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Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Mark Yi-Cheon Yim, Eunice (Eun-Sil) Kim and Hongmin Ahn

In keeping with recent body image social trends, consumer demand for the adoption of plus-size models is increasing, although the use of thin models remains prevalent. The current…

Abstract

Purpose

In keeping with recent body image social trends, consumer demand for the adoption of plus-size models is increasing, although the use of thin models remains prevalent. The current study explores how consumers process information about fashion products displayed on different sizes of models in advertisements, focusing on model and consumer body sizes and both genders. As an underlying mechanism explaining how the relationship between model and consumer body sizes shapes consumer purchase intention, this study explores the role of guilt, shame and mental imagery.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study uses a text analytics technique to identify female consumers' general opinions of thin models in advertising. Employing a 3 (consumer body size: normal, overweight, obese) × 2 (model body size: thin, plus-size) × 2 (gender: male, female) between-subjects online experiment (n = 718), the main study comparatively analyzes the influences of plus-size and thin models on consumer responses.

Findings

The results reveal that, despite body positivity movements, thin models still generate negative emotions among female consumers. For obese female consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models produce fewer negative emotions but not more mental imagery than advertisements featuring thin models. Conversely, for obese male consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models generate more mental imagery but not more negative emotions than advertisements featuring thin models. The results also reveal that the relationship between consumer body size and guilt is moderated by perceived model size, which is also moderated by gender in generating mental imagery. While guilt plays a mediating role in enhancing mental imagery, resulting in purchase intention, shame does not take on this role.

Originality/value

This study is the first to present an integrated model that elucidates how consumers with varying body sizes respond to different sizes of models in advertising and how these responses impact purchase intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Our findings only apply to contexts where consumers purchase fashion clothing in response to advertisements featuring thin versus plus-size models.

Practical implications

Exposing normal-size consumers to plus-size models generates less mental imagery, and thus, practitioners should seek to match the body sizes of the models featured in advertising to the body sizes of their target audience or ad campaigns that include both plus-size and thin models may help improve message persuasiveness in fashion advertising. Moreover, guilt-appeal advertising campaigns using thin models would appeal more to thin consumers of both genders than shame-appeal advertising.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2023

Noel Yee Man Siu, Tracy Junfeng Zhang and Raissa Sui-Ping Yeung

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of online customer engagement on brand love via dual mediating mechanisms, empowerment…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of online customer engagement on brand love via dual mediating mechanisms, empowerment (bright side) and stress (dark side). The roles of perceived brand quality and extroversion as weakener and facilitator respectively on the dark side effect are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey is conducted, targeting people who have experience in participating in online engagement activities. The dual mediation and moderation analysis are examined.

Findings

The results confirm the proposed dual mediating mechanisms. Perceived brand quality and extroversion also significantly moderate the engagement–stress link.

Research limitations/implications

This study explains the mediating mechanisms between online customer engagement and brand love, with a focus on the fast-moving consumer goods industry. This calls for further research on other industries.

Practical implications

This study provides marketers with insights that online customer engagement strategies are not always good and that they should be more careful in formulating such strategies.

Originality/value

This study advances the understanding of the relationship between customer engagement and brand love in the virtual community especially in the social media context.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 40 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2023

Billy Sung, Felix Septianto, Michelle Stankovic and Chien Duong

Expressions of pride may elicit others’ envy. In the consumer context, prior research has repeatedly demonstrated that such envy significantly affects consumers’ attitudinal and…

Abstract

Purpose

Expressions of pride may elicit others’ envy. In the consumer context, prior research has repeatedly demonstrated that such envy significantly affects consumers’ attitudinal and behavioural responses towards the object of envy. This paper aims to investigate whether this pride-envy relationship is bi-directional. Does being envied by others affect consumers’ self-directed feelings of pride, as well as their subsequent attitude towards a product (i.e. the object of envy)?

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments examined how emotional reactions of envy from others may influence consumers’ subsequent affective and attitudinal responses towards their own product or purchase. The first experimental study (n = 129) examined whether exposure to benign envy from others evokes higher levels of authentic pride and positively influences product attitude. The second experiment (n = 159) investigated whether exposure to malicious envy from others evokes high levels of hubristic pride, and therefore, negatively influences product attitude. The third study (n = 80) was a quasi-field experiment seeking to provide further empirical support for the relationship between benign (vs malicious) envy and authentic (vs hubristic) pride and their effects on attitude.

Findings

The first experiment showed that when participants observed expressions of benign envy towards them, they expressed authentic pride, which ultimately increased positive attitudes towards the product. The second experiment showed that when participants observed expressions of malicious envy towards them, they expressed hubristic pride, which, in turn, reduced positive attitudes towards the product. The effect of malicious envy was further moderated by susceptibility to social influence, whereby the indirect effect of malicious envy on product attitudes was only significant among participants with high susceptibility. The third experiment demonstrated the relationship between benign (vs malicious) envy and authentic (vs hubristic) pride and the effects on attitude in a quasi-field study.

Research limitations/implications

The present paper aims to fill a research gap by showing how being the recipient of others’ malicious or benign envy affects consumers’ self-directed feelings of pride, as well as their attitude towards a product that is the object of envy.

Practical implications

The current research is among the first to show that the emotional expressions of other consumers can influence existing consumers’ affective responses and attitudes towards a product. These findings highlight the importance of building a positive culture and community around brands and products, whereby other consumers’ consumption of the brand or product is perceived positively.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical evidence demonstrating that others’ expression of benign (malicious) envy may lead to the self-feeling of authentic (hubristic) pride, which has a downstream effect on attitude towards the product.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 57 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 February 2024

Hanna Shin, Yan Li and Nara Youn

The authors investigated the factors influencing consumer evaluations of advertisements for ethical luxury products that incorporate animal rights and protection concerns. The…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors investigated the factors influencing consumer evaluations of advertisements for ethical luxury products that incorporate animal rights and protection concerns. The authors empirically examined how ethical messages influence advertisement persuasiveness through ethical consumer guilt and positively impact consumer evaluations of ethical luxury products. Furthermore, the authors explored the moderating role of consumers’ independent versus interdependent self-construals.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted four experimental studies on the interplay among ethicality, luxury brand positioning and self-construal. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that moral emotions were responsible for the effect of ethical luxury advertisements that address animal welfare on brand attitude.

Findings

Advertisement messages signaling a luxury brand’s ethical efforts increase empathy through ethical consumer guilt, thereby generating favorable attitudes toward luxury products. However, this effect is limited to consumers with independent self-construal in South Korea and the United States of America.

Originality/value

The authors offer novel insights into the roles of ethical consumer guilt and empathy in the positive effects of ethical messages from luxury brands. Furthermore, the authors identified brand type and self-construal as boundary conditions for the effects observed across different consumer groups and markets.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2023

Wei Yang, Luu Quoc Phong, Tracy-Anne De Silva and Jemma Penelope

This study aims to understand New Zealand sheep farmers’ readiness toward sustainability transition by assessing their intentions of transition and adoption of sustainability…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand New Zealand sheep farmers’ readiness toward sustainability transition by assessing their intentions of transition and adoption of sustainability tools, with information collection considered to mediate the intention–adoption relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the data collected from a survey of New Zealand sheep farmers in 2021, the empirical analysis was developed to investigate farmers’ perceptions of and attitudes toward readiness to move toward a sustainability transition. Structural equation modeling associated with principal component analysis was used to empirically test the theory of planned behavior constructs.

Findings

The results show that pressure from the public and the sheep industry, and the perceived controls of transition drive the intention of sustainability transition; farmers with higher intention of sustainability transition are found to be more likely to adopt sustainability tools. However, there is an attitude–behavior gap, wherein positive attitudes toward sustainability transition may not lead to a higher likelihood of adopting sustainability tools. There is no evidence of the mediating role of information collection on the intention–adoption relationship, while a positive effect was found in information collection on the adoption of sustainability tools.

Practical implications

The empirical evidence indicates that policymakers need to help increase the awareness of sustainable production and help farmers overcome barriers to achieving sustainable production by finding ways to turn intentions into adoption.

Originality/value

Being the first attempt to empirically assess farmers’ readiness toward sustainability transition, the study fills the gap of limited understanding of the link between sustainability transition intention and sustainable tools adoption in sustainability transition.

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2024

Xingxin Li, Yanfei Wang, Yu Zhu and Lixun Zheng

Drawing on affective events theory (AET), this study aims to investigate how and when leader voice solicitation affects employees’ innovative behavior. Specifically, this study…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on affective events theory (AET), this study aims to investigate how and when leader voice solicitation affects employees’ innovative behavior. Specifically, this study proposes that leader voice solicitation evokes employees’ feelings of pride, which subsequently motivate employees’ innovative behavior. Moreover, collectivism orientation plays a moderating role in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected 251 supervisor–subordinate dyadic data in two phases and employed structural equational modeling (SEM) to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that employees’ feelings of pride mediate the positive relationship between leader voice solicitation and employees’ innovative behavior. Collectivism orientation intensifies the mediated relationship.

Originality/value

This study extends the potential outcome variables of leader voice solicitation. Moreover, it introduces a novel theoretical perspective to explore the impact of leader voice solicitation on employees. Importantly, this study examines the mediating effect of pride and the moderating effect of collectivism orientation, deepening the understanding of how and when leader voice solicitation affects innovative behavior.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 April 2023

Aijing Liu, Emily Ma, Yao-Chin Wang, Shi (Tracy) Xu and Tyran Grillo

The purpose of this study is to critically reflect on visually impaired customers’ technology assistance needs and the perceptions of existing technologies’ performance in the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to critically reflect on visually impaired customers’ technology assistance needs and the perceptions of existing technologies’ performance in the contexts of hospitality and tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative approach, this study used in-depth semistructured interviews with 19 participants with visual impairments.

Findings

Positive and negative sides of technology-assisted experiences in the hotel, restaurant, and travel domains were summarized, and room for improvement was discussed to enhance the quality of life and travel experience of visually impaired customers.

Practical implications

Findings from this study offer actionable implications and future directions to technicians and managers to make hospitality and travel experiences more inclusive.

Originality/value

This timely reflection addresses a critical situation by offering original ideas and calling for more discussion of under-represented groups with visual impairments.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 January 2024

Padma Angmo and Rachna Mahajan

Virtual influencers (VIs), who are fictional characters, have gained popularity in recent years, particularly among Generation Z and millennials. With the hype surrounding VIs…

Abstract

Purpose

Virtual influencers (VIs), who are fictional characters, have gained popularity in recent years, particularly among Generation Z and millennials. With the hype surrounding VIs, more research is required. Thus, this study aims to examine how Gen Z members and millennials react to VIs used for marketing purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

This study follows an exploratory approach. The data were collected from 29 participants (14 male and 15 female) through two focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

Findings

The authors found that opinions about VIs were mixed, and two main themes emerged from the study: (1) challenges and potential and (2) decision-making and psychological aspects.

Originality/value

This study broadens the paradigm for analysing the efficacy of VIs. This emerging topic is of relevance for the marketing sector as well as for transdisciplinary research and practice.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 January 2023

Victor Do, Jerry M. Maniate, Nabil Sultan and Lyn Sonnenberg

The purpose of this paper is to describe the 4C's of Infuence framework and it's application to medicine and medical education. Leadership development is increasingly recognised…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the 4C's of Infuence framework and it's application to medicine and medical education. Leadership development is increasingly recognised as an integral physician skill. Competence, character, connection and culture are critical for effective influence and leadership. The theoretical framework, “The 4C’s of Influence”, integrates these four key dimensions of leadership and prioritises their longitudinal development, across the medical education learning continuum.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a clinical case-based illustrative model approach, the authors provide a practical, theoretical framework to prepare physicians and medical learners to be engaging influencers and leaders in the health-care system.

Findings

As leadership requires foundational skills and knowledge, a leader must be competent to best exert positive influence. Character-based leadership stresses development of, and commitment to, values and principles, in the face of everyday situational pressures. If competence confers the ability to do the right thing, character is the will to do it consistently. Leaders must value and build relationships, fostering connection. Building coalitions with diverse networks ensures different perspectives are integrated and valued. Connected leadership describes leaders who are inspirational, authentic, devolve decision-making, are explorers and foster high levels of engagement. To create a thriving, learning environment, culture must bring everything together, or will become the greatest barrier.

Originality/value

The framework is novel in applying concepts developed outside of medicine to the medical education context. The approach can be applied across the medical education continuum, building on existing frameworks which focus primarily on what competencies need to be taught. The 4C’s is a comprehensive framework for practically teaching the leadership for health care today.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2024

Eun Hye Jo and Jung Wha Lee

This study examines how the presence of labor unions affects a firm’s pay disparity between executives and employees and its financial statement comparability.

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines how the presence of labor unions affects a firm’s pay disparity between executives and employees and its financial statement comparability.

Design/methodology/approach

It uses firm-level labor union data in Korea and applies regression analyses to a sample of 1,776 firm-year observations from 2004 to 2008.

Findings

The authors find that unionized firms have a smaller pay disparity between executives and employees than non-unionized firms, suggesting that labor unions place pressure on the pay structure. Unionization also lowers financial statement comparability, which helps managers of unionized firms maintain information asymmetry. Further, this negative relationship between unionization and financial statement comparability is stronger in non-chaebol firms, implying that they are more motivated than chaebol firms to reduce their financial statement comparability in response to the presence of labor unions. In addition, the negative relationship between unionization and financial statement comparability is pronounced in profit-making firms, firms with less analyst following, firms with fewer foreign investors and firms in more competitive product markets.

Research limitations/implications

The finding that firms adjust comparability in response to labor unions interests regulators and policymakers, who emphasize the role of comparability in providing usefulness to information users.

Originality/value

The findings add to the existing literature on the effect of labor unions on firms' pay structures and accounting choices.

Details

International Journal of Managerial Finance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1743-9132

Keywords

1 – 10 of 55