The Impact of Ethno Marketing Activities on Consumer Buying Behavior in the Balkans: The Case of Kosovo

Ethno marketing defines as marketing segmentation approach that groups consumers on the basis of ethnicity. Ethno marketing starts with recognizing the elements of culture as crucial and essential for driving contemporary marketing strategies. Ethno marketing is slowly gaining traction in marketing in multicultural environments, particularly in countries or regions inhabited by consumers from different ethnic backgrounds. This study aims to find whether such marketing activities based on cultural elements practice has any effect on consumers’ buying behavior in the Balkans.  It focuses on consumers in Kosova with the understanding that this is a preliminary exploratory study whose results will form basis for a large study on the Balkan region.The study used a structured questionnaire with the Likert Scale. One hundred, forty-eight responses were received and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software.The results of the analysis show that Albanian consumers in Kosova agree that ethno marketing is important and company marketing activities such as a company’s advertisement and promotion in the language of the ethnic is considered very important during consumers purchase decisions. Furthermore, results reveal that symbols, cultural elements as well as the information dissemination inside the stores and outside seem to be very important for consumers.On the basis of this study, a larger study that covers the different countries in the Balkan region to determine how consumers in the different countries in the region relate to ethno marketing is strongly recommended. 

Blended Learning and Student Satisfaction: The Moderating Effect of Student Performance

Background: Blended learning is a new approach to teaching and learning created by combining traditional classroom learning with an online learning platform. In recent years, blended learning has become an increasingly popular form of e-learning. It is particularly suitable for transitioning from completely traditional forms of learning to online learning. Objectives: This paper aims to examine the effect of blended learning on students’ performance and satisfaction and showcase whether students’ satisfaction with blended learning leads to performance improvement. Methods/Approach: A quantitative research design has been utilized for data collection, consisting of a questionnaire administered to a sample of three hundred and nineteen (319) students from bachelor and master study programs at South East European University (SEEU) in N. Macedonia. Data gathered through this questionnaire have been analyzed through structural equation modelling (SEM). Results: The results show that blended learning influences students’ performance and satisfaction. Conclusions: Course management and interaction positively impact students’ satisfaction and performance. The interaction has a more significant effect on both satisfaction and performance outcomes from blended learning. The main conclusion is that blended learning contributes to students’ satisfaction which eventually leads to students’ improved performance

The Impact of Blended Learning on Students’ Performance and Satisfaction in South East European University

Blended learning is a new way of teaching and learning. As the name implies it is a combination of classroom learning with the online learning platform. This way of learning enables students to partially control the process of learning. The study aims to find out the effect of blended learning on students’ performance and satisfaction. Students’ satisfaction with blended learning does not necessarily lead to students’ performance improvement. A structured questionnaire is used to gather data. Three hundred and nineteen (319) collected questionnaires were analysed using multivariate regression from structural equation modelling (SEM). Collected data were analysed using the SPSS statistical software and Smart PLS. The results of the analysis show that blended learning has an impact on both students’ performance and students’ satisfaction. The course management and interaction have a positive significant effect on students’ satisfaction and performance, with the latter having a stronger effect on both satisfaction and performance outcomes from blended learning.  Finally, the study shows that there is a correlation in on hand between blended learning and students’ improved performance, and on the other hand a positive correlation between satisfaction and performance. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Smartphone in-Class Use and Academic Performance: A Case from the South East European University in North Macedonia

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine life without a smartphone anywhere in the world. It is an inevitable phenomenon of the modern society and influences all spheres of existence from a psychological, social, educational and technological perspective. However, despite the many benefits it brings, excessive use of smartphones can have some adverse effects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of in-class smartphone use on students’ academic performance. Students from the South East European University (SEEU) in North Macedonia participated in the study through an online survey. We aimed to provide answers to the following questions: How smartphones are used in class? Does that use to contribute to learning that is more successful or distract students from it? What kind of other effects do smartphones have on students while in class? The results have confirmed the hypothesis that in -class smartphone use negatively affects student academic performance measurable through the number of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits awarded and students’ grade point average (GPA). Some other negative effects have also been identified. Recommendations based on findings might be useful for policymakers, higher education management and professors in order to provide some ways to regulate the use of smartphones in class. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

The effect of perceived convenience and perceived value on intention to repurchase in online shopping: the mediating effect of e-WOM and trust

This article investigated the effect of perceived convenience and perceived value on intention to repurchase in online shopping. We also assessed trust and e-WOM as mediators between perceived value and repurchase intention. During March-July 2022, a sample of 298 responses were collected from consumers that use online shopping in North Macedonia. We analysed the research model using PLS structural equation modelling (SEM) and used bootstrapping technique for testing the hypotheses. The findings showed that all independent variables (perceived value, and perceived convenience, trust, and e-WOM) affected repurchase intention. Moreover, the findings revealed that trust and e-WOM mediate the relationship perceived value in its relationship with repurchase intention. Perceived convenience and value contributed significantly to repurchase intention during online shopping, and perceived value had greater impact on e-WOM. Results provide some theoretical and practical implications regarding the effects of factors that impact repurchase intention during online shopping in North Macedonia

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND PURCHASE INTENTION: EVIDENCE FROM KOSOVO

The main objective of this study was to explore the relationship of social media marketing and purchase intention among consumers in Kosovo as a transition economy. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect the primary data and collected a sample of 334 responses from participants in Kosovo, using google forms as an online survey tool. In order to test the proposed research model, structural equation modelling was used. The hypotheses and the mediating effects of brand awareness and brand engagement were tested using the bootstrapping method. The findings revealed a positive indirect impact of social media marketing on purchase intention. They also showed that brand engagement fully mediates the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention, whereas brand awareness does not mediate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. This study contributes to the literature by providing insights of the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness, brand engagement, and purchase intention in transition economy such as Kosovo. On a practical level, research results provide companies with customer insights relevant to designing effective social media marketing strategies for their potential prospects in transition economies

The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention in a Transition Economy: The Mediating Role of Brand Awareness and Brand Engagement

The study aimed to investigate the impact of social media marketing on purchase intention among consumers in Kosovo as a transition economy. The survey research has been conducted with a sample of 334 respondents in Kosovo, using an online survey tool for response collection. Structural equation modeling was used for assessing the proposed theoretical model. The bootstrapping technique was used to test the hypotheses and the mediating effects of brand awareness and brand engagement. The findings revealed a positive indirect impact of social media marketing on purchase intention and a full mediating effect of brand awareness and brand engagement in the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. The contribution of this study is that it provides insights into the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness, brand engagement, and purchase intention in transition economies. Moreover, it highlights the impact of social media marketing on enhancing brand awareness, brand engagement, and purchase intention in emerging economies in general and in particular in Kosovo. On a practical level, research results provide customers’ insights relevant for designing effective social media marketing strategies for their potential prospects in transition economies

Using Factor Analysis Tool to Analyze the Important Packaging Elements that Impact Consumer Buying Behavior

Abstract The objective of this study is to determine the elements that play an important role on consumer&apos;s buying behavior. The purpose of this research is to find out the main important factors related with the packaging effect. Companies in order to create the right packaging for their products, they must understand the consumer buying process and understand the role and the impact of packaging elements as variables that can influence the purchase decision. So, by understanding what factors influence the buying behavior and what packaging elements are most important it help companies making the right decisions about product and their package. This research through empirical data tries to find the relationship between consumer buying process as the main variable of the study and some independent variables like, packaging color, printed information, packaging material, design of wrapper, printed information, brand image, and innovation and practicality that help consumers in their decision buying process. The primary research data are collected through a structured questionnaire and SPSS software is used for analysis purposes. Finally, factor analysis is also employed to find out the most important factors of packaging elements that are more important for consumers during the process of decision while buying. The data obtained rated the package design, printed information, and innovation and practicality as more important factors during the buying process