Robert E. Hinson – författare

This book responds to calls for a systematic approach in understanding the transformations in the social media marketing landscape. To narrow the focus, the book takes a developing economy perspective and presents a comprehensive understanding of social media practices and how these can be integrated in firms’ operational activities to create a competitive advantage.

In emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), social media provides a technological solution to the economic challenges faced by governments, firms, and people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Social media is often considered to be fundamentally changing the business paradigm and is increasingly integrated into the marketing function, and EMDEs seem to be quickly finding out that it offers them a relatively low-cost opportunity to potentially leapfrog the competition in developed markets.

By using social technology to reach users in different market segments in ways that were impossible before, social sites such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) create tremendous new growth opportunities for businesses. As businesses embrace social media solutions however, some challenges emerge in the adoption, utilisation, integration, and implementation of social media systems and tools in EMDEs— hence the need to provide pathways to better integrate social media into the marketing activities of emerging market institutions.

This book provides practical guidance on the use of social media in marketing management. It provides contemporary perspectives on social media marketing, and while it is aimed primarily at practitioners, it could also serve as teaching text for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes.

This book responds to calls for a systematic approach in understanding the transformations in the social media marketing landscape. To narrow the focus, the book takes a developing economy perspective and presents a comprehensive understanding of social media practices and how these can be integrated in firms’ operational activities to create a competitive advantage.

In emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), social media provides a technological solution to the economic challenges faced by governments, firms, and people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Social media is often considered to be fundamentally changing the business paradigm and is increasingly integrated into the marketing function, and EMDEs seem to be quickly finding out that it offers them a relatively low-cost opportunity to potentially leapfrog the competition in developed markets.

By using social technology to reach users in different market segments in ways that were impossible before, social sites such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) create tremendous new growth opportunities for businesses. As businesses embrace social media solutions however, some challenges emerge in the adoption, utilisation, integration, and implementation of social media systems and tools in EMDEs— hence the need to provide pathways to better integrate social media into the marketing activities of emerging market institutions.

This book provides practical guidance on the use of social media in marketing management. It provides contemporary perspectives on social media marketing, and while it is aimed primarily at practitioners, it could also serve as teaching text for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes.

Marketing in Healthcare-Related Industries captures the concepts and complexities of marketing healthcare in today’s environment. The book provides detailed conceptual and practical insights that will be of great benefit to healthcare scholars and practitioners. Topics on healthcare marketing have been carefully selected to provide wide coverage and are illustrated by mini-cases with a highly practical marketing tool kit for healthcare managers included.

The healthcare sector in the 21st century face a multiplicity of challenges, which include changing disease patterns, more technology-driven health interventions, a more assertive and quality conscious clientele, as well as a rapidly growing for-profit segment of the industry. This places more responsibilities on healthcare service providers in both the public and private sectors, to deliver value-for-money services at competitive costs. To respond to the changing business environment, a carefully crafted marketing approach is needed by all players in the industry to create value and sustain the confidence of clientele and stakeholders.

Marketing in Healthcare-Related Industries captures the concepts and complexities of marketing healthcare in today’s environment. The book provides detailed conceptual and practical insights that will be of great benefit to healthcare scholars and practitioners. Topics on healthcare marketing have been carefully selected to provide wide coverage and are illustrated by mini-cases with a highly practical marketing tool kit for healthcare managers included.

The healthcare sector in the 21st century face a multiplicity of challenges, which include changing disease patterns, more technology-driven health interventions, a more assertive and quality conscious clientele, as well as a rapidly growing for-profit segment of the industry. This places more responsibilities on healthcare service providers in both the public and private sectors, to deliver value-for-money services at competitive costs. To respond to the changing business environment, a carefully crafted marketing approach is needed by all players in the industry to create value and sustain the confidence of clientele and stakeholders.

Customer Service Essentials is a must-read and a definitive source of information on effective management of customer service in Africa and beyond. Leveraging on unique concepts and practices developed in the field of customer service management, this book uses case studies and vignettes to reinforce learnings, drawing parallels to real life experiences. The book is a valuable resource for individuals and organizations, in the quest to achieve excellent customer service, increased productivity and enhanced employee satisfaction. It explores the practical challenges of customer service in Africa, examines critical success factors and provides guidelines for effective customer engagement in this evolving highly networked digital era. Policy makers, directors, managers and students will gain valuable and actionable insights on service management as they navigate the chapters.

In a fast-moving era of increased international competition, frontier markets must devise innovative ways to meet demanding sales targets and maintain profitability. These efforts will only succeed when local businesses abandon the concept of sales as a checklist of persuasive arguments that lead a customer to make a purchase and accept that building enduring customer relationships is the key to achieving sales goals. To understand what it means to sell successfully, sales representatives must develop a solid foundation in selling skills and an understanding of the critical elements needed to achieve sales goals.

By delving into the foundational concepts related to leveraging sales as a tool for organisational profit, the authors give readers important insights into the critical elements of the sales process, including consultative selling, sales force management, qualities of effective leadership in sales, and the use of technological tools such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems.

This book includes insightful contributions from leading sales and marketing practitioners across the continent of Africa on characteristics of successful salespeople and how to recruit them, the crucial role of sales leadership, sales team training methods and strategies for developing customer relationship management programs. Case studies tie theory to practice and short quizzes help readers test their understanding of the material. Written in an accessible and reader-friendly format, this book is primarily aimed at undergraduate students with a secondary audience comprised of postgraduate students and business practitioners.

Adverse environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and chemical spills have put the topic of green business firmly on the sustainability agenda. Despite the burgeoning literature on green business and green marketing from the globalised north, there is relative parsimony of green business literature in the global south. This book offers a greater understanding of what green marketing is, as well as the various levels of practices and the implementations thereof. It places specific emphasis on the people through which green marketing excellence can be achieved. Contributors argue that, given the complexity of green marketing, people management plays a key role in achieving green marketing success, and the chapters consider the role that green human resource management practices play in marketing.

Providing a unique perspective on the successful implementation of green marketing, this book is an important resource for students, researchers and practitioners. It is of particular interest to those who desire a greater understanding of how organisations deal internally and externally with increasing pressure to become more socially responsible and embed ‘greenness’ in all their marketing activities.

Green marketing has risen in prominence over recent years as corporations face calls to lower their carbon footprint, engage in socially responsible practices, and promote sustainable ways of conducting business. In emerging economies, social, economic, and environmental problems resulting from rapid industrialisation requires urgent attention. Promoting environmentally responsible practices through green marketing has been identified as a key solution.

This book provides theoretical and practical insights into how businesses in emerging economies can integrate green objectives into their marketing activities to achieve sustainable outcomes and attain green-focused goals. It discusses green marketing from strategic and operational perspectives, which considers target consumers, products, processes, promotion and sustainability of resources and presents the institutional logic of embedding greenness across organisational marketing activities. Issues concomitant to green marketing such as consumer buying behaviour of green products, green integrated marketing communication, green product management, green initiatives in logistics social responsibility, greenwashing and the need for transparency, and green marketing orientations and firm performance, are covered in the book. Ultimately, this collection contributes to and extends theoretical conversations on green marketing while also providing actionable recommendations for organisations and the larger society in emerging economies.

Chipo Mukonza is a  Lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology in Polokwane, South Africa.  

Ogechi Adeola is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria. 

Isaiah Adisa is a management researcher and consultant based in Nigeria.

Robert E. Hinson is a Professor and Head of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Ghana Business School.

Emmanuel Mogaji is a Senior Lecturer in Advertising and Marketing Communications at the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom.

This book analyses and evaluates the accomplishments, challenges, and approaches associated with the New Public Management (NPM) in Africa towards establishing context-specific interventions for public sector institutions'' performance. Taking the reader through various business and management approaches, including leadership in the public sector, digitalisation, market orientation and trust building, this book provides an understanding of the key issues facing public sector organisations in Africa and offers novel ways of approaching public management in a changing socio-economic landscape to drive improved performance of public institutions.

The book offers students, practitioners and researchers important insights on NPM and public sector institutions in Africa. The recommendations of the book will help government and policymakers implement appropriate public sector management policies for strengthening public sector service delivery in Africa.