Understanding perceived marketing authenticity: Approach from consumer discourse - Case of Souss Massa’s terroir product

Authenticity is an important ingredient of postmodern consumption. This paper makes an exploratory study about the authenticity as much as a concept mobilizing a craze from the current consumer. Our research question is: what are the determinants of the authenticity of terroir product for consumer? We mobilize the postmodern paradigm to understand the contours of the authenticity. First, in theoretical background, we identify their etymology and the main authenticity’s determinants of an object in business context. Next, we present our study with consumers of local products in order to meet our research question. Finally, this paper highlights the core propositions for future researches

Uma realidade desconhecida que conhecemos muito bem: os desafios do marketing futuro à luz da web 3.0

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como requisito parcial para obtenção de grau de mestre em Publicidade e Marketing.Ao jeito da Ilíada de Homero ou do Goodfellas de Scorsese, a entrada em cena da internet na história do marketing aconteceu in medias res. Enquanto área de gestão e comunicação, o marketing possuía há muito os seus pilares, as suas técnicas e os seus vícios, mas o aparecimento e principalmente a massificação da internet alteraram completamente as bases da disciplina e do marketeer. A web 1.0 trouxe consigo novidades e tendências para o marketing, mas foi a transição para o 2.0 que despoletou uma autêntica revolução. Daí em diante, o cliente passou a ser o foco, os conceitos e estrangeirismos adensaram-se, o raio de ação do marketeer alargou-se e o online passou a mera formalidade no meio de tanto potencial tecnológico. Os social media servem como epítome desta realidade da web, desdobrando-se numa interação feita em esteróides, em comunidades, com conteúdos, partilha e muitas trends, como as selfies, os emojis ou os challenges. Em evolução constante, os traços de uma terceira era da internet são já sentidos em diversas esferas e são várias as características revolucionárias associadas ao conceito. A otimização da procura através da web semântica, a utilização de wearables, a realidade virtual e a ascensão de robôs são algumas das características que moldam esta web. As potencialidade em termos de monitorização, personalização e ubiquidade afiguram-se como incríveis para os marketeers e torna-se extremamente pertinente perceber quais as mudanças que as ferramentas da web 3.0 podem precipitar no marketing hodierno. Para o efeito, através de um método qualitativo, foram realizadas entrevistas exploratórias a marketeers, professores e outros partícipes associados às problemáticas da web e marketing, pretendendo-se aflorar o estado atual da internet, os desafios para os marketeers, a influência das ferramentas 3.0, a forma como as mudanças serão sentidas no online e o conflito entre os aspetos humanos e tecnológicos. A investigação confirmou a eminência da web 3.0 e uma desadequação gritante em termos de competências dos marketeers para encarar um futuro exigente. O estudo permitiu ainda compreender os entraves à atual massificação do 3.0, verificar muitas das alterações – positivas e negativas – a ocorrer nos social media e, no fundo, desenvolver uma discussão ampla e minuciosa acerca desta comunhão entre o marketing e as tecnologias da web 3.0.ABSTRACT: Reminiscent of Homer’s “Iliad” or Scorsese’s “Goodfellas”, the internet introduction in marketing history occurred in medias res. As a management and communication area, marketing had already its own bases, techniques and vices, but internet entrance and especially the massification of the web changed marketing operationalization and marketer functions forever. Web 1.0 brought new behaviors and tendencies to the discipline, but it was the transition to web 2.0 that caused a true revolution. From then on, the client’s role was always seen as absolutely central, the use of foreignisms increased, marketer focus widened and being online became a plain formality due all the technological potential we have around us. Social media is like an epitome of this web scenario, including word of mouth on steroids, communities and tribes, contents, sharing processes and a bunch of trends, like selfies, emojis or challenges. In continuous evolution, web 3.0 features are already felt in multiple dimensions of our world and there are plenty of revolutionary tools related to the concept. Search optimization using semantic web, wearables mass use, virtual reality and the ascension of robots are some of web 3.0 main features. The potential in terms of monitoring, customization and ubiquity is huge for marketers, while the spectrum of a brand new marketing seems likely to happen. Regarding this issue, understanding the possible changes caused by web 3.0 tools in hodiernal marketing is highly relevant and interesting. Thinking about this and using a qualitative methodology, we did exploratory interviews with marketers, professors and other professionals associated with web and marketing issues. Our intent was to discuss questions like the current web situation, future challenges for marketers, the influence of web 3.0 tools, the way that influence will affect several online dimensions and the collision between human and technological aspects. This dissertation confirmed that web 3.0 is already part of our present and the existence of a mismatch between marketer’s current competences and those they should have to face a new demanding reality. This study also allowed us to understand the barriers that prevent web 3.0 massification, the myriad of changes – positive and negative – occurring soon in social media and, in general, to develop a wide and meticulous discussion about this communion between marketing and web 3.0 tools.N/

Role of knowledge management in supporting innovation and learning in construction

The research investigates the role of Knowledge Management (KM) in supporting innovation and learning in the construction industry. The Construction industry is complex in nature and notoriously fragmented suffering high losses in productivity. Being a substantial part of the national economy, the construction industry greatly influences the country's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Innovation has lately been regarded as the key to improve its productivity and to change traditional and fundamental thinking that has plagued the industry for a long time leading to new and more rational philosophies. The research demonstrates that KM may act as an enabler of such innovation by facilitating organisational learning. The research is carried out in two phases. In Phase 1, the research employs grounded theory methodology to develop and map out the current state of knowledge related activities being undertaken in two leading Australian construction organisations. This results in the development of a model, the main depiction of which is a segregation between three crucial components (people, process & technology) of an organisation required to successfully carry out the construction work. It also helps identify the gap between the organisation's internal and external knowledge sources that restricts the pull of knowledge from external knowledge sources. The culture of the organisation is considered to provide this resistance. An improvement in this state through KM is the main objective of the research which is realised in Phase 2. Soft System Methodology (SSM) is utilised as a KM tool to achieve this objective in this phase. As one of the systems approaches, it has the capacity to make sense of intricate systems like const ruction where a complex interaction between people, process and technology occurs all the time. A mission critical business process of pre-tendering of a leading Australian construction contractor organisation is selected to carry out the SSM investigation that resulted in four SSM case studies. This investigation helps explain how KM initiatives through SSM improve the integration of people, process and technology; increasing the capacity of the organisation to pull external knowledge and improve its own internal knowledge bank. All these improvements help an organisation to transform itself into a learning organisation that could continually innovate

GREEN PRACTICES AND CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE OF CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING ORGANISATIONS IN MALAYSIA: THE MODERATING ROLE OF ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS, ORGANISATION SIZE, AND ORGANISATION AGE

Sustainability is a crucial issue for many sectors in Malaysia, including the manufacturing sector. Many businesses, especially the chemical manufacturing industry, aim to achieve a sustainable business through the implementation of green practices. Green practices provide guidelines for the employees to simultaneously sustain the organisation in a sustainable manner and carry out the required manufacturing activities. Focusing on that, this study aimed to examine the effects of green practices on corporate sustainability performance through Islamic work ethics, organisation size, and organisation age as moderators. Using the stratified random sampling technique, 344 chemical manufacturing organisations in Malaysia were invited to participate in a survey. Data from 130 completed questionnaire sets were subjected to partial least square (PLS) analysis. The results demonstrated significant effects of green practices on corporate sustainability performance via Islamic work ethics and organisation size. However, organisation age was found to exhibit no moderation effect on the relationship between green practices and corporate sustainability performance. Conclusively, as part of the organisational strategies, the sustainability of chemical manufacturing organisations must involve successful implementation of green practices, Islamic work ethics, and organisation size. This study offered several theoretical and practical contributions on green practices, Islamic work ethics, organisation size, and organisation age, and corporate sustainability performance. Theoretically, this study extended literature on the resource-based view theory, natural-resource-based view theory, and stakeholder theory. Al-Quran and hadith were used to support this study to link the relationships of the variables under study, particularly in the context of chemical manufacturing organisations in Malaysia. Practically, this study was expected to assist chemical manufacturers in selecting the appropriate green practices to achieve corporate sustainability performance and good implementation of Islamic work ethics. Additionally, it is recommended for future research to explore other types of industries in the manufacturing sector given the focus of this study on the chemical manufacturing industry only