Reshaping traditional marketing mix to include social media participation: evidence from Italian firms

Purpose - Due to the emergent use of social media for marketing purposes, and the limited number of studies focusing on the use of social media by firms, the purpose of this paper is to explore the inclusion of social networks in the traditional marketing mix models. Methodology- A sample of 20 small and large Italian liquor producers was used and their Facebook profiles were content analyzed. Findings - Results provide evidence about the emerging shift from the use of social media for communication purposes through static advertising (characterized by pictures and slogans), to its use as an interactive channel that can influence consumers’ purchasing behaviour through multimedia tools (i.e. games and interactive applications able to solicit users’ interest), by emphasizing the extent to which a higher level of participation by a firm involves a higher level of consumer interaction. Findings also suggest that the firm’s participation should be considered as a new element of the traditional marketing mix model and as an additional tool for efficient market sizing and sensing. Originality/Value - The study offers findings on actual usage of Facebook as part of marketing mix strategies based on large and small enterprises operating in the Food and Beverage sector, where a dearth of studies is observed. The study enhances and advances the social media and marketing literatures

Competing during a pandemic? Retailers’ ups and downs during the COVID-19 outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic (that started in early 2020) is causing several disruptions in the short- and mid-term, to which businesses have to adapt. Some retailers have reacted to the emergency immediately, displaying a plethora of different intervention types. The authors aim to synthesize the challenges that retailers are facing during the COVID-19 emergency. We do this from the perspective of both consumers and managers, with the goal of providing guidelines on and examples of how retailers can handle this unprecedented situation

Does the innovation-orientation lead to retail industry growth? Empirical evidence from patent analysis

Competitiveness and complexity in the retail industry are increasing due to rapid technological changes and diffusion. Patent analysis is largely used in innovation studies to assess and monitor technological changes in different sectors. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive view of the innovative forces affecting the retailing sector, by focusing on the evaluation of innovation levels through the classification and analysis of patented innovations. The findings show that retailers might shift to more innovation-oriented strategies in order to propose innovative consumer solutions, due to the support of the technology advancements highlighted by the strong patent track record. Our study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of critical areas for innovation in retailing and by offering bibliometric and patent analytical methods measures relative to the innovative forces affecting retailing, which might push the sector to be increasingly an innovation-oriented one. Finally, the high level of property rights (defined by the huge amount of patents) pushes retailers to invest more on acquiring patented technologies to achieve advantages over competitors or to adopt novel management practices as substitutes for patents

Tweets to escape: intercultural differences in consumer expectations and risk behavior during the COVID-19 lockdown in three European countries

This study aims to understand the extent to which a time of emergency, (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic), impacts consumer behaviour in terms of risk and expectations. The methodology involves the systematic content analysis of 15,000 tweets collected from three countries (UK, Italy and Spain) in April 2020. The results suggest that the top-of-mind expectation by consumers deals with escaping from home and enjoying freedom, either by having a good meal (UK), drinking alcoholic beverages (Spain), or travelling (Italy). They also suggest that the high levels of risk individuals were exposed to during the pandemic will not influence behavior in the long-term post- lockdown. Instead, they suggest consumers are willing to restore their consumption levels especially of activities that contribute to the sense of escapism. Finally, results provide evidence of the cultural differences emerging from consumers from different countries during the pandemic. Implications for international marketers and retailers are provided

Structure and Dynamics of amorphous Silica Surfaces

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the equilibrium properties of the surface of amorphous silica. Two types of geometries are investigated: i) clusters with different diameters (13.5\AA, 19\AA, and 26.5\AA) and ii) a thin film with thickness 29\AA. We find that the shape of the clusters is independent of temperature and that it becomes more spherical with increasing size. The surface energy is in qualitative agreement with the experimental value for the surface tension. The density distribution function shows a small peak just below the surface, the origin of which is traced back to a local chemical ordering at the surface. Close to the surface the partial radial distribution functions as well as the distributions of the bond-bond angles show features which are not observed in the interior of the systems. By calculating the distribution of the length of the Si-O rings we can show that these additional features are related to the presence of two-membered rings at the surface. The surface density of these structures is around 0.6/nm^2 in good agreement with experimental estimates. From the behavior of the mean-squared displacement at low temperatures we conclude that at the surface the cage of the particles is larger than the one in the bulk. Close to the surface the diffusion constant is somewhat larger than the one in the bulk and with decreasing temperature the relative difference grows. The total vibrational density of states at the surface is similar to the one in the bulk. However, if only the one for the silicon atoms is considered, significant differences are found.Comment: 30 pages of Latex, 16 figure

A mechanical system for tensile testing of supported films at the nanoscale

Standard tensile tests of materials are usually performed on freestanding specimens. However, such requirement is difficult to implement when the materials of interest are of nanoscopic dimensions due to problems related to their handling and manipulation. In the present paper, a new device is presented for tensile testing of thin nanomaterials, which allows tests to be carried out on specimens initially deposited onto a macroscopic pre-notched substrate. On loading, however, no substrate effects are introduced, allowing the films to be freely stretched. The results obtained from a variety of thin metal or polymeric films are very promising for the further development of this technique as a standard method for nanomaterial mechanical testin

Fractoluminescence characterization of the energy dissipated during fast fracture of glass

Fractoluminescence experiments are performed on two kinds of silicate glasses. All the light spectra collected during dynamic fracture reveal a black body radiator behaviour, which is interpreted as a crack velocity-dependent temperature rise close to the crack tip. Crack velocities are estimated to be of the order of 1300 m.s$^{-1}$ and fracture process zones are shown to extend over a few nanometers.Comment: Accepted for publication in Europhysics Letters; 5 pages; 4 figure

Highly Deformable, Ultrathin Large-Area Poly(methyl methacrylate) Films.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a glassy engineering polymer that finds extensive use in a number of applications. Over the past decade, thin films of PMMA were combined with graphene or other two-dimensional materials for applications in the area of nanotechnology. However, the effect of size upon the mechanical behavior of this thermoplastic polymer has not been fully examined. In this work, we adopted a homemade nanomechanical device to assess the yielding and fracture characteristics of freestanding, ultrathin (180-280 nm) PMMA films of a loaded area as large as 0.3 mm2. The measured values of Young's modulus and yield strength were found to be broadly similar to those measured in the bulk, but in contrast, all specimens exhibited a quite surprisingly high strain at failure (>20%). Detailed optical examination of the specimens during tensile loading showed clear evidence of craze development which however did not lead to premature fracture. This work may pave the way for the development of glassy thermoplastic films with high ductility at ambient temperatures

Student interviews on inspirational and drop-out factors progress report (Sub-Group WG1-B)

Progress report on the survey on inspirational and drop-out factors we carried out, within the activities of WG1, through individual interviews to physics students. In particular, we present: 1) the research groups involved in the survey and in the data analysis; 2) the sample; 3) the research questions; 4) the quantitative and qualitative research methods of data analysis we are designing; 4) the preliminary analysis and the problematic issues we are dealing with; 5) discussion, implications and future plans