Upper Line Research Articles

Dignified Branding and Its Role in the Cryptomarket

The advent of decentralized digital economies, particularly in the cryptomarket, necessitates new and ethical marketing approaches that prioritize transparency, trust, and long-term value. Dignified Branding (DB), a concept introduced by Mandeep Gupta, proposes a revolutionary shift away from the traditional commission-driven network marketing model by focusing on community-driven, volunteer-based product promotion. This paper examines the core principles of Dignified Branding and its potential impact on the cryptomarket. The absence of financial incentives, commissions, and competitive influences in DB creates a novel approach, one that aims to build trust, promote education, and ensure that the entire community benefits rather than individual investors.

On the Suitability of Process Mining for Enhancing Transparency of Blockchain Applications

AbstractBlockchain technology is known for its transparency properties due to its publicly available, immutable data. Yet, as data availability does not inherently ensure transparency, further analytical methods may be required for human interpretation of data traces. Process mining has emerged as a popular toolbox for understanding processes and how they are executed in practice. The paper studies process mining as a method to enhance the transparency of blockchain data. To this end, two popular Ethereum applications were analyzed using process mining: the prediction and betting marketplace Augur and the network marketing platform Forsage. Observations from the process-mining analyses are used to discuss if process mining can serve as a method to establish transparency of a blockchain. For both applications, new insights are generated for usage scenarios such as application redesign, security analysis, user behavior analysis, and revealing blind spots in Augur’s and Forsage’s documentation. The paper concludes that there is evidence that process mining can serve as a method to enhance transparency in blockchains at the cost of technical setup and knowledge acquisition.

Identifying successful football teams in the European player transfer network

This paper considers the European transfer market for professional football players as a network to study the relation between a team’s position in this network and performance in its domestic league. Our analysis is centered on eight top European leagues. The market in each season is represented as a weighted directed network capturing the transfers of players to or from the teams in these leagues, and we also consider the cumulative network over the past 28 years. We find that the overall structure of this transfer market network has properties commonly observed in real-world networks, such as a skewed degree distribution, high clustering, and small-world characteristics. To assess football teams we first construct a measure of within-league performance that is comparable across leagues. Regression analysis is used to relate league performance with both the network position and level of engagement of the team in the transfer market, under two complimentary setups. Network position variables include, e.g., betweenness centrality, closeness centrality and node clustering coefficient, whereas market engagement variables capture a team’s activity in the transfer market, e.g., total number of player transfers and total paid for players. For the season snapshots, the number of transfers correspond to weighted in- and out-degree. Our analysis first corroborates several recent findings relating aspects of market engagement with teams’ league performance. A higher number of incoming transfers indicates worse performance and better resourced teams perform better. Then, and across specifications, we find that network position variables remain salient even when engagement variables are already considered. This substantiates the notion in the existing literature that a high degree corresponds to better team performance and suggests that network aspects of trading strategy may affect a team’s success in their respective domestic league (or vice versa). In this sense, the approach and findings presented in this paper may in the future guide team’s player acquisition policies.

Analysis of the correlation network in the US stock market during January 2020

Analysis of the correlation network in the US stock market during January 2020

Brand livestream mode options: AI vs KOL livestream in the platform supply chain

PurposeDriven by the rapid expansion of online retail and the surge in livestream commerce, the impact of different livestream mode on brand and platform performance has become a critical issue. This paper analyzes the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and key opinion leader (KOL) livestream on the profitability of brands and the platform, incorporating the effects of horizontal interactions to identify the optimal livestream mode.Design/methodology/approachThis paper develops a model of a platform supply chain involving two brands and a platform, where each brand independently decides whether to utilize KOL or AI livestream. Applying Stackelberg game approach, the study derives equilibria for various livestream scenarios, identifying the optimal livestream mode for both parties. Additionally, the model is extended to incorporate asymmetric market potential and network externality to evaluate their impact on a brand’s choice of livestream mode.FindingsSeveral interesting and important results are derived in this paper. Firstly, it is found that AI livestream enables brands to leverage network externality and mitigate the market disadvantage, thereby gaining a competitive advantage. Secondly, while KOL livestream promotes trust, the medium KOL commission rates could cause brands to be trapped in a prisoner’s dilemma, and excessively high commission rates may render them less profitable. Thirdly, the KOL commission rate, network externality intensity, horizontal interactions and market disadvantage are critical determinants influencing a brand’s choice of livestream mode.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the effects of horizontal interactions, asymmetric market potential and asymmetric network externality on livestream mode selection by brands within a platform supply chain. The research provides valuable insights into optimizing livestream strategies to enhance brand profitability.

Building sales through connections: how network capabilities and tie strength foster entrepreneurial marketing

Purpose The purpose of this study is to delve into the intricate relationship between network capabilities (NCs), entrepreneurial marketing (EM) and sales performance (SP), with a specific focus on uncovering the nuanced role that ties strength (TS) plays as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted using a survey method with a population of software small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Colombia using a sample size of 164 questionnaires. The data analysis method used was the partial least squares. Findings The results show that EM has an impact on SP. TS mediates the influence of NC and EM. Findings highlighted the importance of networking in EM and the relationship with SP. Practical implications NCs emerge as a vital determinant for fostering EM within SMEs. Owners should prioritize the development and enhancement of their NCs; for example, building relationships, fostering collaborations and leveraging connections within the industry. Also, this could lead to more innovative marketing strategies, differentiating the firm in a competitive marketplace. The mediating role of TS underscores the importance of not just having network connections but building strong, meaningful relationships with customers. SMEs with high NCs should design more targeted and customized marketing strategies. Originality/value The value of this research lies in its intricate exploration of the complex relationships between NCs, TS and EM. This study paves the way for a deeper understanding of network dynamics and their implications within EM. It sets the stage for subsequent studies that may lead to the formulation of more sophisticated network marketing strategies tailored for EM contexts.

International entrepreneurial culture of born global and non-born global family firms: a configurational approach

PurposeDelving into family business heterogeneity, this study applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analyses (fsQCA) to explain overlooked differences in the international performance of born global family firms (BGFFs) and non-born global family firms (n-BGFFs); through the lens of assemblage theory of family business internationalization, the study develops distinctive configurations of international entrepreneurial culture (IEC) for BGFFs and n-BGFFs.Design/methodology/approachThis study compares the theoretical tenets of IEC among 167 BGFFs versus 192 n-BGFFs in Malaysia using fsQCA – a configurational method. The study further deploys necessity analysis of fsQCA (NCA) to determine the necessity conditions within the identified configurations.FindingsBGFFs manifest elevated levels of international entrepreneurial orientation, international motivation and international non-competitor network orientation. In contrast, n-BGFFs rely on international markets, learning and competitor network orientations to secure international performance. Furthermore, necessary condition analysis (NCA) reveals that international entrepreneurial orientation and international motivation are the necessity conditions for BGFFs. In contrast, international market, learning and competitor network orientation are all required for n-BGFFs’ international performance.Originality/valueThis study is timely and contributes to advancing the international business theory of family firm internationalization. It also offers better theorizing for family firms’ heterogeneity, locating the source of that heterogeneity not just in the speed of internationalization but also in the composition of their different IECs.

Analysis of Consumer Purchase Satisfaction According to Network Marketing Selection Attributes of Inner Beauty Products

Purpose: Korean society is increasingly interested in expressing a beautifully maintained appearance rather than simply pursuing beauty. In addition, the development and sales of beauty products related to this are increasing as people are demanding to think about their inner health as well as their outer appearance. Therefore, this study focused on inner beauty products sold through network marketing and objectively examined how consumers evaluate their purchase satisfaction according to their choice attributes.
 Method: Participants in the study were participants who had purchased inner beauty products through network marketing, and 212 response sheets were used for the final analysis. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the influence of network marketing selection attributes of inner beauty products on consumer purchase satisfaction, and the significance level according to statistical test was determined at p<.05.
 Results: Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the multidimensional influence of the factors of the choice attributes of the study participants on the sub-factors of the purchase satisfaction variables. The results of the study showed that the choice attributes that have a significant impact on consumer purchase satisfaction are internal choice attributes and ecological choice attributes, except for external choice attributes.
 Conclusion: Consumption choice attributes of modern people show various consumption behaviors depending on individual characteristics and perceived value. In this study, we examined how consumer purchase satisfaction is manifested according to the choice attributes of consumers participating in network marketing. Based on these results, it is expected that network marketing operators can use it as an objective data on the selection attributes and purchase satisfaction evaluation of inner beauty products so that they can have an independent attitude as business owners.

Part that social media plays in advertising MSMEs goods in Patas 1 Village, Gunung Bintang Awi District, South Barito Regency

This study discusses the role of social media in marketing products of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Patas 1 Village, Gunung Bintang Awai District, South Barito Regency. MSMEs are an essential sector in the village's economy, with various businesses such as culinary, handicrafts, and traditional weapon production. Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp have helped some MSME actors expand their markets and increase product sales. However, some MSMEs have yet to utilize social media due to limited knowledge fully. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of social media use in MSME marketing and provide appropriate strategy recommendations. The evaluation methods used were interviews and direct observation. The study's findings indicate that social media significantly expands market networks, builds consumer interactions, and increases product sales. However, challenges such as lack of creativity and competition from similar products remain. Therefore, training and socialization on social media use for MSME actors are necessary to maximize their marketing potential in the digital era

Strengthening Marketing Strategies in Organic Agricultural Products Through Organic Farmer Training in Indonesia

This Community Service (PKM) activity aims to improve the marketing skills of organic plant farmers in Indonesia through online training focused on digital marketing strategies, branding development, and distribution network expansion. The method used was participatory training, involving 30 farmers as a sample, with data collection carried out through pre-test and post-tests to measure changes in participants' knowledge and skills. The results showed a significant improvement in participants' understanding of organic product marketing, with the average pre-test score of 2.5 increasing to 4.2 in the post-test. This increase is mainly seen in the ability of participants to utilize social media and e-commerce platforms to market their products. In addition, qualitative interviews showed that participants felt more confident in developing product branding and expanding marketing networks, although challenges related to internet infrastructure were still faced in some areas. Post-training mentoring also provides additional support that helps participants implement the strategies learned. In conclusion, this training is efficacious in improving the marketing skills of organic farmers. It can be a model that can be applied more widely to strengthen the competitiveness of organic agricultural products in Indonesia.

Unleashing the Crowd: The Effect of Social Networks in Crowdfunding Markets

We identify the crucial role social networks play in crowdfunding markets. Investors are 50% more likely to fund projects that their peers support and are 11.2% more likely to fund projects from regions where they share strong social ties, given a one-standard-deviation change in the variables. More influential peers exert a greater influence, especially in the case of riskier projects, and the peer effects are amplified in crowdfunding platforms that prioritize transparency and accountability. Social ties transmit information about economic conditions in project locations, and they complement the influence of peer effects. Furthermore, the social network effects affect project funding outcomes and can be particularly valuable in mitigating the adverse effects of natural disasters. Our findings suggest that social networks play a significant role in crowdfunding markets by increasing investor awareness, disseminating information, and ultimately influencing capital allocations. This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance. Funding: L. Peng acknowledges the Keynes Fund, the Krell research grant, and the Wassermann research grant for financial support. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.01364 .

Transforming Indian cattle industry for building sustainable future

India is one of the 17 global mega-biodiversity hotspots and harbours a rich diversity of flora and fauna with more than 212 breeds of various livestock species registered at the national level. Livestock sector contributes immensely to the national GDP of India with appreciable annual growth in dairying sector. The cattle population in India is mainly concentrated in its northern and western regions. Raising cattle is deeply ingrained into the social, cultural, and traditional fabric of many communities in India. It forms an important source of livelihood for rural masses. India faces a twin challenge of sustainable management of its huge cattle inventory while improving the productivity of animals and profitability of farmers within the minimum possible time. It is coupled with other challenges in terms of the limited resource base and changing agro-climatic trends along with the ever-looming threat of climate change. The profitability of rearing cattle has increased gradually since independence mainly due to staunch efforts made during the White Revolution and subsequently its carry-over effect. The adult female cattle population of India has increased 1.67 times from 54.4 million in 1951 to 145.12 million in 2019. There is an utmost need for improvement of productivity of cows using modern genetic approaches coupled with improvement in different facets of breeding, feeding and healthcare management. Streamlining the marketing channels, expanding the market network, and establishing a suitable farmers’ co-operative system across the country for dairy products offer opportunities for improved income of the dairy farmers besides providing nutritional security to rural masses. The present policy paper attempts to traverse through the important milestones and programmes in the cattle sector that led India to the stage of self-sustenance, besides analyzing the current threats and challenges faced by the industry along with possible solutions

Order-sensitive competitive revenue maximization for viral marketing in social networks

The Competitive Influence Maximization (CIM) problem is a critical issue in viral marketing, focusing on selecting a set of influential individuals, known as seed users, for competitors to maximize their revenue. These seed users have significant sway in social networks and serve as valuable marketing resources provided by the platform. They are often displayed in a certain order launched by the platform and the potential information hidden in the order can profoundly affect the final marketing outcomes. However, current CIM research predominantly emphasizes designing effective algorithms for seed selection while ignoring the impact of the seed order launched by the platform. Therefore, this paper focuses on identifying the optimal seed order to maximize platform revenue in a competitive market environment. Specifically, we introduce a new problem called Order-Sensitive Competitive Revenue Maximization (OSCRM) to investigate the CIM problem from a new practical perspective. We prove the problem to be NP-hard and present a simple greedy algorithm with a 1/3-approximate ratio. To address it more efficiently, we further propose an enhanced greedy algorithm called GMST. This algorithm leverages the maximum spanning tree (MST) and achieves a 1/2-approximate ratio. Extensive experiments on four real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed GMST algorithm.

Project finance or corporate finance for renewable energy? an agent-based insight

State-of-the-art macroeconomic agent-based models (ABMs) include an increasing level of detail in the energy sector. However, the possible financing mechanisms of renewable energy are rarely considered. In this study, an investment model for power plants is conceptualized, in which energy investors interact in an imperfect and decentralized market network for credits, deposits and project equity. Agents engage in new power plant investments either through a special purpose vehicle in a project finance (PF) structure or via standard corporate finance (CF). The model portrays the growth of new power generation capacity, taking into account technological differences and investment risks associated with the power market. Different scenarios are contrasted to investigate the influence of PF investments on the transition. Further, the effectiveness of a simple green credit easing (GCE) mechanism is discussed. The results show that varying the composition of the PF and CF strategies significantly influences the transition speed. GCE can recover the pace of the transition, even under drastic reductions in PF. The model serves as a foundational framework for more in-depth policy analysis within larger agent-based integrated assessment models.

Monetary policy shocks and the high-frequency network connectedness of stock markets

We study the high-frequency impact of monetary policy decisions on the structure of financial market networks, using 1-second return data for 10 industry-level equity indices in the United States. We find that FOMC meetings and policy surprises have a significant influence on network connectedness in returns, volatility, skewness, and kurtosis. The information related to policy decisions instantly shocks and is quickly dissipated throughout the financial network. Network connectedness shocks are positively impacted by the magnitude of interest rate surprises, with asymmetric effects by sign and nonlinear effects being weak. Our results have implications for monetary policy, systemic risk, and asset pricing.

ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITALIZATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HALAL UMKM

Digitalization has benefits for business actors, one of which is MSME players. Digitalization has advantages such as making it easier to attract consumers through digital or online marketing, reducing costs, and expanding marketing networks. Digital marketing basically has quite a positive influence, but the use of digital marketing is still very low due to the readiness factor, which is still an obstacle for MSME players in Indonesia. Therefore, this research was made with the aim of analyzing the effect of digital marketing on halal MSMEs around the Gunadarma University campus using the digitalization marketing variable approach (X1) and literacy variable (X2) on the development of halal MSMEs (Y). The method in this study is descriptive-qualitative and uses primary data obtained through structured interviews with halal MSMEs, especially those around the Gunadarma University campus in Kelapa Dua, Depok City. The sample used in this study was 10 respondents from halal MSME actors around the Gunadarma Depok campus.

The Role of Social Network Marketing on Consumer Engagement and Purchase Intention: A Review

This paper explores the influence of social network marketing on consumer engagement and purchase intentions. As a vital component of modern marketing, social network marketing leverages social media platforms to promote products and services, becoming a primary strategy for businesses to attract and interact with consumers. Through a literature review and case studies, this paper delves into the mechanisms by which social network marketing enhances consumer engagement, including the roles of social interaction, user-generated content, and social proof. Additionally, it examines how personalized marketing strategies and social recommendations within social network marketing influence consumers' purchase intentions. Finally, the paper discusses the limitations of current research and proposes future research directions to deepen the understanding of social network marketing's impact.

Temporal dynamics of interactions in European Administrative Networks: The case of SOLVIT

This article provides an analysis of the temporal development of interactions within SOLVIT, the European Union's problem-solving internal market network. Adopting an agency-based, rationalist approach, we hypothesize that temporal development depends on cross-border interdependence, institutional homogeneity, SOLVIT centre caseload and Brexit. Testing these hypotheses, we control for members’ resources, perceptions of SOLVIT and endogenous network dynamics. The ensuing model is tested using stochastic actor-oriented models on interactions in 2011 and 2018, thus yielding a panel-data analysis. Our main finding is that SOLVIT interactions are remarkably stable over time. This is mostly due to the strong effect of interdependence, which is rather constant over time. Strikingly, we find no effect for institutional homogeneity, case load and Brexit. In sum, our analysis reveals that European Administrative Networks can develop into stable patterns of interactions, driven by rather structural features of interdependence.

Pendampingan Pembuatan Akun Lazada E-Commerce UMKM Garam Rebus di Desa Kaliwlingi

In Kaliwlingi Village there are various kinds of MSMEs, such as boiled salt, mangrove batik, soft shell crab, these are all the leading MSMEs in Kaliwlingi Village. Boiled salt is one of the products of Kaliwlingi MSMEs which is a leading MSME. However, Kaliwlingi boiled salt MSMEs also experience several obstacles in running their business, including product marketing which is still by word of mouth, limited human resources and minimal consumer capabilities. The aim of this KKN is to assist in marketing boiled salt products to further expand the boiled salt marketing network. This KKN includes marketing training using E-Commerce and assistance in using E-Commerce. The results of the KKN can be concluded that boiled salt MSMEs in Kaliwlingi Village can run their business professionally, and can increase production capacity due to the increase in the number of customers. The trend regarding the use of E-Commerce in Indonesia will continue to grow and now many people are starting to be selective about E-Commerce because there is intense competition between E-Commerce. What differentiates a company from its competitors lies in the strength of the market itself and UNCTAD (United Nations Conference Trade & Development) has issued a theory of 5 pillars of digital economic strength, namely market share, search engines, social media, video sharing and payment systems. LAZADA Group is a Southeast Asian E-Commerce company founded by rocket internet in 2012, and owned by Alibaba Group. Lazada in Indonesia itself was founded in 2012 and operates until now. Lazada's goal is to be a trusted online shopping place and provide the best quality in terms of quality and service.

Website Design and Network Marketing in the Printing Service Industry

Websites become a necessity in helping users to first see the information and content of a product/service offered. Therefore, the development of a website to help small businesses/industries becomes a necessity to help customers get information related to the products/services offered. Marketing product websites has become a necessity today, given that technological advancements have led users to focus more on online purchases. Website design plays a crucial role in enhancing user experience and product marketability more effectively. The aim of this study is to find the optimal combination of design elements for website design according to different user perceptions, so that a reasonable optimization reference based on user perceptions can be provided. Through Kansei Engineering methods and neural network modeling, this study measures and predicts users' perceptions of various website design forms for product marketing. Overall, this study provides conceptual and methodological support for research on the emotional design of human-computer interaction interfaces, as well as supplements existing theories of website design for product marketing. The findings of this study can serve as feedback to website developers for product marketing and related design practitioners to help them improve website design.