International Industry Research Articles

Research on Sports Marketing and Personalized Recommendation Algorithms for Precise Targeting and Promotion Strategies for Target Groups

Abstract This study employs SWOT and PEST analyses to examine the sports market by identifying internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats. It integrates these findings with contextual environmental factors—political, economic, social, and technological—to strategically plan marketing approaches. The paper further explores the implementation of personalized recommendation algorithms to analyze sports marketing data and customer value trends, establishing dual promotional strategies for products. This entails comprehensive data analysis concerning the accuracy, coverage, and novelty of personalized product recommendations. The empirical results highlight significant growth in China’s sports market, which expanded from 0.74 million participants in 2014 to 133 million in 2023. Notably, in 2023, the per capita economic contribution in Beijing soared to 99,986 yuan, reflecting the burgeoning potential of the sports market in response to economic development. The study identifies robust national policy support as a critical competitive advantage, scoring 13 points. At the same time, the level of competition and external impacts from other domestic and international industries pose significant threats, receiving a threat assessment score of 12. Additionally, it was found that residents of first-tier cities exhibit a stronger preference for sports, suggesting targeted pricing strategies for sports products around 1,000 RMB to align with market dynamics.

Leveraging keystone agents in extractive industries to advance sustainability

Natural resource extraction has a lasting and dramatic impact on the natural environment as well as far-reaching social effects. As such, public policy and governmental regulation are crucial for a transition to sustainability. However, on their own, these have shown to be insufficient to achieve such transformation. Changing commitment and conduct of the extractives too is important to transit. Firms in the extractives are large and highly international, and their owners are decisive for businesses’ conduct. Therefore, it is relevant to determine whom and how to influence to transit towards sustainability. To this extent, we study dominant firms and their owners in the top-10 international extractive industries. We establish that both natural resource markets and ownership of keystone agents are highly concentrated: the three largest companies earn 70% of the revenues in the ten industries studied, and the three largest shareholders in these companies on average have 22% of the shares of the keystone firms. This helps explain why regulation has been rather ineffective so far. We discuss several options to influence keystone agents. We conclude that advancing sustainability in extractives requires leveraging a limited number of keystone agents.

Busan's Paradiplomacy: Aspiring to be the World's Premier Film City

This study explored the image transformation of Busan, South Korea, from an industrial hub to a globally recognized City of Film. By employing a paradiplomacy framework, the research examined how Busan utilized BIFF as both a cultural event and a strategic tool for international diplomacy, economic development, and city branding. This qualitative research focused on gathering data largely through a comprehensive evaluation of scientific literature, including books and papers relevant to the case study. The analyses delved into the evolution of the BIFF event and its significant role in rebranding Busan from a declining industrial city to the first "City of Film" in Asia, a title bestowed by UNESCO. The study highlighted how the festival had successfully stimulated local economic growth, bolstered creative industries, and facilitated cultural exchange. The result demonstrated that BIFF had been pivotal in repositioning Busan as a significant player in the international film industry and a vibrant cultural destination. In conclusion, Busan's status as Asia's "City of Film" should be sustained, and the ongoing significance of integrating cultural initiatives with wider urban development strategies should also be emphasized.

Civilized Death: The Issue of Stray Animals and Sports Mega- Events in Russia

The article examines how the strategy of constructing the social problem of animal cruelty in Russia has become successful in the context of preparing and holding sports mega- events. The constructionist theory of social problems by M. Spector, J. Kitsius, and J. Best is developed on the basis of N. Elias’s civilization theory, as well as on the studies of mega- events in non-western countries. The analytical scheme of hierarchically interconnected levels of industries of social problems initiating, in interaction, the very actualization of various social conditions on the threshold of mega- events is offered: these are regional, national, and international. Two cities were chosen, Kazan and Sochi, for the empirical fields of research. The research sample included materials from the media of regional and federal publications. The articles on the topic of stray animals in Sochi and Kazan in the eve of the sports mega- events were also searched on the websites of major international news agencies and newspapers. The method of discourse analysis was applied to the rhetoric of the main actors, to identify the main techniques of typification and the main discourses that are formed around the issue of the homeless animals’ treatment. Longitudinal media analysis allowed us to see how the rhetoric of actors of the national industry of social problems changes under the pressure of the international industry of social problems. We consider discursive constructions that are actively promoted at the regional level, but are modified or disappear at the federal and international levels.

Cross‐investments by multinationals: A new perspective

AbstractResearch SummaryCross‐flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) occur when firms invest in each other's home countries, affecting the terms of competition in each market. They are explained by internalization theory but have never been comprehensively investigated. This article models cross‐investment in a duopoly with differentiated products. The firms decide whether to enter each market and whether to serve it through trade or local production. The model combines firm‐, country‐, and industry‐level factors. It places cross‐investment in the wider context of cross‐sourcing, including cross‐trading and asymmetric sourcing. It reveals different forms of cross‐investment rather than being limited to cross‐multidomestic. Overall, cross‐investment is favored by highly differentiated products, low comparative advantage, large markets, high trade costs, and low costs of FDI.Managerial SummaryCross‐investment, where firms conduct FDI into each other's home countries, is an important phenomenon but has received little recent attention in international business literature. This article seeks, through mathematical modeling, to establish a better understanding of it in the wider context of cross‐sourcing. This helps to show how the strategy of the individual firm fits with those of the other firms in an international industry and how different possible industry structures and performance levels result. It includes choices over the locations from which markets are served being a potential source of first‐mover advantage. For instance, committing to producing in a country could reduce the cost of serving its market, potentially altering the equilibrium outcome in favor of the first mover.

The Impact of Social Media Crisis on Business: BMW Ice Cream Incident as an Example

On 20 April 2023, BMW was accused of suspected anti-Chinese discrimination at Shanghai international Automobile Industry Exhibition show, mainly because the staff at BMW booth appeared to have deliberately ignored requests from Chinese people to receive free ice-cream. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of social media crisis on the business, by taking this BMW ice cream incident as an example. The main research methodology in this article is to use ARIMA model to predict the trend of the BMW share price excluding the effect of this incident based on stock return analysis and then compare it to the real data. The findings from this research provide evidence that predicted stock price are close to the real one, which shows that the possible short-term negative impact of BMWs reputation may appear as a result of this incident, but due to BMWs quality and product status, the negative performance will still not exist for a long-term. The main conclusion drawn from this study is social media scandal may not have lasting impact on business. Different from previous literature, this study contributes on the ARIMA analysis on the certain companys data to derive the relationship between the stock price and the social media crisis. Recommendations include: Improving social media regulation for policy makers; Establishing dedicated teams for dealing with social media information; Changing investment strategy cautiously based on social media messages.

COVID-19 pandemic and the momentum of seaweed industry development in Indonesia towards sustainable food system: An overview

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the seaweed industry due to changes in supply and demand, cost increases, market volatility, and the implementation of lockdown measures. This study aimed to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the seaweed industry to support a sustainable food system. This study used both primary data from the seaweed industry, especially the upstream sector, and secondary data to determine the progress of the national and international seaweed industries. The data was analyzed descriptively to obtain information regarding the role of the seaweed industry in accelerating post-pandemic coastal economic recovery. The results indicated that seaweed cultivation can support coastal economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic. After demand recovers, production can be enlarged in a short time without excessive investment and has the potential to generate income within 30–45 days. It was found that total seaweed exports have dropped by 30.54% and 19.90% by volume and value, respectively, in only the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the effect of the pandemic has encouraged accelerative industrialization by increasing the capacity of domestic seaweed factories from 50% to 72%. The pandemic has also triggered the domestic industry to produce seaweed derivative products independently, such as carrageenan, alginate, and agar, to reduce dependence on imports. It is imperative to recommend to the Indonesian government that the export tariff on dried seaweed be increased to boost the competitiveness of the domestic seaweed processing industry and invest in the diversification of processed seaweed derivative products.

책생태계 지속가능성을 위한 북메타데이터 구축에 관한 연구

The domestic and international publishing industry is facing environmental changes in the media industry. Information technology and data integration in the publishing industry are considered fundamental infrastructure for innovation and demand generation in the book business market. This study examines the digitization of publishing, with a focus on book metadata, to support the sustainable book ecosystem in South Korea, which is navigating through the evolving media landscape. The importance of book metadata lies in its efficient data utilization, data accumulation, enhancing discoverability and sales of books, as well as providing useful services to stakeholders in the publishing industry. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in marketing efficiency. In this context, the implications for the sustainability of the book ecosystem are as follows: Firstly, it involves cost savings through standardized book information input and the creation of an environment for marketing using uniform book data. Secondly, it emphasizes the need for interconnected sharing of information among publishers, bookstores, distributors, and other relevant parties. Thirdly, it highlights the requirement for data analysis infrastructure to support comprehensive support systems for stakeholders in the publishing and distribution ecosystem. Finally, it underscores the necessity of utilizing book metadata for the establishment of policies promoting the development of the publishing industry.

Under the radar? Modern slavery and labour exploitation risks for the hotel industry

The UK's tourism and hospitality industries, having the highest concentration of migrant workers compared to other industries, face complex challenges in managing the risks of labour exploitation and modern slavery (MS); issues largely neglected in academic research. New employment models risk weakening workers' power in employment relations, potentially leading to increased vulnerability and exploitation risk. Based on analysing primary and secondary sources, this article examines the nature of these risks. Our findings show the following drivers: power imbalances; possible enforcement gaps; normalisation and moralisation of possible exploitation; and potential threats posed by macro-level political and socioeconomic issues/events; these, including more competitive labour markets, paradoxically also present opportunities. We develop significant, novel theoretical contributions and propose the new ‘(in)conspicuous exploitariat’ concept, encapsulating their (dis)empowerment, and potential future risks/opportunities. The research advances theory, with implications for policy and practice, for both the UK and the international tourism and hospitality industries.

Extending the theory of planned behaviour to foreign students’ perceptions of traditional Chinese medical tourism

Medical tourism is becoming an increasingly important component of the international tourism industry, and Chinese medical tourists make up a big percentage of this growing tourism market segment. Most previous studies on Chinese medical tourism have focused on Chinese outbound medical tourism, but there has little research undertaken as yet, on foreign tourists’ perception towards traditional Chinese medical tourism. Specifically, most of the previous studies utilized the measurement scale of destination image in medical tourism research, resulting in a limited representation of the nature of medical tourism. This study aims to examine the relationship between attitude, subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), familiarity, perceived ease of visa application (PEVA) and intention toward traditional Chinese medical tourism. A quantitative approach was used, adopting a survey methodology involving 344 foreigners which was followed by subsequent empirical testing of the postulated hypotheses. The results suggested that attitude, PBC, familiarity and PEVA positively influence intention. PEVA positively influences attitude, PBC and intention respectively. Results also demonstrated that familiarity influenced attitude and PBC, and SN positively influenced familiarity. This study expands the existing knowledge on how PEVA and familiarity influenced visitation in medical tourism literature which can benefit key stakeholders in the tourism industry.

Decarbonising airports: an examination of UK airports’ net zero targets

ABSTRACT In 2021, the international air transport industry committed itself to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Although much attention has focused on addressing in-flight emissions, strategies for decarbonising airports have received less consideration despite the carbon intensity of their operations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the existence and content of the net zero strategies of the UK’s 25 largest passenger airports in order to assess their net zero readiness and provide recommendations for future policy and practice. The UK was selected as it was one of the first countries worldwide to write net zero aims into national legislation and set specific targets for airports. The findings indicate that while UK airports are aware of the importance of net zero, they are in the early stages of developing net zero strategies and wide variations in net zero reference and target years and proposed routes to decarbonisation are evident. The research reveals a lack of standardised emissions categorisation and reporting methodologies. Recommendations including creating national best practice guidance for net zero strategies and standardising terminology and reporting mechanisms to help support airport operators in meeting their net zero commitments are proposed by way of a conclusion.

How politicians and the population attribute responsibility for climate change mitigation: no indication of a ‘governance trap’ in Norway

ABSTRACT Previous research claims that ‘the most significant risk’ to achieving climate change mitigation goals is the ‘governance trap’, whereby governments and the public attribute responsibility for action to one another. While it is well documented that individuals call for political action on climate change, there is limited knowledge about how politicians attribute responsibility for climate change mitigation. The present study examines whether there is evidence of a ‘governance trap’ in Norway, by using two online surveys to compare how politicians (N = 1211) and the population (N = 2030) attribute responsibility for climate change mitigation to individuals, the local and regional authorities, the national authorities, the international community, and business and industry. Contrary to expectations, politicians and the population attribute responsibility to the actors in the same order. Thereby, the study contests the assumption that governments attribute primary responsibility for climate change mitigation to the population.

Impacts of BIM policy on the technological progress in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology is increasingly crucial in the digital transformation of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Evaluating the effectiveness of BIM technology policies is essential for advancing the industry’s digital innovation. A quasi-natural experiment was conducted using panel data from 30 provinces in China between 2007 and 2017 to analyze the impact of BIM technology policy on the AEC industry’s technological progress from the perspective of innovation diffusion. The technological change index (TCH) of each province was calculated using the DEA-Malmquist model. The impact of BIM technology policy on technological progress in the AEC industry was analyzed using a time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The study found that BIM technology policy significantly affects technological progress in the AEC industry. The mediating effect model shows that the influence path of “BIM policy →BIM technology innovation diffusion → technological progress” is verified. The impact of policies on technological progress varies in different regions, and the higher the level of development of a region, the more it can benefit from BIM technology policies. This paper aims to share China’s experience for BIM policy formulation and implementation, and provide suggestions for promoting the high-quality development of the international AEC industry.

Entry Barriers and SWOT Analysis of Hollywood Movies Entering the Chinese Market

The objective of this investigation is to examine Hollywood movies that are exported to the Chinese movie market and to evaluate the prevailing state of the international film industry. This paper focuses on both explicit and implicit entry barriers into the Chinese movie market while utilizing a SWOT analysis to provide a comprehensive assessment. The analysis of entry barriers can be broadly divided into two parts, namely explicit and implicit barrier analysis. Explicit barriers include the Chinese quota system for foreign films and various censorship regulations levied by SAPRFT. These barriers directly impact the entry of Hollywood movies into the Chinese market. Otherwise, after Hollywood movies are screened in China, various implicit barriers come into play. These include disparities in marketing strategies, differences in Chinese culture, and delays in movie releases, which impact a movies success in the Chinese market. Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entire film industry is discussed, along with other external factors that may impact international film import and export. These analyses provide valuable insights for stakeholders involved in international film distribution.

The Transformation of International Marketing Strategy under the Background of Big Data

The emergence of big data has brought many opportunities to all walks of life, but it also faces enormous challenges. In order to improve the competitive power of international trade, companies need to actively respond to the development trend of large data, the advantage of the characteristics of big data, raising the level of competition in international trade, improve the international marketing strategy, promote the all-round development of international trade and industry. With the technical support of big data, we can dig deep into data information, gain insight into consumers' buying behavior, and inject innovative power into the marketing of enterprises. Combining big data technology with a marketing strategy can also help enterprise marketers to adapt to the market development trend, collect data, analyze data, reduce risks, and enhance the quality of enterprise development. The advent of big data has brought about significant changes in the field of international marketing, forcing companies to adapt their marketing strategies to suit the new realities. This paper examines the challenges faced by international trade in the era of big data and explores how companies can transform their international marketing strategies to take advantage of the opportunities presented by this new technology. The paper concludes that companies that are able to harness the power of big data will be better positioned to compete in the global marketplace.

Encoding the Enforcement of Safety Standards into Smart Robots to Harness Their Computing Sophistication and Collaborative Potential: A Legal Risk Assessment for European Union Policymakers

Abstract Until robots and humans mostly worked in fast-paced and yet separate environments, occupational health and safety (OHS) rules could address workers’ safety largely independently from robotic conduct. This is no longer the case: collaborative robots (cobots) working alongside humans warrant the design of policies ensuring the safety of both humans and robots at once, within shared spaces and upon delivery of cooperative workflows. Within the European Union (EU), the applicable regulatory framework stands at the intersection between international industry standards and legislation at the EU as well as Member State level. Not only do current standards and laws fail to satisfactorily attend to the physical and mental health challenges prompted by human–robot interaction (HRI), but they exhibit important gaps in relation to smart cobots (“SmaCobs”) more specifically. In fact, SmaCobs combine the black-box unforeseeability afforded by machine learning with more general HRI-associated risks, towards increasingly complex, mobile and interconnected operational interfaces and production chains. Against this backdrop, based on productivity and health motivations, we urge the encoding of the enforcement of OHS policies directly into SmaCobs. First, SmaCobs could harness the sophistication of quantum computing to adapt a tangled normative architecture in a responsive manner to the contingent needs of each situation. Second, entrusting them with OHS enforcement vis-à-vis both themselves and humans may paradoxically prove safer as well as more cost-effective than for humans to do so. This scenario raises profound legal, ethical and somewhat philosophical concerns around SmaCobs’ legal personality, the apportionment of liability and algorithmic explainability. The first systematic proposal to tackle such questions is henceforth formulated. For the EU, we propose that this is achieved through a new binding OHS Regulation aimed at the SmaCobs age.

Research on the Development Path of International Economy and Trade Driven by "The Belt and Road Initiative"

In recent years, great changes have taken place in the domestic and international environment facing China's opening up to the outside world, making China face new pressures and tests in the future to promote opening up. The development environment faced by China in implementing the "the belt and road initiative" initiative is extremely complicated, and optimizing its development environment is definitely beyond the ability of enterprises and individuals. In the development initiative of "the belt and road initiative", China will establish long-term friendly relations with its neighbors along the Maritime Silk Road and the Land Silk Road, which can promote the stable development of trade in the long run. Rationalize the process of transnational commodity trade and capital flow, and coordinate and analyze possible special negative situations. When implementing investment plans, enterprises should always bear in mind their social responsibilities, pay attention to adapting to local laws, regulations, and customs, and strengthen communication with the local people. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the investment risk awareness of enterprises, guide the establishment of risk monitoring and management departments for enterprises engaged in foreign direct investment, and require industry associations to play their due role in risk control, and ensure information exchange and sharing among enterprises. The new trends in the development of the international economy and trade industry can keep the strategic planning at the national level forward-looking, promote international multilateral cooperation, break the barriers of trade barriers, and promote trade cooperation between friendly countries and international economic development.

Exploring IoT adoption and operational efficiency within the international chilled beverages industry

ABSTRACT Research on the adoption of IoT technology in the global chilled beverages industry is limited. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on chilled beverage sales and disrupted the operations of organizations within this industry. In order to navigate the challenges posed by this “new normal,” the implementation of IoT adoption strategies becomes increasingly vital. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 leaders representing 14 chilled beverage companies across five continents, following the Gioia methodology. Our study findings shed light on the critical role of operational efficiency and organizational capability in the successful adoption of IoT technology. By focusing on these aspects, our study aims to contribute to the seamless integration of IoT technology into the chilled beverages industry. To align with this goal, we propose an innovative IoT adoption framework tailored to support managers in navigating this understudied topic.

Preliminary study of plant monitoring system using GMonS (Growth Monitoring System) for implementation in the agriculture area

Agriculture is one of the backbone sectors of Malaysia’s economic development. This sector provides jobs, provides income for the populace, and earns money by exporting products. The value of Malaysia's international agricultural industry in 2021 was $59.4 billion, with $36.1 billion in exports and $23.3 billion in imports. The world is undergoing a digital revolution. Therefore, using wireless technology to establish and accommodate digital connectivity with farmers in agricultural areas is appropriate. A Growth Monitoring System (GMonS) was created in this study to monitor a plant by providing a suitable environment using sensors such as moisture, humidity and temperature. This is a preliminary study of farmer's use in the agricultural sector, especially in rural areas. A moisture sensor measures the water content in the soil and can be used to estimate the amount of stored water in the soil horizon. A temperature sensor isa device used to measure temperature. This can be air temperature, liquid temperature or the temperature of solid matter. A humidity sensor isa device that senses, measures, and reports air's relative humidity (RH) or determines the amount of water vapour in a gas mixture (air) or pure gas. Humidity sensing is related to a water adsorption and desorption process. This sensor is among the critical sensors due to the photosynthesis process. The data was captured every ten minutes using this system within three months. The reading shows that the plant's growth was tracked using the GMonS to maintain a proper environment for plant growth. While they are not in the fields, farmers can use sensor technologies to wirelessly communicate with one another to learn about the diverse demands and requirements of crops. This application is critical and a great friend for the plant, especially in the new digital age with IR 4.0.

Challenges to environmental governance arising from the Russo–Ukrainian conflict: Evidence from carbon emissions

The destruction of ecosystems, increase in carbon emissions, and volatility of energy prices following the outbreak of the Russo–Ukrainian conflict constitute a complex situation that environmental managers must cope with. In response, this study aims to explore the impact of the Russo–Ukrainian conflict on carbon emissions in the European Union (EU) and associated heterogeneity factors. This study utilized stacked data from 2021 to 2022 on daily carbon emissions and used the differences-in-differences (DID) model as its methodological framework. This study also provides additional analyses for the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and Russia. The full-blown Russo–Ukrainian conflict led to a significant increase in carbon emissions in the EU, averaging 0.092 MtCO2. Further investigations showed that the conflict led to a significant increase in energy prices and that changes in the prices of different energy sources had a heterogeneous effect on carbon emissions. Specifically, an increase in natural gas prices drove a rise in carbon emissions, whereas an increase in oil prices led to a decrease in carbon emissions in the EU. Third, the conflict also affected countries outside the EU, including the US and the UK, which experienced significant increases in carbon emissions in contrast to Russia, which underwent a decline. Finally, the study identified four sectors - international aviation, industry, power, and residential - as the primary contributors to elevated carbon emissions in the EU. This study provides a novel perspective for exploring the interplay between conflicts and carbon emissions and offers valuable insights into shaping effective environmental management policies and measures.