Managing the Competitiveness of Moscow Underground (Metro) Based on Consumer Satisfaction

This article presents an original methodology of consumer assessments of satisfaction with the quality of a product/service based on N. Kano's model; the article describes a study of customer satisfaction with the technical quality of Moscow underground (metro) services carried out in accordance with the methodology developed by the authors aimed at justifying management decisions to increase the competitiveness of metro system.

Postacquisition asset redeployment and marketing adaptation: a consumer perspective

PurposeThis research examines consumer assessments of brand value derived from the redeployment of brand-related assets following a crossborder acquisition (CBA). The current study synthesizes research on international marketing standardization/adaptation to the context of crossborder horizontal acquisitions as the market entry strategy to investigate consumer evaluations of the postacquisition choice of brand name and brand positioning.Design/methodology/approachA pretest and two studies were conducted in Taiwan to empirically examine effects from the theory-driven model of product legitimacy (PL) on an entity's postacquisition brand value, as well as any moderating effects of consumer localism.FindingsPostacquisition brands were evaluated more positively when positioned in a manner that was in accordance with perceived PL. Consumer localism as another contingency factor reflected consumers' favorable attitude toward marketing adaptation following CBAs.Originality/valueThis article is a pioneering work to draw on the consumer perspective to investigate asset redeployments between the acquirer and target following a crossborder horizontal acquisition. Specifically, this research introduces PL as a contingency factor to examine consumers' evaluation of brand value, which is derived from the redeployment of brand name and brand positioning in the context of a developed-country firm's acquisition of an advanced emerging-market firm for entry into the market.

Analysis of Consumer Assessment in Small and Medium Enterprises "Raja Abon Makmur Lestari" on Shredded Products and Mix Marketing

Raja Abon Makmur Lestari's business has good potential, resulting in considerable business competition. One of the businesses that produce shredded is Small and Medium Enterprises (UKM) Raja Abon Makmur Lestari. This business must apply a consumer-oriented marketing concept. The application of this concept is to determine the marketing mix consisting of product, price, promotion, and place. The purpose of this study was to analyze consumer assessments of the various attributes of shredded products and evaluate the results of the shredded product marketing mix strategy. The method used in this research is descriptive analysis, with the 4P marketing mix approach. The marketing mix strategy evaluation design involves internal parties, namely business owners, and external parties, namely consumers. The results of the discussion show that consumer assessment of products has guaranteed quality, consumer ratings of prices are in accordance with quality, consumer assessments of shredded product distribution are easy to obtain and consumer assessments of promotion by word of mouth are very efficient and easy to get information on social media. The evaluation results of the marketing mix for shredded products are in the range of 101-125. Based on this total value, it can be concluded that all the variables of the marketing mix carried out by the king of shredded and prosperous sustainable have been effective.

Product Design to Enhance Consumer Liking of Cull Ewe Meat

The global sheepmeat industry aspires to increase consumer liking for cull ewe meat and thereby increase its value; dry ageing application can increase the consumer appeal of this meat. In order to develop novel consumer-liked dry aged sheepmeat products, an innovation process aligned with design thinking principles was initiated. The objective was to understand optimal dry aged sheepmeat product formats from chef, butcher, producer and consumer perspectives, and use these findings to develop “highly liked” and “premium” dry aged cull ewe meat dishes. The methodology used and the results of stakeholder engagement, perceptual mapping, and quantitative consumer assessments are reported. Stakeholder engagement showed the importance of how novel products are introduced to the consumer and to the chef. Perceptual mapping highlighted that chef-perceived product “premiumness” was driven by eating quality and complexity of the dish. Consumer assessment validated these findings with increases in dish liking associated with increased premiumness and complexity in dish presentation. Overall, the described approach was successful; eight highly liked dry aged cull ewe meat dishes were developed (all scored > 7.69 on a 9-point hedonic scale for liking), and four of the eight dishes were rated “at the level of a very premium food”.

The effect of sugar substitutes on selected characteristics of shortcrust pastry

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of substituting sugar in crust pastry with natural substitutes, such as stevia, xylitol, coconut sugar as well as dried banana. Furthermore, a comparison of physicochemical properties was carried out. The crust pastry obtained was analyzed in terms of color by CIEL*a*b*, textures, water activity, bake loss, semi-consumer assessments and the nutritional value was calculated. There was a clear impact caused by the sugar substitute on the physicochemical properties and their sensory assessment. The cakes with xylitol had the closest color, smell and taste to the control sample (with sucrose). The cakes with dried banana had a significantly reduced hardness compared to the control sample. The lowest bake loss was observed in the case of pastry with dried banana, while the highest was in the case of xylitol. In sensory analysis, the “Just-about-right” method was used, and pastries with a sweter taste were more desirable (xylitol) and pastry with the stevia substitute showed the lowest desirability. The lowest energy value per 100 g was obtained for stevia (392 kcal/ 100g), while for xylitol energy, the value was reduced by 6%.

Using Word Trees, Word Networks, and Tag Clouds to Provide Meaningful Insights

The combined use of data mining techniques and qualitative consumer reports can provide meaningful insights into service performance and relevant decision making. In several case studies, the authors combine qualitative comments from an online hotel feedback website about popular travel destinations, as reported by business, pleasure, and mixed-use travelers. After extracting 1,893 useable customer comments, using a web spider application, the study software produced summaries of qualitative comments in the form of tag clouds, word networks, and word tree images. This technologically enabled analysis of consumer-reported information provides consumer researchers with more objective ratings of qualitative consumer assessments of their experience across various units of analysis, with several applications for corporate and operational management. Furthermore, several implications inform consumer researchers and corporate consumer research departments about effective ways to investigate and serve industry. This study also has several limitations that suggest routes for further research.