Marketing

Regulatory focus theory is used to study individuals' perceptions of fairness towards a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)-based transportation funding policy. According to regulatory focus theory, messages are more effective when they are congruent with the goal framing promotion (gains) or prevention (loss avoidance) focus of the recipients (i.e., there is a regulatory fit). This study confirms an interaction effect when the information in a message is congruent with the regulatory orientation of the individual. In addition, we find that the sensitivity towards fairness is more pronounced when subjects exhibit a prevention fit than when they exhibit a promotion fit. Our findings emphasize the importance of regulatory focus as it concerns public perceptions of potential transportation funding policy and provide useful guidelines for related outreach messaging strategies for influencing them.

Abstract: Based on a real-world field study of twenty-one sponsored promotional events (sponsored fashion shows)(n= 535), we provide a self-congruity theory-based model explaining the role of mall shopper's self-congruity on the effectiveness of experiential mall promotions. We find that self-congruity with the event is a key influencer of promotion effectiveness. Specifically we show that: a) more expertise with the sponsor impacts self-congruity with the sponsor; b) in turn, self-congruity with the promotional event enhances ...

Based on a real-wortd field study of 21 sponsored promotional events (more specifically, sponsored fashion shows) (n = 535), we provide a self-congruity theory-based nnodei explaining the role of mall shoppers' self-congruity on the effectiveness of experiential mall promotions. We find that self-congruity with the event is a key infiuencer of promotion effectiveness. Specifically, we show that (1) more expertise with the sponsor affects self-congruity with the sponsor; (2) in turn, self-congruity with the promotional event enhances persuasiveness of the event; and (3) this event persuasion enhances the consumer's likelihood to shop at the sponsor's store. Further, when entertained shoppers like the promotionai events and wish for more of such promotions, they tend to think more positively about the sponsor, view the promotionai event as a good way to highlight the sponsor, and desire to shop more at the retail sponsor. These are important findings for advertising research practitioners, as they suggest that event attendees focus on how the sponsoring retailer fits with their image and sense of self.

This article addresses the obesity epidemic, arguably one of the biggest health issues presently facing our society, by taking a critical look at the body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem literatures. The authors delve into three key areas, namely, the constructs themselves, the media effects on these constructs, and finally the relation of these constructs with a key solution, exercise. To address these three areas, three tables are presented to accompany descriptions of each construct which provide a vast and overarching review of the crossdisciplinary literature on the topics. The authors conclude by suggesting several potential research ideas, including a transformative positive psychology intervention which combines cognitive attitude-based framing (to increase body image satisfaction and self-esteem) with applied behavior analysis (to increase exercise frequency).

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to assess how regret affects consumer satisfaction levels, extent of rumination, and brand-switching intention. The paper also seeks to examine any mediating effects between regret and rumination that can be found due to consumers' negative emotions. Design/methodology/approach-A purchase-decision scenario was presented to 125 undergraduate students. A between-subjects experimental design was conducted and structural equation modelling was utilized to evaluate the model fit. Findings-The results indicate that regret decreases consumer satisfaction level and increases brand-switching intention. Negative emotion was found to demonstrate an indirect effect between regret and extent of rumination. The findings also suggest that negative emotion acts as a partially mediating variable between the effect of satisfaction levels on extent of rumination and the effect of regret on satisfaction levels. Practical implications-This study emphasizes the importance of post-purchase consumer satisfaction. Marketers must pay particular attention to both regret and negative emotion toward purchase decisions. By understanding how specific recourse can be taken to mitigate regret, negative emotions, and ruminative thinking, firms can potentially enhance a brand's image and instil brand loyalty. Originality/value-This research further validates existing research regarding regret and consumption, while introducing the concept of rumination into the marketing literature. Marketers will have a better understanding of how regret, negative emotions, and rumination can play a role in post-purchase consumption behaviours.

Grounded in categorisation theory, this exploratory research provides insights regarding how consumers initially perceive websites-as images rather than 'clickable' interfaces. According to this view, at first glance, consumers categorise websites with respect to some set of attributes, much as they categorise products or retailscapes. Similarity judgements are gathered from survey data using the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) technique. Results show four salient attributes-uniqueness, educational value, personalisation, and trustworthiness. The main substantive contribution of this paper is the application of perceptual mapping to study and categorise static websites, and the finding that the non-dynamic attributes of uniqueness, educational value, personalisation, and trustworthiness are as important with i-branding as with retail branding. A methodological novelty is that rather than relying on consumer self-report regarding attributes of the websites, the present research utilises similarity scaling technique to capture website perceptions through indirect measures.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to gain insight regarding the impact of consumer regret on shopping in mall kiosks and its relationship with consumer variety-seeking tendencies. Design/methodology/approach-Two experimental studies are carried out with students and consumers. Findings-Findings of the two studies show that variety and regret play an important role in mall kiosk shopping. Both studies show that individual variety-seeking tendencies naturally stimulate consumers' search for retailers that allow them additional options (i.e. kiosk retailers that provide higher perceived variety) in comparison with those who only offer minimal assortment sizes. Research limitations/implications-Mall kiosks are becoming an increasingly common avenue for the release of innovative products and quick entry into the retail market. These outlets have not been studied through academic research and experimentation, and this paper introduces the importance of consumer decision making in such environments. Practical implications-Considering the findings of this research, it is in the best interest of retailers to minimize the perception of risk involved in purchases at mall kiosk retailers. For example, kiosk retailers should work toward creating service environments where consumers feel a sense of control, as this should help mitigate some of the perceived risks in those retailers. Originality/value-This paper relates two constructs (regret and variety), which have proven to be very important in e-tail and retail shopping, to show how they can minimize consumer's perceived risk during a shopping experience.

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate IMC metrics in the lens of an institution-wide change management process, and to do so, the authors develop and test an organizational data quality enhancement model. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research was conducted, with a follow-on quantitative pre-test. A subsequent, larger-scale quantitative survey resulted in a total of 128 responses, 124 useable. A regression analysis was conducted using the factor scores of the six organizational dimensions as independent variables and overall data quality as the dependent variable. Findings – The findings show that overcoming poor IMC data quality requires a corporate culture that reduces cross-functional and departmental divides. The authors also support the idea that horizontally organized learning organizations not only have superior IMC data, but they also achieve higher rates of return on their cross-platform IMC efforts. Research limitations/implications – The rese...

At times in their interfirm relationships, distribution channel organizations may take advantage of their exchange partners by behaving guilefully. This opportunistic behavior adversely impacts channel member satisfaction (Gassenheimer et al., 1996) as well as the relational exchange norms among channel partners (Gundlach et al., 1995; Sindhav & Lusch, 2008). It also increases transaction costs (Luo, 2007), including the costs of monitoring the channel (Dahlstrom & Nygaard, 1999). Such costs, along with others, can lead to decreases in the channel's performance (Claycomb & Frankwick, 2010). Thus, managing opportunism in interfirm relationships, such as distribution channels, improves relationship quality and is an important task (Li, 2007). Previous research has identified a number of mechanisms that can be useful in limiting interfirm opportunism. Among them are common ownership (Williamson, 1985), congruent goals among channel members (Anderson, 1988; Jap & Anderson, 2003), investments in idiosyncratic assets (Rokkan et al., 2003; Williamson, 1985), monitoring partner activities and outcomes (Heide et al., 2007), and relational exchange norms (Brown et al., 2000; Vázquez et al., 2007). The article is organized as follows. First, we use transaction cost theory, agency theory, and relational exchange theory to discuss channel member opportunism and explain how specific facets of common ownership can manage it. We also use these theories to develop hypotheses that explicate how a firm's characteristics as well as its partner's characteristics can moderate the impact of common ownership in limiting partner opportunism. Next, we describe an empirical study designed to test the conceptual framework suggested by our hypotheses. After we discuss our empirical findings, we explore their implications for both managers and researchers. We then summarize our research and succinctly draw some conclusions from it.

This paper reports a study designed to further validate a measure of quality of college life (QCL) of university students (Sirgy, Grzeskowiak, Rahtz, Soc Indic Res 80(2), 343-360, 2007). Two studies were conducted: a replication study and an extension study. The replication study involved surveys of 10 different college campuses in different

Given the increase in global positioning system enabled devices and the ubiquitous ability to connect wirelessly to information through location-based services, organizations are challenged to offer privacy-by-design support systems. Given this, we offer a conceptual framework to capture the impact of the individual component weights of concern for information privacy on behavioral intent of disclosing information. Through a sample of 217 respondents, our PLS model shows that privacy protection beliefs negatively impact concern for collection, unauthorized use, and improper access of information and that privacy risk beliefs positively impact concern for collection and existence of errors; additionally, concern for collection negatively impacts behavioral intentions to disclose information, as does concern for unauthorized use. With such detailed information, firms can address both cognitive and affective consumer concerns, enhance transparency, and communicate multiple services whi...

Virtual worlds are three-dimensional environments in which individuals represented by avatars can buy and sell virtual content and real world products. Virtual world entrepreneurs have been able to generate significant, real world profits in these simulated environments. Extending the work of Zhao, Seibert, and Hills [1], the authors examine the role of virtual world technology self-efficacy and virtual world entrepreneurial learning as indirect predictors of virtual world entrepreneurial intentions. Findings from three waves of data collected during a field study reveal that virtual world entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediates these relationships. Implications and future research on entrepreneurship in virtual worlds are discussed.

Creativity is vital to the learning process of social work students. Despite its importance, educators are still uncertain of ways to enhance creativity and translate it from classroom to practice. Therefore, this study examines social work student perspectives on ways to define creativity, infuse it into the classroom, and apply it as practitioners. This study qualitatively explores the open-ended insights of 37 social work students. Through an unguided semantic analysis and application of Kolb's experiential learning theory, the following themes emerged: classroom, creativity, performance, activities, and ideas. These themes indicate that students believe that additional creative opportunities in their classrooms would eventually benefit them as practitioners. Further pedagogical emphasis on increasing student creativity through experiential learning activities would be beneficial.

While the potential value of Virtual World Technologies (VWTs) lies in their promise to facilitate communication through new and novel forms of collaboration, there is a lack of prior research that examines how VWTs compare to other types of information and communication technologies (ICT) commonly used to support collaborative work. This study investigates the effects of VWTs on group ideation outcomes; specifically, it compares the use of Second Life to a chat environment for idea generation tasks. As hypothesized, groups using VWTs for an idea generation task generated significantly more unique ideas and enjoyed using the environment more than the chat environment. Contrary to our predictions, no significant difference between the two environments was observed for satisfaction, group cohesion, and social presence.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify the best marketing communications for policy messages that makes these messages acceptable and fair to the public. Within the context of the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax, this paper examines how framing messages through the alternative perspective of tribalism can increase individual support towards the corresponding policy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a mixed methods approach. Study 1 uses a qualitative content analysis process based on grounded theory to identify the themes that surround 331 public comments on a transportation policy. Study 2 follows with two 2x2 quantitative factorial experiments to test specific hypotheses. Findings – If messages are framed to address the collective losses of the political tribe for collective good, then they generate more favorable attitudes towards the policy, as opposed to the self-interest perspective. Research limitations/implications – This paper focuses on two political t...