИ ФРАНЦУЗСКОГО КЛАССИЦИЗМА

The article shows how the idea of imitatio auctorum, known since antiquity, was interpreted in the poetology of French classicism. The opposition of «servile» and free imitation, as well as the correlation between the concept of imitation and the notions of invention, translation, copying, theft and conquest come under scrutiny. A distinction is drawn between different objects of imitation. Poetologists recommend imitating not so much the specific thoughts and expressions of the original as its general idea, «spirit», manner, and also the very creative strategy of the author. In the latter case the object of imitation is not the completed work, but the process of its creation. The imitation strategy was justified by the argument of reciprocity: we imitate the ancients in the same way as the ancients themselves imitated their predecessors.

Imitation strategies in subjects with schizophrenia: a behavioural approach.

Imitation is a basic human ability, present early in life. Previous studies on control subjects and callosotomized patients showed that imitation occurred mainly in mirror-mode in both groups (60% controls, 66% patients) when they imitate without instructions (free sessions). In contrast, when asked to use the same or opposite limb as the model (driven sessions), controls used anatomical mode (93%), callosotomized patients mainly mirror strategy (61%). It has been suggested that callosotomized subjects prefer the mirror mode because of an impaired capacity for mental rotation, likely due to the lack of the corpus callosum (CC). The present research investigated the imitation strategies used by schizophrenic patients, who also could present anomaly in the interhemispheric connections. Fifteen hospitalized patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia participated in the study. They were asked to imitate upper limb intransitive meaningful and meaningless gestures performed by a model in a video. The results were compared with those from 20 healthy individuals. In driven imitation, controls answered in anatomical mode (95% of the responses), versus 63% of patients' responses. In free imitation sessions the answers in anatomical mode decreased to 39% in control subjects and to 46% in schizophrenic patients. In both driven and free imitation, the differences between the two proportions, conditioned to Diagnosis, resulted significantly different. The present data, in line with previous studies on psychotic and neurological patients showing impairments on imitation, suggest that the neural circuitry leading patients to perform differently from controls likely relates with the functional efficiency of the CC.