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1 – 10 of over 8000Jin Zhang, Xinmai Li, Banggang Wu, Liying Zhou and Xiang Chen
A critical step in influencer marketing is influencer outreach, where a brand reaches out to an influencer and forms a partnership. Yet little is known about how factors related…
Abstract
Purpose
A critical step in influencer marketing is influencer outreach, where a brand reaches out to an influencer and forms a partnership. Yet little is known about how factors related to this process might influence the outcomes of sponsored posts. To address this gap, the authors investigated whether, how and when the order of influencers' product use and brand outreach (i.e. use/outreach order) affects post persuasiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted three experimental studies. Studies 1 and 2 examined the effect of disclosure type (use-first, outreach-later vs. outreach-first, use-later vs. no disclosure) on consumers' responses to the post. Study 3 investigated the moderating effects of compensation disclosure type.
Findings
The results revealed that when the influencer used the product before (vs. after) being contacted by the brand, consumers had more favorable attitudes about the product and greater purchase intention upon reading the sponsored posts; perceived information diagnosticity mediated this effect. However, this tendency was mitigated if the influencer disclosed the specific monetary payment from the brand.
Originality/value
This research advances understanding of sponsorship disclosure and provides a way to manage its impact on message persuasiveness.
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Helen MacIntyre, Annabel Collins and Jo Stapleton
The purpose of this paper is to share a model of skilled outreach working to find and engage the hidden group of socially isolated and lonely older people who are reluctant or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to share a model of skilled outreach working to find and engage the hidden group of socially isolated and lonely older people who are reluctant or unable to access community activities, formal services or support. The model can inform the practice of community development, housing or other workers concerned with initiating behaviour change among older people to increase their social connectedness.
Design/methodology/approach
This practice-focused paper presents a description of key elements of the Ageing Better in Camden (ABC) outreach approach along with a snapshot of operational data and examples from interviews/case studies to indicate impact of the work.
Findings
ABC’s Outreach Team engaged with individuals facing significant barriers to social connection including physical and mental health problems, living alone, bereavement and caring responsibilities. A high proportion of Team engagements were with men (41%) who are typically hard to engage. In total, 23% of people who the Team met took some “Action” towards social connection. Qualitative examples indicated that encounters with the Team could be uplifting and act as a “nudge” towards “Action”. This paper discusses the need to strengthen evidence of the impact of the approach and challenges of doing so.
Originality/value
There are few descriptions in practice or research literature of outreach work with older people and the elements which make it effective. This paper addresses this gap.
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Asma Ben Salem and Ines Ben Abdelkader
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of income and geographic diversification on the double bottom line of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Middle East and North…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of income and geographic diversification on the double bottom line of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries where conventional and Islamic MFIs coexist. The idea is to explore whether diversification impacts MFIs' financial performance and outreach differ for Islamic microfinance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors test the effect of diversification and business models of MFIs on their performance and poverty outreach. The authors’ data set is an unbalanced panel sample of 81 (Islamic and conventional) MFIs in MENA countries covering 1999–2018, comprising 743 MFI-year observations.
Findings
The authors find that increasing income diversification in microfinance and focusing on rural areas decreases the financial performance of MFIs in MENA countries. Islamic MFIs benefit from income diversification by increasing their financial performance. The results provide evidence of a nonlinear relationship between income diversification and the financial performance of MFIs. Although conventional MFIs improve their depth of outreach by diversifying their income, Islamic MFIs have a lower breadth of outreach because they show a higher degree of income diversification.
Practical implications
This research contributes to the ongoing debate of whether MFIs should focus on or diversify their services to Islamic microfinance. Therefore, the findings of this study are practically crucial for MFIs' stakeholders to understand the contribution of diversification strategies in improving the Islamic MFIs to achieve both financial and social objectives.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first research that addresses the impact of diversification strategies in Islamic microfinance. Additionally, using a panel data set of conventional and Islamic MFIs in MENA countries spanning 1999–2018, this study provides empirical evidence on the diversification versus focus issue from the microfinance industry and the subset of Islamic microfinance.
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Employing data on 14 major Indian states during 1973‐2004, this paper aims to investigate the hypothesis that economic growth is affected by financial outreach.
Abstract
Purpose
Employing data on 14 major Indian states during 1973‐2004, this paper aims to investigate the hypothesis that economic growth is affected by financial outreach.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs univariate tests as well as advanced panel regression techniques to examine whether financial outreach matters for state‐level economic growth.
Findings
The analysis suggests that improvements in financial outreach led to a perceptible rise in per capita growth. In terms of magnitudes, a rise in demographic outreach by 10 percent raises state per capita growth by 0.3 percent; in case of geographic outreach, the increase is lower. Finally, the analysis supports the hypotheses that states with higher manufacturing share tend to grow faster and the quality of state‐level institutions and infrastructure exert a significant bearing on growth.
Research limitations/implications
Although the definitions of financial outreach are based on international best practice, they focus only on banks and are driven by the availability of data on relevant variables.
Practical implications
The article belongs to the broad strand of literature which examines the finance‐growth nexus.
Social implications
Financial outreach is presently an avowed objective of policymakers, both in India and elsewhere. The article examines which sets of economic/policy variables impact financial outreach. The analysis can provide policymakers with feedback as regards the feasibility of the strategies pursued to improve financial outreach and thereby, how best to redesign and fine‐tune them.
Originality/value
To the author's knowledge, this is presumably the first study in India to examine the financial outreach‐growth nexus in a systematic manner at the sub‐national level.
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Anne Berlin Blackman and Jack Luskin
The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of a community‐based outreach initiative, piloted in Worcester, Massachusetts, to reduce children's exposure to toxic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of a community‐based outreach initiative, piloted in Worcester, Massachusetts, to reduce children's exposure to toxic chemicals in common household products by changing parental behavior regarding product purchase and use.
Design/methodology/approach
The program model was based on the premise that community health workers have the potential to deliver health education messages with particular effectiveness. Community health workers in Worcester received customized training to learn about the impact of toxic chemicals on children's health and strategies to reduce children's exposure to toxics in household products. The health workers then delivered this information to low‐income parents in English or Spanish. Through follow‐up interviews, the health workers used short surveys to collect data regarding the effect, if any, of the outreach on parental behavior regarding household product purchase and use.
Findings
Parents were receptive to receiving technical information about toxics and household products from outreach workers who could convey the message at an appropriate comprehension level. Parents' responses to the survey questions suggest that the outreach efforts increased their awareness and understanding of how toxics affect their children's health.
Research limitations/implications
Design and implementation aspects of the initiative – notably the size of the cohort recruited to the project – make it difficult to draw robust conclusions from the survey data. Nevertheless, the data do reflect at least a modest degree of parental behavior change regarding household product purchase and use.
Practical implications
Outreach efforts that reach parents individually in their homes are effective at communicating targeted information but do not necessarily result in parental behavior change. As consumers, many parents need to hear the message more than once before they will change their behavior regarding product use and purchase.
Originality/value
This paper describes a health education model that addresses an important but often overlooked area of risk to children's health: their exposure to toxics in common household products.
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Atthaphon Mumi, George Joseph and Shakil Quayes
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) play an important role in economic development, with the dual objectives of social outreach and financial self-sufficiency. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) play an important role in economic development, with the dual objectives of social outreach and financial self-sufficiency. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of organizational structure and variations in legal systems on the MFI dual performance goals.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample that includes 1,518 MFIs from 105 different countries over a period of 20 years, this study analyzes the data by applying a model that includes six categories of organizational structures and variations of legal systems, including both civil and common law, with accounting performance measures for the dependent variables.
Findings
The analyses provide robust results indicating that MFIs structured as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have better social outreach than all other types of MFIs and exhibit better financial performance than MFIs registered as commercial banks or credit unions. Legal systems also played a role in MFI effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Given the increasing importance of MFIs on economic development globally, this study has relevance on how the impact of MFI structural characteristics and macro-level influences on their dual performance criteria can be translated into management approaches and governance policies that can increase the effectiveness of these dual (i.e. social and financial) goals.
Originality/value
This study is more comprehensive than prior research in addressing the influence of organizational structures of MFIs and legal systems on MFI dual mission, namely, its financial performance and social outreach, thereby increasing our understanding of policy implications in sustaining the MFI’s developmental role.
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Jarrod Goentzel, Timothy Russell, Henrique Ribeiro Carretti and Yuto Hashimoto
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countries to consider how to reach vulnerable communities with extended outreach services to improve vaccination uptake. The authors created an…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countries to consider how to reach vulnerable communities with extended outreach services to improve vaccination uptake. The authors created an optimization model to align with decision-makers' objective to maximize immunization coverage within constrained budgets and deploy resources considering empirical data and endogenous demand.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed integer program (MIP) determines the location of outreach sites and the resource deployment across health centers and outreach sites. The authors validated the model and evaluated the approach in consultation with UNICEF using a case study from The Gambia.
Findings
Results in The Gambia showed that by opening new outreach sites and optimizing resource allocation and scheduling, the Ministry of Health could increase immunization coverage from 91.0 to 97.1% under the same budget. Case study solutions informed managerial insights to drive gains in vaccine coverage even without the application of sophisticated tools.
Originality/value
The research extended resource constrained LMIC vaccine distribution modeling literature in two ways: first, endogenous calculation of demand as a function of distance to health facility location enabled the effective design of the vaccine network around convenience to the community and second, the model's resource bundle concept more accurately and flexibly represented complex requirements and costs for specific resources, which facilitated buy-in from stakeholders responsible for managing health budgets. The paper also demonstrated how to leverage empirical research and spatial analysis of publicly available demographic and geographic data to effectively represent important contextual factors.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to use a web-based library game as an outreach tool at events. Games in higher education are a trend that libraries have used for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to use a web-based library game as an outreach tool at events. Games in higher education are a trend that libraries have used for information literacy but less frequently for outreach. Although there are relatively few examples of the use of games in academic library outreach events, games have the potential to be excellent outreach tools by engaging students and presenting them with the opportunity to change their perceptions of the library.
Design/methodology/approach
The University of North Dakota (UND) Libraries successfully connected with students at an outreach event by using a modified version of the Information Literacy Game originally developed by the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). UND Librarians created specific technical modifications and an event workflow, highlighted here, that other academic libraries can adapt for use at outreach events to attract both students who are and those who are not typically users of the library.
Findings
The information literacy game, with some specific technical changes, is customizable in relatively inexpensive ways that allow librarians from institutions of all sizes to engage students with a game at outreach events.
Originality/value
Games, especially Web-based games, have not previously been used in outreach events. The literature on the use of games in information literacy sessions but outreach is an even more logical fit for gaming. This paper presents a practical, value-oriented method for academic libraries to modify an information literacy game for use in outreach.
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With outreach responsibilities on the rise in academic libraries and budgets declining or remaining stagnant, finding outreach initiatives that support the university in creative…
Abstract
Purpose
With outreach responsibilities on the rise in academic libraries and budgets declining or remaining stagnant, finding outreach initiatives that support the university in creative ways are on the rise. This study seeks to compare outreach initiatives by academic librarians to a project conducted by the author.
Design/methodology/approach
Academic librarians with responsibilities in outreach, marketing, and promotion were targeted in a survey sent to listervs in the Summer of 2011. A total of 21 academic librarians described successful outreach initiatives. A small response rate reflects the target audience.
Findings
The survey revealed a wide range of outreach initiatives that compare funding: library, university, grant, and other. The author's project greatly exceeded the cost of all other initiatives.
Research limitations/implications
The research identifies survey flaws and a small reach to the targeted audience. Suggestions for future research include a modified survey to the Association of Library Communications and Outreach Professionals.
Practical implications
Technology advancements and budget restraints have put pressure on outreach librarians to provide successful programs with less funding. Many colleges and universities across the nation have inserted outreach into public services positions.
Originality/value
The literature produces limited research about successful outreach initiatives over the past five years where economic duress has been nationwide. Outreach librarians will find inspiration in the collected outreach projects undertaken at 21 colleges and universities across America to create projects with limited funding.
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Mohammad Zainuddin, Masnun Mahi, Shabiha Akter and Ida Md. Yasin
This study investigates the role of national culture between outreach and sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Despite microfinance's deep embeddedness in cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the role of national culture between outreach and sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Despite microfinance's deep embeddedness in cultural contexts, research on the influence of national culture on MFI performance is rather sparse. This paper seeks to fill this gap and, based on cross-country microfinance data, attempts to explain the outreach-sustainability relationship in reference to cultural factors.
Design/methodology/approach
An unbalanced panel, consisting of 5,741 MFI-year observations of 1,232 MFIs from 43 countries in six regions, is drawn from the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Market database. Two different econometric models are tested. Model 1 estimates the direct effect of outreach on sustainability, using a fixed-effects estimator. Model 2 examines the moderation effect of national culture on outreach-sustainability relationship, employing correlated random effects approach.
Findings
The results show that depth of outreach and financial sustainability of MFIs are negatively related, and the relationship is moderated by national culture. Power distance and uncertainty avoidance positively moderate the outreach-sustainability relationship, whereas individualism and masculinity negatively moderate the relationship.
Originality/value
The findings suggest that the national culture where MFIs are located plays an important contingent role in their performance and that the magnitude of the trade-off effect varies from culture to culture. The research thus provides further insight in the trade-off debate and contributes to literatures of both microfinance and cross-cultural management.
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