Key Market Research Articles

Decoding the Biobased Blueprint: Key Players and Evolutionary Trends in Materials Innovation

In the rapidly evolving biobased materials innovation landscape, our research identifies key players and explores the evolutionary perspective of biobased innovation, offering insights into promising research areas to be further developed by biobased material scientists in search of exploiting their knowledge in novel applications. Despite the crucial role of these materials in promoting sustainable production and consumption models, systematic studies on the current innovation terrain are lacking, leaving gaps in understanding key players, emerging technologies, and market trends. To address this void, we focused on examining patents related to biobased monomers and polymers, aiming to describe the innovation strategies and business dynamics of leading assignees. Embedded within the European Sustainable BIO-based nanoMAterials Community (BIOMAC) project, a Horizon 2020 initiative, our research leverages this unique framework dedicated to advancing the innovation landscape, specifically emphasizing the market readiness of biobased materials. We implemented a multi-stage strategy, prioritizing validated keyword queries to ensure the superior quality and reliability of the collected data. To understand primary contributors within these landscapes, we conducted an in-depth analysis of innovation strategies employed by leading companies. Findings from the ORBIT platform highlighted a remarkable increase in patent publications in the past decade, with China standing out as a key hub of innovation, signaling a strong focus on the development of these materials. Our research explores technological advancements in biobased materials to identify specific areas with potential for further development. By analyzing innovation trends in five key industries, we pinpoint opportunities for innovative solutions to be commercially exploited while ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights within a freedom-to-operate framework.

Research on the Problems and Optimization of Marketing Strategies of Chinese Hot Pot Restaurants

With the continuous development of society, the popularity of hot pots in China remains strong, but the market faces several challenges. This paper aims to analyze the marketing strategies of the Chinese hot pot industry, focusing on both historical trends and contemporary approaches. It begins by outlining the current state of the market, discussing the evolution of hot pots and key marketing strategies adopted in recent years. Haidilao, a standout player in the industry, is used as a detailed case study, with emphasis on its exceptional customer service and innovative marketing techniques. Despite its success, the hot pot market faces three critical challenges: intense market competition, overly standardized marketing and product offerings, and a lack of innovation in ingredients, which raises concerns about food safety. This paper delves into the root causes of these issues and proposes actionable recommendations for addressing them. Solutions include enhancing product differentiation, adopting more diverse marketing approaches, increasing innovation in menu offerings, and improving food safety measures to sustain long-term growth in the hot pot industry.

Black women’s travel: Intersectionality and representation in American film

Despite being a key market segment, representations of Black individuals’ leisure travel in American film are lacking, particularly for women. The intersectional experiences of Black women travelers are frequently ignored, while limitations on Black movement and leisure travel persist today. Popular media frequently influences travel patterns; therefore, this paper analyzes two films: How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Girls Trip function as counter-narratives to the real and perceived restrictions to Black women’s mobility. We find that through the normalization of Black women’s success and power, freedom of movement, girlfriendship, and sexual scripting, these films counteract long standing assumptions about Black women and their leisure travel. We also find that through both idealized and authentic destination portrayals, the film locations are presented as safe spaces to Black women audiences. We, therefore, suggest that film can be used as a key strategy to promote destinations to Black travelers, particularly women, who face intersectional layers of bias and mobility constraints, to foster authenticity, freedom, joy, and pleasure.

Inclusive and Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies in Live E-Commerce: The Role of Influencer Marketing and Spillover Effects

Live e-commerce has proliferated as a new business model in recent years. Live-streaming channel selection strategies and behavioral decisions are critical considerations for retailers to enhance business performance by increasing engagement and profitability. This study introduces the spillover effect between influencer and self-live-streaming channels, offering new theoretical insights into sustainable supply chain management from multichannel retailing, game theory, and spillover effects for channel selection and pricing, optimizing dual-channel tactics for inclusive marketing, and challenging pricing and channel effectiveness beliefs. Hence, inclusive and sustainable business practices in live e-commerce have been examined, focusing on dual-digital-channel strategies involving influencer marketing and self-live-streaming. This paper investigates three digital supply chain structures for sustainability, which are based on influencer characteristics: the single digital channel (S), the dual-digital-channel structure without spillover effect (DN), and the dual-digital-channel structure with spillover effect (DS). This study employs Stackelberg game models to analyze behavioral, pricing, and channel preferences, and it also extends the model to offline channels. This study finds that (a) influencer effort affects influencer live-streaming pricing, which may not always be cheaper than self-streaming digital channels; (b) commission rates significantly impact influencer pricing strategies, leading retailers to use skimming and penetration pricing strategies when commission rates are low and high; and (c) retailers may develop influencer live-streaming channels if the cross-price coefficient is medium and low but prefer it when the coefficient and spillover impact are large. By analyzing how these digital channels contribute to societal sustainability through reduced environmental impact and enhanced social inclusion, this research highlights key marketing decisions that optimize business performance and social responsibility in the digital economy. It offers live e-commerce managers strategic channel selection, pricing, and sustainability advice and recommendations for future empirical validation to enhance practical applicability.

Characterising the extent and nature of digital food and beverage marketing in Singapore: a descriptive study.

To characterise the nature of digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore. Food and beverage advertisements within twenty clicks on the top twelve non-food websites and all posts on the Facebook and Instagram pages of fifteen major food companies in Singapore were sampled from 1 January to 30 June 2018. Advertised foods were classified as being core (healthier), non-core or mixed dishes (e.g. burger) using the WHO nutrient profile model and national guidelines. Marketing techniques were assessed using published coding frameworks. NA. Advertisements (n 117) on the twelve non-food websites were largely presented as editorial content. Food companies posted twice weekly on average on social media sites (n 1261), with eatery chains posting most frequently and generating the largest amount of likes and shares. Key marketing techniques emphasised non-health attributes, for example, hedonic or convenience attributes (85 % of advertisements). Only a minority of foods and beverages advertised were core foods (non-food website: 16·2 %; social media: 13·5 %). Top food and beverage companies in Singapore actively use social media as a platform for promotion with a complex array of marketing techniques. A vast majority of these posts were unhealthy highlighting an urgent need to consider regulating digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore.

Micro-credentials and soft skills in online education: the employers’ perspective

This paper explores the potential of online micro-credentials, a novel learning approach that awards credentials after short educational experiences, as a viable solution to bridging the soft skills gap in the workforce. Using a qualitative foresight research design, the study analyzes and synthesizes insights gathered from 85 in-depth interviews with key labor market stakeholders. The results emphasize how employers generally view online micro-credentials as a feasible and flexible way for professionals to engage in training, although employers underscore various challenges associated with online micro-credentials in soft skills that distance education must take into consideration. The article concludes with recommendations for strategic micro-credential course designs which should be developed with a practical orientation for real-world simulation and application using novel pedagogical approaches. Accordingly, micro-credentials tailored to soft skills development need to be designed and implemented in settings that closely resemble real-life scenarios.

A Cross-Country Study of Consumer Behaviour in the Tourism Context

With the development of the internet, online-to-offline (O2O) commerce has become a key market. Although studies have investigated factors that affect the usage of online and offline channels, no study has investigated the effect of switching costs on consumer behavior in the context of online travel agencies (OTAs). In addition, online and offline channels have rarely been compared among countries. This study investigated how the costs and benefits of OTAs affect consumer behavior in the context of online and offline channels in China and Indonesia. Consumers' intentions to book were positively affected by expected benefits, the antecedents of which are the perceived reputation and perceived size of OTAs, and by switching costs, which can be increased through increasing asset specificity and uncertainty. Consumers' intentions to book increased their intentions to visit in the hotels they booked. This study provides insight into the development of O2O commerce and guidance for cooperation between OTAs and hotels.

FUTURE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN JAPAN: AN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK FORECAST UTILISING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACROECONOMIC DYNAMICS

Since the unemployment rate is a critical factor that directly affects a country's economic performance and social health, reducing unemployment with effective policies is of great importance for sustainable development and prosperity. Therefore, precise forecasting of the unemployment rate is pivotal to effective policymaking and planning, especially in Japan, where unique demographic structures and economic challenges prevail. This study aims to estimate the unemployment rate in Japan using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model with the annual data for the period 1985-2017. Key factors shaping Japan's labour market dynamics, such as artificial intelligence-related technology patent applications, inflation rate, population growth rate, and labour productivity, are used to estimate the unemployment rate. The findings indicate that the Japanese unemployment rate is expected to increase gradually until 2030. This research provides significant insights to the Japanese government and policymakers through a non-linear forecasting model that includes the variable of artificial intelligence, which has not previously been used in the literature.

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning for Advancing Marketing Research and Practice

Objective: This study examines the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in marketing research and practice, highlighting their role in improving predictive accuracy, unlocking insights from complex data, supporting transparent analytics, and optimizing customer journey mapping. It also examines how the integration of human insights with AI contributes to the advancement of marketing theories and practices.Methods: A comprehensive methodological framework has been designed to assess the interplay between the AI/ML-driven models and the key marketing constructs. Advanced statistical analyses were employed to ensure robust validation of theoretical and practical implications. Variables were operationalised using well-established instruments to ensure reliability and construct validity.Results: The study identifies key trends and opportunities, showing how AI/ML technologies are reshaping marketing by addressing key challenges, enabling new capabilities and providing actionable insights. It also highlights gaps in current methodologies, calling for a nuanced understanding of their theoretical and practical applications.Novelty: By bridging advanced AI/ML techniques with marketing theory, this research offers a fresh perspective on integrating technological innovation with human-centred insights. The study also addresses the importance of ethical frameworks and the interpretability of the models, thus paving the way for responsible AI-driven marketing.Implications for Research: The findings encourage researchers to further explore the intersection of AI/ML and marketing, exploring underrepresented contexts, refining interpretative models and addressing ethics. Future research should aim to combine technological advances with consumer-centred and theory-driven approaches.

Comparative Analysis of Generative AI Tools in Making Marketing Copywriting in the Era of New Media

In the background of the development of new media, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become powerful assets to create marketing copywriting, which provides efficiency and innovation ability for the generation of content. This study analyzes the performance of 4 types of AI tools ChatGPT4o, Image-TO-Prompt-AI(Poe), Tiangong3.0 and Doubao when producing and promoting copywriting. The study discussed the performance of these AI to generate the text which can cause emotional resonance, capture key marketing elements and show special language style. By applying the BROKE instruction framework, this study ensures that the evaluation method of AI-generated content is consistent and structured. Research results reveal significant differences in content quality through user feedback and questionnaire collection, among them, ChatGPT4o is leading in overall attractiveness and TianGong3.0 has an outstanding performance on the unique perspective and logical structure. This study not only provides insights into the current capabilities of AI in content creation, but also lays the foundation for the future development of AI and artificial collaboration in the new media field.

Transitioning to a low-GHG economy : ESG differentiated pricing as a dynamic transition tool and its calibration

This paper provides an in-depth discussion on the challenging task of transition that financial institutions (FIs) face in the context of key regulatory, market and competitive dynamics. In response to the necessary transition to a low-greenhouse gas (GHG) economy, FIs will need to adjust their business model and strategy to ensure future viability. Consequently, they need to change their asset mix from brown industries to green industries and direct their financing towards green activities and companies with favourable environmental, social and governance (ESG scores). They will need to do this in an orderly fashion, striking the right balance between future readiness and remaining sufficiently competitive and profitable along the way. To do that they need transition tools that allow them to steer their portfolio mix and activities towards the future low carbon economy, enable them to get paid for the ESG risks they take and ensure that they remain in control so that they can adjust and correct their lending mix as needed. In this paper, a transition tool that incorporates ESG risk into pricing is discussed. The proposed three-layer framework incorporates industry and loan purpose effects, as well as borrowers’ ESG scores as an idiosyncratic element. The calibration of the tool is explained using numerical examples.

PT29 From European Union Joint Clinical Assessments to Local Health Technology Assessments: An Environmental Scan of Methodological Guidance Across Key European Markets

PT29 From European Union Joint Clinical Assessments to Local Health Technology Assessments: An Environmental Scan of Methodological Guidance Across Key European Markets

HTA271 Comparative Analysis of Key Market Access Dossiers: How Global, European, German, and United States Dossier Formats Compare in Terms of Structure, Timing, and Application

HTA271 Comparative Analysis of Key Market Access Dossiers: How Global, European, German, and United States Dossier Formats Compare in Terms of Structure, Timing, and Application

Peeking inside the black box: Untangling the influence of key market assumptions on the substitution effect of wood-based textile fibers

Peeking inside the black box: Untangling the influence of key market assumptions on the substitution effect of wood-based textile fibers

Strategic marketing and consumer perception of dried fruit brands: The role of entrepreneurs in promoting dried fruit consumption in Bangladesh

This research focuses on developing a comprehensive marketing strategy for a new dry fruit brand in Bangladesh. Dry fruits are gaining popularity globally due to their nutritional benefits and ease of storage, but the culture around their consumption remains limited in Bangladesh. This paper investigates consumer perceptions and preferences regarding dried fruits, identifying key market opportunities and challenges. Through a blend of primary data collected from consumers and secondary data from various publications, the research analyzes market trends and proposes strategic approaches to building brand awareness, fostering consumer loyalty, and increasing market share. The study also explores how new business can address consumer confusion related to sugar-infused dried fruits and position itself as a leader in the health-conscious snack segment.

The Impact of Russia-Ukraine Conflict on the Sales of Electric Vehicles in China

The Ukraine conflict has had a unique impact on EV sales growth in China, a key market for EV innovation and adoption. This study explores the correlation between geopolitical tensions and the surge in EV sales in China. Utilizing time series analysis methods, this paper assesses EV sales trends before and during the conflict. Coincidentally, the findings suggest that the conflict is driving growth in EV sales, likely due to a combination of factors, including increased awareness of energy security, a shift to sustainable transportation, and government incentives aimed at supporting the domestic EV industry. Quantitative analysis using an ARIMA model reveals that EV sales experienced an estimated increase of approximately 15% within the first six months following the onset of the conflict compared to pre-conflict projections. This significant uptick underscores how external geopolitical events can catalyze shifts in consumer behavior toward more sustainable alternatives. While sales are growing, the study also points to potential challenges such as supply chain disruptions and rising costs that could impact long-term growth. These challenges highlight the complex interplay between global political events and domestic market trends. The findings advise policymakers and industry players to remain vigilant and proactive to ensure continued growth in Chinas EV industry amidst these evolving dynamics.

A Literature Review of Indoor Air Quality: Sources, Health Effects, and Mitigation Strategies

Sustainable marketing has become an essential component for businesses aiming to meet growing consumer demand for environmental responsibility. This paper explores how companies can align their brand values with sustainability efforts to foster long-term customer loyalty and market competitiveness. It examines key sustainable marketing strategies, including eco-friendly product design, transparent communication, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The study emphasizes the importance of authenticity, as consumers are increasingly wary of "greenwashing" tactics and seek brands that genuinely prioritize environmental stewardship. Case studies from various industries demonstrate successful integration of sustainability into brand identity, resulting in enhanced brand reputation, consumer trust, and business growth. The findings highlight the need for a comprehensive approach that includes stakeholder engagement, sustainable supply chains, and marketing campaigns that educate consumers on eco-friendly choices. By aligning brand values with consumer expectations for environmental responsibility, companies can create a competitive advantage while contributing to global sustainability efforts.

Assessing the impact of monetary instruments on Ukraine’s labor market during increased risks

This comprehensive study investigates the complex relationship between monetary instruments and Ukraine’s labor market against the backdrop of heightened risks. In the light of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, economic instability, and significant migration dynamics, understanding the role of monetary policies in shaping labor market dynamics is crucial. Employing a robust empirical approach, the research aims to analyze the impact of monetary instruments on key labor market indicators, including employment levels, unemployment rates, and wage dynamics. By utilizing econometric and mathematical methodologies (system of simultaneous equations), the study seeks to provide nuanced insights into the effectiveness of monetary policies in addressing labor market challenges amidst heightened risks. Furthermore, the research tries to identify potential strategies and policy interventions to mitigate adverse effects on the labor market and foster resilience in the face of uncertainty. The findings of this study are anticipated to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between monetary policy measures and labor market outcomes in Ukraine. Additionally, the insights derived from this research are expected to inform policymakers, economists, and stakeholders in designing more targeted and effective policy responses to address labor market challenges and promote sustainable economic development. Overall, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the role of monetary instruments in navigating Ukraine’s labor market through turbulent times and fostering resilience in the face of heightened risks.

Sustainable Financial Strategies: Analyzing the Role of ESG in Corporate Financial Performance and Risk Management

The growing emphasis on sustainability in the corporate sector has elevated the importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in shaping financial strategies. This study investigates the impact of ESG integration on corporate financial performance and risk management. By analyzing a comprehensive dataset of firms across various industries, the research explores the relationship between ESG practices and key financial metrics, including profitability, market valuation, and risk exposure. The findings reveal that companies with robust ESG strategies exhibit improved financial resilience, enhanced investor confidence, and reduced operational risks. Additionally, the study identifies sector-specific variations in ESG's effectiveness, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches to sustainable financial strategies. This research contributes to the discourse on sustainable finance, offering actionable insights for corporate leaders, investors, and policymakers aiming to align financial objectives with long-term sustainability goals.

A strategic insight into the market for carbon management capacity

This study presents the market for carbon management capacity via carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies, identifying demand and supply forces, as well as clarifying the potential impact of market and non-market-based shocks on technology developers versus adopters. The paper addresses a prevailing gap in market analysis, introducing a microeconomic framework and unique dataset to identify key players, market forces, and policy incentives shaping the carbon capture, utilization, and storage landscape. The analysis equips industry stakeholders, policymakers, and investors with valuable insights regarding (1) leaders in the design, development, and manufacture of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies (supply), (2) early technology adopters (demand) who are at the forefront in the pursuit of sustainable carbon management, and (3) the need to use both market and non-market forces to achieve decarbonization across multiple sectors.