As shoppers, what factors influence our decision to purchase an object or service? Why do we chose one product over another? How do we attribute value as part of the shopping experience? The theme of 'serving' the customer and customer satisfaction is central to every formulation of the marketing concept, yet few books attenpt to define and analyse exactly what it is that consumers want. In this provocative collection of essays, Morris Holbrook brings together a team of the top US and European scholars to discuss an issue of great importance to the study of marketing and consumer behaviour. This ground-breaking, interdisciplinary book provides an innovative framework for the study of consumer value which is used to critically examine the nature and type of value that consumers derive from the consumption experience - effiency, excellence, status, esteem, play, aesthetics, ethics, spirituality. Guaranteed to provoke debate and controversy, this is a courageous, individualistic and idiosyncratic book which should appeal to students of marketing, consumer behaviour, cultural studies and consumption studies.

Consumer markets for foods and beverages in developed countries are well supplied and highly fragmented. Yet, the question being asked is how close retailers actually come to fulfilling their customers' requirements. The concept of consumer value is one of the main pillars underpinning the theory of market differentiation. This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of satisfaction in relation to the consumption of food, with both food science and consumer science playing central parts. It approaches food quality from both the technical and the consumer satisfaction perspectives, and assesses the roles of management and regulatory tools in delivering food quality for all. Each area is discussed in detail, using the appropriate technical terminology, but keeping the text accessible to readers from both academic traditions, as well as to non-specialist readers.

Provides an understanding of the technologies of electronic commerce. The text does not concentrate solely on the Internet but suggests that the Internet is only a bridge technology. Each chapter contains an overview of a theory or practice followed by one or more business case studies.

A customer-centric culture provides focus and direction for the organization, ensuring that exceptional value will be offered to customers this, in turn, results in enhanced market performance. Unfortunately, caught up in the daily economic and competitive pressures of running complex and fast-changing businesses, managers may lose sight of custo

Over the past two decades, through unprecedented levels of prosperity and changing values, luxury tourism has transformed into a new consumption pattern. This book analyzes the topic in detail with contributions from both recognized scientists and prominent executives in the luxury business. It shows how the concept of luxury has shifted from material to immaterial dimensions, and outlines new trends that will shape the luxury market in the future. The content includes carefully selected leading examples from the most important segments of the tourism market, along with concrete recommendations and best practices. Sharing unique insights, the book is a must-read for those working in the tourism industry, as well as lecturers and university students of tourism.

The advent of Web 2.0 has led to a rebalancing of power between the customer and the company through the consumer's voice about the brand and referral behavior via electronic word of mouth. Customer opinions within the virtual brand communities can have a vast impact on a company’s sales and image. It is crucial for companies to promote and use customer contributions in order to enhance their brand image, retain customers, and develop their marketing strategy. Social Customer Relationship Management (Social-CRM) in the Era of Web 4.0 provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest results of empirical research on the strategic role of marketing 2.0, digital customer experience, and social customer relationship management on social networks. Covering a range of topics such as disruptive marketing, artificial intelligence, and customer behavior, this reference work is ideal for marketers, IT practitioners, CRM specialists, industry professionals, researchers, scholars, practitioners, academicians, instructors, and students.

This book constitutes the joint refereed proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Next Generation Wired/Wireless Advanced Networks and Systems, NEW2AN 2017, the 10th Conference on Internet of Things and Smart Spaces, ruSMART 2017. The 71 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 202 submissions. The papers of NEW2AN focus on advanced wireless networking and applications; lower-layer communication enablers; novel and innovative approaches to performance and efficiency analysis of ad-hoc and machine-type systems; employed game-theoretical formulations, Markov chain models, and advanced queuing theory; grapheme and other emerging material, photonics and optics; generation and processing of signals; and business aspects. The ruSMART papers deal with fully-customized applications and services. The NsCC Workshop papers capture the current state-of-the-art in the field of molecular a nd nanoscale communications such as information, communication and network theoretical analysis of molecular and nanonetwork, mobility in molecular and nanonetworks; novel and practical communication protocols; routing schemes and architectures; design/engineering/evaluation of molecular and nonoscale communication systems; potential applications and interconnections to the Internet (e.g. the Internet of Nano Things).

Gathering the outcomes of the 27th annual international eTourism conference ENTER2020, this book presents new research, innovative systems and industry case studies on the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in travel and tourism. It shares the latest findings discussed at the conference and highlights various topics within the field, including social media, destination marketing, recommender systems and decision-making, virtual and augmented reality, technology in tourism, and research on hotels and activities. Readers will find a wealth of state-of-the-art insights and ideas on how information and communication technologies can be applied in travel and tourism.