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The study aims to examine the effects of ulterior motives in peer and expert supplementary online hotel reviews on consumers' perceived deception, dissatisfaction, and its downstream effects on altruistic response and repurchase intentions. The research also examines the moderating role of hotel attribute performance on perceived deception and its consequents.

This study used convenient non-probability sampling and collected data from 448 inbound tourists in China. It used partial least square structural equation modeling technique and SmartPLS 3.0 for analyzing the main and moderating effects of the variables.

The ulterior motives in peer and expert supplementary reviews significantly affect perceived deception, further leading to consumers' dissatisfaction and engagement in altruistic response. Noticeably, consumers' dissatisfaction is positively associated with repeat purchase intentions. Hotel attribute performance significantly moderates the relationship between the ulterior motives in supplementary reviews and consumers' perceived deception.

The study examines the key issue in online hotel reviews using the expectancy disconfirmation theory and identifies consumers' altruistic behavior because of their dissatisfaction, contributing to ethics and consumer behavior literature. Moreover, the research offers prolific implications for hotel and travel websites and hoteliers in the study context.

This study aims to formulate a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews through the lens of interpersonal deception theory (IDT) and the persuasion knowledge model (PKM). It evaluates variables contributing to consumer intentions to purchase after reading deceptive reviews and proposes deception identification cues to be incorporated into the interpersonal communication theoretical framework.

The first study is qualitative and quantitative, based on sentiment and lexical analysis of 1,000 consumer reviews. The second study uses the US national consumer survey with a partial least squares partial least squares-structural equation modeling and a process-based mediation–moderation analysis.

This study shows deceptive characteristics that cannot be dissimulated by reviewing consumers that represent review legitimacy based on review valence, authenticity, formalism and analytical writing. The results also support the central role of consumer suspicion of an ulterior motive, with a direct and mediation effect regarding consumer emotions and intentions, including brand trust and purchase intentions.

This paper presents a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews based on IDT and PKM, adding new theoretical elements that help adapt these theories to written digital communication specificities. This study clarifies the role of suspicion in a deceptive communication context and shows the variables contributing to consumers’ purchase intention after reading deceptive reviews. The results also emphasize the benefits of lexical analysis in identifying deceptive characteristics of reviews.

Companies can consider the vulnerability of certain generations based on lower levels of suspicions and different linguistic cues to detect deception in reviews. Long-term, marketers can also implement deception identification practices as potential new business models and opportunities.

Policymakers and regulators need to consider critical deception cues and the differences in suspicion levels among segments of consumers in the formulation of preventative and deception management measures.

This study contributes to the literature by formulating a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews, adapted to the characteristics of written digital communication. This study emphasizes deception cues in electronic word-of-mouth and provides additional opportunities for theorizing deception in electronic communication.

To influence consumer perceptions, firms often manipulate online product reviews on their own websites or third-party forums by anonymously adding positive reviews, deleting unfavorable reviews or offering rewards to encourage favorable reviews. This study aims to investigate consumer perceptions of online review deceptions and how these perceptions influence their subsequent purchase behavior. In particular, consumers’ awareness, suspicion and detection are studied and specific manipulation tactics are evaluated.

Both qualitative and quantitative studies are relied upon to understand consumer perceptions of online review deceptions. In-depth interviews with 16 experienced online shoppers were conducted to collect the illustrative accounts concerning consumer awareness of online review deceptions, their suspicion, detection and evaluation of different manipulation tactics. A survey of 199 consumers was then followed to validate and corroborate the findings from the qualitative study and generalize the interview results onto the general public.

The results from in-depth interviews suggest that consumers take a negative view toward online review deceptions, but the degree of negativity varies across different manipulation tactics. Moreover, different types of manipulations vary in terms of perceived deceptiveness, ease of detection and unethicality, as well as their effect on consumer purchase intention and perceived helpfulness of online product reviews. The findings from the survey further confirmed the qualitative findings.

The findings have a number of meaningful managerial implications for industry associations and policymakers on whether and how to regulate online review deceptions.

This study applies and extends information manipulation theory and deception detection literature to an online context to increase the richness of the relevant theories. It is among the first to empirically investigate online review deceptions from a consumer’s perspective, as opposed to a firm’s perspective as previous studies have done.

Previous studies have attempted to address online uncertainties from the relationship marketing perspective. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the integration of media richness theory (MRT) and cognitive fit theory (CFT) can contribute a new perspective in addressing consumers’ transaction-specific uncertainties in online retailing.

On the basis of MRT and CFT, a research model was developed by correlating online channel media richness (OCMR), online–offline information integration (OOII), information privacy concern, perceived deception and online loyalty. The model was empirically examined based on survey data collected from 258 multi-channel consumers in China.

An analysis of structural equation model showed that OCMR is negatively associated with information privacy concern and perceived deception but is not significant to online loyalty. Information privacy concern has a negative influence on online loyalty, but the effect of perceived deception is not significant. Moreover, information privacy concern is positively related to perceived deception. The OOII strengthens the influence of OCMR but not the moderating effect of integrated promotion, product and price information on the relationship between OCMR and online loyalty.

This study contributes to the extant literature on online retailing by examining the effect of OCMR on online transaction uncertainties. Information integrity in the form of OOII was proposed to complement OCMR. Results have shown that OCMR is significant in reducing online uncertainties, and OOII strengthens this effect, thereby enhancing online loyalty.

The purpose of this study is to discover the extent to which consumers are aware of air filling in food packaging, the extent to which deceptive packaging and slack filling – which often result from package downsizing – lead to cognitive dissonance and the extent to which feelings of cognitive dissonance and being deceived lead consumers to engage in negative post-purchase behaviours.

The study analysed respondents’ reactions to a series of images of a specific product. The sample consisted of consumers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in the UK. Five photographs served as the stimulus material. The first picture showed a well-known brand of premium chocolate in its packaging and then four further pictures each showed a plate with a different amount of chocolate on it, which represented different possible levels of package fill.

Consumer expectations of pack fill were positively related to consumers’ post-purchase dissonance, and higher dissonance was negatively related to repurchase intentions and positively related to both intended visible and non-visible negative post-purchase behaviours, such as switching brand and telling friends to avoid the product. Furthermore, consumers with low product involvement were less likely to repurchase the brand, and were more willing to engage in visible and non-visible negative behaviours.

The key message from this study is that consumers’ post-purchase dissonance is likely to damage the firm. Although firms may initially achieve increased sales through deceptive packaging and slack filling, these practices risk damaging a brand’s reputation and consumer loyalty to the brand. Firms need to strike a balance between packaging size and content, and as consumer expectations are likely to vary across different products, individual companies should engage in market research and substantive market testing.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigates antecedents and consequences of cognitive dissonance experienced by consumers which was caused by perceived deceptive packaging and/or slack filling.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model that focuses on the cultural and religiosity drivers and satisfaction outcomes of consumer perceptions about online retailers’ deceptive practices. It specifically investigates: the role of cultural orientation and religiosity in forming consumer ethical ideology; the link between the consumer’s ethical ideology and his/her perceptions regarding the deceptive practices of online retailers; and the effect of perceived deception on consumer satisfaction.

The paper is based on a quantitative survey conducted among 468 Egyptian consumers aged 18 and above. These were measured on a five-point Likert scale. To test the hypothesized relationships among the constructs of the model, structural equation modelling was employed.

The study confirmed that power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and religiosity are important in forming idealistic attitudes, while both individualism and masculinity lead to an egoistic attitude. Idealism was observed to have a positive association with consumer perceived deception, while egoism was found to negatively affect consumer perceived deception. Finally, it was revealed that the perceptions of consumer about the deceptive practices of online retailing decrease consumer satisfaction.

This research puts together in a single model both antecedents and outcomes of the perceptions of consumer about the deceptive practices of online retailing; concurrently examines the role of cultural orientation, religiosity, and ethical ideology of the consumer in forming ethical attitudes and responses; focuses on the instrumental role of cultural characteristics on consumer ethical perceptions from the perspective of the individual, rather than the society as a whole; and provides useful examination of the effects of perceived deception on consumer satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of e-retailing ethics from the consumers’ perspective and to develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument.

The paper is based on a quantitative survey conducted among Egyptian consumers aged 18 and above. These were measured on a five-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity of this six-factor scale are verified using empirical data collected randomly from Egyptians’ online consumers. Structure equation modelling used to test the suggested model.

The results showed that buyer perceptions about seller ethics (BPSE) is a second order construct composed of six factors (e.g. privacy, security, reliability, non-deception, service recover, and shared value). The results also showed that the BPSE has strong predictive capability in relation to online customer satisfaction and repurchase intention.

This project is one of the first empirical studies that develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument of BPSE. The findings provide several important theoretical and practical implications for online retailing and academic researchers as well as making a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in the online retailing context.

Drawing upon affective events theory (AET), this study aims to explore the relationship between tourists’ perceived deception and moral emotions, dissatisfaction, revisit intention and negative word of mouth.

Online data from Questionnaire Star were used to examine the proposed research model. A total of 437 valid questionnaires were collected.

The results suggest that tourist scams as “affective events” could trigger tourists’ moral emotions and dissatisfaction, thereby decreasing their revisit intention and generating negative word of mouth. Additionally, moral emotions were found to act as a mediator between perceived deception and dissatisfaction.

The insights uncovered in this study reveal the mechanisms behind tourists’ reactions to scams and provide implications for tourism destinations, suggesting ways to alleviate the adverse impact of tourist scams.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the very first study to investigate tourists’ reactions to tourist scams.

旅游欺诈, 道德情感和游后行为：对道德情感, 不满, 重游意向和负面口碑的影响

研究基于情感事件理论 (AET), 旨在探究游客的感知欺骗与道德情绪、不满、重游意向和负面口碑之间的关系。

通过问卷星收集的线上数据对研究模型进行了检验。共回收有效问卷437份。

本研究的结果表明, 作为“情感事件”的旅游欺诈可能会引发游客的道德情绪和不满, 从而降低他们的重游意向, 并产生负面口碑。此外, 研究发现道德情绪在感知欺骗和不满之间发挥了中介作用。

本研究揭示了游客对旅游欺诈的反应及其内在机制, 并提出了降低旅游欺诈负面影响的方法, 为旅游目的地提供了启示。

这是探索游客如何应对旅游欺诈事件的首批研究之一。

Estafas turísticas, emociones morales y comportamientos: impactos en las emociones morales, la insatisfacción, la intención de volver a visitar y el boca a boca negativo

Resumen

Basándose en la teoría de eventos afectivos (AET), este estudio buscó explorar la relación entre el engaño percibido por los turistas y las emociones morales, la insatisfacción, la intención de volver a visitar y el boca a boca negativo.

Para probar el modelo de investigación propuesto se utilizaron datos en línea procedentes de un cuestionario. Se recogieron un total de 437 cuestionarios válidos.

Los resultados sugieren que las estafas turísticas como “eventos afectivos” podrían desencadenar emociones morales e insatisfacción en los turistas, disminuyendo así su intención de volver a visitar y generando un boca a boca negativo. Además, se encontró que las emociones morales actúan como mediadoras entre el engaño percibido y la insatisfacción.

Los conocimientos descubiertos en este estudio revelan los mecanismos detrás de las reacciones de los turistas a las estafas y brindan implicaciones para los destinos turísticos, sugiriendo formas de mitigar el impacto adverso de las estafas turísticas.

Este es el primer estudio que examina las reacciones de los turistas a las estafas turísticas.

The purpose of this article is to examine the US history of advertising regulation, both formal and informal and public and private – particularly focused on advertising that is likely to mislead consumers about attributes, characteristics or performance of advertised products.

This research examines both primary sources such as legal challenges and contemporary writings as well as secondary sources.

Although early court decisions were reluctant to find advertising to be dishonest, the Post Office was the first government agency to challenge blatantly false advertisements through criminal prosecution. At the end of the 1800s, the nascent advertising industry developed an interest in regulating truthfulness to enhance advertising credibility. It proposed a model state criminal code and advertising clubs, followed by local Better Business Bureaus, began to informally resolve advertising dispute. In 1914, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established with authority to prevent unfair methods of competition which it used to challenge advertising that was likely to injure competitors. This authority was later expanded to cover advertising that was likely to mislead consumers regardless of competitive injury. The FTC experimented with trade association advertising provisions and expanding its concepts and tools overtime until a period of retrenchment in the 1980s that set the foundations of modern advertising regulation.

This is the first treatment of advertising regulatory history that simultaneously covers and compares various sources of advertising regulation to develop a comprehensive exposition of advertising regulation history.

Agricultural-related food marketing claims are gaining in importance. The challenge for the industry is to claim real production characteristics while being in line with consumers’ expectations. Looking at the example of marketing pasture-raised milk year-round and the fact that cows only have access to pasture in summer, the purpose of this paper is to analyse consumer expectations, the potential of deception and the acceptance of more credible marketing strategies.

An online access panel was used for data collection. The data include 310 German milk buyers, who were grouped using cluster analysis to examine the different target groups for the year-round and seasonal marketing of pasture-raised milk.

The study distinguished two different consumer groups: one with lower expectations accepting year-round marketing (32.5 per cent) and the other with higher demands, who feel deceived by year-round marketing (46.7 per cent). Furthermore, one part of the last group is also sceptical towards the more precise seasonal marketing due to their general scepticism towards ag-related marketing claims.

To generate consumer trust in ag-related marketing claims, it is beneficial to meet consumers’ expectations. Producers have to decide if they orient their products to more modest or more critical consumer segments. While it is easier to implement lower standards, there is the risk to disappoint (and thereby lose) the most interesting target group of highly involved consumers characterised by some general doubts regarding food marketing claims.

The study is the first to demonstrate the existence of two consumer segments that differ in their expectations towards and acceptance of ag-related marketing claims for food products.