Search results

1 – 4 of 4
Article
Publication date: 9 July 2018

Subin Sudhir

Employees often engage in informal interpersonal communication within organizations. Such communication is essential for creating a better work environment. While there are…

958

Abstract

Purpose

Employees often engage in informal interpersonal communication within organizations. Such communication is essential for creating a better work environment. While there are documented advantages of such communication, often, such communication is plagued by rumors. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the menace posed by rumors, the motivations for employees to engage in rumormongering, and possible ways to manage the spread of these rumors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws from published literature on rumor research to illustrate the menace of rumors within organizational contexts, motivation to engage in rumormongering, and possible management strategies.

Findings

The paper identifies the menace of rumors in organizations, illustrates the reasons why employees share rumors, and discusses the possible methods to manage the spread of rumors.

Originality/value

Rumor propagation in organizations is an extremely dynamic process. The key element in rumor management is the swiftness and agility in intervention and management of rumors using strategies described in this paper. HR managers can monitor conversations to identify potentially harmful rumors and tackle this menace.

Details

Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-0734

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2018

Subin Sudhir and Anandakuttan B. Unnithan

This study aims to explore rumor sharing behavior among young consumers by evaluating the role of state anxiety and arousal as fundamental triggers to rumor sharing behavior. This…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore rumor sharing behavior among young consumers by evaluating the role of state anxiety and arousal as fundamental triggers to rumor sharing behavior. This study asserts that young consumers share rumors for emotional regulation and information sharing reasons, and aims to explore rumor sharing dynamics along these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using established scales, this paper collects data from 394 respondents (age 18-25 years) who are enrolled in engineering or management colleges in India. Using these data, the paper conducts a PLS-SEM-based analysis using SmartPLS 3.0 to establish hypothesized relationships. PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2017) is used in SPSS to assess the role of mediators.

Findings

Major findings of the study indicate that young consumers share rumors for emotional regulation and information sharing. State anxiety and arousal were positively associated to the consumers’ emotional regulation motivation, as well as their information sharing motivations. The findings illustrate that young consumers share rumors for managing their own emotions, as well as to help others who might be in need for such information. This assertion was further established by the mediating effect of these motivations on the relationship between the consumers’ emotions and their intention to share the rumor.

Research limitations/implications

It was observed that that young consumers share rumors for emotional regulation and information sharing purpose. This contribution adds to the current research on motivations of rumor sharing. The paper highlights that rumor sharing is an outcome of emotional experiences, thereby contributing to “why” rumors are spread in the marketplace.

Originality/value

Rumors lack veracity, arise in contexts of uncertainty and influence perceptions, brand credibility and consumer loyalty. Thus it is critical to understand the dynamics of fast propagating rumors in the marketplace. This paper advances the theoretical understanding of the psychological factors driving rumor propagation among young consumers. The paper identifies and establishes the role of fundamental triggers of rumor sharing among young consumers.

Details

Young Consumers, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-3616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2019

Subin Sudhir and Anandakuttan B. Unnithan

Rumors about products and brands are common occurrence in the marketplace. Often these rumors are shared among consumers using the word of mouth channel. The spread of these…

Abstract

Purpose

Rumors about products and brands are common occurrence in the marketplace. Often these rumors are shared among consumers using the word of mouth channel. The spread of these rumors is fast and can lead to significant consequences to products and brands. The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of such rumor sharing behavior among consumers. Specifically, this paper investigates the role of positive affect and negative affect in rumor sharing behavior. Three key rumor characteristics (valence, involvement and credibility) are explored as antecedents to positive affect and negative affect.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper collects data from 236 respondents using Amazon MTurk, and conducts a PLS–SEM analysis to explore the role of positive affect and negative affect in rumor sharing contexts.

Findings

Both positive affect and negative affect were found to be significant factors leading to rumor sharing, furthermore positive affect was found to have a stronger influence on rumor sharing as compared to negative affect. The study also delineates the role of valence, involvement and credibility in rumor sharing scenarios, all of which have a strong role in shaping positive affect and negative affect.

Originality/value

The study is novel in using cognitive appraisal theory to illustrate the formation of positive affect and negative affect in rumor encounters. The study conclusively illustrates the role of cognitive appraisal and emotional experiences in the rumor propagation context, and advances the marketing scholarship’s understanding significantly.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 37 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2021

Himanshu Shekhar Srivastava, K.R. Jayasimha and K. Sivakumar

Access-based services (ABSs) provide short-term access to goods, physical facilities, space or labor in exchange for access fees without transferring legal ownership (e.g…

1076

Abstract

Purpose

Access-based services (ABSs) provide short-term access to goods, physical facilities, space or labor in exchange for access fees without transferring legal ownership (e.g. bike-sharing). This study aims to investigate what service providers can do to minimize financial losses when customers misbehave with the service providers’ assets in ABSs. The study also examines the effects of product misuse on subsequent customers and what factors may mitigate it.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a scenario-based experiment to test the conceptual model.

Findings

Injunctive norms reduce the mediating effect of descriptive norms on misbehavior contagion. As generally accepted and approved (injunctive) norms become salient, they override the impact of prevailing (descriptive) norms, thereby breaking the vicious cycle of misbehavior contagion. Customer-company identification (CCI) and reduced interpersonal anonymity mitigate the effects of previous misbehavior on misbehavior contagion.

Practical implications

ABS firms should strive to mitigate the financial and reputational losses they suffer from customer misbehavior. Such mitigation would be a win-win for the ABS firm (reduced misbehavior) and the customers (improved user experience).

Originality/value

The research complements prior research highlighting the role of social norms in misbehavior contagion. The study demonstrates the role of boundary conditions by investigating the interactive effects of descriptive and injunctive norms. In addition, it shows the positive impact of CCI and reduced interpersonal anonymity on containing misbehavior contagion.

Access

Year

Content type

Article (4)
1 – 4 of 4