International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence (17 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Advancing the Crowdfundings in Indonesia: Is There Trust Yet  
  by Sasongko Budisusetyo, Joicenda Nahumury, Dian Oktarina 
  Abstract: Crowd-funding in Indonesia is still paid attention by the people due to several factors such as problems dealing with online loans and lack of literacy concerning the online businesses. This study tries to explore the crowd-funding in Indonesia based on different perspectives such from the consumers, regulator and creative idea providers. The data were gathered by interviews and content analysis of the crowd-funding websites. The data were also triangulated from the different sources. It was found that the consumers do not yet have trust due to both lack of trust and literacy of online businesses. Besides that, the regulators are still unable to stop the various online loan providers that are not identified. It can be recommended that people require online business literacy. By doing so, it can increase the public trust on crowd-funding so that these businesses can be developed and advanced.
  Keywords: crowd-funding; online business; creative industry; Indonesia.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10051750
   
  
• Concerns about Professional Marketing Careers by Seniors from the Beginning and Post-Pandemic  
  by Alan D. Smith  
  Abstract: Reactions of senior marketing majors at a major AACSB-accredited private school in an urban metropolitan were recorded from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-March. Interestingly, the vast majority of the senior students were in the midst of job interviews and graduation plans. The same basic question about the uncertainties of Covid-19 and its economic fallout was asked of the following year’s graduating seniors in late April 2021, more than a year later. It is an interesting comparison of fears and hopes expressed by graduating marketing students. Through grounded theoretical approaches, comparisons among gender, course averages, major themes were analysed. As expected, at the beginning of the pandemic, the major themes were as expected, fear, employment lost, financial hardships, economic hardships, lean measures, and cautiously optimistic of individual employment for both genders, regardless of grade averages. Optimism dominated the post-Covid group as employment opportunities became available.
  Keywords: covid-19; grounded theory; employment loss; financial hardships; economic hardships; senior student concerns; marketing education.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10052037
   
  
• Do Banks' Investment in Capital Market Impact on Performance? Evidence from Indian Banks  
  by Brajaballav Pal, Saswata Choudhury 
  Abstract: Indian banks invest a large volume of their funds under different components of the capital market. Investment in such components gives birth to different kinds of risks in the investment portfolios. Such risks in most cases may cause the assets loss of the banks and in some cases lead to closure of the banks. The present paper attempts to identify the different classes of risks attached with the components as well as finding the linkage between different classes of risks and banks’ performance by taking the top ten banks operating in India; five banks from both public and private sector for period 2017 to 2021. Using robust panel data regression, the results revealed that both market risk (MR) and credit risk (CR) have significant impact on the performance of the banks while the MR has a significant influencing role to downgrade the banks’ performance.
  Keywords: bank; component; credit risk; CR; market risk; MR; performance; investment.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10052750
   
  
• AN EXPECTED VALUE APPROACH TO FORECAST RECONCILIATION WITH FORECAST TARGETS AND UNDER ASYMMETRIC COSTS  
  by Alan Fask 
  Abstract: A common problem in many business, economic and government organisations is the reconciliation of a group of lower level forecasts to the forecast of the aggregate of that group. Reconciliation may focus on a particular target for the aggregate forecast, or there may be no target. A number of approaches have been suggested, including top-down, bottom-up, hybrid and regression based methods. The reconciliation problem may be for only a single level, but often extends to the entire hierarchy of the organisation. This paper examines a different approach to forecast reconciliation, a minimum expected value approach, both analytically and through examples. Particular concern is the cost implications of forecast errors. Both symmetric cost functions (quadratic) and asymmetric cost functions (linex) are examined. Although the focus is on a single level hierarchy, multilevel and multidimensional reconciliation are also discussed. This paper is unique in that it studies asymmetrical forecast cost functions in an organisational hierarchy through simulations and an actual data example. Both targeted and non-targeted forecasts are considered. It also introduces the minimum expected value method, a new method of forecast reconciliation.
  Keywords: reconciling forecasts; top-down forecasting; bottom-up forecasting; forecast cost functions; asymmetric forecast cost functions; symmetric forecast cost functions.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10052869
   
  
• The importance of haptic cues for the fashion leaders in clothing shopping channels  
  by A.K.S. Sukumaran, S. Lalitha Lakshmi 
  Abstract: Fashion leaders used haptic cues the most in online channels and the least for shopping from local and non-local stores. Fashion leaders preferred to use local and non-local stores the most for clothing shopping, though they also used television and catalogue channels. The present study confirmed the earlier literature that low fashion leaders did not prefer to shop clothing from online stores. The study brought evidence for the webrooming effect as haptic cues enabled buying from local and non-local stores after looking at the information online. The study also contributed to the research literature on fashion leaders’ multichannel shopping behaviour and the literature on the need for touch in shopping.
  Keywords: fashion leaders; clothing shopping; haptic cues; shopping channels.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10053332
   
  
• Mutual Funds- An Excellent Financial Instrument for the Investors of Tinsukia Town, Assam  
  by Viveka Gupta, Ramjanul Haque 
  Abstract: Mutual funds are also gaining a favourable acceptance by investors where they are getting a chance to earn a shedload of money For a neophyte, mutual funds can be a good option as it is a low risky investment In this research paper, Researchers have covered various facets of mutual funds like basic concepts, to assess the investor’s basic perception regarding mutual funds investments, to evaluate the different factors of mutual funds schemes, and also to know the predilection and requirements of mutual funds by the investors Frequencies, percentages, mean etc are used for data analysis The findings will be beneficial to clearly define the investor’s interest base and variables, revealing that investors view mutual funds as a flexible investment choice that generates investment interest among small investors The study concludes that the present study will be valuable for people and mutual funds industry in choosing different mutual funds.
  Keywords: mutual funds; investors; perception; investment; schemes; financial instrument; factors; preferable; Tinsukia Town; Assam.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10053949
   
  
• Impact of sanctions on Russia on global economy  
  by Packiaraj Thangavel, Bibhas Chandra 
  Abstract: It has been well-established that countries make significant economic benefits when they participate in free trade with one another. The world has been becoming more and more integrated lately and frictionless flow of goods, capital and human resources have been happening across the boundary. When a country gets de-coupled from global trade by economic sanctions it crumbles, to name a few – Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. However, the sanctions are effective when they are imposed on the weak whose contribution to global GDP is insignificant, whereas when it is imposed on the one who has been offering key commodities, it is likely to backfire on imposing nations too. This article highlights various macroeconomic impact of Russian incursion into Ukraine territory and the resulted economic sanctions by Western allies. We do not discuss on the justification of the war or sanctions, but simply analyse the consequences of them on global economy.
  Keywords: economic sanctions; invasion of Ukraine; global economy; inflation; supply chain disruption; globalisation; Russia; European Union.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10054389
   
  
• Handling the inconsistency in ranking customers via several multicriteria ranking methods  
  by Yossi Hadad, Baruch Keren, Dima Alberg 
  Abstract: There are many multi-criteria methods for ranking and classifying customers, but it is difficult to determine which, if any, ranking method is the best. In this paper, we propose an application that uses several ranking methods, is easy to implement and retrieves ranking criteria values from the customer relationship management system. Because each ranking method can yield a different ranking for each customer, we suggest giving each ranking method the same weight so that each customer's final ranking will be determined by the average of the ranks obtained from all the ranking methods. A unique result of the proposed application is the possibility of calculating the variance of the rank for each customer and the confidence intervals. The applicability of the proposed method was demonstrated in a real case study with nine ranking methods; IPython codes of five of those methods are available herein.
  Keywords: marketing intelligence; customer relationship management; CRM; multiple criteria decision analysis; MCDA; data envelopment analyses; DEAs; analytic hierarchy process; AHP.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10055020
   
  
• Evaluation of Visitor reviews and Implementation of Initiatives to Enhance the Cave Experience: A Case Study on the Kek Lok Tong Cave in Malaysia  
  by Kah Choon Ng, Sui Chai Yap, Dag Øivind Madsen, Anil Kumar 
  Abstract: Cave temple tourism is the practice of visiting and exploring cave temples. In this paper, a case study of the Kek Lok Tong Cave in Malaysia is conducted in order to explore visitor reviews, and based on these comments and secondary data on the safety of the temple, initiating initiatives to improve the cave experience. This study helps to understand the concept of cave tourism in Southeast Asia and provides some insight into the various tourism activities that take place in that region. The findings of the case study highlight the functions and perspectives of visitors to a touristy limestone temple to increase current knowledge and understanding of the protection and management of karst caves. The case study of Kek Lok Tong contributes to the currently small literature on cave temple tourism and is an illustration of cave tourism in Southeast Asia. The study also has practical implications for the local and regional tourism industry on how to manage and develop cave temples.
  Keywords: cave tourism; cave temple; cave experience; visitor reviews; Malaysia.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10056158
   
  
• Covid-19 and its Perceived Health Belief Impact on Prepared Food Delivery Services from a Consumer Behavior Perspective  
  by Alan D. Smith  
  Abstract: Covid-19 has impacted the lives of billions of people around the globe. Industries are encountering challenges and adjusting to continue to survive the detrimental effects of the pandemic. Our group will focus on the restaurant (both fast-food and traditional sit downs) industry and further explore customer delivery services that has provided an opportunity for customers throughout the pandemic. DoorDash, Grubhub, and UberEats are leaders within the customer delivery industry and will be further analyzed to see how impactful they have been throughout the pandemic. Four different categorical criteria were used to help empirically investigate the impact of prepared food services within the Covid-19 environment and afterwards. Questions will be developed within each of the categories to provide consumer insight. A sample of 3,240 respondents completed an online questionnaire. The results and conclusions projected potential continued and significant growth for customer delivery services DoorDash, Grubhub, and UberEats in a post-pandemic environment.
  Keywords: consumer behavior; Covid-19; DoorDash; Grubhub; Health Belief model; online food delivery services; pandemic; Reasoned Actions model; technical sophistication; UberEats.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10056404
   
  
• Do customers still buy online services? Comparing the purchase intention towards online paid courses in the Covid-19 era with the short and long-term periods after Covid-19.  
  by Halimberdy Gharajeh 
  Abstract: COVID-19 changed many aspects of our lives, one of which has been the use of online educational services. Currently, we are gradually recovering from the COVID-19; however the question whether people still want to purchase online paid courses (OPCs) or not is still relevant. Therefore, this study aims to compare the purchase intention concerning OPCs in the COVID-19 era with the short and long-term periods after the pandemic. Five hundred ninety-seven students from northern Iran’s universities completed a survey during April and June 2022. The answers were analysed with the help of the paired-samples T test method. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the era and short-term period after COVID-19, however, there has been witnessed a considerable decrease in such intentions during the long-time period.
  Keywords: purchase intention; online paid courses; OPCs; customer behaviour; post COVID-19; paired-samples T test.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10056416
   
  
• Reviewing the scientific literature of the barriers to online purchases  
  by Guilherme Braz Pitta, Claudimar Pereira Da Veiga, Fabíola Kaczam, Su Zhaohui, Wesley Vieira Da Silva 
  Abstract: In recent decades, electronic commerce has grown significantly in scope and revenue through widespread internet access. Nevertheless, some consumers resist using electronic channels for online purchases. In this context, this article presents a typology addressing why consumers do not purchase electronic commerce and brings the main barriers preventing consumers from purchasing online. For this, a systematic literature review over 12 years. The typology was constructed, proposing four classes: 1) methodological procedures; 2) risk; 3) customer adoption; 4) business environment. Besides identifying the typology, this article makes other contributions: 1) the presentation of an updated portfolio of studies related to online consumer behaviour; 2) the presentation of the bibliometric characteristics of the field of research; 3) a set of barriers and strategies to reduce them; 4) a set of future research recommendations. This study can help managers formulate strategies to lower barriers preventing online purchases.
  Keywords: internet commerce; consumer behaviour; online non-shopping; barriers.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2023.10056439
   
  
• Coping with the dark shadows: consumer response to financial hardships during a health pandemic  
  by Meenakshi Handa, Swati Jain 
  Abstract: This study examines the urban Indian consumer's response to the financial challenges posed by the health pandemic. A qualitative research approach is adopted wherein adults aged between 18 to 39 years respond to a set of open-ended questions in an online mode. The findings indicate that more than half the respondents suffered some degree of financial hardships in their daily lives during the pandemic. A substantial section of the respondents experienced an effect on their psychological well-being. There is a sense of financial insecurity about the future pertaining to incomes and jobs. However, there appears to be some silver lining to the experiences during the pandemic. Consumers report on making some healthy lifestyle changes and also a conscious move towards bringing in more positivity in their worldview. Strategies and interventions focusing on coping with the adversities caused by the pandemic and on enhancing individual sense of financial well-being are presented.
  Keywords: financial well-being; COVID-19; economic uncertainty; positivity; psychological stress.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10050935
   
  
• Religiosity and product involvement of Islamic banking customer and non-customer  
  by Noversyah, E.S. Margianti, Hotniar Siringoringo 
  Abstract: The objective of this study was to measure the religiosity of IB customers and non-customers, and its role on product involvement. This study used a questionnaire as the research instrument. The questionnaire contained statements measuring religiosity and product involvement. The questionnaire was distributed to Muslims living in the greater area of Jakarta. Data collected were analysed using structural equation modelling. We successfully collected 387 valid data. Using Lisrel 9.2, our result showed valid religiosity dimensions are intellectual, ritual, experience, and consequence for both IB customers and non-customers. Our result also shows that religiosity influences product involvement significantly for both IB customers and non-customer. However, the strength of the effect of each religiosity dimension on product involvement was different for IB customers and non-customer. Intellectual and ritual showed a strong effect on IB customers. Intellectual, ritual, and experiential factors had strong effect on non-IB customers.
  Keywords: Islamic banking; religiosity; product involvement; adoption; consumer behaviour.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10050672
   
  
• A global integrative framework to correlate authentic learning, student engagement and change management in addressing complex workplace issues  
  by Ann-Lorraine Edwards, Ashraf M. Attia 
  Abstract: The objective of this research is to propose an integrative global framework to correlate authentic learning, engagement and change management in addressing complex workplace issues. This research focus on determining whether an authentic learning approach to teaching a 'change management' course improves business and marketing students' overall learning experience in addressing complex workplace problems. Various teaching methods were used to measure individual perceptions of the learning process relative to a problem-based team assignment. This study relied on qualitative responses to a brief questionnaire about an authentic learning process. Responses were anonymous. The participants consisted of 36 business and marketing majors (junior and seniors), who attended a university in the North-eastern USA. Results of the study showed that students 'learned a lot' and were more likely to be engaged when an authentic learning approach was carried out in a complex team assignment geared toward developing a large-scale change initiative.
  Keywords: authentic learning; engagement; student employability; talent management; change management; marketing; integrative framework; global.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10051631
   
  
• The relevancy of trust and personal values in online consumer-based brand equity  
  by Alagirisamy Kamatchi Subbiah Sukumaran 
  Abstract: Trust by itself did not contribute to online brand equity. Goal and action identification theories helped to explain that trust needed to enhance loyalty in order to significantly contribute to brand equity. Though, trust had gained importance in recent studies with respect to online companies, those studies demanded empirical studies on the relationship between trust and personal values of the consumers. This gap in the literature was addressed in this study. As women were high on risk perception, their trust did not lead to loyalty. Similarly, consumers using internet for three years and more, who were excitement-minded did not consider trust as an important factor of online brand equity.
  Keywords: online consumer-based brand equity; loyalty; awareness; brand association of value; trust; personal values.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10051138
   
  
• A scientometrics review on combining forecasts in financial markets  
  by Jen Sim Ho, Wei Chong Choo, Choy Leong Yee, Wei Theng Lau, Yuruixian Zhang, Cheong Kin Wan 
  Abstract: Combining forecasts has been widely applied as one of the approaches to increase the predictive power over the past few decades. With the promising results, it has seen an explosion in the number of articles on combining forecasts, of which review of the literature become resources taxing and causes researcher's cognitive burden. This study applies a scientometrics analysis to demonstrate the intellectual maps about the networking of research work through co-citation analysis and collaboration analysis. A total of 184 publications in 1965 to 2020 related to combining forecast in financial markets were obtained from WoS database and were analysed. The keyword analysis identified five clusters of research: 1) model performance; 2) time series model error and volatility; 3) time series and tests; 4) forecast evaluation; 5) model efficiency in the combining research area and the evolution of combining forecasts over the study periods were also discussed. The visual mapping results provide an overview of combining forecast development which helps other researchers in formulating their research directions.
  Keywords: scientometrics; combining forecast; financial.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2022.10051637