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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) motivations of regulatory-focused customers with positive and negative consumption experiences.

An online survey is conducted in Beijing and Shanghai. A random sampling technique is used to collect data from 854 respondents. Two scenarios of eWOM communication – positive and negative consumption experiences – are randomly assigned to each respondent. This study employs the structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis techniques. However, it uses ordinary least squares and logistic regression to analyze 137 participants in the experimental study.

Promotion-focused customers that aim for self-enhancement and obtaining social benefits are motivated to spread positive eWOM on social networking sites. However, prevention-focused customers are driven by vengeance and anxiety, revealing higher intentions to post negative eWOM on review sites. eWOM generation is subject to gender, as promotion-focused male customers spread it more than both prevention-focused and promotion-focused female customers. Moreover, platform assistance (PA) has a significant positive impact upon regulatory-focused customers and eWOM (positive vs negative) relationships.

This study provides a deeper understanding of motivational factors of eWOM communication. Specifically, in case of product or service failure, negative consumption experiences drive prevention-focused customers to generate negative eWOM. Thus, using various tactics, marketers need to shift customers from focusing on prevention to focusing on promotion. For example, redeemable free coupons can shift customer attention and generate positive eWOM.

This study provides unique insights about eWOM motivation across genders. It examines regulatory focus, positive vs negative consumption experiences and moderation of PA.

This paper aims to assess predictive and convergent validity of a trait measure of conflict handling styles (DUTCH) with two alternative methods of measuring such styles: a vignette measure of behavioral choices (CB-Pref) and behavior in a role-played conflict. In addition, this paper investigates self-enhancement in responses to the two self-report measures.

In Studies 1 (N = 117), 2 (N = 116) and 4 (N = 68), participants completed the DUTCH and CB-Pref. In Study 3 (N = 56 dyads), participants completed the DUTCH and a role-played conflict. In Study 4, participants also responded to the measures as either a typical person or an ideal person would.

The DUTCH predicted four of five styles individuals chose across nine vignettes of the CB-Pref. In Study 4, the DUTCH predicted three of the five. In Study 3, only the DUTCH’s forcing style predicted actual behavior. In Study 4, participants rated themselves as more constructive and less destructive than typical, but less constructive than ideal. Participants in general were somewhat self-enhancing on both self-report measures, but individual differences in social desirability were generally unrelated to self-report responses.

This work takes a multi-method approach to assessing the validity of a self-report conflict style measure, allowing for the assessment of the measure’s predictive and convergent validity when predicting self-reported style tendencies to style selected in vignettes and behavior in a role-played conflict.

Despite growing recognition of the importance of consumer engagement with new technologies, a gap remains in terms of understanding the antecedents, consequences and moderators of online consumer engagement (OCE). This paper aims to address this gap by exploring the relationship between personality traits, OCE, perceived value and the moderating role of personal values.

A theoretical framework anchored in the extant OCE literature is tested through a study of 559 users of two distinct firm-hosted online brand communities (FHOBCs).

Findings suggest that three personality traits – extraversion, openness to experiences and altruism – are positively correlated with OCE. OCE is related to two types of perceived value, namely, social value and aesthetic value. The personal values of conservation and self-enhancement moderate the relationships between the three identified personality traits and OCE.

Future research into OCE should consider the application of this study’s conceptual framework across different cultures to account for the fast-changing nature of online communities.

Understanding how personality traits drive OCE and what value consumers receive from engagement in online communities can help managers to better segment and evaluate consumers. Engagement and levels of activity within these online communities can be improved accordingly.

This study’s contribution to the OCE literature is threefold. First, the study provides new insights regarding personality traits as antecedents of consumer engagement with FHOBCs. Second, the study reveals the first insights into the role of personal values in the relationship between personality traits and OCE. Specifically, conservation and self-enhancement emerged as moderators of the relationship between three personality traits (extraversion, openness to experiences, altruism) and OCE. Third, the study yields support for perceived value types (social value and aesthetic value) that emerge as consequences of consumer engagement in FHOBCs.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the detailed relationships between Chinese cultural values (Confucian dynamism, individualism, masculinity, and power distance) and work values (self‐enhancement, contribution to society, rewards and stability, openness to change, and power and status) in an integrated model. Further attempts are also made to explain the above relationship in terms of different cultural exposure experiences.

The sample was collected from China (selected from after‐work classes for Chinese businessmen in China) and Australia (overseas Chinese living or working in Sydney) by questionnaires. Altogether, 185 respondents took part in the study. SEM was used to test the relationship between Chinese cultural values and work values, and difference analysis was employed to test the impact of respondents' Western cultural exposure experiences.

Interesting results are found concerning Chinese employees' cross‐cultural work values. The study not only confirms the impact of cultural values on work values, but also brings some new thoughts on Hoftstede's belief that instead of high masculinity and individualism, Confucian dynamism is the main cultural value to foster self‐enhancement and most work value of Chinese employees.

Because China is a complex country, the limited Chinese sample should not be taken as representative. The current study did not differentiate respondents' demographic differences. Hence some demographic variables may have produced some of the intergroup differences reported in this study.

The findings provide useful input for managers who are seeking to develop effective working relationships with Chinese counterparts.

This paper enriches existing Chinese values studies and serves as a starting point for future research concerning the detailed relationship between Chinese cultural values and work values.

Numerous companies have launched branded applications to foster consumer–brand relationships. Due to fierce competition among branded apps, the retention rate is quite low. The facilitation of behavioural outcomes through branded apps is a highly relevant research area. This paper investigates the drivers of behavioural outcomes in the context of branded apps from an investment model perspective.

This work examines various branded apps primarily used by consumers in disparate product categories, namely, Target, Walmart, Under Armour, Nike, Pandora, Spotify, Starbucks, Burger King, Disney and Netflix. Four hundred and one valid online questionnaires were obtained and partial least squares structural equation modelling was used for data analysis.

The results obtained extend the investment model to the context of branded apps and show that app investment size and app satisfaction facilitate brand relationship commitment, successively enhancing app continuance intention, brand purchase intention and app word-of-mouth (WOM) intention. Furthermore, app confidence benefits and self-enhancement benefits facilitate app satisfaction, while app social benefits and special treatment benefits facilitate app investment size.

The present work applies an investment model to various branded apps to show how relationship components facilitate behavioural outcomes. We contribute to the literature by identifying four types of app relational benefits as drivers of relationship components in the context of branded apps.

Dealing with online rumors or fake information on social media is growing in importance. Most academic research on online rumors has approached the issue from a quantitative modeling perspective. Less attention has been paid to the psychological mechanisms accounting for online rumor transmission behavior on the individual level. Drawing from the theory of stimulus–organism–response, this study aims to explore the nature of online rumors and investigate how the informational characteristics of online rumors are processed through the mediation of psychological variables to promote online rumor forwarding.

An experimental approach to this issue was taken; the researchers investigated how the informational characteristics of online rumors and the psychological mediators promote online rumor transmission.

Four information characteristics (sense-making, funniness, dreadfulness and personal relevance) and three psychological motivators (fact-finding, relationship enhancement and self-enhancement) promote online rumor-forwarding behavior.

Because any online rumor transmitted on social media can go viral, companies may eventually encounter social media-driven crises. Thus, understanding what drives rumor-forwarding behavior can help marketers mitigate and counter online rumors.

Performance management can play an important role in the implementation of strategic change, by aligning employees’ mindsets and behavior with organizational goals. However, the ways in which employees react to change efforts aided by performance management practices are far from straight-forward. In this chapter, we develop a conceptual framework for understanding employees’ reactions to strategic change as a consequence of their occupational identities and their performance management outcome. We further apply the framework to an empirical study of a strategic change initiative in a school organization that was supported by a new performance management practice. We show how variations in perceived identity threat translate into four distinct patterns of emotional and behavioral reactions, where only one represents whole-hearted change acceptance. The study contributes to our understanding of individual- and group-level heterogeneity in reactions to strategic change, and also to a more nuanced conception of identity threat.

This study examines the perceived benefit of sustainable consumption from a consumer perspective. Communicating corporate social and environmental responsibility is beneficial from a company perspective; however, the advantages for consumers have not yet been sufficiently clarified. We investigated two well-being dimensions as the identified benefit of sustainability. Therefore, an experiment (n = 815) was conducted to identify the influence of different advertisements on social–environmental and emotional well-being while considering the moderating role of consumers’ value orientation. The results revealed that information about sustainability attributes had a significant effect on social–environmental well-being, while the emotionality of the communication had a significant effect on emotional well-being. These effects were partly moderated by consumers’ value orientation: the effect on social–environmental well-being increased with biosphere–altruistic value orientation, whereas the effect on emotional well-being slightly increased with self-enhancement value orientation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted everyday life, leading to a cascade of negative emotional responses such as death anxiety. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the buffering effect of brand attachment on death anxiety by exploring the roles of brand concepts and brand positioning on psychological compensation for security.

This multi-method paper features four studies and shows how brands can offer emotional support under high-risk circumstances.

Study 1 includes two surveys which offer preliminary evidence that death anxiety can enhance consumers’ brand attachment. Study 2 reveals a causal effect wherein consumers experiencing death anxiety are more likely to attach to brands with a self-transcendence (vs self-enhancement) concept. Study 3 examines the mediating role of need for security in the relationship between death anxiety and attachment to brands with a self-transcendence concept. Further, Study 4 indicates the moderating role of brand positioning: self-transcendence brands adopting local (vs global) positioning strategies are more likely to satisfy consumers’ need for security, thereby leading to strong brand attachment.

The findings of this paper contribute to the brand attachment literature and to the global branding literature regarding consumers’ emotional responses in the context of COVID-19. This paper innovatively frames brand concepts and brand positioning and provides actionable guidelines to help brands satisfy consumers’ needs amid a worldwide crisis.

While customer perceived augmented reality (AR) values have generally enhanced customer experience, AR value would be appreciated the most by a consumer segment that remains unexplored. Drawing from human value orientation theory and consumption value theory, this research proposes a new model analysing the effects of human value orientation (openness to change, conservation, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement) on perceived AR values (playful, social, visual appeal, usability) and subsequently the effects on customer satisfaction.

:The authors employed a two-step online data collection. The first step was to identify those who had used retailers' AR applications, who were then invited to participate in the full survey in the second step. A sample of 253 AR technology users' data was analysed using partial least square and structural equation modelling.

The results reveal that each human value orientation is associated with its unique perceived AR values and that various perceived AR values influence customer satisfaction differently.

This study shows the pivotal role human value orientation plays in influencing customer perceived AR values and their impacts on customer satisfaction. The findings offer key implications for digital marketing segmentation.