The aim of this paper is to investigate the Chinese branding landscape. First, the strongest Chinese brands are analysed. This analysis offers explanations for typical Chinese brand strategy and establishes current trends in Chinese brand management practice from a corporate perspective. The research includes an empirical study on the motivations of Chinese consumers investigating their preferences of Chinese- over foreign brands. While the discipline of brand management has a relatively short tradition in Chinese boardrooms, the outcomes of Chinese consumer preferences towards their favorite brands are both revealing and unexpected. The paper will conclude with the formulation of four Chinese branding trends that are likely to shape the Chinese branding landscape in the future.
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Inaugurele rede van Harry van Delft, lectoraat AgroFood Marketing. De AgroFoodSector staat voor een aantal forse uitdagingen en fundamentele veranderingen in relatie tot een sterk groeiende wereldbevolking, de noodzaak tot verduurzaming, en “opdrogende” hulpbronnen. Ook de eisen van afnemers en de externe omgeving ontwikkelen zich snel. Het verdienmodel staat ter discussie, want marges in delen van de foodketen zijn te laag. Naast de route van efficiency en schaalgrootte, wordt een andere marsroute naar de toekomst steeds belangrijker; die waarin de klant en toegevoegde waarde centraal staan. Dat vraagt om een sterkere externe oriëntatie, om continue innovatie en echte bereidheid samen te werken. In deze ontwikkeling speelt marketing een belangrijke rol. Juist de marketeer is bij uitstek geschikt de kansen en uitdagingen van de markt te verbinden met de kracht en sterkte van de onderneming. En wel zo dat de klant en zijn omgeving belangrijker worden dan de prijs. AgroFoodMarketing ontwikkelt op die manier waarde voor alle stakeholders; niet alleen voor de shareholders. Een enorme verandering, die uitdagend en complex is. Dit toekomstbeeld vraagt om mensen met competenties waarmee we als sector in staat zijn het roer om te gooien. Mensen die ondernemen met het gezicht naar de markt, die goed kunnen samenwerken, die de creativiteit en het lef hebben om te innoveren. We hebben nieuwe helden nodig. Aan het opleiden en inspireren van deze mensen draagt het lectoraat AgroFoodMarketing van de HAS Hogeschool actief bij.
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In an era of information overload, relevance is key. Even more so in thephysical store, where consumers are in a ‘shopping state of mind’ (Shankaret al., 2010), and where still a significant proportion of all purchasedecisions is being made.Relevance can be achieved by filtering information and targeting shopperswith context-aware messages (Riegger at al. 2022). A commonly studiedexample is that of location-based messaging (i.e. aligning the message withthe consumers’ geographic position; Meents et al. 2020). An alternativeapproach is to adapt the message to the characteristics and behavior of thein-store receiver in question, implying personalization of communication.Various technological devices can be used by retailers to transferpersonalized messages to shoppers in their stores. The focus of this studyis on digital signage (DS) in stores, as these are commonly used byretailers for their digital in-store communication.While the personalization of DS messages may benefit customers (e.g.message relevance), it also comes with high perceived risk to individualprivacy (Hess et al. 2020) To employ these type of personalized messageseffectively, it is important to understand how customers feel and respond.The present study has four objectives, examining (1) whether theperceived benefits of varying levels of personalized DS communication atthe point-of-sale outweigh the perceived risks, (2) why or why not, and (3)who is more and less open to it, and (4) for which specific situations is itmore accepted. We address these objectives both from a practitioner andconsumer perspective, using a mixed-methods approach.First, we have conducted 16 exploratory expert interviews with variousspecialists in the domain of artificial intelligence, shopper marketing, datamanagement and consumer privacy. Transcripts have been contentanalyzedusing NVIVO 12 software. Insights emerged in terms of how toimplement personalized targeting via DS in retail stores, minding legal aswell as ethical challenges in preserving consumer privacy. For example,the level of personalization via in-store digital screens differs greatly; DScontent can be adapted based on customers’ demographics, emotions,preferences and shopping behavior, and all possible combinations of suchpersonal information. It is expected that customers will responddifferently, depending on the level of personalization.In Spring 2023, these results will be complemented based on a consumersurvey. That way, consumers and a multitude of specialists in the smartservices context of personalized communication at the point-of-sale havebeen investigated, allowing for setting the boundaries in terms ofdesirability and feasibility (technology- and privacy preservation-wise).
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Journal in which the Groningen Confucius Institute (GCI) shares different perspectives on China and provides insights into China from as many different aspects as possible. GCI aims to provide a full view of real China to the readers as well as featuring international and comprehensive perspectives, cutting-edge topics, in-depth reporting, classic interpretations and vivid exposition.
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The design of a spatial distribution structure is of strategic importance for companies, to meet required customer service levels and to keep logistics costs as low as possible. Spatial distribution structure decisions concern distribution channel layout – i.e. the spatial layout of the transport and storage system – as well as distribution centre location(s). This paper examines the importance of seven main factors and 33 sub-factors that determine these decisions. The Best-Worst Method (BWM) was used to identify the factor weights, with pairwise comparison data being collected through a survey. The results indicate that the main factor is logistics costs. Logistics experts and decision makers respectively identify customer demand and service level as second most important factor. Important sub-factors are demand volatility, delivery time and perishability. This is the first study that quantifies the weights of the factors behind spatial distribution structure decisions. The factors and weights facilitate managerial decision-making with regard to spatial distribution structures for companies that ship a broad range of products with different characteristics. Public policy-makers can use the results to support the development of land use plans that provide facilities and services for a mix of industries.
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The academic and professional attention to the large synergies hidden in horizontal collaborations is increasing. This study attempts to address the impact of collaborative transport on transportation lead-time and lead-time variability through empirically investigating a group of SMEs involved in a collaborative distribution network. Data was collected for seven pre-cooperation and eight cooperative orders over a period of 14 months. The results of Mann-Whitney U-test show a significant average reduction of 30.8% in the duration of lead times. Lead-time variability was also found to be reduced as the result of changes in the coefficient of variances and the Bartlett’s test for homogeneity of variances. Horizontal collaboration in transport could eventually lead to reduced lead times and lower variability of lead time which results in reduced supply chain costs. This can be achieved by means of direct routing and avoiding multi-transshipment routes which reduces the uncertainty and variability by diminishing the number of stages in the transport chain. Thus, effective lead-time management is considered a source of competitive advantage as it can reduce supply chain costs by lowering inventory levels, but is also capable of improving performance and customer service by offering improved product quality service levels.
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Making food packaging more sustainable is a complex process. Research has shown that specific knowledge is needed to support packaging developers to holistically improve the sustainability of packaging. Within this study we aim to provide insights in the various tradeoffs designers face with the aim to provide insights for future sustainable food packaging (re)design endeavors. The study consists of analyzing and coding 19 reports in which bachelor students worked on assignments ranging from (1) analyzing the supply chain of a food product-packaging combination to (2) redesigning a specific food packaging. We identified 6 tradeoffs: (1) Perceived Sustainability vs. Achieved Sustainability, (2) Food Waste vs. Sustainability, (3) Branding vs. Sustainability, (4) Product Visibility vs. Sustainability, (5) Costs vs. Sustainability, and (6) Use Convenience vs Sustainability. We compared the six tradeoffs with literature. Two tradeoffs can be seen as additional to topics mentioned within literature, namely product visibility and use convenience. In addition, while preventing food waste is mentioned as an important functionality of food packaging, this functionality seems to be underexposed within practice.
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