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Augmented reality (AR) technology presents novel opportunities for marketers to captivate consumers, enhancing their experiences with brands. Although recent research underscores consumers' favorable responses to AR within retail contexts, there remains a paucity of studies examining the specific factors motivating these responses, i.e. reasons for, such as the appeal of entertainment, trendiness, customization, interaction and augmentation quality. Conversely, reasons against AR acceptance, such as perceived lack of realism, skepticism or perceived deception, are also underexplored.

Guided by the behavioral reasoning theory, the current study delves into consumers' personal values and beliefs, their reasons for and reasons against using AR apps and how these factors influence their engagement and relationship performance with AR apps. The data were collected from 343 AR app users to test the developed theoretical framework.

Results reveal that while perceived value compatibility does not influence reasons for using AR apps, it negatively influences reasons against using AR apps and positively influences connectedness to AR apps. Interestingly, openness to change does not significantly influence users’ connection to AR apps, and no association was found between reasons-against and connectedness to AR apps and relationship performance. However, a positive relationship was observed between users’ connectedness to AR apps and their relationship performance.

By offering these insights, this study contributes to a foundational understanding of the behavioral intricacies and dynamic interaction patterns within the rapidly emerging AR user base.

Three-way decision (3WD) and probabilistic rough sets (PRSs) are theoretical tools capable of simulating humans' multi-level and multi-perspective thinking modes in the field of decision-making. They are proposed to assist decision-makers in better managing incomplete or imprecise information under conditions of uncertainty or fuzziness. However, it is easy to cause decision losses and the personal thresholds of decision-makers cannot be taken into account. To solve this problem, this paper combines picture fuzzy (PF) multi-granularity (MG) with 3WD and establishes the notion of PF MG 3WD.

An effective incomplete model based on PF MG 3WD is designed in this paper. First, the form of PF MG incomplete information systems (IISs) is established to reasonably record the uncertain information. On this basis, the PF conditional probability is established by using PF similarity relations, and the concept of adjustable PF MG PRSs is proposed by using the PF conditional probability to fuse data. Then, a comprehensive PF multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) scheme is formed by the adjustable PF MG PRSs and the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. Finally, an actual breast cancer data set is used to reveal the validity of the constructed method.

The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of PF MG 3WD in predicting breast cancer. Compared with existing models, PF MG 3WD has better robustness and generalization performance. This is mainly due to the incomplete PF MG 3WD proposed in this paper, which effectively reduces the influence of unreasonable outliers and threshold settings.

The model employs the VIKOR method for optimal granularity selections, which takes into account both group utility maximization and individual regret minimization, while incorporating decision-makers' subjective preferences as well. This ensures that the experiment maintains higher exclusion stability and reliability, enhancing the robustness of the decision results.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pivotal technology in both marketing and daily life. Despite extensive research on the benefits of AI, its adverse effects on customers have received limited attention.

We employed meta-analysis to synthesise effect sizes from 45 studies encompassing 50 independent samples (N = 19,503) to illuminate the negative facets of AI's impact on customer responses.

Adverse effects of AI, including privacy concern, perceived risks, customer alienation, and uniqueness neglect, have a negative and significant effect on customers' cognitive (perceived benefit, trust), affective (attitude and satisfaction) and behavioural responses (purchase, loyalty, well-being). Additionally, moderators in AI (online versus offline), customer (age, male vs. female), product (hedonic vs. utilitarian, high vs. low involvement), and firm level (service vs. manufacturing) and national level (individualism, power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation) moderate these relationships.

Our findings inform marketing managers about the drawbacks of utilising AI as part of their value proposition and provide recommendations on how to minimise these effects in different contexts. Additionally, policymakers need to consider the dark side of AI, especially among the vulnerable groups.

This paper is among the first research studies that synthesise previous research on the dark side of AI, providing a comprehensive view of its diminishing impact on customer responses.

A risk-based method is proposed to identify the dominant influencing factors of secondary lining cracking in an operating mountain tunnel with weak surrounding rock.

Based on the inspection data from a mountain tunnel in Southwest China, a lognormal proportional hazard model is established to describe the statistical distribution of secondary lining cracks. Then, the model parameters are obtained by using the Bayesian regression method, and the importance of influencing factors can be sorted based on the absolute values of the parameters.

The results show that the order of importance of the influencing factors of secondary lining cracks is as follows: location of the crack on the tunnel profile, rock mass grade of the surrounding rock, time to completion of the secondary lining, and void behind the secondary lining. Accordingly, the location of the crack on the tunnel profile and rock mass grade of the surrounding rock are the two most important influencing factors of secondary lining cracks in the investigated mountain tunnel, and appropriate maintenance measures should be focused on these two aspects.

This study provides a general and effective reference for identifying the dominant influencing factors of secondary lining cracks to guide the targeted maintenance in mountain tunnels.

The paper aims to the size-dependent analysis of functionally graded materials in thermal environment based on the modified couple stress theory using finite element method.

The element formulation is developed within the framework of the penalty unsymmetric finite element method (FEM) in that the C¹ continuity requirement is satisfied in weak sense and thus, C⁰ continuous interpolation enhanced by independent nodal rotation is employed as the test function. Meanwhile, the trial function is designed based on the stress functions and the weighted residual method. Besides, the special Gauss quadrature scheme is employed for integrals of matrices in accordance with the graded variation of the material properties.

The numerical results reveal that in thermal environment, functionally graded materials exhibit better bending performance compared to homogeneous materials, Moreover, the findings also indicate that with an increase in MLSP, the natural frequencies of out-of-plane modes gradually increase, while the natural frequencies of in-plane modes show much less variation, leading to a mode switch phenomenon.

The work provides an efficient numerical tool for analyzing and designing the functionally graded structures in thermal environment in practical engineering applications.

Green financial technology (FinTech) has received attention for promoting green finance investment and sustainable development. However, how consumer social responsibility and long-term orientation influence the continuance intention of green FinTech users remains unknown in the literature. To fill this gap, consumer social responsibility and long-term orientation are combined with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to develop a research model to investigate their moderating effects on the continuance intention of green FinTech users.

A random probability sampling method was adopted, and 377 valid responses were collected to verify the proposed model. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed for the data analysis.

Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions have significant positive impacts on the continuance intentions of green FinTech users. Surprisingly, consumer social responsibility enhances the effects of performance expectancy and social influence on continuance intention but negatively moderates the effect of facilitating conditions on continuance intention. Moreover, a long-term orientation can increase the impact of facilitating conditions on continuance intention but decrease the impact of performance expectancy on continuance intention.

This paper proposes a research model that reveals how consumer social responsibility and long-term orientation moderate the relationship between the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the continuance intention of green FinTech users to fill a gap in the literature.

Relationship conflict between the owners and contractors is inevitable, which could induce negative consequences. Yet, the existing literature mostly focused on its direct effects on project performance and ignored the process by which relationship conflict gradually deteriorates cooperation as well as corresponding managerial approaches. Given the fact that relationship conflict originates from interdependent tasks, the proposed theoretical model is intended to measure relational behavior as an instant outcome of relationship conflict, and explore the buffering role of contract enforcement approach.

This paper develops the conceptual model based on the literature review. Then the questionnaire survey was conducted. The dyadic data obtained from 168 Chinese construction project professionals were analyzed by the Partial Least squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.

The results show that relational behavior partially mediates the link between relationship conflict and project performance. Besides, three types of contract enforcement approaches are found to differentially change the negative link between relationship conflict and relational behavior. Rigid contract enforcement can worsen the adverse effects of relationship conflict on relational behavior, whereas flexible contract enforcement can alleviate these negative effects. The level of mitigation hinges on whether compromising behaviors or obliging behaviors are chosen.

The study extends the knowledge of conflict theory and contract theory in the construction field. Based on the proposed conceptual model and PLS-SEM results, this study contributes to the understanding of relationship conflict’s consequences between the owners and contractors and enriches conflict management approaches in the construction field.

Integrating the reciprocity and equity lenses, this study explores the curvilinear relationship between leader humility and employee organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) by introducing psychological entitlement and perspective taking, and constructing a moderated mediation curvilinear model aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of why and how leader humility affects OCBs.

Using multisource, three-wave data collected from 261 employees and 55 supervisors in China, we adopted multi-level modeling analysis to test the moderated mediation curvilinear model that links leader humility to OCBs.

We found a curvilinear relationship between leader humility and psychological entitlement, and psychological entitlement mediated the curvilinear indirect relationship between leader humility and OCBs. Furthermore, employees' perspective taking buffered this curvilinear indirect effect.

Following social exchange theory and prior research discussing the potential benefits and drawbacks of leader humility, this study developed and tested a moderated mediation curvilinear model of the relationship between leader humility and OCBs. Our study thus provides a more balanced and dialectical perspective on understanding the effects of leader humility and enriching the leadership process model. This study also offers actionable strategies for leaders and organizations to optimize the benefits of humble leadership.

This study aims to explore the determinants of behavioral intentions during the previsit stage by investigating the influence of audience involvement with the audiovisual product and the mediating role played by place attachment.

Structural equation modeling was employed to verify the hypothesized relationships using the AMOS 24.0 program to assess the proposed model. A total of 564 young Chinese audiences who had watched the Thai television (TV) series “I Told Sunset About You” but had not previously visited Phuket, Thailand, were collected using the online survey as participants.

The findings indicate that audience involvement has a significant positive effect on place attachment and behavioral intentions during the previsit stage. Place attachment significantly influences behavioral intentions. Moreover, the result suggests that place attachment significantly mediates the relationship between audience involvement and behavioral intentions.

This study contributes to film tourism research by revealing the crucial role of audience involvement in enhancing place attachment and fostering behavioral intentions toward depicted destinations among potential tourists.

This study suggests that destination marketers should be aware of the soft power of films and TV series to promote destination and attract prospective tourists.

This study provides a distinctive perspective on the interrelationships between audience involvement, place attachment, and previsit behavioral intentions. Additionally, it sheds light on the underlying mechanisms influencing potential tourists' behaviors in the context of film tourism.

This study investigates the association between corporate sustainability disclosures and firm performance and value.

This study collected data from 694 manufacturing companies operating in 34 countries between 2007 and 2019, yielding 6,181 firm-year observations. This study employs a dual-model framework to analyze the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and Tobin's Q ratio. Two sets of control variables, firm- and country-specific, were incorporated to account for potential confounding factors. To validate the robustness of the findings, we utilized a battery of econometric techniques, including traditional ordinary least squares (OLS), firm-fixed effects, quantile regression, and instrumental variables-generalized method of moments (IV-GMM), applied to both the pooled and firm-fixed effects models.

The findings are contradictory: there is a negative relationship between sustainability disclosure and operating performance and return on equity, but a positive relationship between sustainability disclosure and firm value. The negative correlation is consistent with agency theory and the positive correlation is consistent with the legitimacy and shareholder theories. These results are robust to performance measures and estimation methods.

Short-term profit shouldn't deter sustainability. It boosts legitimacy, reputation, efficiency, and long-term market value. Investors must look beyond profitability ratios, embracing ESG metrics. Firms should see sustainability as strategic investment, not cost. Patience pays off: long-term gains await. Regulation can guide balanced growth, prioritizing both shareholders and societal well-being.

This study is the first to adopt a firm’s fixed-effect quantile regression, which provides deep insights into the role of sustainability disclosure in meeting stakeholders’ expectations.