Search results
1 – 10 of over 2000Ping Wang, Hongxiu Li and Yong Liu
The purpose of this paper is to show how different combinations of the subdimensions of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information quality (consisting of its accuracy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how different combinations of the subdimensions of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information quality (consisting of its accuracy, completeness, relevance, timeliness, and sidedness) may affect consumers' eWOM use behavior from a configurational approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a synthesis of past literature, five precursors of eWOM use were considered. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to understand the configurations that lead to travel-related eWOM use. The study was conducted with 311 consumers from an online travel service company.
Findings
Findings identified six solutions that explain eWOM use. EWOM accuracy, completeness, and sidedness are found to be core conditions reinforcing consumers' use of eWOM in combination with different peripheral conditions, including the subdimensions of eWOM information quality and the traits of the consumers (such as social media use time and gender).
Practical implications
Factors related to eWOM information quality and traits of the consumers, when considered in combination, predict eWOM use behavior in particular sets of conditions.
Originality/value
This work enriches the eWOM literature by providing an in-depth understanding of eWOM use from a configuration perspective. Configuration analysis serves as a better tool for explaining the complex relationships among variables than a regression analysis approach does. Additionally, in response to the need to move beyond multiple regression analysis to algorithmic approaches, this study shifts the emphasis from a symmetric paradigm to an asymmetric perspective for data analysis focused on eWOM use.
Details
Keywords
Ping Wang and Hongxiu Li
The purpose of this study is to understand the antecedents and consequences of the perceived usefulness (PU) of travel review websites.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand the antecedents and consequences of the perceived usefulness (PU) of travel review websites.
Design/methodology/approach
An integrated model was proposed and 199 valid data were collected via a questionnaire survey from an online travel service company. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied in data analysis.
Findings
The antecedents of the PU of travel review websites are utilitarian and hedonic perceptions, specifically the information quality of eWOM (utilitarian perceptions), curiosity fulfilment and enjoyment in travel review websites usage (hedonic perceptions). The PU of travel review websites positively impacts travelers’ eWOM generation, eWOM use and purchase decision.
Practical implications
This paper provides implications for travel review websites, social media managers and website designers on how to make a useful travel review website which will lead to eWOM use and generation, as well as purchase decision.
Originality/value
Prior literature has highlighted the importance of the PU of eWOM in determining travelers’ use of eWOM and purchase decision, the PU of eWOM websites has not attracted the attention of researchers. This paper is a new attempt to investigate the antecedents and consequences of the PU of travel review websites.
Details
Keywords
Alain Yee Loong Chong, Kok Wei Khong, Teng Ma, Scott McCabe and Yi Wang
The purpose of this paper is to examine what influence travelers’ adoption of online reviews, and whether the online reviews will influence their travel planning decisions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine what influence travelers’ adoption of online reviews, and whether the online reviews will influence their travel planning decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 193 respondents from eWOM websites and analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results revealed that eWOM has a significant influence on travel decisions. Furthermore, travelers were willing to adopt information from eWOM and this information was useful in their travel planning and decisions. Gender and time spent on online reviews were found to affect travel planning and decisions. Travelers also found that the reviews and issues raised in eWOM had credibility and were of good quality.
Research limitations/implications
The study was not able to incorporate all factors which may be relevant to this study and so further theoretical development may be necessary to develop the conceptual model. The sample size, while adequate, can be expanded further.
Practical implications
Operators and administrators of eWOM can use these findings to develop more user-friendly interfaces so that more positive reviews and sales can be generated.
Social implications
The results showed that travelers who adopt the information in eWOM will, in turn, use eWOM in their travel planning. This confirms the importance of eWOM and travelers in general will translate their pre-travel decisions into actual travel planning.
Originality/value
This research extended existing eWOM and information system adoption studies and focused on the travel planning context. This research validated the significant roles of eWOM argument quality and credibility in predicting the information usefulness of eWOM.
Details
Keywords
This study developed a new interpretation of the attitude contagion theory, with the information adoption model (IAM) as the theoretical basis. A review of electronic…
Abstract
Purpose
This study developed a new interpretation of the attitude contagion theory, with the information adoption model (IAM) as the theoretical basis. A review of electronic word-of-mouth studies was conducted by using informational and individual determinants to develop an integrated empirical model that identified the antecedents and consequences of consumer attitude toward online reviews.
Design/methodology/approach
This study recruited 750 members of Facebook beauty fan pages in Taiwan and used the structural equation model to test research hypotheses.
Findings
Results revealed that perceived “ electronic word-of mouth (eWOM) credibility of online reviews” and “product involvement” could be used to explain the effects of attitude toward online reviews. Regarding the attitude contagion effect, the effect of “attitude toward online review” on both “attitude toward a product” and “attitude toward a brand” is stronger than that on “eWOM adoption.”
Originality/value
This paper provides valuable insights into the antecedents, consequences and mediating mechanisms that determine consumer attitude toward online reviews.
Details
Keywords
Anubha and Samik Shome
This study aims to examine the impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on behavioural intentions of Indian urban millennials to use it when they book travel. The eWOM has been…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on behavioural intentions of Indian urban millennials to use it when they book travel. The eWOM has been measured on the basis of four dimensions, namely, perceived credibility, quality, quantity and completeness. eWOM attitude is studied as a mediator.
Design/methodology/approach
The study first applies a confirmatory factor analysis to gauge validity and reliability. Then structural equation modelling was applied to test the research hypotheses after collecting responses from 288 Indian millennials from six North Indian cities. Mediation has also been examined using the bootstrapping method. The quality of the data was assured by Harman’s single-factor test.
Findings
The study reveals that millennials’ eWOM attitude fully mediates its perceived quality and its usage intentions at the time of booking travel. However, this mediation effect is partial with respect to other components of eWOM, namely, perceived credibility, perceived quantity and perceived completeness.
Practical implications
India has the largest millennial population (440 million) in the world out of which 33% live in urban cities. Hence, it becomes imperative for travel marketers to understand the attitude of millennials’ towards eWOM, shared on social media. They should understand that millennials prefer eWOM in social media over traditional advertising for fulfilling their informational needs. Therefore, by apprehending the impact of recipients’ perception towards various components of eWOM on their behavioural intentions to use it, market practitioners can design superior marketing campaigns that will help them to gain maximum in the changing business landscape.
Originality/value
The study is unique in the sense that to date no study to the limited knowledge of the researchers has investigated the attitude of Indian millennials towards eWOM on social media as a mediator to comprehend their behavioural intentions to use travel reviews when they book travel.
Details
Keywords
Nathaniel Discepoli Line, Lydia Hanks and Tarik Dogru
With the proliferation of internet-based communication channels, understanding how restaurant consumers engage in electronic word of mouth (EWOM) has become an important field of…
Abstract
Purpose
With the proliferation of internet-based communication channels, understanding how restaurant consumers engage in electronic word of mouth (EWOM) has become an important field of academic pursuit. However, while communication channels have become more numerous and complex, the methods used to operationalize the attendant EWOM behaviors on these channels have remained relatively simplistic. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to consider existing methods of measuring restaurant EWOM in terms of their face validity in the contemporary communications landscape.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a total of six independent surveys that use various combinations of sampling, methodological and analytical approaches to demonstrate, measurement, social media, methodology, user-generated content, EWOM, electronic word of mouth the multiple problems associated with the measurement of restaurant EWOM as a latent construct.
Findings
The results suggest that the current methods for measuring EWOM are indeed outdated, indicating the need for a more nuanced approach to the academic pursuit of EWOM behavior.
Research limitations/implications
The existing methods of measuring restaurant EWOM are found to be invalid for many reasons. These methods of measuring EWOM should be abandoned in favor of channel-specific operationalizations that control for previous behavior and respondents’ account access at a minimum.
Originality/value
As its inception, many studies have operationalized restaurant EWOM as an intention-based construct used to measure an individual’s likelihood to communicate information about hospitality experiences “online.” While such measures were no doubt valid in the early years of EWOM research, the research is the first to criticize the face validity of this approach in terms of its relevance in the contemporary communications environment.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of attitude as a mediator in exploring the Halal cosmetics purchase intention of Indian Muslim women. Various drivers of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of attitude as a mediator in exploring the Halal cosmetics purchase intention of Indian Muslim women. Various drivers of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) (quality, quantity, consistency and quantity) have been tested as antecedents of purchase intention through the lenses of the elaboration likelihood model (ELM).
Design/methodology/approach
The positivist paradigm approach has been used to test the proposed mediation model using structural equation modelling. Responses of 313 Indian Muslim women who read reviews shared on various social media platforms before making any halal cosmetics purchase intention have been used for the final analysis. Mediation was tested using bootstrapping.
Findings
The findings of the study revealed that attitude towards halal cosmetics mediates the relationships of various drivers of eWOM with halal cosmetics purchase intention. However, it was observed that this mediation was partial in the context of eWOM quality, eWOM valence and eWOM consistency. Furthermore, for eWOM quantity, the mediation effect was full as the direct impact of eWOM quality on halal cosmetics purchase intention was not significant but its indirect impact on the latter via attitude was found to be significant.
Research limitations/implications
This study adds to the marketing communication literature, especially in the context of eWOM. The study also validates ELM theory in explaining the attitude that shapes the halal cosmetics purchase intention, thus the current study enriches the ELM literature.
Practical implications
The current study offers several implications for halal cosmetics marketers. It offers various suggestions to them on how to capitalize on eWOM as it influences Indian Muslim women’s purchasing intention for halal cosmetics by shaping their attitude towards such cosmetics favourably.
Originality/value
With reference to halal cosmetics, the current study offers a new perspective by examining the purchasing intention for such cosmetics based on various drivers of eWOM. The attitude towards halal cosmetics as a mediator has helped in better explaining the purchase intention for halal cosmetics.
Details
Keywords
Sandip Mukhopadhyay, Ritesh Pandey and Bikramjit Rishi
In recent times, the growing use of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has attracted consumers, organizations and marketers alike. The objective of this study is to summarize and…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent times, the growing use of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has attracted consumers, organizations and marketers alike. The objective of this study is to summarize and compare the current mass of eWOM research published in leading hospitality and tourism journals with research published in the other fields of both business and management.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses multiple bibliometric analysis methods, including citation, co-citation, keyword and co-word analysis. It compares various assessments of eWOM research published in 399 selected business publications and 398 selected hospitality/tourism publications (ABDC A and above and ABS 3 and above) between 2003 and 2021.
Findings
The co-citation analysis identified three thematic areas under each of the domains, i.e. in the hospitality/tourism field, the three themes included eWOM and behavior; eWOM and social media; and eWOM as a marketing tool. Similarly, under the business field (encompasses remaining business and management subdisciplines), the three themes are eWOM and sales, eWOM quality and attributes; and eWOM, information and consumer. Additionally, the word and co-word analysis mapped the comparative evolution of research in these two fields. The study advocates more research focusing on less researched platforms using diverse data, recommender systems adoption and application of eWOM in the business to business (B2B) context.
Research limitations/implications
This study summarizes the overall theoretical and conceptual structure of eWOM research in both business and hospitality/tourism fields; based upon which, several recommendations for future research are proposed.
Originality/value
By comparing the developments in the specialized hospitality/tourism sector with broader management literature using multiple, complementary techniques, this study brings out important insights for hospitality/tourism researchers.
Details
Keywords
Davinder Kaur and Rajpreet Kaur
E-recruiting has been a powerful tool for reaching the majority of job applicants around the world. Even though, previous literature has scarcely shed light on the factors…
Abstract
Purpose
E-recruiting has been a powerful tool for reaching the majority of job applicants around the world. Even though, previous literature has scarcely shed light on the factors responsible for the adoption of e-recruitment among job candidates. Originated from the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study aims to empirically examine the influence of online word-of-mouth in shaping job-seekers’ intentions for using e-recruitment websites.
Design/methodology/approach
A Google Docs-based online questionnaire was distributed via social media, LinkedIn and email to 740 participants, out of which 397 final responses were received. The partial least squares structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 3 was applied for evaluating the theoretical model.
Findings
This study empirically indicated that electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has a significant impact on perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and attitude. Whereas, PU and attitude fully mediate the relationship between eWOM and behavioral intentions (BI) of job-seekers towards e-recruitment.
Practical implications
This research contributes to the understanding of the relevance of eWOM in e-recruitment adoption. eWOM provides job-related information that plays a significant role in the usage of online recruitment systems such as LinkedIn, job portals and company websites. This study offered a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature on e-recruitment, developers and Web-based hiring service providers.
Originality/value
This investigation was the first attempt in the e-recruitment literature to explore the influence of eWOM on job-seekers’ intentions to adopt online recruitment platforms, including the mediating role of PU, PEOU and attitude in the association between eWOM and BI.
Details
Keywords
Ehsan Abedi, Davood Ghorbanzadeh and Atena Rahehagh
Today, consumers play an active role in creating, generating and distributing the electronic word of mouth (eWOM) independent of marketers. Customer acquisition through referrals…
Abstract
Purpose
Today, consumers play an active role in creating, generating and distributing the electronic word of mouth (eWOM) independent of marketers. Customer acquisition through referrals and word of mouth (WOM) has thus become an important goal for firms. In addition, mobile social networks have created valuable opportunities for eWOM. People are now able to discuss products and services of brands with their friends and acquaintances. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed the information adoption model (IAM), theory of reasoned action and social exchange theory to investigate the influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks. The study used 394 respondents to evaluate the proposed model using SmartPLS software.
Findings
Results show that the quality and credibility of eWOM information has a positive direct effect on perceived information usefulness. Attitude toward eWOM information mediates the influence of perceived information usefulness on information adoption. Also, attitude toward eWOM information has a significant positive influence on behavioral intentions, such as purchase intention and forwarding of eWOM information. However, information adoption does not have any significant relationship with the forwarding of eWOM information.
Research limitations/implications
This study seeks to address the dearth of research in the field of mobile social networks, especially regarding eWOM information. The study proposes a new model and empirically validates the hypothesized relationships. This research can serve as a stepping-stone for future research in this field.
Practical implications
This research is one of the first studies focusing on the influence of eWOM information, especially in mobile social networks. The research offers comprehensive and empirically validated factors pertaining to eWOM information in mobile social networks. The results of this study may be useful also for practitioners and managers of online companies.
Originality/value
A new eWOM IAM in mobile social networks is proposed based on information characteristics and consumer behavior. The model is validated afterward.
Details