최근 조직의 커뮤니케이션에서 공중들이 중요하게 인식 및 평가하고 있는 진정성은 다양한 분야에서 연구들이 급증하고 있으나 서로 다른 개념적 정의와 측정으로 인하여 진정성 개념의 타당성과 다차원성에서 이론적 한계를 지니고 있다. 이에 본 연구는 보편적으로 사용가능한 커뮤니케이션 진정성의 측정을 위한 다차원적 개념의 표준 척도를 개발하고 대표적인 PR 활동인 CSR과 위기관리 분야에서의 차이를 살펴보고자 하였다. 기존 연구들을 바탕으로 도출한 21개의 측정항목들을 가지고 탐색적 요인분석을 한 결과에서 진정성은 이성적(진실성), 감성적(진심성), 그리고 행동적(실천성) 3가지 차원으로 구성됨을 확인하였다. 그리고 사전적 성향의 PR 활동인 CSR의 경우는 행동적 진정성이, 사후적 PR 활동인 위기관리 커뮤니케이션에서는 감성적 진정성이 다른 차원들보다 더욱 크게 공중의 커뮤니케이션 진정성 인식에 영향을 주는 것임을 알 수 있었다. 결국 커뮤니케이션 진정성은 진심, 진실, 실천의 의미를 포함하는 이성적, 감성적, 행동적 차원으로 구성된 다차원적 구성개념이라는 것이 확인되었다.

This study confirms that the shopping experiential values perceived by Chinese tourists affect their product and store attitudes through the emotions of entertainment and escapism. It is particularly notable that this study verifies diverse roles of different emotions such as entertainment and escapism in the context of tourist shopping. This study employs empirical analysis on tourists, and provides practical implications including the importance of shopping experiential values for developing retail strategies. The summary of the main results is as follows. First, the results of image attribute on each cultural marketing communication pattern, uniqueness on cultural communication and public interest on cultural sponsorship had the most positive responses. Second, the analysis on the relationship among brand attitude, artist attitude and purchase intention showed that aesthetics and communicativeness positively influenced both brand attitude and artist attitude. Also, both brand attitude and artist attitude had a positive effects on purchase intention. Third, the differences between lifestyle brand and high, low fit artist, aesthetics and public interest showed positive effective relationship toward brand attitude while nobility and communicativeness showed positive effective relationship toward artist attitude as far as artist fit is high. The notable result of the analysis on relationship among the cultural arts lifestyle groups are as follows. Aesthetics to artist attitude, uniqueness to brand attitude were found to have highest response from mass culture enjoyers group, while proponents of high culture group showed greatest response to nobility toward artist attitude. The analysis of the relationship differences in patterns, the effect on nobility to artist attitude, brand attitude to purchase intention for cultural communication displayed highest. For cultural sponsorship, communicativeness to brand attitude, brand attitude to artist attitude to purchase intention showed the most positive effect, while, in cultural corporate image pattern exhibited a great response aesthetics toward brand attitude and communicativeness toward artist attitude, the second strongest effect on brand attitude to artist attitude to purchase intention. The implication of the study is that it demonstrates the relationship of image attribute specifying each pattern from the previous studies and investigates the difference in the relationship of brand attitude, artist attitude and purchase intention among image attribute. In addition, by demonstrating the difference in the relationship among the cultural arts lifestyle groups, as well as the high and low fit between lifestyle brand and artist, the study provides an insight and a specified path for marketers as they plan out ways to utilize cultural marketing communications. Finally, by verifying the relationship among patterns, our study offers useful points of reference also for artists or art foundations who plan it with lifestyle brands using strategic approach to consumers by specified means.

Fashion brands are influenced by multiple identities. Even though, for example, the brand name might still be associated with one or more creative founders (Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermès, Adidas, Joop) the brand image, and moreover the overall brand reputation are influenced by many different identities. For instance, a specific product identity (e.g., Gucci’s Bamboo Bag), the identity of the city or country of origin (Florence, Italy), the identities of well-known key customers as brand ambassadors (Sophia Loren, Vanessa Redgrave, Lady Diana, Naomi Watts etc.). Of course, also fashion brands who are not directly associated with the name of creative founders are composed of the effects of several identities. In the case of e.g. Nike especially successful athletes (Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan etc.), specific sports and sport events, and product lines tailor-made for them did help to build a strong brand reputation. All in all, it seems to be expedient to understand fashion brands as more of less complex systems composed of several identities. To deal in more detail with such “brand systems” is becoming particularly important against the background of several strategic challenges – e.g., when fashion brands are growing older and the creative founders lose their specific gravitational power, when in the process of internationalization new countries gain more and more importance who’s citizens might not have a strong access to the existing brand reputation drivers, or simply when in the context of the growing global competition the fashion brand needs to be “refreshed”. Against the background of cultural differences, or even - as within countries - lifestyle differences between different groups of customers, it can also be quite possibly that very different reputation drivers account for the success of a brand. Thus, it is necessary to identify, in different contexts, the relevant reputation drivers, and to analyze which interplay of those drivers might be particularly promising. Is it the creative founder, the corporate heritage, the country and/or city of origin, a special designer, a specific corporate culture, an outstanding product design, attractive key customers etc.? Which combination of such identity factors leads to what kind of success (e.g., brand loyalty, brand trust, price premium)? Will, for instance, heritage especially lead to brand trust, whereas an outstanding product design and specifically attractive key customers create the readiness for a higher price premium? And, is it necessary to create sub-brands to especially highlight specific identities in the process of building a brand system (e.g., the sub-branding of a Michael Jordan product line in the case of Nike)? Or is sufficient to only communicate an alignment with the brand (e.g., ads showing Naomi Watts wearing a Gucci Bamboo Handbag)? In other words, which kind of brand system, and which kind of brand communications has to be designed to attract specific target groups and to sustain competitive advantages? The present contribution aims to present a conceptual framework for analyzing “brand systems” in the fashion industry. Concomitantly, an approach of measuring such brand systems will be presented. Furthermore, a concept for analyzing the impact of several sub-identities on the development of the overall brand reputation and brand success against the background of existing contingencies will be outlined. With the introduction and discussion of such a conceptual framework it especially is intended to initiate the launching of an international research project which attempts to find an answer basically to the following question: Which via an integrated branding and brand systems communication carefully crafted composition of sub-identities might be how successful under what kind of situational conditions?

The global luxury market is relentlessly growing over the last few decades, defying the global economic crisis. It is estimated that the luxury market is made up by a continuously enlarging heterogeneous group of 330 to 380 million consumers worldwide. The consumption of luxuries goes beyond the riches and wealth of countries, as the highest luxury spenders are to be found in places like the Middle East, Japan, and China. Luxury goods’ penetration relatively to GDP is low in countries like Germany and the U.S. and high in Italy, France, and South Korea. Wealth and economics alone cannot explain the economics underlying luxury consumption; culture is an important driver of growth in this sector. Culture gives meaning to luxuries, affects the perceived value and motivations to buy luxury goods, and determines luxuries’ signaling power and potency as differentiators and identity signifiers. Today, despite the size, growth and geographical spread of the luxury goods market, cross-cultural research is limited and rather scattered in different fields. Much of the research undertaken draws from Hofstede’s typology of culture and focuses on a narrow range of conceptual issues. The purpose of this presentation is to review and summarize existing cross-cultural research on luxury products and to identify fruitful future research directions that will expand our understanding of luxury goods marketing. In addition, attention will be given to examining current trends and behaviors in the field

The evolution of technology, on one hand, and the transformation of consumers’ behaviors, on the other hand, are taking marketing communication strategies, together with instruments and actors involved in their planning process, to the need of confronting themself with a huge change must consider the consumer polarization and different media attitudes at the same time. This research project assumes that companies should change their strategic action, if they want to communicate with their changing target. What happens in luxury mature markets? The intent is to empirically and qualitatively examine how luxury brands communication strategies have been evolving during the latest years towards a stronger relationship with a huge variety of different audiences at the same time. The interaction must follows a continuous path and the contents sharing must be the center of every communication effort in order to enhance the experience of consumers and to establish a strong relationship with the audience. The present research on 75 cases shows that players who have the most authority and esteem are the ones using social media tools and counting a higher number of impressions on social networks and a higher frequency of video views and shares content online.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that relation-building factors between beauty service stores and customers have on relationship quality and long-term orientation. Specifically, the influence of relation formation factors (relationship benefits and communication) on relationship quality (satisfaction and trust) and long-term orientation was empirically examined. This research was conducted through a questionnaire survey, and 402 adults were targeted from Jan. 6 to Jan. 16 in 2014. The results were as follows. First, the relationship benefits of beauty service stores were classified into four dimensions of psychological, social, economic, and informational benefits. It was found that only the dimension of psychological benefits had a significant influence on long-term orientation among the relationship benefits dimensions. Second, it was found that the psychological benefits of beauty service stores had positive effect on relationship quality (satisfaction and trust). It was shown that informational benefits had a significant influence on satisfaction only. Third, it appeared that communication had a positive effect on long-term orientation. Fourth, it was found that communication had a significant influence on relationship quality(satisfaction and trust). Finally, it was shown that relationship quality (satisfaction and trust) had positive effect on long-term orientation. The implications of the research and direction for future study were discussed.

본 연구는 서울·경기지역 초등학생 학부모를 대상으로 식품첨가물에 대한 인식 및 정보요구도를 조사 및 분석하고, 이를 토대로 식품첨가물의 올바른 정보 제공을 위한 학부모 대상 교육용 스마트폰 앱을 개발하여 시범 적용 및 평가를 수행하였다. 식품첨가물에 대한 인식과 정보요 구도를 서울·경기지역 초등학생 학부모 358명을 대상으로 설문조사한 결과, 학부모들은 가공식품 구입 시 `안전성`(40.5%)에 가장 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 식품을 구입할 때 제조일자나 유통기한 외에 제일 먼저 확인하는 사항은 `원산지`(35.4%)로 나타났다. 식품 구입 시식품표시사항을 이해하고 구매하는지에 대해서는 `보통이다`(45.1%)와 부정적 응답(15.7%)이 과반수 이상 나타났다. 식품안전에 가장 위협이 되는 요인으로 `식품첨가물`(42.7%)을 가장 많이 선택하였으며, 식품첨가물 중 `표백제 및 발색제` > `보존료` > `색소` 순으로 건강에 위험하다고 응답하였다. 가공식품 구매 시 식품첨가물이 적게 들 어간 것을 선택 하는지에 대해 긍정적 응답(63.1%)이 높은 반면, 가공식품의 식품첨가물 표시 내용 이해 여부에 대해 `보통이다`(49.2%)와 부정적 응답(21.0%)이 과반수 이상 나타났다. 식품첨가물에 관한 교육 및 홍보 필요성에 대해 88.0%가 긍정적 답변을 하였으며, 식품첨가물에 대해 가장 알고 싶은 정보는 `안전성`(74.3%)으로 나타났다. 설문 결과와 연구진의 브레인스토밍을 통해 1강, `식품첨가물이란?`, 2강, `식품첨가물 안전한가?`, 3강, `식품표시를 읽자`, 4강, `식약처의 안전 관리`, 5강 `애니메이션 즐겨보기`로 구성하여 `식품첨가물 바로 알기` 앱을 개발하였다. 개발된 교육용 앱을 서울·경기지역 초등학생 학부모 27명에게 시범 적용하여 교육 전과 교육 후를 비교한 결과, 식품첨가물의 위해성에 대해 `조금 해롭다`(40.74%)에서 `해롭지 않다`(48.15%)로, 식품첨가물에 대해 `잘 모른다`(44.44%)에서 `약간 알고 있다`(59.26%)로, 식품첨가물이 들어있는 가공식품을 안심하고 섭취해도 되는지에 대해 `잘 모른다`(44.44%)에서 `그렇다`(59.26%)로 식품첨가물의 인식이 개선된 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 연구를 통해 개발된 교육용 스마트폰 앱 `식품첨가물 바로알기`는 학부모들에게 식품첨가물에 대한 올바른 이해와 부정적 인식을 개선하는 것으로 나타났으며, 이를 활용함으로써 식품첨가물에 대해 효과적인 정보전달 매체로 기여할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

The basic concept of the network is communication among multiple computers. Typical methods of this communication is to use a client and a server. The server may be a host device that everyone can access, the player playing the game may be to act as a server to other players directly. Once the server is running, and the client is connected, the two computers are to exchange data required for the multi-player network games. When developing the network game should pay a lot of attention and effort on some details. Most easily design and even in the game engine that can produce a functional networking remains a very complex thing. The network element of the game can develop in several different ways, which means that some of the key to determine a game developer. These decisions would be better to decide quickly on the single-player game, but the things that did not need anyhow multiplayer game development would give a very large impact early development possible. There is a common and proven three approaches deneun to configure the network game, reserved (authoritative) server, no access (non-authoritative) server, a peer-to-peer manner. The two approaches are leading the way to send and receive information to the client connects to the server. This approach, because there is no direct connection between the IP of the client are hidden from each other to provide more privacy (Privacy) to the end user (End user). In Peer-to-peer way all connected computers can send information directly to each other. In addition, communication concepts covered in the gaming network is two. The right remote procedure call (Remote procedure call, or RPC) and state synchronization (State synchronization). In general, two methods are used in the game, but in some cases, not according to the genre. In this paper, we approach networking in a general game network architecture, looked at the network communication method, we proposed a game networking components and design plans through them. Through this and to implement actual design of future multi-platform network game engine.

기술의 급속한 발전, 글로벌화된 시장 및 사회환경은 기업들에게 전통적 관료제에서 강조해 온 효율성 뿐만 아니라 혁신과 품질에 대한 경쟁압력을 가하고 있다. 이에 따라 관료제를 넘어서 참여, 평등, 협동의 원리가 강조되는 공동체주의적(communitarian) 기업모델이 등장하면서 인사관리 또한 통제중심에서 몰 입지향 인사관리(commitment oriented HRM)로의 전환이 이루어지고 있다. 본 연구는 공동체주의적 기 업의 구조적 특성 파악의 일환으로 한국노동연구원의 사업장패널조사(WPS2011) 자료를 토대로 하여 우 리나라의 인사관리 및 노사관계에서 사업장내 인사이슈에 대한 근로자참여(즉, 몰입지향 인사관리)와 조 직의사소통 (참여)의 관계와 이들 활동이 혁신에 어떻게 영향 미치는지 분석하였다. 검정결과, 첫째 몰입 지향 인사관리특성을 갖춘 사업장일수록 혁신활동 및 성과가 높은 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 상향, 하향 및 수평(노사) 조직의사소통이 모두 활발히 이루어지는 사업장일수록 혁신활동 및 성과가 우수한 것으로 나 타났다. 마지막으로 몰입지향 인사관리와 혁신활동 및 성과의 관계는 상향, 하향 및 수평(노사) 조직의사 소통 모두에 의해 완전매개되는 것으로 판정되었다. 이는 몰입지향 인사관리(또는 참여적 노사관계)의 주요 목적이자 가치인 사회적 효용(social utility)을 달성하기 위해서 상향 및 하향의 조직의사소통 방향 뿐만 아니라 사용자와 근로자간 (수평) 의사소통의 질이 모두 개선될 필요가 있다는 점을 시사한다. 사회, 기업 및 사업장 차원(단위)에서 몰입지향 인사관리(또는 참여적 노사관계)가 토착화되기 위하여 향후연 구에서는 인사 및 노사이슈에 대한 인사부서와 근로자대표기구 및 근로자의 (모범적인) 역할관계의 정립 과 그에 관한 다양한 실증분석이 지속적으로 이루어질 필요가 있을 것으로 보인다.

<인터스텔라>의 서사에서 과학은 중요한 역할을 한다. 과학으로 망가진 지구 를 구하려고 새로운 과학을 기대하는 내용뿐만 아니라 영화 자체가 과학적으로 엄밀하게 기획, 제작되었다. C. S. 루이스의 침묵의 행성 밖에서 는 기독교 관 점에서 쓰인 반과학적 SF 소설이다. 주인공 랜섬이 미친 과학자들에 의해 화성 으로 납치되어 희생물로 바쳐질 뻔한 이야기에서 루이스는 20세기 초 유행했던 과학만능주위를 알레고리라는 장치를 통해 호되게 비판한다. 두 작품은 과학에 대해 완전히 다른 입장을 취하고 있지만 우주에 대한 묘사는 유사하다. 루이스 의 우주는 웰즈와 같은 당대의 SF 작가들이 상상한 무섭거나 차갑지 않고 중세 인들의 우주처럼 밝고 따스하다. 놀란의 블랙홀은 빛도 벗어날 수 없는 무자비 하고 칠흑 같은 감옥이 아니라 모든 시간과 공간을 관통한 의사소통이 가능한 곳이다. 이 유사한 우주의 묘사를 통해 본 논문은 과학이 지배하는 현대사회에 서 종교가 살아남을 수 있는 가능성을 엿보려한다. 종교뿐만 아니라 과학도 세 계를 이해하는 방식은 해석이다. 비록 과학이 자연이 들려주는 이야기를 더 잘 들을 수 있을지라도 과학 역시 해석을 통해서만 자연을 이해할 수 있다.

본 연구는 전문대학생의 스마트폰 사용과 가족의사소통, 자기통제력에 대한 연구로 스마트폰 사용과 가족관계 및 스스로에 대한 통제력 및 스트레스를 살펴봄으로 이 연구를 통해서 스마트폰 사용으로 인한 가족과 대인관계 및 스스로에 대한 통제력과 스트레스를 살펴보고 이와 관련된 문제에 대해 나아가야할 방향에 대해 모색하고자한다. 연구결과 전문대학생의 스마트폰 중독에 미치는 영향은 일상생활에서 스마트폰이 차지하는 비중, 가치관 스트레스, 즉각적 만족추구, 부모님과의 대화시간순이었다. 부모님 과의 대화시간이 적을수록, 일상생활에서 스마트폰이 차지하는 비중이 높을수록, 경제적 문제와 가치관으로 인한 스트레스가 높을수록, 즉각적인 만족을 추구할수록 중독위험이 높다고 하겠다. 이러한 연구결과는 전문대학생의 가족과 학교관계 및 대인관계와 스스로에 따른 지원전략과 프로그램이 필요하다고 할 수 있겠다.

This paper is a study on what kind of effect non-verbal communication in mobil electronic commerce has on purchase intention and visual attention. For this purpose, the screen of mobile shopping mall produced arbitrarily was exposed to the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group was exposed to the screen of mobile shopping mall that expressed non-verbal communication making use of cinemagraph images and the control group was exposed to the screen of mobile shopping mall based on still images. For the study, survey research and experimental research were conducted simultaneously. Data of survey research were analyzed by MANOVA and t-test, and by using eye-tracker experimental research recorded the duration of time that the subjects stared images. The results of experiment show that in non-verbal communication the experimental group that saw cinemagraph images recorded shorter average staring time than the control group that saw ordinary images, and the cinemagraph had statistically significant effect on visual attention as well. And it was analyzed that non-verbal communication had significant effect on the purchase intention of the experimental group, but had no effect on the purchase intention of the control group. The results can be interpreted that the people who saw cinemagraphs in mobile shopping environment had spent shorter time in seeing products than the people who saw ordinary images, but still the former came to have purchase intention on the products. The results of the present study can be useful for marketers who try to sell agrifood in mobile environment.

This study presents the popularization phenomena of casual games in Korean society by analyzing them in terms of 'nostalgia' and 'communication'. Casual games refer games that can be played in steps with least amount of knowledge such as 'Ani-Pang', 'Everyone's Marble' , 'Dragon's Flight' and etc. The games are published through SNS(Social Network Service), and they are also popular to 40 middle-aged class in Korea nowadays. However, these popular games are retro games that utilized original games' elements and characteristics such as 'Bejeweled' and 'Xevious' which was popular in the 80-90s. The reason why common players in 40s play retro games in SNS is to possess happiness formed with nostalgia imagery by public. In addition, the retro games allow people's communication by incorporated into social network as a member through game playing. As a result, popularization of casual games through SNS focused on common players in 40s is related to nostalgia. And the characteristics of nostalgia can be seen not only as a pleasure realization of desire but also as a tendency that shows desire of community recovery and acquisition of identity within the community.

This paper aims to introduce an overall game application as an effective tool for various corporation-related purposes. This work lies in the communication and sharing frameworks: Serious games, Advergames, Gamifications. We first discussed on the serious games, advergames, and gamification for both employee and customer based on previous literature review. Second, we synthesized the key features of game applications benefits that make them promising to be used for corporation purposes. All three of them, it will be efficient not only corporation (employee training & education, advertising & marketing) but also customer (information delivery capability, communication & feedback control etc). Moreover, various game-related factors are more effective means rather than antecedents of other media such as Internet and TV. Overall, game applications play a significant role in influencing the intention to corporation’s goals. Finally, implications of applications benefits for corporation purposes and future direction for research in this area are discussed.

Consumers today are not passive recipients of a constructed brand identity that is communicated towards them. Instead research suggests that the consumer is in fact an active part in constructing brand meaning. Salzer-Mörling and Strannegård (2004) held that brand managers are confronted with the fact that they are not the owners of the brand who can actively manipulate brand images in the minds of passive consumers. The importance of consumption activities and how these play a part in the development of meaning has been demonstrated by authors such as Wallendorf and Arnould (1991), who interpreted the consumption rituals of Thanksgiving and explored the linkages and cleavages between consumer ideology and consumer practice. Arnould and Price (1993) investigated the relationship between client expectations and satisfaction and concluded that the narrative of the rafting experience (multiday river rafting trips in the Colorado River basin was the empirical context for their article) rather than relationships between expectations and outcomes was central to its evaluation. Belk and Costa (1998) showed the creation of fantasy consumption enclaves through processes of inventing and mythologizing tradition, and Peñaloza (2001) investigated consumers‘ cultural production processes at different levels and concluded that consumers negotiate meanings and that business activities and specific references are significant for consumers in providing authenticity. In later research it is argued that brands belong to and are created within groups, communities or tribes (e.g. Brown, Kozinets and Sherry Jr., 2003), or that consumers are actively creating brandscapes (Thompson and Arsel, 2004) neo-tribes (Cova and Cova, 2002), the concept of brand communities (Muniz and O‘Guinn, 2001; McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig, 2002; Muniz and Schau, 2005; Algesheimer, Dholakia and Herrmann, 2005), subcultures of consumption (Schouten and McAlexander, 1995), and brand cultures (Schroeder and Salzer-Mörling, 2006). Muniz and O‘Guinn (2001) emphasized the triangular relationship between consumers and the brand and consumer relationships. McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig (2002) broadened this perspective by studying customers´ relationships with a branded product and related marketing agents, institutions as well as other customers. In their view, consumers socialize around brands, which are defined as brand objects, but they still consider brand meaning as being developed first by marketers. Related to the brand community is the concept of ‘neo-tribes‘, examined by Cova and Cova (2002), who hold that a tribe is not necessarily a brand community, since brand communities are explicitly commercial, whereas tribes are not. However, when a tribe is organized around a same passion of a cult-object it exhibits many similarities with a brand community (p. 603). Alongside the concept of brand community research has viewed the consumer-producer dichotomy in new ways of co-production: the customer as co-producer (Wikström, 1996; Vargo and Lusch, 2004), the reversal of consumption and production (Firath and Venkatesh, 1993), the consumer role in production and consumption (Firath and Venkatesh, 1995), consumers as customizers and producers (Firath, Dholakia and Venkatesh, 1995), customers as active co-creators of experience (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2000), the concept of customerization (Wind and Rangaswamy, 2000). Bendapudi and Leone (2003) viewed customer co-production in the construction of goods and ser-vices and claimed that consumer co-production extends to meanings as well and that consumers are not ―just passive receptacles of brand identity projected by marketers; they are active co-producers of brand meanings (p.26). They called for more attention to the implications of consumer co-produced marketing images given the empowerment of consumers through the Internet. Kozinets et al. further (2004) introduced the notion of ―interagency where consumer and producer interests are embedded in one another. Quinton and Harridge-March (2010) investigated relationships in online communities and the potential influence of consumer generated communication in online discussion fora on wine. This paper views consumer generated communication on luxury brands online and its impact on luxury brand image. With the growth of the Internet and brands’ use of it so has consumer initiated sites grown. Consumer communities and brand communities are today an active participant in the creation of brand value and brand meaning. However there is still a gap in the empirical research on consumer-generated communication and how this type of communication impacts brand image. A conceptual framework for consumer community communication is presented and three empirical examples of consumer-generated communication and its impact on brand image are presented. The approach is a qualitative online study. Consumer community sites show clear examples of information, distribution and conversation aspects. This study shows that information seeking is the most prevalent in the impact on brand image. The strength of this research lies in its qualitative nature with consumer interviews and online observations of consumer-generated brand communication. Given the exploratory nature of this research the online material had to be systematized during the course of the work and could not be chosen based on a set of criteria or evaluation methods already established.

Launched in 2008 and 2010 respectively, Instagram and Pinterest are two of the fasted growing social media platforms with 220 million users combined (Leverage 2014, Techcrunch 2014, Loren & Swiderski 2012). Their success is due to their simplicity and a focus on visuals rather than text, furthermore they are described as platforms with strategic potential for fashion brands (Wired 2012). Despite this, many fashion brands have been slow to engage with them. However the Huffington Post (2012) suggests that the visual social media has a wide appeal with respect to both brand positioning and increasing awareness. Recent research by Mashable (2014) highlights that referral traffic and spend is higher from Pinterest users than Facebook users, and this contributes to the rationale for study. The aim of this reseach is twofold, firstly it is to explore the reasons for the utilisation of visual social media platforms within a fashion brands marketing planning cycle, and second it seeks to identify the strategic and operational ways in which fashion brands can use them. For the purpose of this paper only Instagram and Pinterest are investigated. Using a qualitative and inductive approach, the study will use in-depth elite interviews with 6 UK fashion brands (2 Luxury, 2 mid-market, 2 value) alongside content analysis of their platforms. This will enable the research to also consider how each platform can be harnessed at different levels of the market therefore contributing to the lack of empirical applied research in this area.

Services have continuously been growing and over the last years have become an increasingly important part of the worldwide economy (Kanso and Kitchen, 2004; Margetts, 2012). More importantly, with rapid developments of interactive marketing communications service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are increasing becoming the determinants of business success factors in the service sector (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000; Caruana, 2002, Aksoy et al 2012). Particularly, when the production of service delivery is associated with communication, customer relationship and people intensiveness, customer evaluations of the service quality become even more critical when crossing boundaries (Kanso and Kitchen, 2004). In recent years, multi-channel customer contacts such as self-service web chat, phone, and email points of customer interaction modes are in focus (e.g., Cooper et al 2009; Robertson, 2012) to enhance customer service experience and satisfaction. Although marketing academics and practitioners agree that identifying suitable communication channels is vital for company’s long term success, there is an on-going debate in the literature whether this integrated multi-channel communication platform is right for the customers and is effective for service quality, customer service satisfaction and loyalty in this turbulent and ever changing global environment. Realistically, not all customers have the same level of technological skills or prefer using the same communication vehicle. As marketers remain concerned whether to standardise customer communication channels or not, a need arises to understand customer choices of their preferred communication interaction and type of communication contact. Therefore, there is a need to pay a greater attention to the determinants, which might have an impact on the relationship between customers’ communication mode choices and service quality as well as between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. This paper aims to fill the aforementioned gaps by combining various elements into the theoretical model and providing a more complete picture of the interconnectedness of the elements of multichannel communication contacts from a process and technology perspective. Thus, a theoretical framework for modelling the determinants of customer choice of communication modes should be of interest for international and global services companies.

Despite an extensive liberalization of the Chinese economy, cultural differences between western countries and China still affect international business relations. This qualitative study reveals that German professionals encounter significant cultural resistance in Chinese business environments. The results emphasize relationship orientation is a core element for successful Sino-German communication.

This study addressed service innovation as a process of co-construction and sense-making by companies, customers and other partners. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of communication in fostering service innovation as a process of social construction. Five key communication practices intervening in service innovation were identified.