Search results
1 – 10 of 27Sıddık Bozkurt, David Gligor, Linda D. Hollebeek and Cameron Sumlin
This article explores how firms' unresponsiveness to Black customer feedback influences Black (vs. White) customers' perceived firm-based discrimination and brand engagement.
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores how firms' unresponsiveness to Black customer feedback influences Black (vs. White) customers' perceived firm-based discrimination and brand engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experimental studies (Study 1(N1) = 254) and Study 1(N2) = 484) are conducted to test the modeled relationships. The data are analyzed using ANOVA, PROCESS Model 4 and PROCESS Model 7.
Findings
The findings suggest that though perceived discrimination remains modest in all conditions, Black (vs. White) respondents report higher perceived discrimination when the firm fails to respond to a Black customer's negative or neutral (but not positive) brand-related feedback on social media. The results also indicate that Black (vs. White) customers exhibit lower engagement through perceived discrimination in the case of the firm's unresponsiveness to a Black customer's negative and neutral (but not positive) brand-related feedback regardless of the manager's race.
Originality/value
Prior research on intercultural service encounters and ethnic differences in consumer engagement on social media are combined to examine the relationship between customer race and perceived discrimination based on the firm's unresponsiveness to customers' social media posts.
Research limitations/implications
Manipulations were created based on a fictitious e-tailer. Thus, it is recommend that future researchers examine the extent to which the findings hold for existing (r)etailers. In addition, future studies using secondary data could provide additional evidence for the findings.
Practical implications
Managerial attention is accentuated among customer feedback responsiveness, engagement and perceived firm discrimination. Managers are encouraged to adopt communication strategies that complement the firm's strategy and social media presence.
Details
Keywords
Luigi Piper, Lucrezia Maria de Cosmo, M. Irene Prete, Antonio Mileti and Gianluigi Guido
This paper delves into evaluating the effectiveness of warning messages as a deterrent against excessive fat consumption. It examines how consumers perceive the fat content of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper delves into evaluating the effectiveness of warning messages as a deterrent against excessive fat consumption. It examines how consumers perceive the fat content of food products when presented with two distinct label types: (1) a textual warning, providing succinct information about the fat content, and (2) a pictorial warning, offering a visual representation that immediately signifies the fat content.
Design/methodology/approach
Two quantitative studies were carried out. Study 1 employed a questionnaire to evaluate the efficacy of textual and pictorial warning messages on high- and low-fat food products. Similarly, Study 2 replicated this comparison while incorporating a neuromarketing instrument to gauge participants’ cerebral reactions.
Findings
Results indicate that pictorial warnings on high-fat foods significantly deter consumers’ purchasing intentions. Notably, these pictorial warnings stimulate the left prefrontal area of the cerebral cortex, inducing negative emotions in consumers and driving them away from high-fat food items.
Originality/value
While the influence of images over text in shaping consumer decisions is well understood in marketing, this study accentuates the underlying mechanism of such an impact through the elicitation of negative emotions. By understanding this emotional pathway, the paper presents fresh academic and managerial perspectives, underscoring the potency of pictorial warnings in guiding consumers towards healthier food choices.
Highlights
Textual warnings do not seem to discourage high-fat product consumption.
A pictorial warning represents the fat content of an equivalent product.
Pictorial warnings decrease the intention to purchase a high-fat product.
Pictorial warnings determine an increase in negative emotions.
Textual warnings do not seem to discourage high-fat product consumption.
A pictorial warning represents the fat content of an equivalent product.
Pictorial warnings decrease the intention to purchase a high-fat product.
Pictorial warnings determine an increase in negative emotions.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to assess the presence of deceptive advertising practices in wine retailers’ e-mails and, if identified, to analyze the extent and content of these…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the presence of deceptive advertising practices in wine retailers’ e-mails and, if identified, to analyze the extent and content of these deceptive advertisements.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows an observational research design to examine the accuracy of two claims that were made in 258 marketing e-mails from two major wine retailers in New Jersey, USA: (1) that all wines have 90+ scores; and (2) that these wines are offered at a deeply discounted price.
Findings
The study found that only 3.9% of cases accurately supported both major claims made: the wines having 90+ scores and being offered at a discounted price. Both claims were inaccurate in 64.7% of cases. Nearly half (49.3%) of the advertised wines had concealed critic’s scores below 90 points. Recipients were told they could save 37.2% by purchasing from the advertising retailer, but they could have actually saved 12.7% more by buying the wines elsewhere.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s limitations include the small sample size. Variations between different wine retailers and their advertising practices require further investigation.
Practical implications
Advertised discounts and scores may be inaccurate or incomplete, causing consumer confusion and disappointment, erosion of wine advertisements’ as well as wine retailers’ and wine experts’ credibility.
Social implications
Deceptive advertising can erode consumer trust and lead to unfair practices. Consumers may make purchasing decisions based on misleading information. Deceptive practices create an uneven playing field, giving businesses that engage in them an unfair advantage, hindering market transparency and ethical businesses. Policymakers should develop regulations to protect consumers and ensure fair competition.
Originality/value
An investigation of deceptive advertising practices in the wine industry has not been done before. This exploratory study contributes to consumer awareness and highlights the importance of truthful and transparent marketing practices.
Details
Keywords
Haoyu Gao, Ruixiang Jiang, Junbo Wang and Xiaoguang Yang
This chapter investigates the cost of public debt for firms using a comprehensive sample consisting of 17,368 industrial bond issues from 1970 to 2011. The empirical evidence…
Abstract
This chapter investigates the cost of public debt for firms using a comprehensive sample consisting of 17,368 industrial bond issues from 1970 to 2011. The empirical evidence shows that yield spreads for seasoned bond issues are significantly lower than those for initial bond issues. This seasoning effect is robust across different sample periods, subsamples, and model specifications. On average, the yield spreads for seasoned bond issues are around 50 bps lower than those for initial bond issues. This difference cannot be explained by other bond and firm characteristics. The seasoning effect is more pronounced for firms with higher levels of uncertainty, lower information disclosure quality, and longer time intervals between the first and subsequent issues. Our empirical findings provide supportive evidence for the extant theories that aim to rationalize the information role in determining the cost of capital.
Details
Keywords
Vishal Kumar Laheri, Weng Marc Lim, Purushottam Kumar Arya and Sanjeev Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to examine the purchase behavior of consumers towards green products by adapting and extending the theory of planned behavior with the inclusion of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the purchase behavior of consumers towards green products by adapting and extending the theory of planned behavior with the inclusion of three pertinent environmental factors posited to reflect environmental consciousness in the form of environmental concern, environmental knowledge and environmental values.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected from 410 consumers at shopping malls with retail stores selling green and non-green products in a developing country using cluster sampling and analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings of this study indicate that environmental factors reflecting environmental consciousness positively influence consumers’ attitude towards purchasing green products, wherein consumers’ environmental values have a stronger influence than their environmental concern and environmental knowledge. The findings also reveal that subjective norm, attitude and perceived behavioral control toward purchasing green products positively shape green purchase intention. The same positive effect is also witnessed between green purchase intention and behavior. However, perceived behavioral control towards purchasing green products had no significant influence on green purchase behavior.
Practical implications
This study suggests that green marketers should promote environmental consciousness among consumers to influence and shape their planned behavior towards green purchases. This could be done by prioritizing efforts and investments in inculcating environmental values, followed by enhancing environmental knowledge and finally inducing environmental concern among consumers. Green marketers can also leverage subjective norm and perceptions of behavioral control toward purchasing green products to reinforce green purchase intention, which, in turn, strengthens green purchase behavior. This green marketing strategy should also be useful to address the intention–behavior gap as seen through the null effect of perceived behavioral control on purchase behavior toward green products when this strategy is present.
Originality/value
This study contributes to theoretical generalizability by reaffirming the continued relevance of the theory of planned behavior in settings concerning the environment (e.g. green purchases), and theoretical extension by augmenting environmental concern, environmental knowledge and environmental values with the theory of planned behavior, resulting in an environmentally conscious theory of planned behavior. The latter is significant and noteworthy, as this study broadens the conceptualization and operationalization of environmental consciousness from a unidimensional to a multidimensional construct.
Details
Keywords
Sania Arif and Sidrah Al Hassan
Employees of Pakistani public sector organizations feel thwarted toward their goal attainment because of strict adherence to rules and regulations and tall hierarchies existing in…
Abstract
Purpose
Employees of Pakistani public sector organizations feel thwarted toward their goal attainment because of strict adherence to rules and regulations and tall hierarchies existing in this region. Therefore, keeping in view the harmful effects of perceived organizational obstruction, the aim of the current study was to investigate the perceived organizational obstruction as an attribution that triggers job neglect through perceived organizational frustration. Harvey’s expanded attribution-emotion model of workplace aggression and an attributional perspective on workplace aggression provide the theoretical justification. Moreover, the moderating role of self-control was proposed to mitigate the indirect effect of organizational obstruction on job neglect through perceived organizational frustration.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-wave data collection was done by using a close-ended questionnaire distributed to a total of 600 administrative employees of public sector organizations operating in Rawalpindi/Islamabad (Pakistan). However, matching three times and discarding the incomplete questionnaires led to a sample of 375 on which the analysis was done.
Findings
Perceived organizational obstruction positively predicted job neglect. Likewise, organizational frustration mediated the aforementioned link. Moreover, the higher level of self-control weakens this underlying process by suppressing job neglect behavior.
Originality/value
The current study added to the limited literature on public sector organizations that has taken perceived organizational obstruction as a predictor variable. Moreover, this study explains how this phenomenon translates into non-hostile behavior that is difficult to identify and punish in public sector organizations. Moreover, the trait of self-control is added to the literature of non-hostile behaviors that dampen the impulsivity to indulge in job neglect.
Details
Keywords
Mohammad Zarei, Magne Supphellen and Richard P. Bagozzi
The purpose is to use co-citation analysis of servant leadership (SL) research to investigate the evolution of the field, its subfields, gaps and opportunities for future research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to use co-citation analysis of servant leadership (SL) research to investigate the evolution of the field, its subfields, gaps and opportunities for future research in a systematic manner.
Design/methodology/approach
A document co-citation technique and three clustering algorithms (latent semantic index (LSI), the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) and the mutual information (MI) index) were employed to analyse 24,030 references from 549 articles spanning a period of 50 years.
Findings
Cluster analyses reveal that SL research consists of eight distinct subfields: (1) conceptualisation and measurement of SL; (2) SL and related theories; (3) methodological foundations and empirical expansion of SL research; (4) individual-level cognitive effects of SL and related theories; (5) “Warmth effects” of leadership behaviour; (6) antecedents of effective leadership; (7) SL, marketing, sales management and ethics and (8) SL, job design and work engagement. Important gaps and opportunities for future research are identified.
Research limitations/implications
The analyses do not show a complete picture of research on SL. Interesting works used by subgroups of SL researchers may not have enough citations to be included in the results. Moreover, bibliometric analyses do not explain the impact of books, journals and articles on the practice of SL. The authors welcome future analyses of the most influential sources of SL practice. The authors expect that managerial and practice-oriented books and journals, such as the International Journal of Servant Leadership and the Servant Leadership Theory and Practice, would play a central role in such analyses.
Practical implications
The discussions of the nature of SL, its effects and antecedents are useful to leaders who want to develop a SL style or assist others in developing it. For researchers and doctoral students, the cluster analyses of co-citations give an overview of the subfields of SL research and reveal important knowledge gaps in the literature.
Social implications
SL has several favourable effects on the motivation and psychological well-being of followers. Also, followers tend to adopt a willingness to serve.
Originality/value
Previous research has categorised SL research into three broad categories or phases. The cluster analyses of the co-citations reported here reveal a meaningful structure of eight distinct subfields. Knowledge gaps within the subfields represent novel opportunities for future research on SL. The authors also suggest a new subfield of SL research: pedagogical approaches to the motivation and development of SL skills.
Details
Keywords
Naruanard Sarapaivanich, Erboon Ekasingh, Jomjai Sampet and Paul Patterson
This study examines how professional service firms' communication effectiveness (affiliative communications style, social dialogue and information provision), social cognitive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how professional service firms' communication effectiveness (affiliative communications style, social dialogue and information provision), social cognitive capital and rapport established between an auditor and SME client are instrumental in influencing the latter's evaluation of the technical quality of an audit.
Design/methodology/approach
The study combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to create a cross-sectional survey covering four geographic regions in an emerging economy – Thailand. The authors examine the hypotheses by employing social interaction theory.
Findings
A study of 744 SME executives plus post-survey interviews with three audit partners revealed that an affiliative communications style and information provision are positively associated with the rapport developed between financial auditor and client, and that rapport, in turn, had a strong association with client perceptions of audit quality. In addition, affiliative communication style, information provision and social cognitive capital had a direct (positive) association with perceptions of audit quality. The effects of communication effectiveness and social cognitive capital varied, depending on whether or not the SME client possessed formal accounting qualifications.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on the business-to-business professional services, and accounting in particular, by explicating the important roles of communication effectiveness, rapport, and social cognitive capital in the relationship between an auditor and a client. Moreover, the paper reveals that the differences in educational background of clients result in differential impacts of communication effectiveness and social cognitive capital on rapport and perceptions of audit quality.
Details
Keywords
Bai Liu, Tao Ju, Jiarui Lu and Hing Kai Chan
This research investigates whether focal firms employ strategic supply chain information disclosure, focusing on the concealment of supplier and customer identities, as part of…
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates whether focal firms employ strategic supply chain information disclosure, focusing on the concealment of supplier and customer identities, as part of their supply chain environmental risk management strategies (supplier sustainability risk and customer loss risk, respectively).
Design/methodology/approach
Using a panel dataset of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2019 and utilizing the suppliers’ environmental punishment of peer firms (peer events) as an exogenous shock and employing ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation, this study conducts a regression analysis to test how focal firms disclose the identities of their suppliers and customers.
Findings
Our results indicate that focal firms prefer to hide the identities of their suppliers and customers following the environmental punishment of peer firms’ suppliers. In addition, supplier concentration weakens the effect of withholding supplier identities, whereas customer concentration strengthens the effect of hiding customer identities. Mechanism analysis shows that firms hide supplier identities to avoid their reputation being affected and hide customer identities to prevent the deterioration of customers’ reputations and thus impact their market share.
Originality/value
Our study reveals that reputation spillover is another crucial factor in supply chain transparency. It is also pioneering in applying the anonymity theory to explain focal firms’ information disclosure strategy in supply chains.
Details
Keywords
Taipei has lost diplomatic ally Nauru to Beijing and relations with Tuvalu were uncertain following recent elections