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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 January 2024

Teresa Schwendtner, Sarah Amsl, Christoph Teller and Steve Wood

Different age groups display different shopping patterns in terms of how and where consumers buy products. During times of crisis, such behavioural differences become even more…

Abstract

Purpose

Different age groups display different shopping patterns in terms of how and where consumers buy products. During times of crisis, such behavioural differences become even more striking yet remain under-researched with respect to elderly consumers. This paper investigates the impact of age on retail-related behavioural changes and behavioural stability of elderly shoppers (in comparison to younger consumers) during a crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed 643 Austrian consumers to assess the impact of perceived threat on behavioural change and the moderating effect of age groups. Based on findings from this survey, they subsequently conducted 51 semi-structured interviews to understand the causes of behavioural change and behavioural stability during a crisis.

Findings

Elderly shoppers display more stable shopping behaviour during a crisis compared to younger consumers, which is influenced by perceived threat related to the crisis. Such findings indicate that elderly shoppers reinforce their learnt and embedded shopping patterns. The causes of change and stability in behaviour include environmental and inter-personal factors.

Originality/value

Through the lens of social cognitive theory, protection motivation theory and dual process theory, this research contributes to an improved understanding of changes in shopping behaviour of elderly consumers, its antecedents and consequences during a time of crisis. The authors reveal reasons that lead to behavioural stability, hence the absence of change, in terms of shopping during a crisis. They further outline implications for retailers that might wish to better respond to shopping behaviours of the elderly.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 52 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2024

Ammar Yasir, Xiaojian Hu, Murat Aktan, Pablo Farías and Abdul Rauf

Contemporary changes have occurred in country-level policies and tourists’ intentions in recent years. The role of maintaining a country’s image is trendy in crisis control but…

Abstract

Purpose

Contemporary changes have occurred in country-level policies and tourists’ intentions in recent years. The role of maintaining a country’s image is trendy in crisis control but has not yet been discussed in domestic tourism research. Extending the Stimulus Organism Response model, this study aims to focus on “trustable WOM creation” in China. In addition, it aimed to discover how behavioral changes encourage domestic tourism intention (DTI).

Design/methodology/approach

This study explored the mediating role of DTI and the moderating role of maintenance of country image (MCI) for trustable word of mouth (WOM) creation. Using the snowball sampling technique, a structural equation modeling analysis (Smart PLS-4) was employed to analyze the data of 487 Chinese tourists.

Findings

Findings confirm that behavioral changes positively encourage domestic tourism and discourage international tourism, with significant negative moderation by MCI. MCI has an insignificant positive moderating effect between government-media trust and DTI. Furthermore, DTI positively and directly affects the creation of trustable WOM. In addition, it had a 20% mediation effect (VAF%) between behavioral changes and WOM creation, higher than the rejected mediation effect (12%), in the causal relationship between government-media trust and WOM creation.

Practical implications

WOM creation varies from different behavioral changes, but findings suggest that government-media trust and DTI influenced it significantly. Based on the study findings, the government and media can enhance domestic tourism by maintaining the country’s image. These findings both encourage and control the recovery of tourism.

Originality/value

This study provides a theoretical explanation for tourists' behavioral changes during the pandemic. Moreover, it shows that despite avoiding international tourism due to behavioral changes and government-media trust, MCI moderation with the mediation effect of DTI can create trustable WOM. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to theoretically promote tourism through DTI-induced psychology as a mediator and an organism affect prevailing among Chinese tourists.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 December 2023

Sue Rodway-Dyer and Stewart Barr

The purpose of this research was to discover the impacts of taught environmental sustainability-focused geography postgraduate programmes on student attitudes, behaviours and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to discover the impacts of taught environmental sustainability-focused geography postgraduate programmes on student attitudes, behaviours and practices in relation to environmental awareness within two research-intensive universities in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study involved online surveys to measure environmental attitudes, behaviours and practices at the start and end of four taught geography postgraduate programmes.

Findings

There was widespread attitudinal change and an increasing prioritisation of environmental issues reported among participants after they had completed their programme. However, behavioural change was limited, and there was little evidence of greater awareness being translated into changed practices. The learning benefits included a greater focus on interdisciplinarity, holistic thinking and critical self-reflection.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate that postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes in sustainability improve student awareness and concern about environmental issues but do not necessarily lead to widespread behavioural change. This raises questions for programme convenors about how education for sustainability can be truly transformational and avoid leading students to develop eco-anxieties over the scale of change required.

Originality/value

There is a lack of research engaging with students on PGT programmes, especially in understanding their impacts on environmental attitudes, behaviours and practices. The research provides an evidence base for understanding the effects of PGT programmes in challenging student values, attitudes and practices and by implication knowledge transfer post-graduation, with the potential to help protect the environment and identify ways of living better with the ever-changing planet.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 October 2023

M. Bilal Akbar, Nihar Amoncar, Erik Cateriano-Arévalo and Alison Lawson

Given the lack of understanding of social marketing success in theory and practice, this study aims to investigate how social marketing experts conceptualize success.

Abstract

Purpose

Given the lack of understanding of social marketing success in theory and practice, this study aims to investigate how social marketing experts conceptualize success.

Design/methodology/approach

In this qualitative study, the authors conducted an open-ended online questionnaire with 48 worldwide social marketing experts, most with more than 20 years of experience in the field. The authors analyzed data using topic modeling, a machine-learning method that groups responses/terms into cluster topics based on similarities. Keywords in each topic served to generate themes for discussion.

Findings

While behavior change is mentioned as paramount to conceptualizing success, participants prefer to use more tangible and less complex forms to define/measure success, such as campaign recall uptick. In addition, lack of funding was considered an important factor in measuring success. This study provides a two-stage taxonomy to better understand success in social marketing.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to conceptualize success in social marketing practice.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2024

Raunaq Chawla, Eric Soreng and Avinash Kumar

A prime objective of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA; Clean India Mission) is to motivate people to segregate their household waste. The purpose of this study is to assess the…

Abstract

Purpose

A prime objective of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA; Clean India Mission) is to motivate people to segregate their household waste. The purpose of this study is to assess the ground reality of waste management behaviour of Delhi residents with the help of a modified Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) model. Past researches point the need to include cost as a variable in the VBN model. This study fulfils this need and tests cost as one of the variables on the gathered data.

Design/methodology/approach

The research data were gathered by interacting with the people and the civic staff in the jurisdiction of the three Delhi municipalities through a stratified sampling technique (N = 250). The structural equation modelling was used to analyse the collected data.

Findings

The modified VBN model explains the waste management behaviour, but the variables do not follow the exact causal chain. Values, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility and personal norms all explain the resident's waste management behaviour. However, cost limits the resident's waste management behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The study could only achieve a moderate model fit; its sample size was small; and data were collected through self-reported questionnaire.

Practical implications

Three main practical implications of the study are: (1) While designing waste management solutions, due importance must be given to the cost to be borne by people for adopting these solutions. (2) Design such interventions that target residents' values to convince them to make the desired behavioural change. (3) People need be educated about the ways to sort waste and made aware of the importance of waste segregation in eradicating the urban waste mess.

Originality/value

The paper is an original contribution to testing a modified VBN model in predicting waste management behaviour. The modified model includes cost as a variable missing in the previous research. This research is useful in the backdrop of the SBA and provides suggestions for policymakers and pro-environment researchers.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 February 2024

Rebecca J. Jones and Stephen A. Woods

A specific area of interest in the coaching literature is focused on exploring the intersection of personality and coaching; however, research has yet to explore whether coaching…

Abstract

Purpose

A specific area of interest in the coaching literature is focused on exploring the intersection of personality and coaching; however, research has yet to explore whether coaching exerts reciprocal effects on personality traits (i.e. if personality trait change can accompany coaching). Utilizing the explanatory theoretical framing of the Demands-Affordances TrAnsactional framework (Woods et al., 2019), we propose that coaching may indirectly facilitate personality trait change by firstly enabling the coachee to reflect on their behaviors, second, implement desired behavioral changes which consequently facilitate personality trait change.

Design/methodology/approach

A quasi-experiment was conducted to explore coaching and personality trait change. Students participating in a demanding, work-based team simulation (N = 258), were assigned to either an intervention group (and received one-to-one coaching) or a control group (who received no intervention). Personality traits were measured before and after coaching and positioned as the dependent variable.

Findings

Results indicate that participants in the coaching group exhibited significant changes in self-reported agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and core self-evaluations, which all significantly decreased after coaching; however, no change was observed for the control group.

Originality/value

We provide the first exploration of coaching and personality trait change, contributing to both the coaching literature, by providing evidence regarding the efficacy of coaching to facilitate personality trait change in coachees, and the personality literature, by highlighting coaching as an important tool for those interested in personality trait change. Our research also has implications for other interventions such as mentoring, as we provide support for the notion that interventions can support personality trait change.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2024

Benjamin Biesinger, Karsten Hadwich and Manfred Bruhn

(Digital) servitization, referring to service-driven strategies and their increasing implementation in manufacturing, is one of the most rapidly growing areas in industrial…

Abstract

Purpose

(Digital) servitization, referring to service-driven strategies and their increasing implementation in manufacturing, is one of the most rapidly growing areas in industrial service research. However, the cultural change involved in successful servitization is a phenomenon that is widely observed but poorly understood. This research aims to clarify the processes of social construction as manufacturers change their organizational culture to transform into industrial service providers.

Design/methodology/approach

This research takes a systematic approach to integrate disparate literature on servitization into a cohesive framework for cultural change, which is purposefully augmented by rationale culled from organizational learning and sensemaking literature.

Findings

The organizational learning framework for cultural change in servitization introduces a dynamic perspective on servitizing organizations by explaining social processes between organizational and member-level cultural properties. It identifies three major cultural orientations toward service, digital and learning that govern successful servitization.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the servitization literature by presenting a new approach to reframe and explore cultural change processes across multiple levels, thus providing a concrete starting point for further research in this area.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 August 2023

Wei Hutchinson, Elmira Djafarova, Shaofeng Liu and Mahmoud Abdelrahman

Despite entrepreneurial linguistic style gaining increased attention in entrepreneurship studies, the field for digital vlogger entrepreneurs still lacks a comprehensive…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite entrepreneurial linguistic style gaining increased attention in entrepreneurship studies, the field for digital vlogger entrepreneurs still lacks a comprehensive understanding of how linguistic patterns enhance audiences attitude and behaviour. This study aims to propose a conceptual model of “language-mental imagery-attitude-behaviour model” that leads to the examination of rich sensory language style of food travel vlogger entrepreneurs and its persuasive effect on audiences' attitude and behavioural intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study utilises a stimulus-based survey method that involves a sensory-rich vlog script extracted from a high social media engagement authentic vlog. Data are collected through an online questionnaire distributed to a sample of 355 participants via the Amazon Turk mechanism. The study employs confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypotheses, with the aim of contributing to the advancement of theories of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial language by examining the attitudes and behaviours of audiences exposed to sensory-rich language. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the effects of sensory-rich language on audience responses and can inform future research on the role of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial communication.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that vlogger entrepreneurial sensory-rich linguistic communication style positively influence audiences' attitude, behavioural involvement with food and intention to taste. Visit intention will be enhanced via the mediating effects of attitude, behavioural involvement with food and intention to taste.

Practical implications

This research highlights the significance of sensory-rich language for vlogger entrepreneurs in entrepreneurial communication, digital storytelling and for destination marketing enterprises in creating a digital sensory engagement marketing strategy.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by elucidating the theories of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial communication. By examining the relationships between vlogger communication evoked mental imagery, audiences attitude and behaviours, this study provides novel insights into the effectiveness of sensory-rich language in vlogger entrepreneurial communication and its impact on audience engagement. These findings have important implications for communication scholars and practitioners alike, shedding light on the role of embodied cognition in entrepreneurial language and the potential of sensory-rich language to enhance audience engagement.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 30 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Kleanthis K. Katsaros

By drawing on the perceived organizational support (POS) theory and the extended job demands-resources model (JD-R model), the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of…

Abstract

Purpose

By drawing on the perceived organizational support (POS) theory and the extended job demands-resources model (JD-R model), the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different levels of organizational support during change (i.e. organizational level, supervisory level, coworker level) on firm financial performance and to explore the role of employee work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected during the second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in two waves, approximately 2 weeks apart. A total of 291 employees in the Greek telecommunication industry completed questionnaires examining the POS during change and consequently, their supervisors evaluated their work engagement. The research model was tested with the use of structural equation modeling.

Findings

The research findings note the importance of different levels of organizational support during change; they describe how each level influences employees' work engagement as well as they confirm that employee work engagement mediates the relationship between POS during change and firm financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Practical implications

The results indicate that should firms manage to influence positively employees' work engagement by providing support at all levels during change, they may boost their financial performance.

Originality/value

The research findings provide new insights into how POS and work engagement may influence firm financial performance. The originality of this study lies in the finding that employees' work engagement mediates the relationship between POS during change and firm financial performance. Further, the study was carried out in the Greek telecommunication industry during the second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 January 2024

Seyed Mehdi Sharifi, Mohammad Reza Jalilvand and Shabnam Emami kervee

The effectiveness of a message and its attributes have become important for digital media. This study aims to investigate how different elements of a website including both…

Abstract

Purpose

The effectiveness of a message and its attributes have become important for digital media. This study aims to investigate how different elements of a website including both argument-oriented and emotional stimuli based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) can affect the issue involvement and change the attitude of the website visitors of a healthcare service provider.

Design/methodology/approach

The Ministry of Health and Education (MOHME) website was selected to explore how its content and design can persuade visitors. An online survey was conducted on 355 adults engaging in health protection behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that one design element, i.e. website navigation and one social cue, i.e. social connectedness, have positive impact on issue involvement, while social presence and website satisfaction have a negative effect on issue involvement because of the random fluctuation suppressor effect. In addition, prior knowledge significantly influenced the issue's involvement. Further, website satisfaction has impacted attitudes directly. There was no significant relationship between argument quality and issue involvement.

Originality/value

Previous works have studied health-related behaviors in offline contexts; however, the scholars have not focused on the individuals' persuasion using ELM regarding the healthcare services provided in online communities. The results of the current study have theoretical and practical implications for scholars, website designers and policymakers.

Details

Journal of Integrated Care, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1476-9018

Keywords

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