“What...[thought] cannot bear to know”: Crippin’ the Limits of “Thinkability”

In this essay, I show how disability studies scholarship can challenge normative ways of thinking in higher educational contexts. I call this “crippin’ the limits of thinkability.” To make this argument, I draw on one pedagogical context, the course Multicultural Education for Leadership Personnel, offered to nurse educators enrolled in a doctoral degree in Instructional Leadership offered jointly through the College of Education and the College of Nursing in the university where I teach. In this course, through disability studies scholarship, students came to interrogate their own socialization into authority-based practices intimately tied to the positivist claims of evidence-based research. Thus, in this paper, I use queer theory and crip theory to describe three methods: the study of limits, the study of ignorance, and the study of reading practice (Britzman, 1998) to illustrate how disability studies scholarship enabled students to critically reflect on the knowledge of bodies and the bodies of knowledge manifested in nursing pedagogy and curriculum

Brand Wonder

Affect is a core construct in the understanding of how consumers respond to marketing stimuli, such as brands, products, and communications, and is critical in the achievement of marketing outcomes (Erevelles 1998). Despite an extensive body of literature on affect in marketing that exists today, there appears to be an incomprehensible gap in the literature on the study of one type of emotion. This emotion has been described as “humanity’s most important emotion,” and the “one emotion (that) inspired our greatest achievements in science, art, and religion” (c.f., Prinz 2013, p1). That emotion is wonder. Adam Smith, often known as the father of capitalism, describes wonder as arising “when something quite new and singular is presented … (and) memory cannot, from all its stores, cast up any image that nearly resembles this strange appearance,” resulting in “suspension of the breath” and “swelling of the heart.” (c.f., Prinz 2013, p1). The motivation of this paper lies in the need to fill the aforementioned gap, by better understanding wonder, and how it could transform branding in the future. The value proposition for wonder in branding appears to be clear: greater sensory engagement, associated with awe, astonishment, reverence and surrealism. Our research goals are therefore to provide a theoretical framework that includes an understanding of the construct of wonder, foundational premises associated with this new paradigm, and to demonstrate how wonder can be exploited in branding. The core of this research lies in the development of (i) a theoretical framework for research on wonder in branding and (ii) key foundational premises (FPs) for the evolving wonder paradigm in branding. Using an indigenous theory development, inductive realist approach, seven foundational premises related to brand wonder and (i) awe, (ii) astonishment, (iii) lack of comprehension, (iv) transcendence, (v) bewilderment, (vi) surrealism, and (vii) reverence are developed. This research makes multiple unique research contributions to the literature. First, we introduce a theoretical framework for the construct of wonder in branding. Second, we develop a set of foundational premises that may serve as theoretical underpinnings to help researchers better identify research problems and develop solutions in the future. Third, we examine experiences with brand wonder to demonstrate the power and usefulness of brand wonder in areas such as brand inhibition (Erevelles and Horton 1998), co-branding (Erevelles et al. 2008), personal selling (Erevelles and Fukawa 2013), etc. This research is likely the first to introduce a theoretical framework for brand wonder. Without a doubt, considerable future research is needed to gain a better understanding of the topic. It may be reasonable to conclude, however, that our research serves as an important first step in the study of this important construct

Blockchain and the Transformation of Branding

Blockchain and the Transformation of Branding Sunil Erevelles University of North Carolina at Charlotte Brian Whelan University of North Carolina at Charlotte Padma Bulusu University of North Carolina at Charlotte ABSTRACT Consumer trust in brands has reached critically low levels. While Big Data has allowed marketers to gain a rich and precise understanding of their consumers (Erevelles, Fukawa and Swayne 2016), the careless and sometimes improper use of Big Data in behavioral futures markets has resulted in a decline of trust in brands of organizations that have violated consumer trust. Driven by a trust crisis in consumer relationships with institutions that have failed to responsibly use and adequately safeguard their brands and brand-related consumer data, blockchain technology is emerging as a key solution for the restoration of trust as well as authenticity, security and transparency in brand management. Despite the potential impact of blockchain in marketing thought and practice, relatively little research on blockchain currently exists in the marketing or branding literature. To fill this gap, the authors present a theoretical framework for blockchain and branding grounded in game theory, new institutional economics, and cryptographic science. They then examine the evolving blockchain-centric logic and the resultant paradigm shift for academics and practitioners involved in brand management. Key foundational premises and directions for future research are suggested. More specifically, blockchain represents a fundamental paradigm shift from the one associated with Big Data. While the World Wide Web was designed for the sharing of information, blockchain is designed for the sharing of value, such as brand assets. Trust is an essential foundational element in the relationship, and the resulting affective bonds (Erevelles 1998), between a brand and its consumers. Blockchain can help brand managers create, protect and rebuild trust. It replaces subjective, centralized trust in brands with objective, distributed trust in technology that ensures brand integrity. Further, blockchain ensures brand authenticity by allowing for consensus-driven validation of brand assets, thus enhancing brand strength, while minimizing counterfeiting. Blockchain also cryptographically protects consumer data, thus enhancing security and privacy for a brand’s customers. Blockchain enhances disintermediation, thus minimizing distortion of a brand’s value proposition and subjective messaging by intermediaries. The authors first develop a series of foundational premises that form the basis for a theoretical framework and then provide blockchain-based managerial implications that can be used in branding strategies, such as co-branding (Erevelles et al 2008), brand extensions, etc. Finally, the authors explore the limitations and future potential of blockchain in branding. REFERENCES Erevelles, Sunil (1998), The Role of Affect in Marketing, Journal of Business Research, 42 (3), 199-216. Erevelles, Sunil, Nobuyuki Fukawa, and Linda Swayne (2016), “Big Data Consumer Analytics and the Transformation of Marketing,” Journal of Business Research, 69 (2), 897–904. Erevelles, Sunil, Thomas H. Stevenson, Shuba Srinivasan and Nobuyuki Fukawa (2008), “An Analysis of B2B Ingredient Co-Branding Relationships,” Industrial Marketing Management, 37, 940-952. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Sunil Erevelles received his PhD in Marketing from The Ohio State University. He is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and served as the Chair of the Department of Marketing from 2010-2018. His research interests include Big Data, blockchain, innovation and branding. Brian Whelan is a lecturer and doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to that, he held senior marketing positions at some of the world’s largest financial services companies, including Morgan Stanley, Blackrock and Barings. His research interests include blockchain, branding and consumer behavior. Padma Bulusu is a Vice President at Wells Fargo’s Enterprise Data Technology Division. She is currently pursuing an MBA, with a quantitative methods concentration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from SUNY, Albany. Her research interests include blockchain, computational innovation and branding. Key words: blockchain, branding, trust, Big Data, game theory, institutional economic

The Patient-Centric Blockchain

A revolution is brewing in the healthcare marketplace. In the early nineties, the World Wide Web initiated a new era for the use of the Internet in the consumption of healthcare services. This eventually led to the Big Data movement (Erevelles et al. 2016), which initiated a non-linear transformation in healthcare analytics and developed into a dominant paradigm in the healthcare marketplace. However, the World Wide Web architecture was never designed to support a marketplace in healthcare or, for that matter, a marketplace of any other kind. It was primarily designed for the sharing of information and was even referred to as the “information superhighway” in its early days. Despite this, over the years, the World Wide Web has evolved into a foundation (Erevelles et al. 2003) for the healthcare marketplace, widely utilized by the healthcare community. This has resulted in major breakdowns in patient trust, security, and privacy, among other problems, which additionally, have contributed to already sharply rising healthcare costs. For the first time, with the emergence of the blockchain, the healthcare community may finally have a platform specifically designed for the sharing of value (Erevelles et al. 2022). Healthcare is critical for almost everyone and faces potentially catastrophic crises. Blockchain’s value proposition is strong and distinct: greater trust, security, privacy, authenticity, and disintermediation in the healthcare marketplace. Yet, despite its potential impact, relatively little academic thought has been given to consumer-focused solutions in the healthcare marketplace. To fill this gap, the authors propose a game-theoretic framework for a patient-centric blockchain, and present an initial theoretical framework, with key foundational premises and propositions, that may help in the evolution of a blockchain-centric healthcare marketplace. This research makes multiple unique research contributions to the literature involving blockchain and healthcare consumption. First, we propose a framework for a patient-centric healthcare blockchain and present a theoretical foundation for healthcare consumption using blockchain technology. Second, we develop a set of propositions based on blockchain-centric logic that could provide theoretical guidelines that could help researchers identify potential research problems and develop solutions for these problems in the future. Third, we propose a hybrid blockchain-based healthcare framework as an initial practical step for the implementation of healthcare blockchains in the shorter term. This research is likely the first to develop a theoretical framework for blockchain-centric logic in a healthcare setting, as well as to identify related technological, behavioral, and managerial issues in the processes involved. Without a doubt, considerable further research is needed to better explore various important theoretical and behavioral questions that may arise. It would be reasonable to conclude, however, that this research provides a crucial first step for the further development of a critical technology that is expected to radically transform healthcare marketplaces and patient behavior in the future

Big data marketing during the period 2012–2019: a bibliometric review

The present study identifies the most significant trends in production of high impact scientific papers related to the Big Data Marketing variable during the period between the years 2012 and 2019 through a revision of the Scopus database, which manages to highlight the relevance of 113 indexed papers. For this purpose, the following descriptive bibliometric indicators are implemented: production volume, type of document, number of citations, and country of application. In the studied time period, the evidence suggests an annual growth in the production volume of papers related to the variable, but with a significant drop in 2017. The knowledge areas that showcases more researches about the Big Data Marketing variable are computer science, mathematics, decision-making, and engineering domain

Managing business model exploration in incumbent firms:A case study of innovation labs in European banks

Digital transformation provides opportunities for business model innovation (BMI). Yet, incumbents may face organizational barriers when exploring radically new business models. The management of these barriers therefore becomes of strategic importance to incumbent BMI. In order to identify key barriers and their management, we investigate challenges encountered by innovation labs in the retail banking industry. Based on the case of four major European banks, we find that innovation labs are constrained not only by existing resources and capabilities, but also by the need to satisfy both top management and managers in the core business units. They seek to do this by using integration mechanisms and by balancing incremental and radical innovation. With this study, we expand our understanding of barriers to radical BMI for incumbents, which has general implications for how managers can develop innovation processes to help their organization to engage effectively in BMI

Consumer perceptions of co-branding alliances: Organizational dissimilarity signals and brand fit

This study explores how consumers evaluate co-branding alliances between dissimilar partner firms. Customers are well aware that different firms are behind a co-branded product and observe the partner firms’ characteristics. Drawing on signaling theory, we assert that consumers use organizational characteristics as signals in their assessment of brand fit and for their purchasing decisions. Some organizational signals are beyond the control of the co-branding partners or at least they cannot alter them on short notice. We use a quasi-experimental design and test how co-branding partner dissimilarity affects brand fit perception. The results show that co-branding partner dissimilarity in terms of firm size, industry scope, and country-of-origin image negatively affects brand fit perception. Firm age dissimilarity does not exert significant influence. Because brand fit generally fosters a benevolent consumer attitude towards a co-branding alliance, the findings suggest that high partner dissimilarity may reduce overall co-branding alliance performance

KOSI- Key Object Detection for Sentiment Insights

This paper explores an original approach of using computer vision, data mining and an expert system to facilitate marketers and other interested parties to take automated data-driven decisions with the use of actionable insights. The system uses a state-of-the-art algorithm to retrieves all the images of a desired Instagram user profile. Then, the data is passed through a combination of different convolutional neural networks for object detection and a rule-based translation system to determine the interests of this profile user. Further, using a separately trained convolutional neural network with an original dataset developed as part of this study, personality insights are derived. The results from the conducted experiments yield a satisfactory prediction of interests and not very promising results for the personality prediction

Project Re•center dot Vision: disability at the edges of representation

The representational history of disabled people can largely be characterized as one of being put on display or hidden away. Self-representations have been a powerful part of the disability rights and culture movement, but recently scholars have analysed the ways in which these run the risk of creating a ‘single story’ that centres the experiences of white, western, physically disabled men. Here we introduce and theorize with Project Re•Vision, our arts-based research project that resists this singularity by creating and centring, without normalizing, representations that have previously been relegated to the margins. We draw from body becoming and new materialist theory to explore the dynamic ways in which positionality illuminates bodies of difference and open into a discussion about what is at stake when these stories are let loose into the world