Market Realities Research Articles

Get Ready with Me: Unveiling the Regulatory Realities of Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has rapidly evolved from a casual practice to an essential and increasingly regulated industry. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global lockdowns accelerated this shift by confining consumers indoors and pushing them into a largely virtual world. In this digital landscape, influencer marketing emerged as a key strategy for brands seeking to enhance visibility and engagement. The saturation of social media spaces with influencer content has intensified the urgency around purchasing decisions and blurred the line between entertainment and commerce. Despite its effectiveness, influencer marketing raises significant concerns about deceptive practices—such as undisclosed sponsorships and misleading endorsements—that evade regulatory oversight and erode consumer trust. This Note argues that the Federal Trade Commission’s slow and reactive response to these practices inadvertently fosters unfair competition and compromises consumer loyalty. To protect consumers and strengthen the integrity of influencer marketing, this Note proposes a range of proactive regulatory strategies, including technological solutions, federal-state partnerships, voluntary certification, educational initiatives, and increased brand accountability.

Abuse of Relative Dominance by Digital Platforms: A Law and Economics Perspective

Abstract In the age of AI, digital platforms are likely to hold significant market power, giving them a superior bargaining position over their business partners and enabling them to impose unfair trading terms. However, proving that a platform holds a dominant position under Art. 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) is challenging. The multi-sided nature of platforms complicates the definition of the relevant market, and their innovative digital business models makes it difficult to assess lasting market power. This could lead to false negatives, resulting in under-enforcement from an economic perspective. To address this market reality, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has been adopted as an ex ante instrument to, inter alia, complement competition law enforcement. However, since the DMA’s quantitative thresholds remain high, numerous platforms with superior market power vis-à-vis their trading partners may not qualify as ‘gatekeepers’, leaving the risk of under-enforcement unresolved. This article explores the desirability of introducing a prohibition on ‘abuse of relative dominance’, drawing on this long-standing concept in some EU Member States. Such a measure could help tackle the concerns arising from the superior bargaining position of digital platforms.

Altruism vs. Transactional Politics: New Political Marketing Reality in the Post 14th General Election Malaysia

Altruism vs. Transactional Politics: New Political Marketing Reality in the Post 14th General Election Malaysia

The Impact of the VIX Volatility Index on the ISX Index of the Iraq Stock Exchange under Portfolio Investment for the Period 2016-2023

The research aimed to identify the volatility index (VIX) and its trend path during 2016-2023, as well as clarify the relationship between the (VIX) and ISX indices using the ARDL model, and test the stability of both indices. The research concluded that the ISX index for the Iraqi market is selected in a way that allows the index to reflect the state of the capital market. It is calculated through price changes, which does not reflect the reality of the market. The results of the ARDL model also showed the insignificance of the relationship in the short and long term, as the probability P (0.5280) appeared, which is higher than 0.05, which means that the VIX index did not have any effect on the ISX, whether the VIX rose or fell, and this indicates the isolation of the Iraqi Stock Exchange from international markets and its progress in modern trading tools and methods. Among the recommendations for the purpose of developing the ISX index, statistical methods and formulas should be adopted that reflect the actual market reality and simulate international markets and indices. Adopting advanced and modern methods in trading and integrating with international financial institutions and markets through gaining experience, field visits and keeping up with developments.

Review of wind futures by Gaussian and Lévy jump risks

Wind power futures, once a hedging tool in energy-related derivatives markets were discontinued due to low liquidity. However, recent increases in electricity price spreads have introduced new financing challenges for renewable energy projects in Europe, leading to heightened price risks and a renewed demand for such instruments. Also, the regulation on renewable electricity for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) — compliant hydrogen production poses a supply uncertainty risk to hydrogen developers. As both such project developers seek ways to mitigate these risks, this paper reviews the existing literature on modelling strategies for hedging wind power production risks. The review, based upon a structured literature review following vom Brocke et al. (2009), provides a comprehensive overview of arbitrage models incorporating seasonal elements and stochastic jump risks, as well as equilibrium pricing models. The variations and conclusions of these models are analyzed in the context of the altered market conditions in 2024. This analysis offers insights into the applicability of current models for pricing risk premia and identifies gaps under the evolving market realities.

MEDICAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS IN INSURANCE: CASE STUDY AND NEW REALITIES

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of social protection measures for employees in the Republic of Kazakhstan based on the social insurance system, with a focus on coverage of necessary medical services. This article will provide a broad overview of current literature on social protection measures for workers, justifying the choice of research methods. The following methods will be used: economic-statistical, evaluative-comparative, and logical and analytical. The current legislative framework for protecting the interests of workers in Kazakhstan will be identified. It is important to note that social protection for employees is an essential component of the economy, and reforms in this area must be effective in the long run. Kazakhstan is making efforts to improve its legislative framework in this regard. Cases that reflect modern market realities and the transformation of social protection will be presented. Social insurance for employees is an essential component of the overall social protection system for the population. This insurance provides financial support to employees in times of illness, injury, or temporary disability, as well as in the event of the loss of a primary provider for their family. This ensures the stability and security of working individuals and their relatives.

Improving Strategic Planning and Ensuring the Development of Enterprises Based on Relational Strategies

The article is aimed at improving the strategic planning processes at enterprises through the effective implementation and use of relational strategies. These strategies are aimed at increasing the competitiveness, sustainability, and adaptability of enterprises in the face of rapidly changing market realities. The study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of relational strategies as a strategic planning tool that can contribute to the development of more effective strategic initiatives. The methodological basis of the study includes the use of evolutionary planning, which involves building a long-term model of enterprise development, a methodology for implementing strategic changes that allows assessing the organization’s ability to adapt to innovations, and a systematic planning approach to detail key milestones for achieving strategic goals. The main result of the study was the identification of the peculiarities of forming a relational strategy of an enterprise. Relational strategies are based on the creation of bilateral relations between the enterprise and other market participants, which contributes to the formation of mutually beneficial cooperation. The main goal is to obtain relational rent and ensure sustainable development of the enterprise through collaboration. The key elements of a relational strategy are an understanding of the concept of “relational rent” and the importance of “relational assets”. The study reveals the importance of relational strategies in modern strategic planning of enterprises, highlighting them as an important tool for achieving competitive advantage, sustainability and effective adaptation to dynamic market conditions

Digitization and customer engagement in developing economies: Prospective research direction for sustainable B2B growth

The essence of this study is to address the dearth in research on the dynamic pace of digital encroachment in the Nigerian Marketplace. The advent of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has dramatically switched end users from the traditional marking perception to the new world of digitization in almost every aspect of business endeavor. Firms are faced with the herculean task of engaging customers and prospect within the globalized market reality. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of customer engagement marketing concept within the framework of an enlarges digital incursion in the marketplace. Basic issues this study intends to address includes; socio-cultural perception, technological infrastructural gap and the buyer-seller brand loyalty disconnect. The study will adopt key developing discourse, concepts and theories of customer engagement. Descriptive research methodology using multiple regression analysis will be adopted; primary and secondary research techniques will be used to obtain information through personal interviews and from documented investigations conducted in this field of study, the outcome of the study analysis will form the core basis of the discussion of the findings. The conclusion and recommendations will be extrapolated from the study objective and the discussion of findings, further recommendation will address the need for industrialized nations should assist Business -to-Business B2B in Low- and Medium-Income Countries (LMIC’s)augment digitally from its current position into the 21st century digital space and stakeholders should make adequate effort towards digital infrastructural provision in Nigeria, in order to reap from anticipated gains of digitization.

Exploring the evolution and research directions of virtual reality in marketing: an information systems perspective

PurposeGiven the growing use of virtual reality (VR) technology in marketing, our research focuses on the development trajectory of research in the marketing field from 2012 to 2022 to identify essential phases and sub-trends within this topic.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a main path analysis (MPA) methodology to analyze academic articles related to VR in marketing from the Web of Science database.FindingsThe research on VR in marketing has experienced significant growth over the past 10 years and is projected to continue thriving in the future. During the past decade, research in this field has transitioned from exploring VR affordances in marketing to realizing the potential of VR in marketing. From the information systems perspective, the three primary research trends that have garnered the most attention from researchers are VR technology as an artifact, marketers’ motivational approach and consumers’ motivational approach. With the continual advancement of VR technology, the research trend of Metaverse marketing will gradually displace VR in marketing.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first research using MPA to explore the development trajectory of VR in marketing and provide a comprehensive picture of it under the Affordance-Actualization theory.

Robust Hedging GANs: Towards Automated Robustification of Hedging Strategies

The availability of deep hedging has opened new horizons for solving hedging problems under a large variety of realistic market conditions. At the same time, any model – be it a traditional stochastic model or a market generator – is at best an approximation of market reality, prone to model-misspecification and estimation errors. This raises the question, how to address the risk of discrepancy between anticipated distribution and market reality, in an automated way. This paper presents a natural extension of the original deep hedging framework to address uncertainty in the data generating process via an adversarial approach inspired by GANs. This is achieved through an interplay of three modular components: (i) a (deep) hedging engine, (ii) a data-generating process (that is model agnostic permitting a large variety of classical models as well as machine learning-based market generators), and (iii) a notion of distance on model space to measure deviations between our market prognosis and reality. We do not restrict the ambiguity set to a region around a reference model, but instead penalize deviations from the anticipated distribution. We demonstrate this in numerical experiments to benchmark our framework against other existing results.

Membangun Startups Incubator Untuk Membentuk Ekosistem Startups Yang Inovatif Dan Kompetitif

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has driven significant changes across various sectors, with startup emerging as key players in the global economy. Despite their immense potential, many startup face significant challenges, including a high failure rate within the first five years of operation. Design Thinking, a human-centered approach, has surfaced as a solution to address these challenges by helping startup understand user needs, identify problems, and create innovative solutions. This study aims to analyse the application of Design Thinking in building an innovative and competitive startup ecosystem. Using a literature review methodology, this research identifies various tested approaches and strategies, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by startup in implementing Design Thinking. The findings indicate that the application of Design Thinking can enhance a startup's competitiveness by accelerating product innovation and improving responsiveness to market changes. The main challenges include a lack of understanding of the method and limited human resources with the necessary skills in technology and design. We suggest establishing Startups Incubator, with the framework adapted and modified to include active participation from stakeholder. The Startups Incubator will place members as strategic component of socio-economical system; will create a culture of adaptive innovation that is able to solve problems in society, in line with stakeholder needs, market realities and system complexity. By integrating some Startups Incubators, then we can create startups ecosystem that is continuously innovate and market-competitive.

Determinants of Users’ Intention to Visit a Destination: A Virtual Reality Quality Framework

ABSTRACT The growth of virtual reality (VR) in hospitality and tourism marketing has raised questions about this technology’s utility in creating positive destination perceptions and visit intentions. This research draws upon stimulus – organism – response (SOR) theory and the information system (IS) success model. It specifically assesses how VR travel quality (i.e. content quality, system quality, and vividness [stimulus]) affects customers’ psychological experiences, as represented by telepresence, immersion, and enjoyment (organism), and visit intention (response). Data from an online survey informed the assembly of a quality-based framework for VR travel experiences. Results revealed significant positive impacts of content quality, system quality, and vividness on telepresence and immersion; however, content quality did not significantly affect immersion. Positive relationships also emerged between telepresence, immersion, and enjoyment, with the role of immersion influencing enjoyment more strongly than telepresence. Enhanced enjoyment significantly increased intentions to visit the destination. This study provides practical implications for destination marketing.

The future of translation industry: student expectations and real life

Problem Statement. The advent of neural network-based machine translation systems and large language models has brought significant changes to the translation services market, impacting employment and prompting concerns among students and prospective linguists about the future of the translation profession. This study aims to identify mismatches between the expectations of linguistics students and the real-life market situation to promote more realistic attitudes in students, and increase their motivation.Materials and Methods. In 2024, a survey was conducted among 122 Linguistics majors from four Russian universities. The sample was representative, with a reliability level of 66.7 %. The survey included questions regarding preferred types of translation types in demand, and the outlook for the profession, facilitating a comparative analysis with the current situation on the translation services market.Results and Discussion. While students have a reasonable understanding of market demand for various types of translation, their preferences do not align with the most in-demand industries. Notably, there is a low level of interest in scientific, technical, medical, and legal translation, despite these fields being highly sought after. Moreover, many students hold a pessimistic view of the profession's future, fearing that translators will be replaced by machine translation systems.Conclusions. Despite their awareness of market realities, students are reluctant to focus on the most in-demand types of translation. This reluctance is attributed to a lack of knowledge in the exact sciences and a distorted perception of the profession, influenced by popular culture. The study recommends strengthening career guidance efforts and modernizing educational programs to better align with market needs, as well as emphasizing the continued importance of professional translators in the context of technological advancements

Embracing Virtual Reality in Destination Marketing: A Serial Mediation Model to Investigate the Role of Virtual Tourism Experiences in the Formation of Place Attachment

Technological innovation is important for destination marketing organisations (DMOs) in achieving sustainable destination development. However, few studies have considered the marketing potential of emerging immersive technologies in promoting local destinations, as well as their impacts on tourists’ place attachment. Drawing upon cue consistency and place attachment theory, this study established a serial mediation model to examine the impact of sensory information acquired from online virtual tourism experiences, such as visual and auditory cues, on tourists’ place attachment formation during the post-trip stage. The PLS-SEM approach was adopted to analyse the data, which were collected from 408 respondents via an online survey. The results showed that tourists’ sensory information significantly influenced their virtual attachment and sense of presence. Furthermore, tourists’ perceived information and image consistency significantly influenced their place attachment. In addition, the serial mediation effect among sensory information, cue consistency, and place attachment was confirmed. The theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Quais créditos não autorizam o pedido de falência?

Credit is an essential element for the exercise of business activities and as such must be protected, so that those responsible for granting credit continue to grant it, allowing the development of business activities, therefore it is fundamental to protect it as a pillar of business law. Among the forms of credit protection is the possibility of bankruptcy in the event of a debtor’s default. If a business debtor does not honor its obligations or is unable to honor them, bankruptcy is imposed to try to pay as many creditors as possible and eliminate that debtor from the business market. Bankruptcy is a market reality and its application is part of the game of an economy, it will occur in cases where credit protection is somewhat at risk. Therefore, the law will allow bankruptcy to be decreed in cases where the debtor confesses that he is unable to honor his debts, or in cases where the debtor’s conduct gives rise to a presumption that he will be unable to honor his debts. Among the cases in which insolvency is presumed is unjustified impontuality, which represents a relevant default to the point of justifying the decree of bankruptcy. However, Brazilian legislation has made it clear that it does not even legitimize the filing of a bankruptcy petition for credits that cannot be claimed. The purpose of this paper is precisely to define which of these credits, although due, do not allow for the decree of bankruptcy.

“Meet me at the backdoor”: A multiple case study of academic entrepreneurs bypassing their technology transfer offices

This article investigates the underexplored phenomenon of technology transfer office (TTO) bypassing in academic entrepreneurship. While TTOs are established to centralize and support intellectual property-based commercialization, a significant portion of entrepreneurial projects avoid the TTO. Relying on both economic (transaction cost theory) and ethical (Tyler's justice model) considerations, this study explores the motivations and contextual factors behind a researcher's decision to commercialize an invention using means other than the TTO. This multiple case study employs an in-depth exploratory qualitative approach to investigate five academic entrepreneurs across different disciplines in Canadian universities who chose to bypass their TTO, often in contravention of institutional policies. Our findings reveal a complex interplay among individual motivations, institutional policies, and market realities. We identified four paths of awareness and strategic intent in this process ranging from unintentional non-compliance to tactical avoidance which challenge a simplistic perception of TTO bypassing as merely unintentional rather than deliberate. The study also reveals four overlapping contexts that promote TTO bypassing: confidence in personal expertise, previous negative experience of using the TTO, peer-influenced skepticism, and external partner challenges. Furthermore, the findings show that the reasons for bypassing include both economic and ethical motivations which steer academic entrepreneurs toward alternative, privately managed commercialization paths. The article concludes with some implications for university managers and policymakers related to how to address the multifaceted motivations for TTO bypassing.

Critical analysis of Echinacea preparations marketed in Germany.

Colds are the most common cause of incapacity to work in 2023 and therefore have a significant impact on the German economy. Echinacea preparations are considered a non-specific immune stimulant that is used as a phytotherapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of colds. In the 2021 ZEIT ranking of the best-selling pharmacy-only medicines in Germany, four Echinacea preparations were among the top ten, and they experienced a new hype during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In this study, 22 Echinacea monopreparations, which are approved as herbal medicinal products, were analyzed based on their package inserts. The preparations used in clinical studies were compared with the preparations available on the market with regard to the criteria of plant species used, plant part used, preparation (extract or pressed juice), drug-extract ratio, single dose administered, standardization of the preparations, prior performance of an ingredient analysis, galenics, dosage, duration of administration, and daily dose administered. The analysis revealed that the preparations available on the market are very heterogeneous. The composition can vary considerably in terms of ingredients. For customers, these products appear homogeneous in terms of their presentation on the market. The legal framework conditions promote this situation. The clinical studies are also unable to adequately reflect the market situation. New studies based on market reality, with an analysis of ingredients in the preparations used, a standardized study design, and the inclusion of hematological and biochemical parameters in the evaluation should improve this situation. Days of incapacity for work as an outcome parameter could be well suited.

POSSIBILITIES AND PROSPECTS OF USING AR AND VR IN THE MARKETING ACTIVITIES OF BUSINESS STRUCTURES

The relevance of the work is due to the fact that in the conditions of digitization of the economy with the help of AR and VR, businesses can create unique offers for each client, increasing the level of satisfaction and loyalty. The use of AR and VR allows not only to increase customer engagement, but also to create a unique user experience that strengthens the brand and increases sales. The purpose of the article is to research the possibilities and prospects of using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in marketing strategies of modern business. The scientific study includes practical examples of the use of AR and VR in real marketing campaigns. The article presents the distinctive characteristics of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. The article indicates the potential development trends of AR and VR in the field of marketing and their impact on business competitiveness in the digital economy. The challenges that companies face during the implementation of these technologies are identified, namely: technical challenges (High requirements for technical support, Complexity of content development, Difficult integration with other technologies), economic challenges (High cost of implementation, Limited number of users, High costs of maintenance and updating) and social challenges (Barriers in technology adoption, Privacy and data security, Social inequality). Recommendations for overcoming them have been developed. It is noted that in order to overcome these obstacles, it is necessary to improve technical solutions, reduce costs and work on improving the user experience. At the same time, it is important to take into account the confidentiality and availability of technologies for different categories of the population. AR and VR have been found to be successfully used in various fields to enhance user engagement and create new opportunities for brands. The results of the study can help business structures to better navigate the possibilities of AR and VR, facilitating adaptation to new market realities. Prospects for further research include the development of a method for assessing the effectiveness of AR/VR campaigns.

Foreign Portfolio Investment and Capital Market Development in Nigeria

This study investigates the impact of foreign portfolio investment (FPI) on the development of the Nigerian capital market from 1986 to 2023, addressing challenges such as exchange rate volatility and inadequate technological advancement. The research aims to explore the following questions: What is the relationship between foreign portfolio investments and capital market development in Nigeria? How do exchange rate volatility influence the capital market development in Nigeria? What role do technological advancements play in enhancing market performance and attracting foreign investors? Data were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and the National Bureau of Statistics. A quantitative methodology was employed, utilizing the Johansen co-integration test, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Granger causality test to analyze secondary time-series data. The Johansen co-integration test revealed a long-run relationship among the variables, while the VECM indicated that FPI negatively impacts market capitalization. Additionally, the Granger causality test demonstrated unidirectional causality from capital market development to FPI. To address the identified challenges, the study recommends that policymakers create a more supportive environment that ensures foreign investors can repatriate capital and earnings. The government should prioritize exchange rate stability that reflects market realities to enhance investor confidence. Investments in advanced technology are crucial to improving efficiency and accountability in market transactions. By adopting these targeted recommendations, Nigeria can better leverage FPI to foster capital market growth and promote sustainable economic development. JEL Codes: G15, O16

The Reality of E-Commerce and Digital Marketing in the Yemeni Market: Opportunities and Challenges

This research paper provides a comprehensive examination of the current landscape of e-commerce and digital marketing in the Yemeni market, highlighting its unique opportunities and inherent challenges. In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and widespread internet accessibility, Yemen presents a distinctive environment for businesses to thrive. The study seeks to uncover critical insights into consumer behavior, emerging market trends, and the effectiveness of various digital marketing strategies within this region. Through the integration of recent statistical data and sophisticated analytical charts, the paper aims to offer valuable recommendations that can enhance the growth and sustainability of e-commerce in Yemen.