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BACKGROUND: There is a substantial overlap in the epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and tuberculosis (TB) due to overlapping risk factors. Testing for viral hepatitis is not widely recommended for patients with TB. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the global prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis infection among patients with TB. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, African Journals Online, LILACS, and country TB reports were searched for studies published between January 1st, 2011 and June 17th 2021. Random-effects meta-analyses for proportions were conducted to obtain pooled prevalences. The prevalence of chronic HBV/HCV infection among patients with TB was also compared to that in the general population. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021276468). FINDINGS: This analysis included 127 studies (83 for both HBV and HCV, 28 for HBV only, and 25 for HCV only) and data from 94,936 patients. The global pooled seroprevalence was 5.8% (95% CI 5.0–6.8) for HBs-antigen and 10.3% (95% CI 8.4–12.3) for HCV-antibodies. Pooled prevalence was highest in the WHO African Region for HBV at 7.8% (95% CI 5.2–10.9) and in the WHO European Region at 17.5% (95% CI 12.2–23.5) for HCV. In studies among TB patients who inject drugs, HCV prevalence was 92.5% (95% CI 80.8–99.0). Pooled HCV-antibody seroprevalence among patients with TB was higher than in the general population in all six WHO regions while HBs-antigen seroprevalence was higher in 3/6 regions. INTERPRETATION: This review highlights the syndemicity of chronic viral hepatitis and TB and suggests that routine testing for hepatitis upon TB diagnosis may be justified. The prevalence of chronic HBV and HCV infections was higher among patients with TB than in the general population. FUNDING: This study was study was funded by the Global Tuberculosis Programme, 10.13039/100004423World Health Organization.

International audience; The digital revolution has transformed the communication landscape into a hybrid online-offline environment. Although increasing complexity does pose new challenges for practitioners and scholars, the literature also lacks theoretical and empirical analyses of managerial and organizational issues regarding online and offline integration within integrated marketing communication (IMC). This study aims to provide an initial contribution to this field from a business perspective. First, we provide a definition and empirical analysis of the key managerial and organizational issues and approaches adopted by senior managers to tackle the challenge of online and offline integration. Second, we propose a conceptual framework that offers a holistic view of implementation modalities of offline and online integration, as well as the achievable outcomes and barriers to such implementation.

PurposeA significant body of research has now been accumulated in the intercultural service encounter (ICSE) literature. However, no study to date has provided scholars and practitioners with a systematic review to map and better understand the ICSE domain.Design/methodology/approachTo fill this gap, the authors systematically review and critically examine the state of academic research on ICSE.FindingsBased on a systematic review of 31 journal articles published over the last two decades, the results illustrate that ICSE research is a vibrant and rapidly growing stream of the broader international business domain, and it is topically and methodologically diverse. This review also identifies significant knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers examining ICSE at different levels of analysis, a lack of contextual positioning, as well as poor methodological rigor.Originality/valueBased on the findings, the authors introduce a multilevel and multidisciplinary conceptual framework that integrates the concepts of emotional intelligence (EI) and intercultural communication competence (ICC) as the key variables that explain trust development during the interaction between two key culturally different stakeholders: service providers (employees) and service receivers (customers). Finally, the authors discuss the contributions and implications for both academics and practitioners.

Achieving the United Nations' 90-90-90 goals has proven challenging in most settings and the ambitious 95-95-95 goals seem even more elusive. However, in Eswatini - a lower-middle-income country in sub-Saharan Africa with the highest HIV prevalence in the world - an estimated 92% of people living with HIV know their status. We conducted 26 in-depth interviews with stakeholders from policy, implementation, donor, local advocacy and academic sectors to elicit the facilitators and inhibitors to HIV testing uptake in Eswatini. Background data and related reports and policy documents (n = 57) were also reviewed. Essential facilitators included good governance via institutional and national budgetary commitments, which often led to swift adoption of globally recommended programs and standards. The integration of HIV testing into all points of care fostered a sense that testing was part of routine care, which reduced stigma. Challenges, however, centred on social norms that disadvantage certain groups with high ongoing HIV risk (such as key populations, adolescent girls and young women), a heavy reliance on external donor funding, and stigma that had subsided but nevertheless persisted. Amid concerns about whether the 90-90-90 targets could be achieved by 2020, the experience of Eswatini provides tangible insights into factors that have successfully influenced HIV testing uptake and may thus prove informative for other countries.

International audience; By drawing on social identity and stakeholders’ theories, this paper seeks to examine how universities co-create and manage their brand image and brand reputation through tapping into internal-stakeholders’ social network. This research utilises explanatory research design at the preliminary stage, and the subsequent model is examined via a positivist survey carried out among higher education internal stakeholders in the UK. The results show that the relationship between navigation design of the website, usability of the website and customization of the website are not significant from students’ perspective, whereas all those are significant from employees’ perspective. Furthermore, the relationship between logo and co-creation behaviour is not significant from employees’ perspective while it is significant from students’ perspective. University website is the most important marketing tool to attract students and other stakeholders. Therefore, these findings have significant implications for higher education branding and marketing managers aiming to design appropriate communication tools with a view to actively engage students and employees in a co-creation process to improve their products, services and brand image.

Purpose This paper aims to examine how customers encounter consumption-based evolution between mobile and offline platforms together with temporal and crossover effects. Counter to research on customer satisfaction theory, which shows that satisfaction directly affects loyalty, the authors show that when shopping between mobile and offline platforms, customers differently evaluate loyalty compared to the traditional satisfaction and loyalty approach. Also, customers differently evaluate three types of service quality from online to offline (O2O) platforms and response dynamically to firm satisfaction and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach This study tests temporal, carryover and crossover effects using longitudinal data sets. Findings From crossover loyalty shifts, the findings show that the relationship between offline provider satisfaction (OS) and mobile provider loyalty (ML) during consumption periods is consistently significant with similar impact. However, mobile provider satisfaction (MS) during the same periods does not impact offline provider loyalty (OL) in the same manner, but differs considerably in terms of pattern of influence. Specifically, the findings show that this crossover effect increases over time even though statistical impact is insignificant. Thus, the carryover loyalty shift has a positive impact when it originally occurs in the offline platform but differs significantly when it originates via the mobile platform. Practical implications – this study offers valuable guidance to managers on how O2O platform-centric firms try to enhance satisfaction with consumption system that links to three types of service quality and loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study offers valuable insights into offline and ML. This is seen, however, as an experimental study and further research using the same method would enable cross-cultural comparators. Practical implications Insights can be drawn from the findings, enabling comparisons relative to service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms. The idea of evolution and progression over time is particular pertinent to business practice assuming data sets are gathered, maintained and analyzed. Originality/value Insights can be used from the research findings, including but not limited to comparing the service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms and providing firms with an explanation of temporal evolution.

This study extends the conceptualization of corporate identity (CI), and develops a valid and reliable scale for the concept via multistage research design. After detailed literature review, key elements of CI in practice are clarified using 20 semi-structured interviews with senior managers in leading UK companies, followed by an online survey among senior managers in the UK food and beverage sector. Five dimensions of CI are identified following two-step structural equation modelling: consistent image, top management behavioral leadership, employee identification, mission and values dissemination, and founder transformational leadership. The scale is examined for nomological validity with an outcome variable, namely corporate social responsibility. The contribution is novel, as for the first time CI is empirically validated as a second-order hierarchical construct. The resultant scale guides practitioners to specify priorities when developing CI, acts as a tool to assess the effectiveness of activities over time, and enables corrective action where needed.\ud \ud Keywords: Corporate identityCommunicationVisual identityEmployee identificationLeadership

Purpose This study aims to investigate how marketing communication (MC) and nascent corporate communication (CC) strategies are juxtaposed in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) setting. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research method based on a multiple case study approach is elaborated in a South-East Asian emerging economy. Findings The key findings show that MC and nascent CC strategies coexist in SMEs, and are frequently closely interwoven, enabling the introduction of an integrated hybrid communication (IHC) theoretical perspective in this context. Four requisites inform IHC management: communicate the identity/roots; establish and communicate the relationship with multiple stakeholders; communicate the product/service to customers; and communicate other activities of the firm (e.g. corporate social responsibility and brand identity). SME managers were predisposed to use at least three communication channels among the following: advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing and/or personal selling. Furthermore, managers generally preferred internet-enabled communication. Research limitations/implications This study provides fresh insights into how SMEs could integrate their communication strategies to increase their survival chances and business growth. However, the need to develop SMEs is required in every economy. Thus, the present findings could be seen as relevant to various audiences (academic, practitioners and/or policy-makers) such as for managers from Western and/or European settings who are interested in operating in the Malaysian economy. Practical implications By using the four requisites that inform IHC, owners/managers of SMEs can adopt a more holistic approach, by strategically planning communication activities using both communication typologies (i.e. product and firm level). Thus, SMEs will be able to enhance clarity and consistency in their communication strategy and achieve brand equity across relevant stakeholders in the long run. Originality/value This study introduces the IHC theoretical perspective and reveals the communication tools used by SMEs to communicate product and brand-related messages to multiple stakeholders. These messages tend to stem from and are shaped by the identity/roots of the firm embedded in managerial personality/values.

Location based mobile applications (LBMA) are developing rapidly with the increasing adoption of smartphones. These applications advantage userś location to provide products or services based on information obtained from their smart devices. However, implementation and execution of these services may raise userś privacy concerns related to sensitive information being handled. In this context, this paper examines the factors that motivate users and lead them to protect their privacy while using LBMA. It also considers potential benefits they could encounter and thus enable their privacy trade. The model proposed is based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and tested through a variance-based Structural Equations Modelling approach. Data were obtained through an online survey with 820 participants. Findings reveal that perceived severity, perceived vulnerability and self-efficacy exert a positive effect on the intention of privacy protection, which in turn is found to be positively related to the behavior of protecting privacy., Spanish Ministry of Economics, Industry and Competitiveness under the grant ECO2017-82449-P, Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA

Purpose Based on the managerial perceptions from large firms, this paper aims to explore the emergence, growth and importance of corporate communications and how it is evolving and creating competitive advantage for Italian firms. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is deployed, comprising in-depth interviews with senior managers from Italian corporations from a broad spectrum of industries, including: energy, telecommunications, automotive, transport, retail chain, appliances, technology and engineering, private shipping, government-owned holdings, marketing consultancy and construction. Findings The paper offers insight into corporate communications (corpcoms) practices in the sampled companies. The paper shows that corpcoms involves a complex range of activities leading to performance – managed and implemented under CEO direction. Practical implications Corpcoms is perceived as a strategic concept with effective application relative to managing corporate image and reputation. The findings offer insights for communication professionals who deal with corpcoms, branding and marketing communications. Originality/value Corpcoms can be viewed via the lens of social actors’ perspectives, i.e. via practitioners – including brand managers and senior executives, as they possess practical knowledge of business practice in specific contextual business settings and have the managerial ability and remit to design, implement and evaluate integrated corpcoms.

International audience; This paper conceptualises replication research as being one of the most needed areas of ongoing academic activity. Using George the Galapagos tortoise as a metaphor for the lack of replication research, it is argued that only by replicating research studies over time can solid theory be developed. For the most part, advertising and marketing communication research consists of non-replicated, one-shot, point-in-time experiments which, once accepted and published by a journal, becomes the litany of the academic community and is then deified by the citation process. The paper begins by reviewing the background of replication research in the marketing communication domain and applies it to current thinking and publication trends. Reasons for the lack of replication research are presented and some conclusions are drawn for those seeking to confirm or challenge existing research. An agenda is provided for the development and publication of replication research.

Background Most data on COVID-19 was collected in hospitalized cases. Much less is known about the spectrum of disease in entire populations. In this study, we examine a representative cohort of primarily symptomatic cases in an administrative district in Southern Germany. Methods We contacted all confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in the administrative district. Consenting participants answered a retrospective survey either via a telephone, electronically or via mail. Clinical and sociodemographic features were compared between hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. Additionally, we assessed potential risk factors for hospitalization and time to hospitalization in a series of regression models. Results We included 897 participants in our study, 69% out of 1,305 total cases in the district with a mean age of 47 years (range 2–97), 51% of which were female and 47% had a pre-existing illness. The percentage of asymptomatic, mild, moderate (leading to hospital admission) and critical illness (requiring mechanical ventilation) was 54 patients (6%), 713 (79%), 97 (11%) and 16 (2%), respectively. Seventeen patients (2%) died. The most prevalent symptoms were fatigue (65%), cough (62%) and dysgeusia (60%). The risk factors for hospitalization included older age (OR 1.05 per year increase; 95% CI 1.04–1.07) preexisting lung conditions (OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.62–5.88). Female sex was a protective factor (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.33–0.77). Conclusion This representative analysis of primarily symptomatic COVID-19 cases confirms age, male sex and preexisting lung conditions but not cardiovascular disease as risk factors for severe illness. Almost 80% of infection take a mild course, whereas 13% of patients suffer moderate to severe illness. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00022926. URL: https://www.drks.de/drks_web/setLocale_EN.do

BackgroundAfter infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and virus-specific neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) develop. This study describes antibody responses in a cohort of recovered COVID-19 patients to identify predictors.MethodsWe recruited patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from Heidelberg, Germany. Blood samples were collected three weeks after COVID-19 symptoms ended. Participants with high antibody titers were invited for follow-up visits. IgG titers were measured by the Euroimmun Assay, and nAbs titers in a SARS-CoV-2 infection-based assay.Results281 participants were enrolled between April and August 2020 with IgG testing, 145 (51.6%) had nAbs, and 35 (12.5%) had follow-up. The median IgG optical density (OD) ratio was 3.1 (Interquartile range (IQR) 1.6-5.1), and 24.1% (35/145) had a nAb titer>1:80. Higher IgG titers were associated with increased age and more severe disease, and higher nAbs were associated with male gender and CT-value of 25-30 on RT-PCR at diagnosis. The median IgG OD ratio on follow-up was 3.7 (IQR 2.9-5.9), a median increase of 0.5 (IQR −0.3-1.7). Six participants with follow-up nAbs all had titers ≤ 1:80.ConclusionsWhile age and disease severity were correlated with IgG responses, predictive factors for nAbs in convalescent patients remain unclear.

International audience; After a period of initial scepticism, luxury-branded companies now understand the necessity of integrating digital technologies into their marketing actions. Therefore, most luxury companies approach emerging digital tools commencing from communication strategies. The direct consequence is the adoption of social media such as blogs, applications (apps), and social networking as new communication tools alongside and in conjunction with traditional media. The purpose of this chapter lies in seeking to understand the extent to which luxury brand consumers appreciate the contents of luxury brand communications and in comparing digital and traditional ranges. In addition, the chapter investigates the existence of a correlation between the level of satisfaction perceived by luxury consumers and the dimension of customer brand equity according to the Aaker model. In this endeavour, this study is an attempt to provide academics and practitioners with insight about the expectation of luxury brand consumers from contents delivered, comparing digital and traditional platforms.

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) are a core part of business success in the 21st century, but are facing exceptional challenges, some of which predate the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The various stages of IMC offer rich potential to enhance marketing techniques, harness the power of data analytics and build brand success. However, while most firms would claim to be deploying IMC, many are offering little more than sales-orientated mass marketing, having failed to move beyond the most basic form of its operation (Stage 1). Amid shrinking economies and slashed marketing budgets, even the minority of firms that has moved into Stage 2 (targeted marketing exchanges), Stage 3 (the application of information technology), Stage 4 (information-led communication planning), or even the putative Stage 5 (fully integrated marketing) now risk reverting to Stage 1. It is therefore critically important to develop an advanced understanding of IMC and its potential. Equally significant is the need to address the global trend towards focusing on attracting customers while neglecting post-purchase experience. A twin approach of successfully harnessing all the stages of IMC while also paying full attention to customer retention will maximise the chances of building brand success in the current challenging climate.

Purpose This paper aims to study the citations made in service failure literature and assesses the knowledge construction of this region of exploration to date. Design/methodology/approach The bibliometric investigation assesses 416 service failure articles in business associated research. Multidimensional scaling is used to uncover the scope of the scholarly impacts that have helped understand the nature of the service failure literature. The establishment of knowledge in the service failure literature is revealed by analysing co-citation data to identify significant topical impacts. Findings The theoretical model combines five areas with significant propositions for the future improvement of service failure as an area of investigation. The most important research themes in service failure literature are service failure, service failure communication, recovery process, recovery offer and intention. Research limitations/implications Potential research concentrating on the service failure literature could use search terms improved from the literature review, or use a comparable approach whereby a board of well-informed scholars approved the key words used. Practical implications This paper is beneficial for any reader who is interested in understanding the components of the perception of justice and recovery and how it improves repurchase intention. Originality/value The study seeks to influence resource and recovery-based concepts and utilises the five supporting knowledge groups to suggest a plan for future research that fills existing gaps and offers the possibility of expanding and enhancing the service failure literature.

About the Editors. Acknowledgements. Introduction and Overview of Marketing Communications. From Advertising to Integrated Marketing Communications. Reading 1. Advertising: What to Say, When. Reading 2. Sales Promotion. Reading 3. From Direct Mail to Direct Response Marketing. Readings 4 and 5. Marketing PR. Reading 6. Sponsorship. Reading 7. Personal Selling. Reading 8. Internet and the World Wide Web. Reading 9. Roots of Relationship. Marketing. Reading 10. Measuring the Success Rate of Marketing Communications. Reading 11. Summary and Conclusion

This chapter explores the emergence of marketing public relations (MPR) as a conceptual discipline, the location of MPR, whether MPR was likely to become a separate marketing management discipline, or whether it will be anchored to PR in general, ascertain the influence of the protracted debate concerning boundaries and the relationship between MPR and corporate public relations (CPR). The marketing literature indicates that many businesses have elevated marketing activities to a dominant organizational position and, thus, marketing is treated as the most important commitment within an organization. The need for co-operation between CPR and MPR seems vital now and may be increasingly so in the future. Some give and take will inevitably be required from both.

Don E. Schultz, a pioneer and eventual guru in the field of integrated marketing communications (IMC) and advertising, passed away on Thursday 4 June 2020 at the age of 86. He is survived by his wi...

The paper examines the use of advertising and celebrity endorsement in promoting wristwatches from the beginning of the 20th century up until today. It shows a progression from simple informational advertisements stressing the technical, aesthetic and social appeals of the watches to more complex ones appealing to self-image and the use of celebrity endorsement. However, some – albeit not all – luxury wristwatch manufacturers have abandoned their use of celebrity endorsers. We note the need for businesses to undertake advertising aimed at appealing to consumer self-image, often reinforced by celebrity endorsement. The paper explores why the celebrity endorsement of brands may be effective or otherwise. We question, however, the cost-effectiveness of celebrity endorsement, and whether methods such as parasocial advertising through social media sites may offer an alternative. Like the brands they promote, advertising theories also have life cycles and the need to find new theories and update or abandon existing ones continues apace.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between community of place and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lombard industrial districts in Italy. Design/methodology/approach A brief literature review of international authors from the stakeholder approach and Corporate Community Relations (CCRs) field is presented. This paper refers to a survey of Lombard industrial districts conducted by ALTIS. The data were collected via a telephone survey from 834 firms. Findings The main finding is that managing CCRs is of major importance for company success. The results of the survey show that there are some tools and actions that Italian industrial district SMEs use to interact with their particular communities of place to develop effective and coherent relationships with their stakeholder groups. Moreover, although the survey shows that though SMEs do implement different CCR activities, they are not able to communicate these effectively through systematic communication strategies. However, the narrow sample includes only a sample of some Lombard districts. Nonetheless, the findings indicate that effective CCR seems to confer competitive advantage based on stakeholder responses and rewards sought. Research limitations/implications The framework could assist in supporting CCR developments between industrial districts as various players would know how to improve CCR activities. One further suggestion is that University and Research Centers could have a role to play in creating and communicating codified knowledge concerning community relations in industrial districts, while other public players still have to develop specific tasks in improving infrastructures. Originality/value This study is in line with the main focus of CCR, which is in striving to meet stakeholder and societal needs. However, industrial district SMEs have to learn how to communicate their CCR activities from the examples set by large Italian companies. The paper links the notion of CCR with tools and actions to develop meaningful relationships with both community of place and interest. Moreover, considering the survey results, a new framework for local player roles is proposed.

Integrating corporate social responsibility into brand positioning strategies has become a key concept for the brand marketing of many companies. There is a wealth of studies focusing on the effects of CSR for large international brands and companies operating in business-to-consumer markets. However, there is only limited empirical evidence about the relevance of CSR for sales and branding strategies of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a business-to-distributor (B2D) context. Using a qualitative research design based on an exploratory case study approach, this paper therefore explores how CSR can be incorporated into the brand marketing strategy of a SME in the B2D sector and how CSR is evaluated in terms of brand perceptions and purchase intentions of business partners (n = 25). The findings suggest that although industrial buyers attribute a certain importance to CSR, product design and perceived product quality are nevertheless the main purchase reasons. The paper concludes with discussing practical and theoretical implications.

Purpose This paper aims to challenge singular definitions, measurements and applications of corporate reputation which tend to be reductionist. The authors rebuff such narrow representations of reputation by showing the multiplicity of reputation in the case of a global management consulting firm and demonstrate how it has sustained such reputations. Design/methodology/approach Using a large cross-country qualitative case study based on interviews, focus groups, non-participant observations, workshops and a fieldwork diary, dimensions of reputation are highlighted by drawing on perceptions from multiple stakeholder groups in different geographies. Findings The authors find significant differences in perceptions of reputation between and within stakeholder groups, with perceptions changing across dimensions and geographies. Originality/value The theoretical implications of the research indicate a plurality of extant reputations, suggesting that a prism is more suited to representing corporate reputation than a singular, lens-like focus which is too narrow to constitute reputation. This paper offers theoretical and practical suggestions for how global firms can build and sustain multiple and competing corporate reputations.