Search

Academic propaganda, as a 'darker' form of institutional brand communication strategy has been diachronically misleading target audiences for political, social and/or business purposes. Though scholars have studied the matter, primarily in its socio-political context, its business façade is under-researched. We have limited knowledge and ability in detecting academic propaganda and in developing the right antidote to it. This multidisciplinary research, thus, follows an inductive constructive approach to identify, interrelate and superimpose the critical aspects of divergent, but, related fields of cognitive communication studies, including propaganda, strategic management and marketing communication. The aim is to develop theoretical insights and propositions with regards to the detection of academic propaganda; and to construct a mechanism for its monitoring and control. We propose frameworks that theoretically contribute to the extant propaganda management literature, while practically enabling the corresponding government and non-government monitoring agencies to detect and react to academic propaganda.

Sustainably bridging the industry–academia research gap is an ongoing concern within the wider effort to successfully unlock the full potential of both sectors. In this context, the authors present a research perspective on and an explicit articulation of the manner in which academic research could focus on theorization. They discuss how this focus could be instrumental in developing industry-based academic research projects. ‘Theorization’, in this context, refers to the contribution to existing theories and/or the development of a new theory, aiming to nurture the theorization process, in a way that could substantially contribute to industry’s needs and help to bridge the industry–academia research gap.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand and accentuate the value of social media in international student recruitment in Lebanese higher education institutions (HEIs). This study analyses the significance of social media and the changes occurring in the means of communicating with the potential international students, with an aim to understand how the HEIs could adapt with the changes to implement a model of engagement to include social media as a fundamental constituent of the Lebanese HEIs’ international student recruitment strategy. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers carried out a study through quantitative descriptive approach by using a probabilistic simple random sample and a self-administered questionnaire on 230 international students from several universities and colleges in Lebanon as a data collection method. Findings: The findings demonstrated a certain level of engagement in social media networks from the part of the students during their search for college or university and course information. Research showed that international students still prefer the traditional sources, apart from social media, during their search. Among traditional media sources, friend, family and university website were the highest in ranking. Among social media sources, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube showed the highest ranks. Most students have, indeed, contacted a friend or a university staff for university course information by using social media sites. Practical implications: For managerial practice, this is an incentive for institutions of higher education to re-evaluate and assess the effective impact of social media on the recruitment of international students and to regulate their social media marketing strategies. For research in international education, the insights of this study are useful to explore further research avenues in the area of capacity building for business innovation, marketing and quality assurance in higher education in the cross-cultural context. Originality/value: This study offers insights on the implications of social media for international student recruitment strategies in a particular Lebanese context of HEIs.

Tasmania, the island state of Australia has been steadily escalating its appeal as a tourist destination. The state government's 'sports-tourism' partnership with the Hawthorn Football Club plays a key role to promote the tourism industry, and to contribute to various socio-economic issues of Tasmania. This case study attempts to analyse the relationships and interactions of these two partners, as they both work interdependently towards their multifarious goals. The findings descriptively portray the influence of relationship marketing (RM) on the mutually beneficial relationship value of Tasmania and Hawthorn, where RM steers their initial mutual value alongside their interdependence and multifarious socio-economic goals, towards a win-win outcome and further socio-economic value co-creation for all associated stakeholders. The findings contribute to the contemporary understanding of interrelations and interdependence among the stakeholders from sports-tourism, destination marketing and socio-economic development perspectives and suggest its research and practical significance.

Wine tourism in Italy, the largest wine producing country in the world, has achieved outstanding performance over recent years. However, various institutional, managerial, and professional delays in the field impede Italy from developing its full potential as a wine tourism destination, most likely because of the still unsatisfactory engagement of all possible stakeholders. A recent step forward has been the specific amendment regarding wine tourism provided by the 2018 Budget Law, anticipating regulatory norms for the sector. In this scenario, Italian wine routes, established by Law No. 268/1999 and consolidated by the law on vines and wine (Law No. 238/2016), should play a key role in the governance and management of the local wine tourism industry. However, the state of the industry presents opportunities and (above all) challenges. Our research contributes to exploring this scenario, providing evidence from the field and potential guidelines for development through territorial stakeholders' engagement.