Volume 3 Issue 1: March 2024

The fast development of social media and online marketing brings a lot of benefits to business. In marketing, the use of controversial advertisements has increased in the last 2 decades. However, it is not clear whether consumers hold positive or negative attitudes toward controversial advertisements. Although the consumers’ attitudes toward competing brands are important determinants of their buying decisions, provocative messages could cause negative attitudes and negatively affect purchase decisions. While the issue of controversial or offensive advertising has been raised in Western countries, but there is a lack of study in this topic in developing countries like Vietnam. This study focuses on exploring the factors affecting to the attitude toward controversial advertising of consumers about FMCG products in Vietnam and suggesting solutions for applying controversial advertising in the Vietnamese context. Based on the related research, a research model is proposed including five variables: general beliefs, positive emotions, negative emotions, affective attitudes, cognitive attitudes. Through a survey of 286 valid samples, the research model has been tested using SEM/AMOS. The results show that all 6 hypotheses are supported. The research gives meaningful insights for any FMCG brand when it comes to deciding on controversial advertising strategy in Vietnamese market.

One very essential tool for the success of any business operation is a good knowledge of the consumer behaviour of its target. Consumer behaviour encompasses the various actions, thoughts, and emotions that impact individuals’ decisions related to the purchase, usage, and disposal of goods and services in their daily lives. While existing literature extensively covers consumer decision-making processes, there is a noticeable lack of information on the factors influencing the decision-making processes of university students, particularly in a developing country like Ghana. To address this gap, the present study investigates the factors influencing the decisions of University of Cape Coast (UCC) students when choosing specific fast-food delivery vendors. Utilizing one-on-one interviews, a purposive sample of 12 University of Cape Coast students was selected to gather their perspectives. The findings from these interviews indicate that the primary factors influencing students’ choices to engage with fast-food delivery services are convenience/proximity, timely delivery, and the taste of the food. Additionally, sub-categories such as the quantity of food, packaging, and the appearance of delivery motor riders were identified. The outcomes of this study have implications for marketing communications, highlighting the importance of addressing factors like convenience, timely delivery, and taste to effectively engage university students in the context of fast-food delivery services.

Information and Communication Technologies over the past decades have enhanced University Teachers’ ability to provide effective and prompt teaching and learning. Therefore, this study explored University Teachers' behaviour intentions toward the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning in higher educational institutions in Ghana. We grounded our study on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by testing the contributions of two key variables, the Cost of Internet Data and the Cost of Smart Phones to predict Behaviour Intentions (BI) of university teachers in three higher educational institutions towards the use of Digital Technologies (DTs) for online teaching and learning. We applied Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling for data analysis. Hypotheses testing on how the Cost of Internet Data and the Cost of Smartphones influence university teachers' Behaviour Intentions (BI) toward the use of Digital Technologies (DTs) were supported. The findings of our study further showed that university teachers’ intentions to use DTs are influenced by determinants such as social influence, personal experience, and facilitating conditions. The study concludes that the polarity in the findings could help the university authorities to understand the factors to consider in selecting appropriate digital technologies for teaching and learning in universities. The findings from this study are a template for University teachers to get governments to change policies that affect the introduction of digital technologies in higher educational institutions.