Smartphones have become essential to modern people. More and more consumers are using smartphones. However, according to many reports and investigation, they indicate that user satisfaction and brand loyalty will differ from various brands and represent significant differences. This research adopted Bhattacherjee¡¦s (2001) ECT-IS model as the basic research framework to examine relationships among expectation confirmation, user satisfaction, perceived usefulness and brand loyalty of the smartphones. The model was further extended by measuring perceived usefulness with functional, experiential, and symbolic brand benefits proposed by Park, Jaworski & MacInnis (1986) to investigate how they influenced user satisfaction and brand loyalty. The results include the following: 1. Expectation confirmation had a significant impact on user satisfaction and perceived usefulness. 2. User satisfaction had a positive effect on brand loyalty. 3. Different effects on user satisfaction and brand loyalty were found among three smartphone brands, Apple, Samsung, and hTC.

Introduire la marque, dans le cadre des relations de la franchise peut se révéler efficace si les pratiques du franchiseur pour influencer les décisions des franchisés se révèlent inefficaces. Cette recherche explore et examine la qualité de la relation franchisé-marque comme un médiateur de la relation entre les bénéfices de la marque perçus par le franchisé et leurs comportements de citoyenneté de marque. Une phase qualitative a été conduite, suivie par une analyse quantitative où un modèle conceptuel a été testé par des équations structurelles (PLS-SEM). L’enquête par questionnaire a été réalisée en France et en Indonésie. L’analyse montre que les bénéfices de la marque influencent significativement la qualité de relation franchisé-marque. La qualité de la relation franchise-marque est ainsi le principal mécanisme de médiation dans la relation entre les bénéfices de la marque et les comportements de citoyenneté de marque des franchisés. Cette recherche étend le paradigme de la relation de franchise en associant le rôle du franchisé et de la marque dans le cadre relationnel au-delà de la dyade traditionnelle franchisés/franchiseur. Les résultats montrent que les franchisés deviennent des supporteurs actifs de la marque au travers des actions franchiseur/franchisés lorsqu'ils sont liés de manière émotionnelle aux marques. Nous sommes conscients que la petite taille de notre échantillon est insuffisante pour tester notre modèle conceptuel complexe. Les recherches futures peuvent bénéficier en examinant le rôle de la relation franchisé-marque comme atténuateur des transgressions de la marque du franchiseur sur les intentions de renouveler le contrat de franchisé. / Introducing the brand in the context of franchise relationships prove effective since franchisor's practices to influence the decisions of franchisees are no longer as effective. This research aims to explore and examine the quality of franchisee-brand relationship as a mediator of the relationship between franchisee-perceived brand benefits and franchisee brand citizenship behaviours. A qualitative phase was conducted, followed by a quantitative analysis where a conceptual model was tested by structural equations (PLS-SEM). The survey was carried out in France and in Indonesia. The analysis shows that franchisee-perceived brand benefits significantly influence the quality of franchisee-brand relationships. The latter also acts as the key mediating mechanism in the relationship between franchisee-perceived brand benefits and franchisee brand citizenship behaviours. This research extends the franchise relationship paradigm by combining the role of the franchisee and the brand within the relational framework beyond the traditional franchisee-franchisor dyad. The results suggest that franchisees become active supporters of the brand through franchisor-franchisee actions when they are emotionally bonded with the brands. We are aware of the sample size relative insufficiency to fit our complex conceptual model with the data. Future research can benefit by examining the role of franchisee-brand relationship in altering the effect of franchisor brand transgressions on franchisee stay intention.

Character brands have become a trend in business. Firms create character brands to draw consumer’s attention. For successful character brands, a strong attachment will be created to the consumers, so the brand-customer relationship will be loyal and powerful. The purpose of this research is to examine and discuss the marketing strategies and brand management of firms adopted to build their character brands, and theoretical and managerial implications will be addressed. This research adopts the method of case study research. Four character brands with various natures will be discussed separately, and a comparison will be made accordingly. The four character brands examined in this research are Saniro’s Hello Kitty, Fujio’s Doraemon, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Charles Schultz’s Snoopy. Hello Kitty and Doraemon are Japanese character brands; Mickey Mouse and Snoopy are American character brands. These four character brands are very popular among consumers. The focus of this research is to address the similarities and differences of character development and brand management of these four character brands. The findings of this research are: First, characters with different nature (type) will have different brand concept management strategies. For comic character brands, firms will be focus on the development of character personalities. For pure character brand, firms will concentrate on the design and appearance of such characters. Second, the brand-customer relationship between character brands and consumers is very unique. Consumers gain emotional and self-expressive benefit from character brands. As a result, it is essential to reinforce the brand/character image consistently, so the attachment will be stronger. Third, similar brand management strategies, such as licensing, brand extensions, sponsorships and reinforce character image, are adopted by firms; however, the focus on character brand building for each firm is somewhat different. These four character brands are successful examples on character brand management. In order to manage good character brands, character development is necessary, and it is also crucial to create a strong brand identity. Most importantly, the brand building/management strategies have to be consistent with the nature/types of the characters. Key Word: Character, Character brand, brand management, brand-customer relationship / Character brands have become a trend in business. Firms create character brands to draw consumer’s attention. For successful character brands, a strong attachment will be created to the consumers, so the brand-customer relationship will be loyal and powerful. The purpose of this research is to examine and discuss the marketing strategies and brand management of firms adopted to build their character brands, and theoretical and managerial implications will be addressed. This research adopts the method of case study research. Four character brands with various natures will be discussed separately, and a comparison will be made accordingly. The four character brands examined in this research are Saniro’s Hello Kitty, Fujio’s Doraemon, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Charles Schultz’s Snoopy. Hello Kitty and Doraemon are Japanese character brands; Mickey Mouse and Snoopy are American character brands. These four character brands are very popular among consumers. The focus of this research is to address the similarities and differences of character development and brand management of these four character brands. The findings of this research are: First, characters with different nature (type) will have different brand concept management strategies. For comic character brands, firms will be focus on the development of character personalities. For pure character brand, firms will concentrate on the design and appearance of such characters. Second, the brand-customer relationship between character brands and consumers is very unique. Consumers gain emotional and self-expressive benefit from character brands. As a result, it is essential to reinforce the brand/character image consistently, so the attachment will be stronger. Third, similar brand management strategies, such as licensing, brand extensions, sponsorships and reinforce character image, are adopted by firms; however, the focus on character brand building for each firm is somewhat different. These four character brands are successful examples on character brand management. In order to manage good character brands, character development is necessary, and it is also crucial to create a strong brand identity. Most importantly, the brand building/management strategies have to be consistent with the nature/types of the characters. Key Word: Character, Character brand, brand management, brand-customer relationship

The interest of researchers and practitioners in e-Word-of-Mouth has accelerated with the rise of social media platforms. In the last decade it became more apparent that customers are not merely recipients of product and brand information, but also active participants in shaping product and brand perceptions. However, still no comprehensive understanding of customers’ desire to engage in positive and negative e-Word-of-Mouth has been found. Therefore, this study focuses on Customer Engagement in order to provide knowledge on what makes customers engage in e-Word-of-Mouth. We narrow our study to New Product Introductions due to their crucial role in both business success and failure. In order to study this topic, quantitative methodology using big data analysis of around 20 millions tweets in total, with text analysis of around three million items, obtained from Twitter has been applied. The findings indicate that Brand Benefits and Innovativeness Level are two important aspects that impact Attitudinal Engagement which enables Customer Engagement Behavior.