Browsing by Author "Baines, Paul R."
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Item Open Access Antecedents of retweeting in a (political) marketing context(Wiley, 2017-02-13) Walker, Lorna; Baines, Paul R.; Dimitriu, Radu; Macdonald, Emma K.Word of mouth disseminates across Twitter by means of retweeting; however the antecedents of retweeting have not received much attention. This study uses the CHAID decision tree predictive method (Kass, 1980) with readily available Twitter data, and manually coded sentiment and content data, to identify why some tweets are more likely to be retweeted than others in a (political) marketing context. The analysis includes four CHAID models: (i) using message structure variables only, (ii) source variables only, (iii) message content and sentiment variables only and (iv) a combined model using source, message structure, message content and sentiment variables. The aggregated predictive model correctly classified retweeting behavior with a 76.7% success rate. Retweeting tends to occur when the originator has a high number of Twitter followers and the sentiment of the tweet is negative, contradicting previous research (East, Hammond, & Wright, 2007; Wu, 2013) but concurring with others (Hennig-Thurau, Wiertz, & Feldhaus, 2014). Additionally, particular types of tweet content are associated with high levels of retweeting, in particular those tweets including fear appeals or expressing support for others, whilst others are associated with very low levels of retweeting, such as those mentioning the sender’s personal life. Managerial implications and research directions are presented. The study makes a methodological contribution by illustrating how CHAID predictive modelling can be used for Twitter data analysis and a theoretical contribution by providing insights into why retweeting occurs in a (political) marketing context.Item Open Access Asymmetry in Leader Image Effects and the Implications for Leadership Positioning in the 2010 British General Election(Warc, 2013-11-11) Mortimore, Roger; Baines, Paul R.; Crawford, Ian; Worcester, R.; Zelin, AndrewUsing national survey data on voters' perceptions of party leaders during the 2010 British general election campaign, we use logistic regression analysis to explore the association between specific image attributes and overall satisfaction for each leader. We find attribute-satisfaction relationships differ in some respects between the three main party leaders, demonstrating that leader image effects are not symmetrical across leaders. We find evidence that negative perceptions have more powerful effects on satisfaction than positive ones, implying that parties should seek to determine a leader's image attribute perceptions measured against the public's expectations of them on the same dimensions. The positions that campaigners ought then to choose are those that will have the most beneficial effect in encouraging voting behaviour for each particular leader or discouraging voting behaviour for an opponent.Item Open Access Best Practice: Integrated Marketing Communications(2012-11-01T00:00:00Z) Schultz, Don; Macdonald, Emma K.; Baines, Paul R.Integrated marketing communications can substantially improve target audience reception, message resonance, and positive behavioural response but, to reach its true potential, the process requires a strong focus on data integration/customer insight.Item Open Access The Dark Side of Political Marketing: Islamist Propaganda, Reversal Theory and British Muslims(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas J.; Moloney, Kevin; Richards, Barry; Butler, Sara; Gill, MarkPurpose This article discusses exploratory research into the perceptions of British Muslims towards Islamist ideological messaging to contribute to the general debate on ‘radicalisation'. The article discusses the findings of discussion groups in the light of research previously undertaken in the propaganda/psychology fields, from the perspective of Reversal Theory. Methodology/approach Four focus groups were undertaken with a mixture of Bangladeshi and Pakistani British Muslims who were shown a selection of Islamist propaganda media clips, garnered from the internet. The research is intended to provide exploratory indications of how British Muslims receive Islamist communication messages in order to provoke further research in this critical field. Findings We propose that Islamist communications focus on eliciting change in emotional states, specifically inducing the paratelic-excitement mode, by focusing around a meta-narrative of Muslims as a unitary grouping self- defined as victim to Western aggression. Early indicators are that some genres of Islamist propaganda may be more effective than others in generating these emotional change states (e.g. cartoons) and some groupings appear to be more susceptible than others. We conclude that our British Muslim respondents were unsympathetic to the Islamist ideological messaging contained in our sample of propaganda clips. Research limitations/implications The research highlights the difficulties in undertaking research in such a sensitive field. We propose a series of four testable propositions to guide future research looking specifically at whether those subjects who are more likely to be excited by Islamist communication include those with weakly held identities, younger males, those feeling contempt for Western culture, and the use of specific media genre formats. Originality/value of paper The article provides an insight into how British Muslims might respond to Islamist communications, indicating that whilst most are not susceptible to inducement of paratelic-excitement, others are likely to be, dependent on which genre of clip is used, the messages contained therein, and who that clip is targeted aItem Open Access Examining the Academic/Practitioner Divide in Marketing Research(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; Brennan, Ross; Gill, Mark; Mortimore, RogerPurpose - The purpose of this paper is to comment on the differences in perceptions that exist between academic and professional marketing researchers, as creators of new marketing knowledge, and explore how academics and practitioners can work together better on areas of mutual interest or separately on areas where their interests do not coincide. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is via two focus groups, one with researchers in marketing from universities and one with commercial market researchers, and via online surveys of the same target groups, with 638 respondents in all. Findings - The study indicates that the two sample groups have relatively congruent views about the advantages and disadvantages of each other's approach to research but both groups believe they could do more to make their research more comprehensible and accessible to each other. Research limitations/implications - The empirical study was conducted in the UK only, and the response rate from the university marketing research community was disappointingly low. These represent limitations on the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications - It is argued that marketing research can be undertaken separately by academics and practitioner researchers but that joint working between academic and commercial marketing researchers represents another dimension to marketing research which could be facilitated by the creation of joint initiatives, including industry- inspired academic-practitioner research projects and the development of government-funded academic-practitioner research projects, building on both groups' unique sets of skills. Originality/value - The paper reports on the outcome of an empirical study that has implications for the conduct of marketing research in universities and market research agencies.Item Open Access Identifying the roles of university fundraisers in securing transformational gifts: Lessons from Canada(Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles, 2016-10-24) Nyman, J.; Pilbeam, C.; Baines, Paul R.; Maklan, StanAs university public funding diminishes so the need for private funding increases commensurately. We investigate how a purposive sample of 16 professional university fundraisers in Canada successfully secured large (>$5m CAD) transformation donations from high-net-worth Canadian philanthropists. Using an inductive process, we articulate three key roles (the 3Ns – Networker, Negotiator and Knowledge-broker) professional fundraisers use for securing transformational gifts. Collectively, these roles indicate the relational nature of transformational giving; gifts arise from a co-created dyadic process of fundraiser–philanthropist interaction. The recommendations have major implications for how university development teams are developed, structured, trained and rewarded. We suggest further research investigates how trust develops between fundraisers and transformational gift-givers, and the motivations for transformational giving.Item Open Access Improving the adoption levels of manufacturing strategy formulation processes(Cranfield University, 2002-03) Ellson, Tom; Baines, Paul R.This thesis investigates the adoption rate of manufacturing strategy formulation processes and provides insights into why current formulation process workbooks are not widely adopted. A paradigm is developed to enhance the adoption of process workbooks in the manufacturing environment and attempts to bridge the gap between tried and tested processes and their practical application in manufacturing industry. Manufacturing strategy formulation processes have been developed to assist manufacturing companies in the development of manufacturing strategies. There is evidence that the adoption of these processes and the development of strategies within manufacturing industry are beneficial. However, some literature provides anecdotal evidence suggesting that adoption levels of these formulation processes are low. The research programme investigates if, and why, the adoption of manufacturing strategy formulation processes has been low. lndustrially based interviews have been used that confirm the low level of adoption of these processes. A variety of reasons have been identified. These mainly focus on the presentation and format of process workbooks. Several proposals are made to enhance the adoption of manufacturing strategy formulation processes. I particular, the research identifies four key areas that should be considered in the future presentation of manufacturing strategy formulation process. These key areas can be summarised as validity, attention, simplicity, and holistic perspective forming the basis of a paradigm to increase the use of workbooks and the adoption of strategy formulation processes by manufacturing managers. The findings of this research and the development of a paradigm offer practical assistance to bridge the gap between research activities and practitioner requirements. The paradigm has been evaluated by further interviews with industry practitioners and makes a useful contribution to the formulation and application of strategy in manufacturing industry.Item Open Access Influence and interference in foreign elections(Taylor and Francis, 2018-03-16) Baines, Paul R.; Jones, NigelThe use of influence or interference activities by one country to change the tide of elections in another has recently gained prominence due to alleged Russian influence in the 2016 US presidential election and the 2017 French presidential election. In this article, Paul Baines and Nigel Jones chart the evolution of influence and interference in foreign elections. With the rise of its modern digital form, they consider whether it is acceptable as a norm in international relations, or a violation.Item Open Access Market segmentation capability and business performance : a reconceptualisation and empirical validation(Cranfield University, 2011-09-30) Poenaru, Adina; Baines, Paul R.Recent developments in marketing and technological fields have raised concerns about the usefulness of market segmentation as an effective marketing practice. Furthermore, the segmentation literature has highlighted significant implementation problems, due to a gap between academics’ focus on the research methodology involved in identifying segments and practitioners’ concerns for impactful and implementable segmentation strategies. Consequently, research providing quantifiable evidence of the impact of segmentation has been identified as a priority. This research addresses this issue by reconceptualising market segmentation as a dynamic capability, identifying the components of a firm’s segmentation capability and determining its influence on business performance. The research is conducted within the critical realism paradigm and adopts a sequential qualitative-quantitative methodology. Through 24 in-depth interviews with marketing managers and segmentation experts, the processes, mechanisms and structures affecting segmentation implementation and its outcomes are identified. Based on the qualitative findings and extant literature, market segmentation capability is delineated and a model of the relationships between market segmentation capability and business performance is developed and tested empirically with survey data from a sample of 205 marketing directors from eight industries. The quantitative findings support a process of analysis-integration-execution of segmentation schemes and also suggest three additional pathways of influence from segmentation analysis to business performance. These pathways are found to depend on the market growth rate and firm’s marketing resources. This research bridges the gap between market segmentation theory and practice by broadening the segmentation field to include the study of managerial practices and performance implications of segmentation. The main theoretical contribution relates to the delineation of market segmentation as a dynamic capability, providing new insights into market segmentation as a managerial practice. Significant contributions are also generated by the confirmation of a significant relationship between segmentation capabilities and business performance and the identification of pathways of influence between them, explained by the development of segmentation execution capability and generic marketing capabilities.Item Open Access Marketing in the 2010 British General Election - perspectives, prospect and practice(Westburn Publishers, 2011-07-27T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; Harris, PhilThis editorial article discusses how televised debates transformed the British General Election campaign of 2010 and impacted upon political leader standing in the election. Papers are introduced in a number of areas including political branding, analysis of attack advertising and its implications, channel experience effectiveness measurement, consumption and co-creation in the sensitive policy area of immigration, the Europeanisation of British political marketing, and how UK expatriates could be targeted by political parties. In addition, we consider continuing gaps in political marketing research including ethical considerations, the application of frameworks from social and not-for-profit marketing, and the link between lobbying and political marketing.Item Open Access Measuring communication channel experiences and their influence on voting in the 2010 British General Election(Westburn Publishers, 2011-07-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; Macdonald, Emma K.; Wilson, Hugh; Blades, FionaThis article describes how a unique research approach was used to evaluate how different communication channel experiences influenced floating voters during the campaign period of the 2010 British general election. Most previous research focuses on voting behaviour as a single cross-sectional phenomenon, and on self-assessments of the relative importance of marketing communications - during, or more typically after, the campaign. This study outlines the influence of different marketing communications (including word-of-mouth and PR through mediated communications) over time using a longitudinal panel of floating voters and a real-time tracking approach. Results indicate the relative importance of the debates, used in 2010 for the first time in the UK, and more surprisingly the relative importance of party election broadcasts and posters.Item Open Access Muslim voices: The British Muslim response to Islamic video-polemic - An exploratory study(2006-12-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas J.; Moloney, Kevin; Richards, Barry; Butler, Sara; Gill, MarkThis paper represents an attempt to deconstruct how Muslims living in Britain might respond to militant Islamist propaganda, as typified by elected ‘Jihadist’ video-clips obtained from the Internet, using a discussion group format. The article discusses the methodological difficulties of conducting research in the propaganda field using a conventional advertising-evaluation type approach, and provides a series of testable propositions to guide further research in the field. The central thesis is that ‘Jihadist’ communications focus around a meta- narrative of Muslims as a unitary grouping selfdefined as victim to Western aggression. While early indicators are that some genres of propaganda may be more effective than others (e.g. cartoons) in introducing this notion and some groupings more susceptible than others, we conclude that in general most Muslim respondents were unsympathetic to the messages contained in the propaganda clips. This paper will be of particular interest to managers of government social and market research programmes and media/PR practiItem Open Access The persuasiveness of guilt appeals over time: pathways to delayed compliance(Elsevier, 2018-05-03) Antonetti, Paolo; Baines, Paul R.; Jain, ShailendraPast research on guilt-elicitation in marketing does not examine how the communications' effects might persist over time, when there is a gap between advertising at time 1 and the time of choice consideration at time 2. This study explores the processes leading to delayed compliance through guilt-based communications. Guilt elicitation enhances transportation into the message, driving message compliance through the effect of transportation. Transportation explains the effects recorded several days after campaign exposure. The influence of transportation is mediated by two pathways: increases in anticipated guilt and perceived consumer effectiveness. The message type moderates the relevance of different pathways in explaining persuasiveness. Appeals delivered through a text and image message (rather than text only) are more effective in driving compliance and shape reactions via guilt anticipation. The study raises important implications for research on the use of guilt appeals and the design of more effective messages based on this emotion.Item Metadata only Positioning in political marketing: How Semiotic Analysis Can Support Traditional Survey Approaches(Westburn Publishers, 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; Crawford, Ian; O'Shaughnessy, N. J.; Worcester, R.; Mortimore, R.The 2010 British election particularly focused on the party leaders' images - a departure in fifty years of British elections. The principal contribution of the article is to illustrate how a combined approach to assessing leadership positioning using both the traditional survey and semiotic analysis can provide insights into what image attribute dimensions end up in the minds of members of the public (actual positioning) and on what image attribute dimensions party marketers are trying to position themselves (intended positioning). Using data from the 2010 British general elections, our findings indicate that the combined methodological approach would be particularly useful for brands that need repositioning, those whose image attribute positions change dramatically over time, and those who wish to target previously unresponsive target audience segments.Item Open Access Research Note: The EU Constitution and the British Public: What The Polls Tell Us About the Campaign That Never Was(Oxford University Press, 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z) Baines, Paul R.; Gill, MarkIn Switzerland and the USA, referendums are so ubiquitous that a highly diverse industry has spawned up around them (Bowler, Donovan, & Fernandez, 1996). They are now increasingly commonplace in the EU as it enlarges. Up until June 2005, Britons expected to be asked to consent or reject the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty in a national referendum but the French and Dutch no votes in their own referendums in May and June 2005 scuppered this and Britain and other EU countries paused for a period of reflection. The ‘non’ and ‘nee’ votes constituted public defiance of their governments’ appeal to accept the EU Constitution, indicating how far removed the French and Dutch political elites were from the public (see Parker, 2005). In this research note, we consider British public opinion on Europe and the Constitutional Treaty, providing a summary of the referendum process along five key themes as follows: A sceptical view of the Constitution: All polls showed that a majority of British people intended to vote ‘no’ rather than ‘yes’ in the referendum. A persuadable electorate: More detailed analysis highlights the crucial importance of those who had not made up their minds and how they might affect the outcome of the vote. A largely under-informed public: The lack of information about Europe that the British public possessed characterizes British opinion both towards the Constitution and Europe more generally. A country that sees itself distinct from Europe: Perceived distinctiveness is important to understanding British public opinion on Europe. An unimportant event: The referendum campaigns failed to capture the imaginatItem Open Access Road vehicle state estimation using low-cost GPS/INS(Cranfield University, 2010-04-12) Tin Leung, King; Whidborne, James F.; Purdy, David J.; Baines, Paul R.; Barber, P.Due to noise and bias in the Inertial Navigation System (INS), vehicle dynamics measurements using the INS are inaccurate. Although alternative methods involving the integration of INS with accurate Global Positioning System (GPS) exist and are accurate, this kind of system is far too expensive to become value-adding to production vehicles. This thesis therefore considers two aspects: 1) the possibility of estimating vehicle dynamics using low-cost INS and GPS, and 2) the importance of vehicle dynamics in terms of handling in the eyes of customers upon vehicle purchase. The former aspect is considered from an engineering perspective and the latter is studied in a marketing context. From an engineering point of view, knowledge of vehicle dynamics not only improves existing safety control systems, such the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stabilising Program (ESP), but also allows the development of new systems. Based on modelling and simulation in MATLAB/Simulink, low-cost GPS and in-car INS (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and wheel speed sensors) measurements are fused using Kalman Filters (KFs) to estimate the vehicle dynamics. These estimations are then compared with the simulation results from IPG Car- Maker. For most simulations, the speed of the vehicle is kept between 15 to 55kph. It is found that while triple KF designs are able to estimate the tyre radius, the longitudinal velocity and the heading angle accurately, an integrated KF design with known vehicle parameters is also able to estimate the lateral velocity precisely. Apart from studying and comparing different KF designs with restricted sensors quality, the effects and benefits of different sensor qualities in dynamic estimations are also studied via the variation of sensor sampling rates and accuracies. This investigation produces a design procedure and estimation error analyses (theoretical and graphical) which may help future engineers in designing their KFs. From a marketing perspective, it is important to understand customers’ purchase reasons in order to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively. As GPS/INS KF designs are able to enhance vehicle handling, it is vital to understand the relative importance of vehicle handling as a consumer purchase choice criterion. Based on two surveys, namely the New Vehicle Experience Survey in the US (NVES US) and the New Car Buyer Survey in the UK (NCBS UK), analyses are performed in a computer program called the Predictive Analytics SoftWare (PASW), which is formerly known as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The number of purchase reasons are first reduced with factor analysis, the latent factors produced are then used in the SPSS Two Step Cluster analysis for customer segmentation. With the customer segments and the latent factors defined, a discriminant analysis is carried out to determine customer type in the automobile sector, in particular for Jaguar Cars. It is found that customers in general take vehicle handling for granted and often underrate its importance in their purchase. New vehicle handling-aided systems therefore need to be marketed in terms of the value they add to other benefits such as reliability and performance in order to increase sales and stakeholder value.Item Open Access Segmentation and customer insight in contemporary services marketing practice: why grouping customers is no longer enough(Westburn Publishers, 2009-04-10T00:00:00Z) Bailey, Christine R.; Baines, Paul R.; Wilson, Hugh; Clark, MoiraThe bulk of market segmentation literature has concerned the generation of segments, with far less attention on what segmentation is used for - particularly surprising given the common speculations that the role of segmentation is changing due to CRM practices and the wider range of forms of customer insight which they enable. We explore market segmentation in the services and product-service systems context through twenty-five interviews in five UK-based companies, highlighting practical considerations in implementing market segmentation programs (see Young, Ott and Feigin 1978, for a similar early approach). Within this case set, market segmentation, using a variety of segmentation bases, is still regarded as essential for customer selection, proposition development and mass communication. Addressable and interactive communications with individual customers, though, are increasingly based on individualised customer analytics and propensity modelling, which aid the determination of the likelihood of uptake of specific propositions. Events and triggers informing companies of how to deal with customers individually are also considered to be particularly effective rather than simple allocation of the customer to a particular characteristic segment. Implications for theory and practice in market segmentation are outlined and further research is called for to explore this important area further.Item Open Access Segmenting customers based on their unconscious needs.(2018-09) Simmons, Sid; Baines, Paul R.; Dimitriu, RaduThis paper contributes to the literature by proposing a new methodological approach for understanding customers’ unconscious needs. This approach combines Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT) with Choice-Based Conjoint (CBC), for the first time, to identify needs that segment members are either unaware of, or unable/unwilling to articulate. This methodological approach identified an additional market segment, distinct from those identified by a traditional customer segmentation approach based on customer need articulation. Ergo, understanding unconscious needs may provide additional customer insight and aid marketeers in developing new propositions and gaining market share. This study, therefore, makes a methodological contribution to the literature. The study involves the segmentation of buyers of snack bars (i.e. cereal bars), based on subjective nutritional information importance (as revealed on packaging). Separate samples of buyers were recruited: one group as a control sample completing a traditional CBC exercise; a second group completing the same CBC exercise but asked to complete a UTT working memory distraction-task between each choice-task and responding to it. This allowed a comparison of the segmentations of two groups (one which incorporated unconscious thought theory and the other which did not). Latent Class Segmentation (LCS) analysis indicated that whilst both approaches generate four similar segments, the CBC/UTT approach revealed a fifth (hidden) segment, unidentified in the other sample. In addition, the nutritional preferences of four of the five segments produced via the CBC/UTT approach matched those demonstrated by the participants’ store card behavioural data in a manner unobserved for the traditional CBC approach. This research provides a framework for further exploration and identifies a number of issues, such as which types of working memory distraction-tasks are most effective, that could potentially improve the approach if replicated.Item Open Access Selling terror: The symbolization and positioning of Jihad(SAGE Publications, 2009-06) O'Shaughnessy, Nicholas J.; Baines, Paul R.Public speculation has turned to how terrorists are made. One increasingly attributed source is propaganda (see Powell, 1967), the `propaganda of the deed' — physical violence — but also the audio-visual. Terrorism is a language of symbolic action: in the choice of the victims, in the choice of terrorist act, the drama created and the various official responses sought. We are in a new era, when the terrorist act does not simply speak for itself via its symbolism, but is amplified through a vast constellation of modern media. We explore the symbolism inherent in the construction of selected Islamist audio-visual propaganda made available on the internet today and seek to access the `meaning' of terrorist visualities through semiotic analysis, particularly using the Positioning Triad (Baines et al., 2008) and the deconstruction technique (Derrida, 1967) to encourage a new thread of political marketing/propaganda research. We conclude that a common theme projected in our sample is that of the West as permanent aggressor, with Muslims depicted as piously aggrieved for the wrongs done unto them.Item Open Access Towards the formation and measurement of ethnic price perception(Cranfield University, 2016-06) Mendoza, Jose; Baines, Paul R.This research is the outcome of a preeminent interest in the topic of price perception. Pointedly, the perception of prices is part of the purchasing process, the same willingness to pay and the actual purchase behaviour, and is indubitably a perceptual construct. As such, perception is problematic to measure as it does not relate to an observable behaviour. On the other hand, pricing is regarded as an important variable in the marketing mix. This research contributes to theory by augmenting the current knowledge on the perception of prices including the methods used in the measurement of such perception. Moreover, this research addresses a gap in the understanding of how diverse ethnic groups perceive prices. The relationship set in this study between ethnicity and price perception is thought-provoking as it contributes to the current discussion around diversity in the marketplace. For example, the literature shows advances in areas such as multicultural and ethnic marketing and this research makes a significant contribution to these areas from price perception. Accordingly, this study involved a systematic review of the literature and presented a framework that suggested that the formation of price perception is affected by external factors such as culture and ethnicity. Furthermore, a qualitative study examined the formation of price perception around ethnic groups. Next, this research used a quantitative study that sought differences in price perception among ethnic groups. Thus, the quantitative study used a price perception scale (Lichtenstein et al., 1993) and a choice-based conjoint analysis. Also, the study adopted structural equation modelling (SEM) to measure differences among scales and the multinomial logit model to analyse the choice-based conjoint analysis. The findings of both the quantitative and the qualitative studies link to the systematic review and support the framework for the formation and measurement of price perception originally proposed.