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Dynamism has been the key to the success and popularity of social media, and users always try to adapt to the available new changes. Continuous growth in the access and reach of social media in the past decade has enabled the users to make a calculative assessment of their social media usage. Social currency is a phenomenon that helps the customer in their evaluation of social media usage. However, this concept is still in its infancy phase, and there have been hitherto no studies to understand the influence of social currency dimensions on Indian users. This paper aims to study the dimensions of social currency for a better insight into social media usage of Indian customers.

Data were collected from 384 respondents from the biggest residential university in Varanasi through a structured questionnaire using the snowball sampling technique. Responses were taken on a seven-point Likert scale. Responses were analyzed by the factor analysis method using the maximum likelihood estimation model.

The result of this study empirically demonstrated that six dimensions, i.e. conversation, information, utility, affiliation, advocacy and identity, constitute the social currency of the user while browsing social media sites. It was also found that among the factors described above, advocacy emerged as the most influential dimension of social currency for Indian users, followed by identity and affiliation.

The findings have various managerial implications for the firms that want to have a significant social media presence. These findings can help marketers to design a tailored social media campaign for Indian users in an efficient manner by successfully incorporating the aforesaid social currency dimensions in their strategy.

This study also reflects the societal impact of the dimensions of social currency on Indian users, as any change in the usage of social media can have a long-lasting effect on the mood of the people. The influence of the social currency dimension differs significantly in the context of Indian users compared to the existing literature, as they give more value to the behavioural aspect of the social currency (advocacy, identity and affiliation), strengthening the sense of belongings among the members.

This paper highlights, for the first time, the level of influence social currency dimensions have on Indian users, as there have been hitherto no studies to understand the influence of social currency dimensions on Indian users. Another significant contribution of this research is the empirical validation of the social currency determinants. Thus, this study may contribute to the social media strategy of the firm for Indian users by incorporating the social currency dimension, as discussed in the study.

This study aims to demonstrate the importance of the newly developed concept of social currency as an antecedent of brand experience in the context of cosmetics consumption. In other words, the authors suggest that social currency could act as a brand experience provider.

Data collection was made through a paper and pencil survey. The sample consisted mostly of undergraduate and graduate students recruited on a voluntary basis at a large northeastern university. Self-administered questionnaires were filled by 373 participants, who were instructed to think about their favourite brand when it comes to buying cosmetic products for themselves.

Results showed that social currency positively impacts all four dimensions of brand experience, i.e. sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual experiences. The findings also suggest that conversation, advocacy and affiliation are the three significant dimensions of social currency when it comes to the consumption of cosmetics.

This study reveals, for the first time, how the concept of social currency could enhance a fundamental component of brand equity, i.e. brand experience. Another important contribution of this research is the establishment of higher levels of validity for the newly developed concept of social currency. This study would also contribute to the investigation of brand experience antecedents, which have been little addressed in the literature on the emerging paradigm of experiential marketing.

Growing inequality and socioeconomic and environmental degradation concerns forces us to think about how innovative technologies can contribute to reduce this problem. This study aims to analyze the potential of social cryptocurrencies to enhance the community development and cooperation between small businesses of the near environment. The evolution of these technology-based schemes could be key factors for generating innovative social enterprises, improving the quality of life in the community; in this way generate a conceptual model to sustainable development, while being more transparent, efficient and scalable as they are supported by technological applications.

Based on an in-depth study of the relevant literature, a conceptual model was designed. The concept of social cryptocurrency is proposed as a new approach to virtual currencies for social purposes and sustainable development.

The key findings point out that actors such as innovation and social entrepreneurship will come together in a new generation of social currencies, extending cryptocurrency technology to social business domains.

The impact of this will result in a better quality of life for society and the achievement of several sustainable development goals. However, a limitation would be that its scope depends on certain characteristics of the local environment. Furthermore, the proposed model will require validation in later phases through social experiments.

The main contribution of this paper is in structuring a formal model that, based on empirical experiences and the use of the technology that underlies cryptocurrencies, proposes a set of constituent elements and characterizes them to contribute to achievement of sustainable development.

Loyalty points or social currency systems like time banks and time dollars, which tackle the problem of social capital by measuring and rewarding people’s contribution, can be adapted to tackle the problem of knowledge capital inside organisations. “Intellectual currencies” or “i‐commerce” are descriptions of internal currency systems that encourage employees of departments to share knowledge and are intended as a solution to the key knowledge management problem – getting people to share, when it is not normally noticed or appreciated or reflected in the departmental bottom line.

The pandemic has severely affected sharing economy businesses specially ride-hailing services due to high levels of human-touch points. This research investigates the impact of COVID-19 infodemic, identification, and emotional support on intention to use ride-hailing. The authors further examine the moderating effects of internalization, compliance, social currency and informational support in the proposed conceptual model.

The data were collected from 412 respondents from Delhi in India, and hypothesized relationships were tested using hierarchical regression.

The results indicate that COVID-19 infodemic has a negative association with intention to use ride-hailing. Identification and emotional support show a positive association with intention to use ride-hailing. The results also support internalization and compliance as moderators between infodemic, identification and intention to use ride-hailing. Further, social currency and information support moderate the relationship between emotional support and intention to use.

This is the first research, which adds to the expanding literature on ride-hailing, especially during the post-pandemic period of “new normal”.

The purpose of this study is to examine psychological ownership (PO) experienced by followers of social media influencers toward both influencer and the product.

Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 30 respondents and analyzed using thematic analysis.

The study demonstrated that the PO experienced by the follower changes under different conditions resulting from perceived value, social currency and follower activity. Social currency plays a vital role in determining the target of PO, often affecting the narrative by the follower.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the transference of PO between product and influencer as experienced by the follower. It provides an understanding on PO that is experienced in different levels of intensity and changes depending on the motive of the follower; hence, transference of PO occurs and it is not a static.

Reforms of the Vietnamese economy have been widely credited for stabilizing the value of the state-issued currency in the marketplace. Nevertheless, how people evaluate the Vietnamese dong as a symbolic form can be read as a symptom of shifting economic and political forces, above all in Ho Chi Minh City, a city associated with commerce. Through three ethnographic cases – the introduction of “big money,” the scarcity of “new money” in 2002, and the campaign to build Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), this paper analyzes the contentious politics around symbolic exchange that shape confidence in Vietnamese currency.

Loading the work on social capital theory, we have tried to check the influence of social currency (SC) on social media usage (SMU) and its subsequent impact on the brand experience (BE). The study attempted to ascertain the mediation of loyalty (LT) between the SC and SMU as well as the moderation of perceived ease of use (PEU) in the SMU and BE relationship.

The data were collected from 384 respondents employing snowball sampling technique by administering a questionnaire on seven-point Likert scale. The respondents were the active internet users, who devote the significant part of their daily routine to social media activities. Structural equation modelling was used to study the path of the considered variables.

The result of the study strengthened the findings of earlier studies on SC dimensions. This study elaborated about the positive impact of SC on SMU, SC on LT, LT on SMU, SMU on BE. The study also found the mediating effect of LT in the SC and BE relationship. The study did not identify a moderating role of PEU in the SMU and BE relationship.

By taking into account SC, SMU, LT, PEU and BE, the study adds the knowledge to the social capital theory.

This study aids marketers in adjusting social media strategies for the effective use of SC aimed to deliver enhanced BE. Additionally, it demonstrates the value of customer LT in the context of SC and SMU by customers.

This study is among the few research on the SC of the Indian user and its impact on SMU and BE. Checking the mediation of LT and the moderation of PEU in the SC context makes this study novel and different from any study conducted earlier.

The employee-organization relationship (EOR) has increasingly become a focal point for researchers in organizational behavior, human resource management, and industrial relations. Literature on the EOR has developed at both the individual – (e.g. psychological contracts) and the group and organizational-levels of analysis (e.g. employment relationships). Both sets of literatures are reviewed, and we argue for the need to integrate these literatures as a means for improving understanding of the EOR. Mechanisms for integrating these literatures are suggested. A subsequent discussion of contextual effects on the EOR follows in which we suggest that researchers develop models that explicitly incorporate context. We then examine a number of theoretical lenses to explain various attributes of the EOR such as the dynamism and fairness of the exchange, and new ways of understanding the exchange including positive functional relationships and integrative negotiations. The article concludes with a discussion of future research needed on the EOR.

This purpose of this paper is to test if social network theory applies in a developing country like Mexico. A set of Mennonite milk processors is tested against non‐Mennonite milk processors along five dimensions of firm performance.

A sample of 61 milk processing firms is tested utilizing logistic regression where regression variables are financial fluidity, number of employees, age of the enterprise, productivity and efficiency, and other business related difficulties.

It appears that social network theory in the form of religious ties, applies in Mexico as it does in much different industrialized economies that have typically been the setting for previous tests of social network theory.

Secondary data rather than primary data were used for this test, as a result, the usual battery of tests on research variables that ascertain validity and reliability could not be conducted. Moreover, the data covered only milk processors in northern Mexico.

It would appear that organizations might benefit from the open observance of religious practice at work, contrary to the secular approach of the past.

This paper may represent one of the first tests of network theory utilizing religious ties in Mexico.