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1 – 10 of 737Jannatul Shimul Ferdousi, Graham L. Bradley, Joan Carlini and Veya Seekis
In light of the challenge the fashion industry faces to be more body shape-inclusive, several brands now feature curvy models (large breasts and buttocks, wide hips and a small…
Abstract
Purpose
In light of the challenge the fashion industry faces to be more body shape-inclusive, several brands now feature curvy models (large breasts and buttocks, wide hips and a small waist) in their online advertising. Gaps exist in the understanding of the influence of these models on young consumers’ perceptions of body ideals and advertising effectiveness. This study aims to investigate how brief exposure to idealized thin and curvy models in Instagram fashion advertising affects young female consumers’ body type preferences and clothing purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 245 late-adolescent girls, aged 17–19 years, through online questionnaires. Participants were randomly assigned to view Instagram fashion advertising featuring thin or curvy models before reporting on study variables.
Findings
Results revealed that girls expressed a preference for the body type to which they were exposed. However, they indicated a higher intention to purchase clothes worn by thin models than those worn by curvy models despite rating both thin and curvy models as equally attractive. This effect held even when controlling for participants’ body size.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study to experimentally examine the effects of curvy models featured in Instagram fashion advertising on late-adolescent girls’ body type preferences and clothing purchase intentions. The study shows that purchase intentions do not necessarily follow body type preferences. Findings also highlight the role that advertisement content has in promoting idealized, yet frequently unattainable, body types. Marketers are encouraged to weigh the ethical implications of their use of these extreme body types.
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Karin Weber, Graham L. Bradley and Beverley Sparks
Owners, managers and employees may be criticized personally and professionally by consumers in online reviews, and may suffer emotional and burnout consequences. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Owners, managers and employees may be criticized personally and professionally by consumers in online reviews, and may suffer emotional and burnout consequences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees.
Design/methodology/approach
This research analyzed the effects of traditional face-to-face customer-related social stressors, as well as a newly added negative online review (NOR) stressor, on anger and burnout in a sample of 418 US hospitality workers.
Findings
Structural equation modeling revealed that, after taking into account the contribution of customer-related social stressors, receipt of NORs predicts anger and anger mediates the relationships between NOR-receipt and two indices of burnout.
Practical implications
This research extends our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in the hospitality industry. It offers strategies for managing the threats and optimizing the opportunities, provided by negative online reviews.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies that provide evidence of the personal impact of NORs on hospitality industry employees, thereby extending our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in this industry.
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Graham L. Bradley, Beverley A. Sparks and Karin Weber
Technological advancement and growth in social media have meant that customers are increasingly using the internet to write a review or express opinions about products and…
Abstract
Purpose
Technological advancement and growth in social media have meant that customers are increasingly using the internet to write a review or express opinions about products and services. Many of these online reviews are critical of service organizations and workers. The purpose of this paper is to document the experiences that service industry personnel have of negatively valenced, customer-authored, online reviews, the personal impact of these reviews, and the manner in which participants respond emotionally and behaviorally to these reviews.
Design/methodology/approach
This research drew on the stress, coping, and service literature, with particular emphasis on stress appraisal theory. The study involved the completion of an anonymous online questionnaire by 421 restaurant owners, managers, and employees.
Findings
Many respondents reported feelings of anger and use of maladaptive coping strategies in response to negative online reviews (NORs). Smaller numbers reported feelings of embarrassment and guilt, and thoughts of leaving the industry. Factors pertaining to respondents’ online review exposure, emotional responses, and coping strategies predicted the effects of negative reviews on thoughts of exiting current employment.
Research limitations/implications
The findings have implications for protecting worker well-being and job tenure in an industry deeply affected by electronic word-of-mouth. Replication is recommended using a longitudinal design and more objective data obtained from validated instruments and independent sources.
Originality/value
This survey provides the first known evidence of the personal impact of NORs on business owners, managers, and employees.
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Graham L. Bradley, Janet R. McColl-Kennedy, Beverley A. Sparks, Nerina L. Jimmieson and Dieter Zapf
Interactions between customers and service providers are ubiquitous. Some of these encounters are routine, but many are characterized by conflict and intense emotions. This…
Abstract
Interactions between customers and service providers are ubiquitous. Some of these encounters are routine, but many are characterized by conflict and intense emotions. This chapter introduces a new theory, service encounter needs theory (SENT) that aims to elucidate the mechanisms through which service encounter behaviors affect outcomes for customers and employees. Evidence is presented for the preeminence within these encounters of eight psychosocial needs, and propositions are advanced regarding likely antecedents to fulfillment and violation of these needs. Emotional experiences and displays are viewed as important consequences of need fulfillment and violation, as are numerous cognitive, behavioral, and health-related outcomes.
Chris Guilding, Graham L. Bradley and Jessica Guilding
The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and extent of psychosocial need fulfillment experienced by resident strata title owners and to shed light on factors that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and extent of psychosocial need fulfillment experienced by resident strata title owners and to shed light on factors that detract from residents’ lived experience in the strata title context.
Design/methodology/approach
An interview schedule that draws on theories of psychosocial need fulfillment was developed. In total, 16 home owners and three strata title managers were interviewed. Interviewees were sourced from three master planned communities located in South East Queensland, Australia.
Findings
The majority of owners reported high levels of need fulfillment and neighbourhood satisfaction. Primary sources of dissatisfaction appeared to be related to body corporate committee governance issues.
Research limitations/implications
The study's findings are subject to the widely acknowledged limitations of small sample based interview research and the study's qualitative orientation signifies that it suffers from the compromised generalisability and potential of selective and subjective reporting of observations.
Practical implications
The findings suggest a need for greater societal appreciation of factors associated with living in a strata titled community. Recommendations are provided for facilitating the transition to strata title living and reducing sources of resident dissatisfaction.
Originality/value
The paper uniquely explores residential satisfaction from a psychosocial needs perspective. There is a paucity of related research reported in the literature.
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Graham Bradley and Beverley Sparks
This study aims to investigate if, when, and how the use of four different types of explanations affect customer satisfaction after a service failure.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate if, when, and how the use of four different types of explanations affect customer satisfaction after a service failure.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used written scenarios of a hypothetical service failure to manipulate explanation type, failure magnitude and compensation offered. Participants were randomly assigned to read and respond to one version of the scenario, whilst imagining they were the customer experiencing the service failure.
Findings
The paper finds that explanation type, explanation quality, failure magnitude and compensation each had significant effects on customer evaluations. Explanation type and explanation quality interactively affected the extent to which customers were satisfied with service recovery: Apologies and excuses yielded higher satisfaction levels than did justifications and referential accounts but only when the explanations were perceived to be of high (vs low) quality. Specific types of attributions and forms of justice were shown to mediate the effects of three of the explanation types.
Practical implications
The study shows that customer evaluations following service failure vary with the type of explanation provided. Service firms need to provide an explanation in such circumstances, preferably a high quality excuse or apology, and need to understand the “process variables” that determine whether the explanation will satisfy aggrieved customers.
Originality/value
This is one of very few studies that have compared the efficacy of different types of explanations in service situations. The research sheds light not only on what types of explanations work best, but also on how they have their effect.
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Keywords
Graham L. Bradley and Juliette D.G. Goldman
Many young adults who drop out of school elect to re‐enter the secondary education system after a period of absence. Reports the findings from a survey of 215 providers of…
Abstract
Many young adults who drop out of school elect to re‐enter the secondary education system after a period of absence. Reports the findings from a survey of 215 providers of education to re‐entry students in three states of Australia. Few of these educational providers possess formal qualifications in adult education, but most hold favourable attitudes to working with students who return to school. In general, the re‐entry students were perceived to have high rates of academic success but also high rates of withdrawal. The study identified a number of challenges and problems associated with school re‐entry, and makes recommendations to enhance rates of re‐entry student participation, satisfaction and success. Emphasizes the advantages associated with re‐entering an “innovative” senior secondary environment, rather than a traditional high school.
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Graham L. Bradley, Beverley A. Sparks and Karin Weber
The paper aims to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees and businesses. It introduces the concept of negative online review…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees and businesses. It introduces the concept of negative online review stress, or NOR_Stress (occupational stress due to being targeted by negative online reviews), and present strategies for researching and managing the impact of negative online reviews.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper sets forth a framework, based on the stress, services and hospitality literature, within which negative online reviews, NOR_Stress, and their impact on individuals and businesses can be understood. Aspects of the framework are illustrated by application of online archival material.
Findings
The paper demonstrates how negative online reviews can have adverse and diverse effects on restaurant industry employees and businesses.
Research limitations/implications
The paper sets out a research agenda relating to negative online reviews and NOR_Stress causes, consequences and countermeasures. Multiple research questions are posed, to be investigated through a combination of qualitative, survey and experimental methods.
Practical implications
Four types of countermeasures are presented: preventative, protective, positive and palliative.
Social implications
Negative online reviews can exact a hefty toll, potentially resulting not only in reduced customer patronage and company profitability but also in human and social consequences in the form of adverse stress reactions, loss of face and damaged personal and professional relationships.
Originality/value
Negative online reviews have proliferated over the past decade and will continue to grow. This paper is the first to critically examine the human and business impacts of this growing threat to the hospitality industry.
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Wilfred J. Zerbe, Charmine E.J. Härtel and Neal M. Ashkanasy
The chapters in this volume are drawn from the best contributions to the 2008 International Conference on Emotion and Organizational Life held in Fontainebleau, France. (This…
Abstract
The chapters in this volume are drawn from the best contributions to the 2008 International Conference on Emotion and Organizational Life held in Fontainebleau, France. (This bi-annual conference has come to be known as the “Emonet” conference, after the listserv of members). In addition, these referee-selected conference papers were complemented by additional, invited chapters. This volume contains six chapters selected from conference contributions for their quality, interest, and appropriateness to the theme of this volume, as well as seven invited chapters. We again acknowledge in particular the assistance of the conference paper reviewers (see appendix). In the year of publication of this volume, the 2010 Emonet conference will be held in Montreal, Canada, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, and will be followed by Volumes 7 and 8 of Research on Emotions in Organizations. Readers interested in learning more about the conferences or the Emonet list should check the Emonet website http://www.emotionsnet.org.