Is the promise of nation branding sustainable?

This paper examines the aims of nation branding and reflects on the extent to which practices in the industry have been able to fulfil these aims. It is an inquiry into the reliability of the applications of branding nations. To fulfil this aim the paper investigates the phenomenon of rating nations through competitive indexes and the effect of this phenomenon on the unification of nation branding promise and practice. It reflects on a country case and changes resulted from branding programmes with reference to data published in nation/country brand and perception indexes. The paper concludes that the ideal promise of helping nations redistribute the world’s wealth more fairly by branding the nation is unreliable, and that branding the nation in order to achieve the nation’s interest in the long-run proves to be naïve in some cases. By questioning the unification of nation branding promise and practices, the paper aims to alerts practitioners to the importance of aligning national aims and identity with nation-branding programmes. It can also encourage marketing scholars to develop further research into the practices of nation branding in relation to national interests in the long-run and the consequences to national identity and nationalism

Sustainability on the Horizon? An investigation into Sustainable Banking Practices in an Emerging Economy

Purpose: This study investigates sustainability practices in the banking industry, focusing on a developing economy. It employs the triple-bottom-line framework to answer the following research question: How do banks in Nigeria conceptualise sustainability, and what role does it play in their banking practices? Design/approach/methodology: This study adopts a social constructivist approach in its exploration of banking sustainability practices in an emerging economy, and the research design is a purpose-based (exploratory) approach. The qualitative data was collected from 33 bank personnel from various bank units and departments through semi-structured interviews in order to achieve the research objective. Findings: The study reveals a lack of sustainability policies and programmes, as banks focus mainly on profitability. It uncovers unfair treatments of bank workers through casualisation, low wages, and work overload. It indicates that most banks in developing countries ignore environmental considerations, as they still carry out paper-based transactions and use dieselpowered generators, which cause various negative environmental impacts. It also confirms that governments and banks in the country are not doing enough to propagate sustainable practices and banks have also not taken advantage of the sustainability concept to promote their brands; instead, they consider it as requiring additional operational costs. Practical implications: The findings demonstrate the need for banks to see sustainability from a marketing point of view and adopt sustainable practices to create additional value that will improve their brand image and enhance their competitiveness. Originality/value: The importance of sustainability in the banking industry in emerging economies is considered a viable means of contributing to the overall development goals of the United Nations as the world tries to preserve the environment. It also highlights the consequences of inaction or unsustainable banking practices

Trust, Religiosity, and Relationship Marketing: A Conceptual Overview of Consumer Brand Loyalty

Purpose: Over the years, a considerable depth of research has established the link between trust, commitment and relationship marketing and its relevance to consumers’ brand preferences. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on how they are linked to religiosity. Accordingly, this is the palpable gap addressed in this paper. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is conceptual and draws from the eclectic review of the extant literature that revolves around the key themes associated with the topic. Findings: The article emphasises the significance of trust and religiosity in consumers’ commitment to specific market offerings and brands which invariably strengthens relationship marketing. A model entitled Brand, Faith Relationship model (BFR) is proposed to understand brand positioning in the marketplace in relation to faith. With this model, a four categories typology of brand position scenarios is suggested in this paper. (1) Passive Brand, Faith relationship, (2) Faith trust established in the absence of brands, (3) Brand Loyalty without any Faith associations, and (4) Brand Loyalty, with Positive Brand, Faith relationship. Research limitations/implications: Practical implications: This paper has significant implications for brand management in relation to segmentation, targeting, and the positioning of brands in the marketplace. It also raises marketers’ consciousness on the potency of trust embedded in consumers’ faith/religiosity in their brand preferences. Originality/value: This paper explores the concepts of trust and consumers’ brand choices within the relationship marketing literature vis-à-vis the role of religion which is rarely examined

Editorial: Trust and Islamic Capital

Trust, Islamophobia, Islamic finance and halal: each of them is a phenomenon that has had its fair share of research in business journals and in social science. However, very little weight has been given to the creation of trust across cultures through business stakeholders’ interactions of various sorts. And perhaps even less given to studying trust in the context of “Islamic” products of various sorts: here is where our special issue makes its intervention

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Who’s the hero? Muslim women in Arabic literature and trust

The multicultural, cosmopolitan, vibrant city of London has lately been celebrating Arab Muslims’ art and literature more than ever before. Shubbak festival and London Arabia art and Fashion Week are examples of the celebratory platforms exposing British Muslims and non-Muslims to Arab Muslim culture. Arabic literature is a significant player in these events. Storytelling is a legacy from Bilad El Sham and the Middle East. Every story has a hero. Arab Muslims’ stories are no difference. However, if you look closely these stories has many heroes. Whether the voice of the storyteller or the novelist is male or female, and despite that the majority are depressing stories of a struggle, the heroes are mainly women. They are Arab Muslim women some of them illiterate, while few are highly educated ‘ladies’. Based on personal observations in many cases these female characters may not be intended to be heroes but they stand tall in each page, they change the hero’s tale and make the story much more interesting. The paper examines examples of Arab Muslim women in novels available in English to British readers to explore how these women are articulated in the work of Arab novelists. The study concludes that these characters do not stimulate the reader’s sympathy as much as they create confidence, trust, and in some cases admiration of these heroes. All of which contribute to creating fertile soil to grow social trust in Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular