Consumption choices are significant in determining sustainability outcomes. Therefore, an area of particular interest for both scholars and practitioners is that of consumer behaviour and the challenge of encouraging sustainable consumption habits. Sustainable consumer behaviour is important, yet slow to change, with many individuals stating that they care about being sustainable, yet not demonstrating this in their actual behaviour choices. This research proposes two related new theoretical routes to sustainable product choice, namely through self-accountability and through recalled emotions. First, a systematic review of the extant literature was deemed necessary. A conceptual framework was developed that identified the antecedents to and moderators of sustainable behaviour change, informing a number of testable propositions and future research directions. Moreover, this synthesis uncovered the gaps in current knowledge that informed the research question and design of the empirical research that follows. Adapting aspects of self-standards and self-discrepancy theory, the second stage of this research explored the construct of self-accountability for influencing anticipated pride and guilt about sustainable purchase behaviours, and thereby influencing the behaviour itself. Two field surveys tested a number of structural models to measure the effect of self-accountability on purchase intentions, mediated by feelings of anticipated pride and guilt. The results found that consumers with higher levels of self-accountability are more likely to be influenced by anticipated feelings of pride towards the outcome of sustainable purchase behaviour. The third part of this research tested a manipulation of recalled pride and guilt across two experimental studies, to explore their effect on feelings of anticipated pride and guilt and hence on sustainable purchase intentions. The studies showed that the manipulation of recalled pride was more significant than that of recalled guilt, as compared with a neutral recall, in influencing purchase intentions. There was a significant mediation effect of both anticipated pride and guilt, with anticipated pride again showing higher significance. Overall, this research highlights the significant role of pride and guilt for encouraging sustainable purchase choices. Specifically, it highlights the superior role of pride and offers two complementary mechanisms for engendering feelings of anticipated pride and guilt. A manipulation is proposed whereby appraisal of pride and guilt can be a suitable mechanism to trigger sustainable purchase intentions, contributing to both theory and practice.

Business-to-business (B2B) media, which used to be known as the trade press, has occupied one of the blind spots of media research. Digitisation has helped transforming B2B media from their old profile of trade magazines into a dynamic media sector producing multiple publishing and off-line products with different business models. Previous work on the digitisation of media focused on the mass media and neglected the B2B sector. This study addresses this gap by examining the impacts of social media as part of the forces of digitisation on the B2B media industry in the UK and how the industry has adjusted business strategies in response to the impacts. Literature study describes the uniqueness of B2B media in comparison with the mass media and develops an analytical framework which defines the B2B media via their core value proposition of helping audiences make money. To analyse the different ways B2B media attempt to provide this value proposition, the thesis develops a typology of B2B products using two variables: utility and timeliness. It also identifies and explained the third variable: confidentiality. Social media are found to provide audiences and users with the same utilities as B2B media do: information and connectivity. The analytical framework therefore speculates that social media may impact on different B2B products and companies either as a competition or supplement. The study then collects empirical data to understand how the real impacts of social media and digitisation are on the variables and product strategies of B2B media. Quantitative survey and qualitative interview data from B2B media practitioners reveal the strengths and weaknesses of social media to suggest that social media partially and weakly influence the different types of B2B media products on the timeliness and confidentiality variables but have no effect on the basic utility variable. The research participants consider social media not to be in competition and respond to the impacts of social media positively by using them as connectivity tools. The B2B media practitioners also control and adjust the timeliness and confidentiality variables of their product as part of their product strategy changes, which do not seem to be a direct response to social media, but to the peer competition and the disruptions from greater digitisation forces in the market. The conclusions of the study contradict the expectations of social media as a disruptive force to the B2B media. Instead, the data suggest a realistic allocation of internal resources by the industry to respond to the impacts of social media. As a pioneering study of its kind in the literature of media and media business research, this thesis defines the specific aspects of B2B media products and of the sector in the media landscape. The study contributes a comprehensive analytical framework with which it calls for future research of B2B media using audience, corporate structure, global markets, technology, and other perspectives.

This study on the assessment of ordinary consumer representation in the liberalised mobile telecommunications market in Nigeria is situated within the broader perspective of the public interest and in the context of policy and institutional failure (what happens after policies are adopted?). It focuses on aspects of compliance monitoring and enforcement; areas that do not receive adequate attention in policy literature. The study is conducted using the New Institutional Economics framework and its analytical tools: transaction costs, property rights and agency. It adapts and extends the Saleth and Dinar (1999) institution decomposition model to deconstruct the mobile institution into four main components: policy, law, administration and enforcement for analytical purposes. Using document analysis and semi-structured interviews as main methods, this study provides insights into how the regulatory framework relegates the protection of ordinary consumer interest and how this has implications for the delivery of the stated policy objectives. The main findings reveal that: 1) due to inconsistency in the procedural definition of consumer interest and weak institutional structures, such as enforcement mechanisms, the regulator and mobile service providers do not hold ordinary consumers’ interest at levels consistent with policy and law; 2) there is need for legal provisions for independent statutory consumer bodies to ensure ordinary mobile consumers’ influential participation in the regulatory-decision-process and facilitate their capacity to harness the legal provisions in their interest; 3) there is need to make the arbitration process focused on the ordinary consumer, as currently it involves substantial resources-funding, time and expertise- beyond the capacity of ordinary consumer. Telecommunications policy and the institutional framework in place have so far benefitted mobile companies in Nigeria rather than ordinary consumers. The existing policy failure, as discussed in this case study, can provide inspiration for rethinking the place of the ordinary consumer. The study’s focus on mobile is important given the growing significance of this sector throughout Africa and globally too.

This thesis explores the marketing transformation processes taking place in a diverse selection of SMEs as a result of their use of social media. Building on literature from SME marketing, social media and dynamic capabilities, the Market Intelligence Accumulation Through Social media (MIATSM) model is developed and presented, which conceptualises the processes and factors, affecting the organisational ability to transfer market intelligence gained from social media into internal, organisational-level learning and marketing evolution. The study employs phenomenological case study methodology to develop five explorative case studies of diverse SMEs operating in South East England. The data was collected via semi-structured interviews with key actors, social media data and informal discussions, and thematically analysed using MIATSM model. The MIATSM model application demonstrated that at the operating capability level, through the use of social media on a daily basis, and applying proactive logic, two of the studied companies built absorptive capacity and this learning was captured on a strategic level and led to strategic changes in their marketing practices. Organisational VRIN (valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable) resources, such as loyalty, engagement, and relationships, were also positively impacted. The other three case companies exhibit disjointed, outbound practices, unclear strategic direction, rigid structure, narrow mind sets, and broken internal communication flows, which constrained the accumulation and application of market intelligence for marketing evolution. The findings of this research highlight that the organisational factors – culture, structure and systems, actors, and resources – have crucial importance for developing an ability to adapt to new information that arises externally, and reaping the benefits of organisational social media use. The findings demonstrate the research and practical application of the MIATSM model in shedding light on the highly context-dependent and under-researched processes of absorptive capacity development on operating and dynamic capability level through the use of social media, and the follow-on marketing evolution. This thesis makes original contributions in that it extends the understanding of the role of social media for SME marketing practices development, and provides a model to guide understanding development in the area. Additionally, these findings bring contribution and new insights to the SME Marketing, Social Media and Dynamic Capability literature. Future research should build on this study by applying the MIATSM model to other industry and organisational contexts.

In today's manufacturing environment, due to the complexity of products, and the progress of technology, organisations are forced to be more responsive to the pressure of the dynamic market by developing, producing and delivering products quickly and before competitors (Bendoly et al., 2012; Gattiker, 2007). As a result, the integration between marketing and operations as core functions of a manufacturing organisation (Slack et al., 2013) has increasingly received attention from many academics and practitioners (e.g., Hausman et al., 2002; O’Leary-Kelly & Flores, 2002; Prabhaker, 2001; Swink & Song, 2007; Tang, 2010). This is because of the importance of the marketing and operations interface to achieve more rapid responsiveness to market demand through the fit between market requirements and operations capabilities (Slack et al., 2009). Despite the importance of this work, empirical research on how to achieve and develop this integration is still limited in comparison with conceptual work (Felekoglu et al., 2013; Paiva, 2010; Sharma, 2013; Song et al., 2010). Therefore, this study is an attempt to narrow this gap by investigating why and how to manage the marketing and operations functional relationship effectively in order to become more market oriented. The framework of this research consists of four phases namely; the needs (reasons for integration), the methods (cross-functional teams), the development (potential problems), and the achievement (delivery priority). This framework represents a strategic imperative for developing the delivery performance of an organisation based on the fit between strategy (time-based strategy), organisational structure (cross-functional integration), and environment (the competitive position) (Lenz, 1980; Miller, 1988). Empirically, due to the need to develop the performance of Iraqi public industry sector, two Iraqi public textile organisations were chosen as case studies to conduct this project by using semi-structured interviews and direct observation to gather data. According to the findings of this research, it can be argued that this study would be an approach to implement market orientation in the Iraqi context albeit one which is difficult to execute.

This thesis is an examination of the meanings, viewpoints and opinions of foreign fashion brands held by Greek women living in Athens. Years of personal interaction with this social group sparked an interest for the research study; as the researcher being a Greek female. Through interaction, the research observed fashion brands, particularly foreign luxury ones, were used beyond utilitarian purposes, as a form of projection. The study aims to contribute to academic and practitioner knowledge on the effectiveness of print images of fashion brand advertising and communication. Using a symbolic interactionist framework the study offers greater understanding of the ways in which the female Greek consumer 'reads' the fashion brand through print images placed in fashion magazine advertisements. Insights are offered into the meanings attached to foreign fashion brands and how these are formed through the print advertisement images contained in magazines. A two-phase data collection process was conducted including, semi-structured and open-ended interviews with a small sample of Greek women (n=XX, in total). A thematic analysis of data was conducted. The findings support the existence of a 'shared reality' through the identification of eight key emergent themes. These themes were found to be relevant to three principles of social interactionism: self; meaning; and interaction. They are identified as 'pillars' under which the eight emergent key themes 'sit'.The implications for academic knowledge and practice are highlighted based on a more informed understanding of the communication process between consumer and fashion brands through print images and the interpretation of the images placed in fashion magazines. Greater knowledge is gained with regard to Greek women and how they attach labels and categorise fashion brands. Overall, the study contributes to an understanding of the overall mentality of Greek women towards fashion brands and associated meanings. It is argued that fashion brand advertisers need to communicate in a more relevant and meaningful way to target intended audiences by taking into account wider social values and norms that exist within specific target markets. Effectiveness in international fashion brand advertising is argued to require appreciation of how fashion brands are employed as 'social tools' for projecting self-identity in response to socially defined markers of status and 'success'.

The lucrative world of comparative advertising has been attractive to marketers, who seek economic types of persuasive communication. Nevertheless, research in the actual effectiveness of comparative advertising has been inconclusive, contradicting, and insufficient. The increasing importance of comparative advertising in the current competitive global environment requires immediate findings about how comparative advertising can work effectively. This study is the first study to develop an integrated conceptual model of the factors, which influence comparative advertising effectiveness. Particularly, the conceptual model comprehensively indicates that two advertising features (namely, intensity of comparative claims, and source attractiveness) and five characteristics of the ad recipients (namely, NFC, product involvement, gender, familiarity with comparative advertising, and culture) determine the effectiveness of a comparative ad. The study adopts a critical-realist approach and a multi-method design to explore the research topic. The research questions are addressed using qualitative and quantitative data in a cross-cultural approach. Two phases of exploratory interviews conducted in Greece and a series of pilot tests conducted in the UK and Greece inform an extensive experimental study of 820 participants to explore the research questions and test all research hypotheses. The research findings empirically validate the conceptual model of the study in both countries. It is largely confirmed that the above mentioned factors influence claim believability and perceptions of manipulation intent in comparative advertising. Further persuasion effects are also examined. The results of the study contribute to knowledge about comparative advertising effectiveness and provide information and guidance to practitioners on how to develop and implement effective comparative ads. Overall, comparative advertising is a powerful marketing tool, which has to be applied with caution as there are factors which can have a negative impact on comparative advertising effectiveness. The novel findings of this study endow future research with a new avenue to proceed.

Auction mechanisms are viewed as an efficient approach for resource allocation and different types of auctions have been designed to allocate spectrum, determine positions for advertisements on web pages, and sell products on the Internet, among others. Online auctions can be implemented as an intermediary for both sellers and buyers in agent-mediated e-commerce systems. This raises two concerns. Firstly, the automation of online auction trading requires buyer agents to understand the auction protocol and have the ability to communicate with the seller agents (i.e., the auctioneer). Secondly, buyer agents need to automatically check desirable properties that are central to their decision making. To address both concerns, we have proposed a certification framework to enable software agents automatically verify some desirable properties of a specific auction through a formally designed communication protocol, and then make decisions according to the result of the communication. Furthermore, we have extended the communication mechanism to the area of Semantic Web Service composition and have explored the verification of combinatorial auction mechanisms. To demonstrate our approach, we have modelled online auctions as web services and have applied the technique of Semantic Web Service to represent auction protocols. Then we rely on computer-aided verification techniques to construct and check formal proofs of desirable properties for specific auctions. Finally, dialogue games are proposed to enable decision making and service compositions for software agents.

Understanding the dynamics of focal customer/brand relationships has gained the interest of both scholars and marketers in the last three decades. Particularly, identifying the means of building enduring relationships with customers has been a popular research stream. In recent years, the concept of engagement has been proposed to comprehensively reflect the nature of the customer/brand relationship. Customer engagement has been viewed as a valuable factor for gauging brand performance as well as a strategic imperative for establishing competitive advantage. Since 2010, an influential exploratory research stream has emerged to address the concept of engagement. However, despite the growing scholarly interest, the lack of empirical research regarding customer engagement has resulted in a limited understanding of the concept and its measurement. Following a systematic review of customer engagement studies, one limitation was apparent: the lack of a reliable and valid customer engagement scale. As such, the current research responds to the call made in two pioneering theoretical studies to develop a construct scale. Specifically, a two-stage research design, including three phases, was adopted to develop a reliable and valid construct scale. The first phase includes item generation from the existing literature and expert item judging. Two studies with two independent samples were conducted in the second and the third phases. The current research employed a numerous Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to purify the generated items obtained from the first phase. The analyses were performed to examine the internal consistency, and discriminant and convergent validity of the scale. The findings provided evidence for a second-order customer engagement construct comprising five first-order constructs as follows: socialising, learning, sharing, advocating and co-developing. The current research has also developed a model of customer engagement in the online brand community in order to test the nomological validity of the newly developed scale. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the proposed model includes community identification, brand identification, information quality and group norm as antecedents and brand loyalty and customer satisfaction as consequences. The current research contributes further insights into the nature of the engagement concept in four ways: first, it develops a valid and reliable scale that exhibits the multi-dimensional conceptualisation of the construct. Second, it applies the new measure to examine the relationships between customer engagement with potential antecedents and consequences. Third, managers can use the newly developed scale to measure the customer engagement level to have a better understanding of customer behaviour in the online brand community. Finally, the developed model of engagement can help managers to understand the factors that influence customer engagement in the online brand community and the important role of customer engagement in brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Making sense of technology products is a challenge faced by B2B actors, and one that is particularly acute for high technology products. Sitting in the isthmus between organisations are sellers and buyers who predominantly communicate through talking to position themselves as legitimate sources of knowledge to facilitate selling and buying, while often experiencing identity-based tensions. Research gaps from extant studies show limited investigations examining how sellers and buyers discursively negotiate high technology sales related to their identities to more easily make sense of these often-misunderstood products. This study therefore considers these aspects through the exemplar of nanotechnology, which is regarded as an ambiguous, opaque and complex collection of products, capable of triggering a need for sensemaking, based on the use of marketing-based spoken communication. Throughout this study, respondents who undertake nanotechnology selling and buying within UK companies (SMEs and MNEs) are engaged with via in depth semi-structured interviews. Using an interpretivist case study approach, discourse analysis is used to unpick social structures relating to selling and buying, as the respondents ‘see’ and discursively construct them. Three main themes are drawn out of this study. The first is the importance of a centralised scientist role identity to guard against the stigma of carrying out marketing activities, where respondents can be quasi-legitimised scientists engaged with selling and buying, while discursively negotiating how to construct these activities. Many sub-themes of power, othering and internal contradictions are explored for this and other main themes. The second theme highlights the potential for using spoken interpersonal marketing communications as a vehicle to induce homophilous discourse, resulting in shared meaning, where sense can be made more easily for complex product functionalities and identities legitimised/delegitimised. The third theme indicates how product simplification and linguistic tools, drawing on cultural references such as science fiction metaphors and militarism can aid in sense given and made between sellers and buyers. Drawing these themes together suggests how the scientist role identity is centrally enacted alongside minor identities of the marketer, seller or buyer to aid in sense giving and sensemaking for high technology products through spoken discursive cultural resources.