This study aims to analyze the influence of Social Media Marketing and Word of Mouth on Marketing Promotion with Brand Image as a mediating variable in Flamboyan Gorontalo MSMEs. This study is motivated by the importance of utilizing social media and word of mouth communication in increasing the effectiveness of MSME marketing promotion amidst increasingly competitive business competition. The research method used is a quantitative approach with a survey technique. Data were obtained by distributing questionnaires to consumers who have purchased Flamboyan Gorontalo MSME products. The sampling technique used was accidental sampling. Data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on Partial Least Square (PLS) through the SmartPLS application. The results of the study indicate that Brand Image has a positive and significant effect on Marketing Promotion. Word of Mouth has a positive and significant effect on Brand Image. Conversely, Social Media Marketing has no significant effect on Brand Image or Marketing Promotion. In addition, Word of Mouth also has no significant effect on Marketing Promotion. The results of the indirect effect test indicate that Brand Image is unable to mediate the effect of Social Media Marketing on Marketing Promotion or the effect of Word of Mouth on Marketing Promotion. The research findings indicate that the success of marketing promotions in the Flamboyan Gorontalo MSME is more determined by the strength of its brand image than by social media marketing activities and direct word-of-mouth communication. This research contributes to the development of digital marketing and brand management literature, and provides input for MSMEs in designing marketing strategies that focus on strengthening brand image to increase the effectiveness of marketing promotions and business competitiveness.

Seasonal impacts on brucellosis transmission mediated by live sheep supply-demand dynamics.

ABSTRACT As the global apparel industry navigates increasing sourcing complexity, digital transformation, and evolving tariff structures, apparel firms are under growing pressure to recruit managerial talent capable of coordinating cross-functional operations and global supply chain demands. Against this backdrop, this study investigates employer expectations for managerial roles in Bangladesh’s apparel industry, the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments. Drawing on Kunz’s (1995) Behavioural Theory of Apparel Firms, this study analysed 508 managerial job advertisements using content analysis, point-biserial correlation, and one-way ANOVA. Findings show that professional experience, communication skills, and digital proficiency are consistently prioritised across managerial categories, while technical educational degrees are not significantly associated with broader job responsibilities. Significant differences also emerged across job categories, with finance, marketing, and executive management roles exhibiting greater breadth of responsibilities than merchandising and operations. The study offers implications for recruitment, workforce development, and curriculum alignment in export-oriented and globally integrated apparel industries.

One of the explicit goals of public hospital salary reform is to gradually and steadily narrow the salary gap among public hospitals. This study, taking public hospitals at different administrative levels as its starting point, seeks to investigate the differences in the formation mechanisms of performance-based pay. From June to November 2024, a purposeful sampling strategy was adopted. A total of 43 in-depth interviews were conducted across 14 public hospitals located in a certain municipality directly under the central government. These hospitals covered three administrative tiers: the national level, the provincial and ministerial level, and the prefectural and municipal level. All interview data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Through three-level coding, a total of seven core categories were extracted: external constraints, strategic positioning, market capabilities, business structure, incentive systems, management capabilities, and personnel characteristics. These seven factors jointly influenced performance-based salary distribution in public hospitals, but their specific manifestations and interactions showed marked differences across hospitals at different administrative levels. Specifically, public hospitals at higher administrative levels might be fully exempt from wage total amount constraints, or, even when operating within the total framework, still retained a considerably large distributable space. Relying on their high-level strategic positioning, these hospitals developed strong market capabilities and a business structure dominated by high-pricing medical services. They adopted a metric-based, incremental incentive model that allocated rewards directly to individual physicians, with the incentive scope covering the entire chain of medical care, education, and research. In contrast, public hospitals at lower administrative levels faced triple constraints: insufficient bargaining power in the healthcare market, limited and unstable patient sources, and a single compensation pathway heavily reliant on service volume. Their business structure was mainly composed of low-pricing projects with limited profitability. Consequently, they were forced to adopt a position-based performance model, where the incentive scope narrowed to basic medical quality, leaving these hospitals struggling with fragile incentives and persistent talent loss. Public hospitals at different administrative levels present structural differences in their mechanisms for determining performance-based salaries. During the top-down transmission of reform policies, the hierarchical institutional environment, together with stratified market capabilities and management capacities, acts as a multi-layer filter. This filtering process leads to heterogeneous policy performances across different hospital tiers.

This paper examines how the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concept can be incorporated into project cost-forecasting models and how this incorporation affects predictive accuracy and risk management in the new market, specifically Kazakhstan. It examines the moderating effect of analytical sophistication and institutional contexts on the relationship between ESG integration and project cost performance. A quantitative research design was employed, and 720 project management and finance professionals in the construction, energy, mining, engineering, and infrastructure industries in Kazakhstan participated in data collection. The measurement reliability and validity were checked with the help of Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure. Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and the predictive metrics (R 2, f 2, Q 2) demonstrate that the explanatory power of structural relationships is moderate-to-strong and practically important. Findings show that ESG-incorporated forecasting has a substantial positive impact on the performance of project costs and risk reduction, especially with advanced analytical tools, including machine learning (ML). The ESG- cost performance relationship is partially mediated by cost Forecast Accuracy, whereas analytical sophistication enhances the predictive advantages of ESG integration. Regulatory harmonization and data maturity also contribute to the model's effectiveness. The research is among the first empirical applications to validate ESG- and AI-informed cost forecasting in an emerging-market setting, linking sustainability analytics and project management performance. The results have practical implications for managers, policymakers, and financial decision-makers in Kazakhstan and similar emerging markets, and they are replicable across countries to enable concurrent cross-country comparisons and longitudinal analyses of ESG-driven forecasting behaviors.

This paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding the revenue-delivery gap in project-based organizations. There have been extensive studies on the topic of alignment of sales and marketing, sales and project management, and project governance. However, these approaches based on dyads give only fragmented insights into systemic misalignment that occurs during the project cycle. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new theoretical framework, namely, the Strategic Integration Model (SIM). It provides a comprehensive approach to the problem of misalignment by viewing it from a triadic perspective as an information-processing failure that results from the interplay of value formation (through marketing), commitment negotiation (by sales), and delivery execution (project management). In this study, information processing theory, differentiation-integration theory, service-dominant logic, and project governance theory have been used to formulate five mechanisms for explaining how value formation affects commitment negotiation and delivery execution. The current study proposes the concept of strategic integration that explores the relationship between commercialization and delivery domains and provides a framework for future empirical research on the topic. Based on an integrative method of theory building, which involves reviewing relevant literature, the Strategic Integration Model (SIM) is developed as a means of reconciling marketing, sales, and project management functions.

ABSTRACT Integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into businesses has shown mixed impacts, largely due to the need for coordination across various organizational functions, each with distinct objectives and language. This study provides a comprehensive overview of ESG perspectives across general management, marketing, and operations management, evaluating ESG research and comparing global business contexts, specifically, Asia-Pacific versus non-Asia-Pacific countries. We identify both commonalities and differences in ESG research across disciplines and regions. Based on the findings, we propose a synthesized theoretical framework for future research and offer practical guidance for organizations aiming to incorporate ESG principles into innovative firm-level practices.

Near-expired food has received increasing attention in recent years as an important way to reduce food waste and promote sustainable consumption. However, although consumers recognize its economic value and environmental significance, they still have concerns about its quality and potential risks. Drawing on social cognitive theory and social exchange theory, this study adopts a benefit–risk trade-off perspective to examine how personal and environmental factors influence purchase intention toward near-expired food through perceived benefits and perceived risks. Based on 547 valid questionnaires collected from Chinese consumers, this study employs PLS-SEM, multi-group analysis (MGA), and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for empirical testing. The results show that personal norm and price discount significantly increase perceived benefits, whereas social image concern and product uncertainty significantly increase perceived risks. Perceived benefits have a significant positive effect on purchase intention, whereas perceived risks have a significant negative effect. The MGA results further show that purchase experience and income level lead to significant differences in consumers’ decision paths. The fsQCA results indicate that both high and non-high purchase intention can be formed through multiple distinct but equivalent paths. High purchase intention mainly follows two patterns, benefit-driven and cognitive trade-off. Non-high purchase intention is mainly characterized by benefit deficiency and risk interference. The findings provide implications for the marketing and risk management of near-expired food.

This study aims to develop and validate the VOUSH (value orientation for users and society in healthcare) measurement scale, with a view to measuring how healthcare organizations offer value in an integrated way to both users and society. The theoretical framework combined approaches from experiential marketing and health - the foundations of VOUSH - taking into consideration business management, care management, value co-creation, digital technologies, user experience, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and value in healthcare. The methodology included two quantitative studies. The first, which was exploratory in nature, involved 213 users and health professionals, with a questionnaire and exploratory factor analysis being applied to identify dimensions of VOUSH. The second, confirmatory study included 169 managers (decision-makers) and used structural equation modeling for validation. The scale revealed three dimensions of VOUSH, namely user experience in healthcare, CSR in healthcare, and digital healthcare, with the results reinforcing the importance of these dimensions in aligning organizational practices with social and individual demands in healthcare. The scale is useful for assessing the degree of strategic maturity of healthcare organizations in offering shared value, which is a construct with high practical potential for the strategic marketing management of healthcare organizations.

This study aims to analyze the effect of religiosity on consumers’ boycott intention by considering the mediating role of brand attitude and the moderating role of brand loyalty. In the context of increasing awareness of moral and religious values, religiosity is viewed as an important factor shaping consumers’ attitudes and consumption behaviors toward brands perceived to be affiliated with certain ethical and political issues, particularly the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian population. This research adopts a quantitative approach using a survey method and is analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that religiosity has a positive and significant effect on brand attitude, brand attitude has a positive and significant effect on boycott intention, and brand attitude plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between religiosity and boycott intention. However, brand loyalty does not moderate the relationship between religiosity and boycott intention. These findings provide theoretical implications by contributing to the body of scholarly work in the field of brand marketing management, particularly in understanding how religious, ethical, and social values influence consumer behavior. Practically, this study offers important insights for consumers to support and empower non-affiliated local products, as well as for Indonesian business practitioners to enhance industrial competitiveness, especially in sectors that are still largely dominated by foreign brands affiliated with Israel.

Attitudes of pharmaceutical sales representatives toward advertising "unmentionables": A cross-sectional survey in Egypt.

The impact of national charitable donations on domestic product’s market competitiveness: evidence from the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

Tanggahan Peken is one of the areas in Bangli which famous for its bamboo crafts. Most of the people of Tanggahan Peken have the skills of making bamboo crafts. The partner in this activity is Wulans Bambu which is an economically productive partner. Bamboo craft shows the development of the crafts all the time because these products have a broader function, which is not only used in religious ceremonies but also started to be used for daily utensils. The main problem in this research was the marketing management which still used conventional systems, even though the opportunity for showing their products to outside Bali was very large. The solution offered is to introduce the role of accounting information systems in the form of websites and e-commerce for the partners in terms of marketing and electronic transactions as well as providing assistance on export procedures and export requirements so they could enter foreign markets without going through third parties. The outputs that targeted for this activity is an increase in partner empowerment in terms of increasing partner knowledge, partner success in expanding marketing reach, and increasing partner turnover.

This study aims to analyze traders’ perceptions of the revitalization of Waiwerang Inpres Market in Adonara Timur District, East Flores Regency. The research is grounded in the phenomenon of traditional and modern market dualism in developing countries, where traditional markets face challenges such as declining consumer interest, limited infrastructure, and competition with modern retail systems. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of traders’ perceptions. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation, involving purposively selected informants including government officials, market managers, traders, and buyers. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman, consisting of data collection, reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that the revitalization program has not been optimally utilized. Traders’ perceptions tend to be negative due to the mismatch between provided facilities and actual needs, particularly regarding limited stall space, poor ventilation, and inadequate supporting facilities. Internal factors such as experience and expectations, as well as external factors including environmental conditions and limited participation in planning, significantly influence these perceptions. Furthermore, weak management, maintenance, and spatial arrangement contribute to traders’ reluctance to occupy the new building.

In the digital era, online attention has become a key indicator of tourism competitiveness and destination visibility. This study proposes a two-dimensional framework to evaluate the competitive state of online attention by combining its current magnitude and growth dynamics. Using Baidu Index data, the study applies the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix and the coefficient of variation to analyze online attention patterns of Beijing’s 5A–level tourist attractions from 2011 to 2025. The results show clear polarization in online attention. A small number of iconic attractions consistently dominate digital visibility, while many other sites exhibit unstable and uneven attention trajectories. These patterns reflect the cumulative effects of consumer behavior, information-seeking preferences, and algorithmically mediated content environments, which reinforce attention concentration and competitive inequality over time. External shocks, particularly the COVID–19 pandemic, caused sharp declines in online attention in 2020, followed by an uneven recovery in subsequent years, highlighting the volatility of digital attention systems. The study also demonstrates the managerial value of the proposed framework. By classifying attractions according to attention levels and growth potential, the framework supports differentiated marketing and demand–redistribution strategies. For instance, increasing the visibility of high-potential but under-visited attractions can help redirect visitors away from overcrowded “Star/GC” sites and encourage more balanced spatial and temporal visitation. Overall, this study proposes a quantitative and replicable framework that integrates digital attention dynamics, algorithmic filtering, and consumer behavior into destination competitiveness analysis. The framework supports evidence-based and sustainability-oriented destination management by informing adaptive marketing and demand management strategies that can help alleviate overtourism and balance visitor flows. However, the study relies on a single digital platform and lacks direct sustainability indicators. Future research should integrate multi-platform data and link online attention metrics to measurable environmental, social, and economic sustainability outcomes.

The article explores the theoretical and practical aspects of forming and implementing marketing strategies for enterprises in the food industry under conditions of a dynamic and competitive market environment. Particular attention is given to marketing as a strategic management tool that ensures sustainable competitive advantages and long-term business development. The study defines marketing strategy as a system of coordinated managerial decisions aimed at effective use of resources and adaptation to external changes. Key factors influencing enterprise competitiveness are analyzed, including economic performance, management efficiency, innovation potential, and marketing capabilities. The research highlights the specific features of the food industry, such as short product life cycles, high quality and safety requirements, consumer sensitivity to price and composition, and dependence on logistics and distribution systems. These characteristics necessitate a flexible and adaptive marketing approach. The importance of comprehensive consumer analysis is emphasized, including behavioral and psychological aspects, which form the basis for effective segmentation and positioning. The article also examines the role of product policy, pricing, distribution channels, and marketing communications in creating customer value and strengthening market positions. Special attention is paid to digital technologies, such as CRM systems, data analytics, and e-commerce, which enhance decision-making and improve customer interaction. In addition, the study identifies key marketing tools specific to the food industry, including category management, trade marketing, packaging, and reputation management. Their integrated use contributes to increasing sales efficiency, optimizing costs, and reducing risks. The article concludes that marketing strategy in the food industry is a comprehensive mechanism for managing competitiveness, ensuring business stability, and achieving sustainable development in a changing market environment.

The superior and distinctive craft product of Budaga Village is bell craftsmanship. The bells produced in Budaga Village are considered superior due to their high quality, which is supported by the careful selection and composition of raw materials used in the production process. The bell craft business, which is predominantly carried out by the local community, is classified as a Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) on a household industrial scale. Over time, small-scale businesses such as this often experience fluctuations in their performance. To date, the Ratna Sarin Sekar Kuning Bell Craftsmen Group has marketed its products primarily through conventional methods. Therefore, the community service team provides training and assistance related to online promotion to expand market reach. In addition, the team offers counseling on the importance of Occupational Health and Safety (K3) and provides support in preparing simple financial reports based on SAK-EMKM standards. Through guidance and assistance in effective business management, craftsmen are expected to manage their businesses more sustainably in terms of production, marketing, and financial management.

Indonesian family firms represent a distinctive and underexplored context in which informal communication structures frequently override or supplement formal organizational systems. Drawing on Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) theory, the Logic of Appropriateness, and Institutional Action Theory, this qualitative study investigates how deeply embedded family values shape marketing decision-making processes in large Indonesian family-owned corporations. Through semi-structured interviews with senior marketing executives and family members in decision-making roles across five Indonesian family conglomerates, the study explores how unwritten norms, trust-based communication channels, and dynastic loyalty networks function as de facto governance mechanisms. Findings reveal that informal communication acts as both an enabler and a constraint: it accelerates consensus, preserves socioemotional wealth, and embeds institutional memory, yet simultaneously creates opacity, limits external accountability, and poses succession risks. The research contributes to the literature on family business governance, emerging market marketing communication, and informal institutional theory by providing empirical evidence from a context where cultural collectivism, paternalistic leadership, and family-firm identity intersect. Practical implications are offered for family firm leaders navigating the tension between preserving relational governance and adopting formal marketing management systems.

In August 2023, the launch of Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) futures provides a suitable tool for risk management in the container shipping market, as well as new options for risk management of other financial assets. However, limited research exists on the influencing factors behind container freight rate fluctuations. This paper explores the nonlinear dynamic interdependence between the SCFI and 12 factors from the stock, commodity, carbon, and other markets using a data decomposition-reconstruction-based time-varying copula method, which can assist the stakeholders in hedging risk at different timescales. The findings reveal that most factors show no or limited upper tail dependence with SCFI in the short term. Medium- and long-term dependence is significantly stronger, indicating structural connections over longer horizons. Moreover, the dependence intensifies during extreme risk events. Generally, downside tail risks exert a greater influence on SCFI in the medium to long term, while upside tail risks are found to affect SCFI at any time horizon. This paper focuses on the tail risk interdependence analysis between SCFI and other assets, because the launch of SCFI futures makes the stakeholders to use this future to build risk management portfolios with other assets inevitably. The result provides useful implications to stakeholders with varying financial or investment attributes associated with shipping industry, aiding them in clarifying the different tail risk associations between SCFI futures and other assets at different timescales.

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia face serious challenges in marketing and operational management in the digital age. Dimsum Cukikana, a culinary business located in Parongpong, West Bandung Regency, faces similar issues, namely unstructured order management due to the use of personal WhatsApp accounts mixed with personal conversations, the lack of a digital product catalog, and a scarcity of physical promotional materials capable of attracting potential customers in the vicinity of the business. These conditions have resulted in low business visibility and inefficient customer service processes. This community service initiative aims to improve the effectiveness of Dimsum Cukikana’s promotions and order management through the implementation of WhatsApp Business and the provision of promotional banners. The implementation method was carried out in stages, including field studies and in-depth interviews with the business owner to identify needs, followed by the application of digital solutions such as creating a WhatsApp Business account, setting up a product catalog and automated messaging features, as well as the creation and installation of promotional banners. The analysis technique used was qualitative descriptive analysis based on direct observations and a comparison of conditions before and after the implementation of the solutions. The results of the initiative show that using WhatsApp Business successfully separates business communications from personal accounts, makes it easier for customers to access menu and pricing information via the catalog feature, and streamlines the ordering process. The installation of promotional banners featuring signature menu items and the WhatsApp Business number increased the business’s visibility and made it easier for potential customers to get in touch. During the observation period, there was a 10% daily increase in the number of customers placing orders via WhatsApp Business.