PurposeEducation can cultivate a variety of skills for future entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of a marketing simulation game as a pedagogical tool to enhance the entrepreneurial mind-set and boost the predisposition of postgraduate students to become entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data from the feedback of students regarding their simulation experience in an advanced marketing course were collected and analyzed.FindingsThe reports showed that, in a simulation setting, entrepreneurial learning can develop students' entrepreneurial skills and encourage them to undertake entrepreneurial activities. The simulation experience allowed students to face challenges, overcome limitations, improve their analytical skills, and enhance their business knowledge.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, these findings cannot be generalized as they are based on a small sample of students. Second, qualitative research is very reliant on the individual characteristics of students. Because of the restricted time of the module, the students were only allowed to run six rounds (the minimum) out of 10. More rounds would have benefitted student learning and increased the likelihood of capturing more of their insights.Originality/valueBy using qualitative research, this study provides more thoughtful insights into students' perceptions of entrepreneurial skills and competency improvements by using simulation as a pedagogical tool. Following the suggestions of Fayolle et al. (2016), this study underlines the entrepreneurship education outcomes in terms of students' reflections on understanding their capability and their predisposition to take entrepreneurial actions in the future. Also, the role of education in fostering entrepreneurship is highlighted.

Purpose Despite the abundance of B2B loyalty programs (LPs), the research on their interplay with relationship marketing is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a LP (a relational practice) on a transactional business market to test if and how a B2B LP affects relationship outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on dyadic research in a multi-theory framework. Data were collected from 200 small and medium enterprises that purchase office supplies from a company and merged with the company’s internal records.The formative-reflective measurement model is estimated using structural equation modeling – partial least squares (SEM-PLS). Findings Relationship quality (RQ) directly affects sales and customer share of wallet. The effect is strengthened by customer activity in a LP. RQ results directly in a longer tenure and willingness to recommend only for members of a LP. Research limitations/implications RQ is driven mainly by customer’s evaluation of prior experience with a supplier, while a LP is based on a forward-looking promise of a reward. The results of the study point to the level of customers’ activity in a LP as a boundary condition of the program’s efficacy. Practical implications RQ affects both attitudinal and behavioral outcomes but through distinct mechanisms. Once a supplier is a preferred one, LP membership strengthens the attitudinal outcome of a relationship. The effect of RQ on company performance is magnified by the level of customer activity in a LP but not by the membership status. Originality/value The theoretical framework integrates transaction costs, relational contract and relational exchange theories to investigate a LP on a transactional market. The study adds to the scant literature on LPs in business-to-business and provides evidence for similarities and differences in comparison to consumer research.

Purpose -Loyalty programs (LPs) in a business-to-business (B2B) context have been under-researched when compared to consumer markets. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if and to what extent the loyalty program activity (LPA) based on recency, frequency and monetary framework reflects the effectiveness of a specific LP. Design/methodology/approach -Using the data obtained from 818 business customers enrolled in a LP, logistic regression models are run to find the impact of LPA on the company's sales. Findings -The results suggest that in a linear LP, the frequency of rewards impacts sales the most, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. The intensity of a LPA is influencing the expected sales in a company.Research limitations/implications -The current study is not focused on the redemption patterns and the value of the rewards offered in the program. Limitation of the study only to one country and in a single company does not allow to generalize presented findings. Practical implications -Companies should focus their efforts on defining the best level of frequency rewards in their LPs. Reward timing should be considered as a factor that influences the change in customer purchasing behavior more than the amount of points accumulated. Originality/value -The research provides empirical evidence to support the highest influence of frequency of rewards on sales, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. This is one of the few LP studies conducted in the context of the B2B market.

Purpose The approved methodology of property valuation in Albania evaluates the reference property prices based on the average contractual price of properties sold and takes into account only factors such as price, square meters of living and location of property. Simple method is the one used on evaluating the reference price for a group of properties with similar characteristics. The purpose of this study is, by building a hedonistic pricing model for apartments in Tirana, to prove empirically that in addition to location, there are other characteristics that affect the value of apartments. Design/methodology/approach The capital city is chosen as a case study for the construction of a hedonistic pricing model. In the database were included detailed characteristics of 1,421 apartments. Multiple regression analysis was chosen in this model as a method to test hypotheses about the causal relationship between house value Y and independent variables XS, representing the characteristics of the property. Population equation parameters β0, β1, β2 […], βn. were evaluated by the ordinary least squares method. Selection of α-standard is 5 per cent, taking into account the significant number of observations and the degree of regression freedom. Findings Based on this study, it was proved empirically that the characteristics of the apartments as square meters of living, number of rooms, access to parking, furniture, view and surface of living affect their price. As a literature review showed, location is the most important variable that affects the value. Results showed that the marginal effect that the number of rooms has on the apartment value depends on the square meters of living of the apartment. In the same line, the effect of the square meters of living on value depends on the square meters, as the relationship between these variables is nonlinear and depends more on the number of rooms. Research limitations/implications It was impossible to find the information on property sales contracts. That is why this study was oriented toward the market and took into account the properties offered for sale at one of the biggest real estate agency “Çelësi”. More accurate information regarding properties characteristics could be obtained. The information was limited and depended on the best apartment characteristics that potential sellers wanted to advertise. On the other side, contractual sales price is oriented by the reference price, so, the applied methodology has resulted in better evaluations of real estate prices, which reflect the market price. Practical implications This study is conducted as an applicable research. After analyzing the property valuation system in Albania, the study recommends the change of the method used on apartment valuation. Improvement of the property valuation system requires first of all creation of a complete and updated database for all real estate sales. Social implications Property valuation is a very important function of the land administration system which directly affects people’s life. Property evaluation for different purposes like tax evaluation, compensation and expropriation is a process that must be designed using an equal, transparent and well-accepted methodology by all. Promotion of property valuation system development is helpful to various interest groups in society, as it can reduce the risk of investment in this sector and encourages lower rates of interest on loans. Originality/value To the author's knowledge, the hedonic model is not applied on the Albanian housing market, thus providing encouragement to deepen the study in this regard. The study is original and has a very important impact on policymakers to change the actual property valuation methodology to obtain more accurate property values.

This study aims to examine the role of instructor, motivation, and interaction in building students’ perceptions of and satisfaction with online learning (OL). It proposes a structural model based on data collected from 446 graduate and undergraduate students who attended online courses during the first COVID-19 lockdown. The data analysis was conducted using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reinforced the role of interaction and instructors in strengthening students’ motivation, especially highlighting interaction as a facilitator of how instructors motivate their students. Motivation, interaction, and the instructor’s role contributed to positive OL perceptions, which in turn generated greater student satisfaction. This study also revealed that interaction is the factor with the highest impact on OL perception. The instructor’s role in motivating students was found to be higher if a greater interaction was present in the online platform. However, the students did not derive OL satisfaction directly from their instructors; rather, satisfaction was generated only when motivation, interaction, and positive OL perceptions emerged. Finally, gender differences were identified in the students’ OL satisfaction. Females derived a greater level of motivation, OL perception, and satisfaction from interactions with their instructors and peers, while the male students’ OL perception and satisfaction were not affected by their instructors.