Abstract

This research project developed a framework for assessing digital transformation (DT) maturity in large government-owned corporations (GOCs), focusing on integrating building information modelling (BIM), digital engineering (DE) practices, value of information, data integration aspects, and critical information management competencies, relating to asset management, asset delivery, and asset performance. Recognising DT’s strategic importance in asset lifecycle management, researchers created a practical DT maturity assessment tool applied to an Australian GOC. The framework and Excel assessment tool outline DT maturity across seven categories and 56 indicators, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to rank indicators based on expert input. The tool enables straightforward data input and DT maturity evaluation, helping organisations understand their current DT status and set improvement targets. Workshops with DT professionals validated the tool’s effectiveness through a case study, offering insights into DT maturity levels and a roadmap for technological integration and data-driven decision-making. The research highlights DT’s role in enhancing efficiency, innovation, and safety, emphasising the need for strategic alignment with organisational objectives.

Introduction

The building and infrastructure industries are gradually transitioning towards building information modelling (BIM) as an object-based digital representation of an asset’s physical and functional characteristics [1], [2] and digital engineering (DE) practices to enable more productive methods of planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining assets, using digital processes [3]. As detailed later in the paper, “digital” encompasses approaches, tools and technologies such as BIM and DE together with data science, the Internet of Things (IoT), and AI solutions integrated to digitise assets throughout the lifecycle. Asset owners recognise the importance of digital transformation (DT) in delivering and managing assets [4], as it offers many benefits throughout the asset lifecycle and can enhance efficiency, value for money, productivity, innovation, and safety.

1.1. DT of large infrastructure asset ownersGovernments and government-owned corporations (GOCs) are typically owners and operators of large assets, such as buildings, infrastructure, and other asset holdings across the spectrum of services. Governments and industries must transition from ‘digital by exception’ towards ‘digital by default’ [5], [6]. The infrastructure sector should adopt an evidence-based approach to infrastructure planning, delivery, and operations, including BIM, DE, embedded sensors, and digital asset management [7]. DT offers significant potential value and benefits to government agencies that manage assets across the whole-of-asset lifecycle. DT can assist in strategic investing and partnering with local governments and industry to deliver more benefits, including [8]:

Conclusion

The dynamic evolution of the building and infrastructure sectors towards digitalised practices underscores the growing importance of asset owners engaging in comprehensive DT. This research project has developed a multifaceted framework for assessing DT maturity tailored to the needs of large GOCs.

The existing assessment tools and methods have been reviewed for suitability in assessing the DT in whole-of-life asset owner organisations. The reviewed tools offer varying assessment scopes, including a capability assessment, maturity assessment, and benchmarking. The need and potential benefit of a new maturity assessment tool that would balance assessment accuracy and completion efficiency were established based on the shortcomings and limitations of existing DT maturity tools and methods. The key contributions of the new DT maturity assessment framework and tool developed by the research team include (i) a holistic view on the assessment of how well organisations use data and digital solutions, focusing on BIM capabilities, the value of information, data integration aspects, components of the smart city concept and critical information management competencies; (ii) an evidence-based scoring approach including assigning weight to various assessment indicators based on their importance to ensure the accuracy of the assessment; (iii) a multiperspective assessment allowing for more accurate organisation-wide analysis; (iv) short-term and long-term recommendations based on the current and target levels gap to facilitate performance improvement while realising the benefits and value of getting to each maturity level.

Abstract

The role of Instagram brand messaging as a force for good is examined when a brand’s mission is creating societal change and where being authentic can also lead to controversy and negative responses. A depth study of an exemplary brand is used to explore brand authenticity in the context of sustainability, brand activism messaging and consumer responses to brand posts on Instagram. We offer a unique perspective by focusing on authentic brand sustainability activism. 104 brand messages and 5541 consumer responses to Patagonia, an activist brand renowned for supporting environmental and social issues, are analysed. An extended ‘activist sustainability view’ of brand authenticity is proposed including the conceptualisation of authentic brand sustainability activism. Eight types of consumer response to brand sustainability posts that encompass both positive and negative sentiment are identified. Theoretical and managerial implications, and avenues for future research are offered.

Introduction

The climate crisis poses an existential threat; if we don’t clean up our mess, we’ll be history. Business has a role to play, but it’s only one lever. We must use all the tools at our disposal to secure a safer, more just future. (Ryan Gellert, Patagonia CEO cited in Patagonia,(2022a).

A key issue in business research concerns how organisations position themselves to deliver more than growth and profit – positive impact on society and the environment as tenets of sustainability are a given (Lloveras et al., 2022). An emphasis on sustainability marketing that considers a variety of marketing practices and interactions is now critical if there is to be genuine change for people and planet (Thomas, 2018). Brands are increasingly used as a marketing tool for more than driving sales – they can represent an organisation’s raison d’etre and become a platform for societal change. Brand identity created around sustainability must deliver on promises and ensure authentic embedding of sustainability (Vallaster et al., 2012). Research suggests that when brands promote sustainability values it is essential to be perceived as authentic because consumers are often sceptical about sustainability claims (Ginder and Byun, 2022, Iglesias and Ind, 2020). But what happens in terms of brand authenticity when a sustainable brand takes a stand on controversial environmental, social, and economic issues and essentially becomes a sustainable activist brand?

Being an authentic brand and communicating authentically is characterised by having brand behaviour and core values that are consistent over time (Bruhn et al., 2012, Fritz et al., 2017, Spiggle et al., 2012), remaining real, truthful, honest and true to itself (Becker et al., 2019, Beverland, 2006), and symbolising what the brand stands for (Jian et al., 2019, Morhart et al., 2015). Brand scholars agree on four key dimensions of brand authenticity that can lead to enhanced brand attachment, positive word of mouth, and intentions to purchase, including continuity, credibility, integrity, and symbolism (Carsana and Jolibert, 2018, Morhart et al., 2015). These dimensions of brand authenticity have been exemplified by famous brands that show leadership in some facet of business and connect well with their customers, for example Lego, Amazon and Apple (Goldsmith, 2019). However, while many famously authentic brands have well-accepted prosocial Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agendas they tend not to adopt issues that are divisive (Mirzaei et al., 2022). Less is known about how the reported dimensions of brand authenticity play out in the context of activist brands that have strong, uncompromising, and sometimes polarising socio-political and sustainability agendas (Eilert & Nappier Cherup, 2020).

Implications and conclusions

Being an authentic ASB does not mean it is without fault and cannot improve, but it does mean being true to its mission. Of course Patagonia is ultimately a business and will only survive if people continue to consume and use their products. Ironically, their sustainability agenda may also drive consumption. However, on balance, their drive to reduce their own impact on the planet (production side) and their commitment to use resources for good to encourage reductions in the impact of consumption (related to their own industry and more generally in the wider world) is full of integrity. As an activist sustainability brand they have been consistent in their use of authentic symbolism and continuously credible in their drive to do better – as any authentic brand should be – and this case study of a 50-year-old activist brand has allowed us to make several theoretical contributions.

Abstract

Despite the corona-virus pandemic, Korean cosmetics maintain brand attachment in the Chinese market. This study identifies critical influencing and outcome factors of brand attachment within this consumer phenomenon. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between Chinese consumers’ perceived brand authenticity and brand attachment, brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness. To this end, it uses AMOS 21.0 to analyze data collected through a questionnaire, testing the research model. The study reveals several key findings. Firstly, it assesses brand authenticity based on the following five sub-factors: consistency, naturalness, originality, advertisement truthfulness, and reliability. According to the assessment results, originality shows the most significant impact, followed by reliability, consistency, and naturalness. Furthermore, brand attachment significantly enhances brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness toward the brand. Higher levels of brand attachment lead to increased brand loyalty. In addition, greater brand attachment correlates with consumers’ increased willingness to pay more for products and greater forgiveness towards the brand.

Introduction

1.1 Practical background
Economic development, income improvement, and cultural factors, such as valuing beauty, have significantly influenced consumers’ purchasing behavior [1,2]. In China, consumption behaviors have considerably changed due to rapid economic growth and improved income levels. In particular, in the Chinese cosmetics market, the overall interest in beauty has increased alongside the middle class’s income growth, enhancing purchasing power. For example, while the Chinese cosmetics market plunged in February 2020 with the outbreak of COVID-19, it demonstrated a sharp recovery since March 2020 [3,4]. Specifically, the skincare market has shown an upward trend, with the sales of Korean cosmetics brand Huwa SK-II increasing by about 300 % in 2019. Simultaneously, mask pack sales also grew dramatically [5].

The Chinese cosmetics market promotes thousands of products using various pricing strategies, brand positioning, and unique functional ingredients [6]. This market involves premium and mid-to low-end segments. As of 2018, premium brands accounted for about 29.9 % of the total cosmetics market in China, with major global beauty brands leading the premium segment [5]. The remaining 70 % constitutes the mid-to low-end general market, where many Chinese native brands have launched new products. Recently, local Chinese brands have started closely following imported premium brands regarding price competitiveness and product quality, intensifying market competition. According to a survey of Chinese consumers’ use of cosmetics, 57 % of consumers use foreign cosmetics brands, showing their marked preference for overseas brands [7]. A survey of preferences for overseas cosmetic brands, based on the number of searches on Baidu in 2016, revealed that all top 10 brands were international. LANCOME and Estee Lauder ranked first and second in this list, respectively. Korean brands in the top 10 included Innisfree, Sulwhasoo, and Laneige [7]. To survive in the competitive Chinese cosmetics market, which has become a battleground for global brands, more than simple functional differentiation, pricing policies, and exaggerated image advertisements are required. In an era of distrust toward excessive commercial messages, cosmetics brands must emphasize authenticity. Consumer awareness of brand authenticity is a critical element of brand authenticity and differentiated competitive advantage as it expands into the realm of truth, introducing brand value as a critical factor for products and services.

Conclusions

4.1 Implications
4.1.1 Theoretical implications
Even during the COVID-19 crisis, the cosmetics market in China has demonstrated a continuous growth trend. In particular, Chinese consumers’ brand attachment to Korean cosmetics has steadily increased. The results of this study offer the following theoretical implications:

First, our results demonstrate that four sub-factors of Korean cosmetic brand authenticity (consistency, naturalness, originality, and reliability) positively affect brand attachment. These findings suggest that maintaining the intrinsic value of a cosmetic brand fosters positive consumer emotions. Specifically, higher consistency in the brand’s core values and attributes significantly influences consumer attachment. Moreover, greater naturalness in non-artificial cosmetics enhances brand attachment. Brand originality is crucial in capturing consumer attention, while brand reliability significantly precedes and influences brand attachment. Once established through consistent positive experiences, trust becomes a critical factor in strengthening the consumer-brand relationship and positively impacts attachment.

However, our results indicate that advertisement truthfulness could be more effective in the authenticity of Korean cosmetic brands. This finding suggests that excessively high levels of advertisement truthfulness may decrease consumers’ brand attachment.

1- Introduction

2- Cultural tourism and heritage tourism

3- Authenticity as a success factor in brand extensions

4- Brand equity in the cultural and heritage sphere

5- Methodology

6- Data analysis

7- Conclusions

8- Managerial implications

9- Limitations and future research

References

Abstract

Brand extension is a strategy widely used among firms with high brand equity to launch new products into the market. This strategy has been the subject of considerable scholarly interest over the last few years. However, there are very few published works that have focused on analyzing brand extensions in the heritage context or, more specifically, in relation to the UNESCO World Heritage brand. The present study examines the extent to which the authenticity of a brand extension pertaining to a heritage destination parent brand affects the formation of brand equity for the extension. It takes into account the moderating roles of brand extension credibility and tourists’ experience and product knowledge. To fulfill the research objectives, an experimental design is applied to a sample of 217 tourists visiting the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada, Spain, and the degree of authenticity of the brand extension is manipulated between subjects. The findings show that brand extension authenticity exerts a direct effect on brand extension equity, and an indirect effect, via brand extension credibility: these effects being activated only beyond certain levels of tourist experience of the heritage site and product knowledge.

Introduction

Cultural heritage and public awareness of its importance are among the primary elements that can contribute to socio-economic and cultural development (Backman & Nilsson, 2016; Carbone, 2016). Cultural heritage assets constitute a resource for the area in question, offering the potential to act as a tourist attraction and thus contribute to the development of the territory (Carbone, 2016). If these resources can be exploited in a sustainable manner, this constitutes an excellent opportunity to improve a community’s quality of life (Timothy & Boyd, 2006). On this point, Carbone (2016) notes that cultural heritage is vital for tourism destination development, appeal, and competitiveness. Thus, countries, regions, and cities the world over now compete for the attention of tourists, to attract them to their heritage offer (PaskalevaShapira, 2007). Among heritage sites, those classified as World Heritage (WH) according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are of exceptional interest, as this universally recognizable label sets them apart as genuine heritage brands (Kim, Stepchenkova, & Yilmaz, 2019). This intense competition between tourist destinations requires them to generate their own competitive edge over others (Pike & Page, 2014). A clear competitive advantage can be gained by developing powerful brands that deliver a high level of value for clients. One way to achieve this is by employing a brand extension strategy, which consists of using the name of a well-established brand (the ‘parent’ brand) to launch a new product (the brand extension) in the market. While this approach has proved of great interest in the marketing realm, it has received little scholarly attention in the context of tourism destinations (Kim et al., 2019), yet it could provide a valuable source of competitive advantage for destinations that carry the WH brand.