DSpace Collection:

A COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF FOOD MARKETING STRATEGIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA USED BY BIG FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES

2026-09-22T03:00:30Z

Title: A COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF FOOD MARKETING STRATEGIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA USED BY BIG FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES Authors: Ye, Bryan; McConville, Sarah; Malloy, Jessica; Denniss, Emily; Roy, Rajshri Abstract: Purpose – The marketing of ultra-processed and discretionary foods on social media is a growing driver of dietary choices and consumer engagement, particularly among younger users. As food brands increasingly invest in digital media, understanding the strategies they use across platforms is essential for informing public health interventions and policy. Despite this shift, few studies have compared marketing strategies and engagement outcomes across multiple platforms and brands. This study aimed to examine the marketing strategies employed by leading food and beverage companies across four major social media platforms and assess how these strategies influence consumer engagement. Design/methodology/approach – A comparative analysis was conducted on 1,000 posts from ten internationally recognised food/beverage companies across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Posts (25 posts per company per platform) were manually coded into one or more of eight predefined marketing strategies. Engagement metrics (likes, comments and shares) were collected, and non-parametric statistical tests were used to analyse differences in engagement across platforms, strategies, and brands. Findings – Corporate social responsibility (CSR) posts were the least frequent (0.7%) but demonstrated the highest median engagement, particularly for comments. Affective Branding and Product Endorsement were the most common strategies but yielded moderate engagement. Engagement differed significantly across platforms, with Instagram receiving the highest median likes and shares, and X the lowest. McDonalds and Sour Patch Kids received significantly higher engagement than other brands (p < 0.001). Practical implications – Public health campaigns and policymakers could leverage emotionally driven and socially oriented marketing strategies, like those successfully employed by food brands to improve consumer engagement and promote healthier dietary choices. The distinct differences in strategy effectiveness across platforms also suggest the need for tailored platform-specific health promotion approaches. Originality/value – This study is among the first to systematically compare digital food marketing strategies and consumer engagement across multiple major social media platforms and brands. Its findings contribute important insights to inform targeted public health initiatives and digital marketing regulation.

PLATFORM-ENABLED COMPETITIVENESS: DEVELOPING B2B PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EXPORTS IN EMERGING MARKETS THROUGH DIGITAL MARKETING CAPABILITIES

2026-09-22T03:00:49Z

Title: PLATFORM-ENABLED COMPETITIVENESS: DEVELOPING B2B PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EXPORTS IN EMERGING MARKETS THROUGH DIGITAL MARKETING CAPABILITIES Authors: Maryam Asgharinajib; Davood Feiz; Shahryar Sorooshian Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to explain how business-to-business (B2B) professional service providers in emerging markets develop service exports through digital platforms and how this process supports capability upgrading and location competitiveness under institutional and resource constraints. Design/methodology/approach – Using classical grounded theory, the authors conducted 37 semi-structured interviews with professional service firm managers, freelancers and platform/industry experts across emerging and developed markets. Data were analysed iteratively through open, selective and theoretical coding using constant comparison to build a process model. Findings – The study identifies a dynamic export development cycle comprising three reinforcing mechanisms: platform-driven leap (platform-enabled market intelligence and innovation for opportunity discovery), digital credibility enhancement (platform-based legitimacy signalling and improved digital customer experience) and digital adaptation stability (localization and digital risk governance to sustain cross-border delivery). Together, these mechanisms show how platforms function as low-cost export infrastructure, reducing institutional frictions and enabling resource-constrained actors to compete in international B2B service markets. Originality/value – The study contributes a grounded, capability-based explanation of platform-enabled internationalization in B2B professional services and extends debates on competitiveness of locations by clarifying how digital capabilities and platform ecosystems can support service-export upgrading in emerging markets. The findings offer actionable implications for managers and policy actors seeking to strengthen platform readiness, digital skills and enabling payment/regulatory infrastructures.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OF LISTED SUBSIDIARIES: PRINCIPAL-PRINCIPAL CHALLENGES FOR MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN EMERGING MARKETS

2026-09-22T03:00:09Z

Title: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OF LISTED SUBSIDIARIES: PRINCIPAL-PRINCIPAL CHALLENGES FOR MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN EMERGING MARKETS Authors: Klettner, Alice Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to expand our understanding of the principal-principal (P-P) conflicts that can arise when multinational enterprises (MNEs) have subsidiaries listed in emerging markets. By identifying common contexts and actors involved in these conflicts and applying a systems theory lens, it furthers our understanding of how P-P conflicts arise and how they can be mitigated. Design/methodology/approach – Ten MNEs and their 32 majority-owned subsidiaries listed on stock exchanges in Asia and Africa are investigated through qualitative case studies of P-P conflict events reported in the media. Archival materials are the main source of data with findings sense-checked through interviews with local governance experts. Findings – The paper reveals four situations where P-P conflicts between MNEs and local shareholders commonly arise: buy-outs, related party transactions, restructurings and decisions that create intra- group competition. It also identifies four groups of governance actors involved in P-P conflicts: market analysts; regulators; shareholder groups; and boards of directors. It shows that P-P conflicts are mitigated by information exchange – feedback loops facilitated by these actors help to resolve information asymmetries. Practical implications – The findings of the paper have implications for both policy-makers and investors in emerging markets. Policy makers should consider how information exchange can be encouraged in each of the common contexts for P-P conflicts by requiring disclosure and facilitating shareholder engagement. Investors can gain confidence in markets with a culture of shareholder activism and a strong financial media which can offset weaknesses in legal institutions. Originality/value – The paper argues that the transnational complexities involved when an MNC has a listed subsidiary in an emerging market call for a systems theory approach to understanding corporate governance. Systems theory has not previously been applied to P-P conflicts yet provides a promising way to take into account the interactions between national governance bundles and the role of both formal and informal mechanisms in mitigating or resolving P-P conflicts.

NICE TO HAVE OR MUST HAVE? ASSESSING NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT CONDITIONS FOR CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN ELECTRONIC BANKING

2026-09-22T03:00:35Z

Title: NICE TO HAVE OR MUST HAVE? ASSESSING NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT CONDITIONS FOR CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN ELECTRONIC BANKING Authors: Suder, Marcin; Barbosa, Belem; Jakobik, Karolina; Wojtowicz, Tomasz Abstract: Purpose – Despite the widespread adoption of electronic banking, maintaining long-term customer loyalty remains a challenge. This study investigates whether key customer experience factors – specifically service quality (SQ), service efficiency (SE) and customer satisfaction (CS) – not only influence customer loyalty but also act as necessary conditions for achieving high levels of customer loyalty (CL) in the context of electronic banking. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a dual-method approach combining partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA). This integration enables the identification of both causal (sufficient) relationships and necessary conditions. Data were collected through a survey of 974 Polish electronic banking users. Findings – The results show that CS is the strongest direct predictor of CL. SQ has both direct and indirect effects, while SE influences loyalty only indirectly through CS. NCA reveals that all three constructs – SQ, SE and CS – are necessary conditions for achieving high loyalty, with satisfaction emerging as the most critical bottleneck. The relative necessity of each factor depends on the desired level of loyalty. Originality/value – The study contributes to loyalty research in digital financial services by integrating sufficiency and necessity logics. It addresses previous calls for more comprehensive theoretical models of digital loyalty and offers new empirical evidence from a large Central European sample. Managerially, it provides clear strategic directions: while SE is typically well-developed, SQ and CS offer the greatest leverage for achieving and sustaining loyalty, as they represent minimum necessary requirements.