Examining social media live stream’s influence on the consumer decision-making:a thematic analysis

Social media live streaming, in the form of live video and user stories, is widely used by influencers, organisations and individuals to connect with their audiences. Its popularity is well-established in a range of theoretical and managerial contexts. However, there is a lack of scholarship on the role of this phenomenon on consumer decision-making. Filling this gap in the research is essential due to the importance of consumer decision-making in marketing and brand strategy development in organisations. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore and outline the nature of the influence of live stream on the consumer decision-making. The study was part of a 12-month Netnography consisting of participant observation and social media monitoring of brand pages and branded hashtags on social media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. A thematic analysis revealed five main themes and a conceptual model is proposed which outlines the social media live stream’s influence on consumer decision-making at each stage

Exploring the role of religion in consumer decision-making processes:perspectives on developing nations

The literature is replete with postulations around consumer decision making process. Essentially, the core argument in this issue is that Irrespective of the market offering involved, the consumer pass through a number of stages which begins with need recognition. Conventionally, this is followed by search for information, evaluation of alternatives, decision, and post-purchase evaluation. A number of scholarship efforts have provided variants of this vis-à-vis various decision models that do not necessarily conform to the rational model depicted in the highlighted process. This chapter presents a critical overview of this discourse. Moreover, in view of its all-encompassing form, the chapter offers an eclectic submission on each of the stages in this conventional process in relation to how religion reflect in them to influence consumption in developing nations. A good number of cases and illustrations are presented to accentuate this as relevant to developing nations as the contextual platform for the chapter

Postmodernism, Ethnicity, and Celebrity Culture in Women’s Symbolic Consumption

While postmodernism and celebrity culture are closely linked, research attention on this has not been adequately synthesised with ethnic minority groups. Hence, this paper, which is rooted in an interpretive research paradigm, explores the symbolic consumption of Black African women in the UK with specific reference to celebrity culture. Although the study shows some purchase decisions based on products’ functionality, generally, it shows the robust interplay of personal, cultural, social and commercial factors in the symbolic consumption of these women. This is shown to be linked to the prevalent celebrity culture in the society. They consume to enhance their self-esteem and keep up with the societal trend in the host environment. Hence, the notion of acculturation features prominently in their consumption. The paper extends the discourse on the extant ethnic minority studies and augments the current knowledge about symbolic consumption especially with reference to Black African women

Re-branding Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore how Africa has been branded, and to suggest ways the continent could be re‐branded to attract both international and domestic investments.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive review of literature that encapsulates branding, nation branding, place/destination branding, foreign direct investment and issues associated with investment opportunities in Africa was conducted towards exploring how Africa has been branded and could be re‐branded.FindingsThis paper finds that the extant literature is replete with publications that essentially associate Africa, as a brand, to poverty, underdevelopment, corruption, doom, pestilence and several other inauspicious features. Nonetheless, the article also shows that there are several existing virtues especially in the form of business opportunities in several sectors that could be accorded extensive publicity to espouse the continents' brand equity. These range from agriculture, to tourism, to real estate, to sports and several existing foreign direct investments already thriving in several parts of the continent. Hence, the suggestion for re‐branding Africa as a viable continent for global business transactions is strongly emphasised in the article.Practical implicationsThis paper has a significant implication for positioning Africa as a relevant business partner in the global marketplace by echoing the extensive business opportunities that await both the indigenous and foreign investors in the continent.Originality/valueThe article espouses the brand equity of Africa as a continent and suggests avenues for constantly communicating the inherent virtues of the content to the world towards maintaining her rightful position in the international business community

Religion and consumer behaviour in developing nations: a look into the future

This is a conceptual chapter which sets out to critically review and integrate the themes covered throughout this book but also develop its own arguments about the urgency for marketers to advance their understanding and tools that help them identify religious needs in order to serve them profitably. In this process, the chapter reviews the link between ethics and business vis-à-vis the religious factor in the context of broader consumer behaviours, and critically determines the way forward. Specifically, the chapter undertakes the following: 1. Critically review the themes developed throughout the chapters of this book. 2. Explore some key religious perspectives to business and common dimensions derived through moral values. 3. Critically review the key factors influencing consumer behaviour derived from several models of consumer behaviour and link them to the religious perspective. 4. Finally, review the themes for the future of consumer behavioural research work. This chapter will take a broader perspective to address these objectives in that the developed arguments apply throughout ‘developing’ or ‘developed’ nations. Nevertheless, the specific focus of this book to make distinct contribution to the literature by highlighting the discourse vis-à-vis developing nations remains uncompromised, and is robustly addressed