Unit pricing matters more when consumers are under time pressure

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1094-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Yao ◽  
Harmen Oppewal
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Load ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lower Unit ◽  
On Line ◽  
Grocery Purchase ◽  
Unit Pricing

Purpose This paper aims to first investigate how unit pricing affects consumers’ grocery purchase decisions and perceptions of the shopping task’s information load. The second goal is to test how time pressure enhances the behavioural and perceptual effects of displaying unit prices. Design/methodology/approach Two on-line experiments were conducted using national samples of shoppers. In Study 1, participants indicated their choices and perceptions in an inter-brand shopping scenario where prepackaged products have conflicting positions on retail price and unit price. In Study 2, participants conducted the same shopping task but now under a condition of time pressure. Findings Study 1 shows that unit pricing shifts consumer choices towards the lower unit priced options and improves their perceptions of task information load. Study 2 shows that when consumers are under time pressure, unit pricing shows stronger effects on choices but not on perceptions. Research limitations/implications The study comprised a fairly homogenous set of low involvement categories and relatively small assortments in a hypothetical purchase setting. Exploration of the role of unit pricing in more complex and more realistic purchase environments pose suitable avenues for future research. Practical implications This study shows that consumers benefit from unit pricing because it makes it easier for them to find the lower unit priced items and to more quickly complete their shopping task. Retailers will benefit from increased customer satisfaction and possibly an improved store image. Social implications The study shows that consumers generally benefit from the presence of unit pricing and that unit price information does not create harmful effects in terms of increasing their information load. Originality/value This study uses a specifically designed and controlled but nevertheless realistic grocery choice task to study the effects of unit pricing in an inter-brand context where there are only small differences in size and price. The study contributes to the literature by showing that in such conditions, unit prices help consumers compare the economic losses associated with product options. Their heuristic role is more pronounced when consumers are under time pressure. The study shows that consumers generally benefit from the presence of unit prices.

Stress and productivity in workers of textile companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-29
Author(s):  
Carlos Ramos-Galarza ◽  
Pamela Acosta-Rodas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Textile Production ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between two psychological factors which are occupation stress and productivity, that influence workers immerse into textile production labor context. Design/methodology/approach This study has a quantitative methodology, is cross-sectional, nonexperimental and with an explicative scope. Findings The results of this research allow to identify that occupational stress levels cause a negative impact on worker’s productivity in the textile production area. Research limitations/implications There are two limitations in this study, first is the participant’s subjectivity when filling the questionnaires because it was self-reported and the second limitation is that the sample is specifically from a city of a South American country. Practical implications The results of this investigation show as an evidence the need for psychological intervention within companies for occupational stress, because it will impact in a negative way the textile production of a company, which will guide future research making possible to develop and apply psychological treatment programs pro employee’s mental health. Social implications A textile company with low productivity will bring strong economic losses and even bankruptcy, although, thanks to this study it was possible to identify that occupational stress will have a negative impact in productivity, drawing an important based line to future research, looking to improve worker’s performance and hence, companies’ profits contributing to social economic processes. Originality/value In general, companies of textile industry (as many others from capitalist economic system), make substantial investments in technology instruments, specialized workers, machines’ maintenance and reparation, marketing, etc. to improve their production standards, however, there is a low investment on worker’s mental health, as it has been found in this study it generates a strong negative impact on its productivity.

Facebook as a platform for co-creating music festival experiences

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Hoksbergen ◽  
Andrea Insch
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Music Festival ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
On Line

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the need to understand how younger music festival-goers use and engage with a music festival’s Facebook page, and how they perceive this social networking service (SNS) as a potential on-line platform for value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 young adults who attended an annual New Year’s Eve music festival, Rhythm and Vines, in Gisborne, New Zealand. Findings Analysis of the interview data revealed that the majority of participants did not actively engage with this platform and could be categorised as passive viewers or information-seekers. In addition, participants perceived five types of value from using this SNS: functional, social, emotional, interactive and aesthetic value. Even though participants were not segmented due to the small sample size, patterns in their levels of engagement with Facebook, attendance status, reasons for attending the festival and the combinations of forms of value that they perceived were identified. Research limitations/implications Future research should use a large-scale survey method to obtain a representative sample that is generalisable to a specific population of music festival-goers. Practical implications Dominance of features on Facebook providing festival-goers with functional value suggests they prefer a passive or co-optation approach to value co-creation in this context. Due to the limited extent of participants actively co-creating value on this platform, alternative means of encouraging interaction to co-create value with festival-goers should be investigated. Originality/value This study demonstrates that this SNS provides this group of young adults with a means to connect their real-time festival experience, with their on-line Facebook social network during the year.

Unit pricing for multiple product sizes: identifying moderators and mediators of consumer evaluations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miyuri Shirai ◽  
Takuya Satomura
Keyword(s):  
Unit Price ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Quantity Discounts ◽  
Consumer Evaluations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Unit Pricing

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the underlying process by which a brand’s unit pricing for multiple package sizes influences consumer evaluations by incorporating several mediators and moderators. Two-unit pricing tactics were examined: quantity discounts and surcharges. Design/methodology/approach Two online experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. Study 1 examined the mediating role of consumers’ inferred motive for sellers in setting quantity discounts or surcharges in the relationship between the pricing tactics and consumer evaluations. Study 2 incorporated affect as a mediator, and price consciousness and unit price usage as moderators in this relationship. Findings The mediating role of inferred motive is supported. Motive is related to the sales volume. Furthermore, this mediation effect is more potent when consumers have stronger quantity discount belief. Further, the mediating role of affect is supported. It is more salient when consumers are frequent users of unit prices. Research limitations/implications This study compared two pricing tactics and did not include a control condition. The first digit of the unit price for the small package size was different between the pricing tactics. Practical implications When applying quantity surcharges to products, it is essential to provide additional information to consumers to preclude the possibility of negative evaluations. Originality/value This study makes a significant contribution by offering a deeper understanding of consumer responses to the pricing tactics. In particular, it reveals that pricing tactics trigger both cognitive and affective responses, which then influence evaluations of the pricing tactics. This elicited cognition is associated with deduction about sellers’ brand-size pricing behavior.

Critical analysis of mental health research among construction project professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Tijani ◽  
Jin Xiaohua ◽  
Robert Osei-Kyei
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Job Burnout ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Mental ill-health among construction project professionals (CPPs) is a significant, persistent and unresolved problem that sparked the proliferation of literature worldwide. Despite the diverse research publications, a systematic review to reveal forms of mental ill-health, cause of mental ill-health and coping is lacking. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to systematically reviews the existing body of knowledge on mental health in the construction project by analyzing 60 papers published between 1989 and 2020 (years inclusive) using the preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Academic journals between 1989 and 2020 were selected for this study because the first published paper on the mental health of construction managers commenced in 1989 and current studies are published in 2020. Findings The findings show that stress, job burnout, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder (SUD) are prominent forms of mental ill-health among CPPs, with an absence of project-related measuring scales for evaluating the mental ill-health symptoms. Moreover, generic stressors including long working hours, time pressure and work overload were used to establish the root causes of mental ill-health by ignoring construction project related stressors for mental ill-health. Problem-focused coping is more efficient than emotional focused coping in mitigating work stress, job burnout, depression, anxiety, but little is known on the influence of coping strategies on SUD. Knowledge gaps and future research directions were identified. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the implications of mental health management on construction projects. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute toward understanding the need to investigate individual mental ill-health as against the existing practices of considering all forms of mental ill-health as one umbrella. It also challenges limitations in the utilization of generic stressors to determines factors for mental ill-health by the introduction of the Swisse cheese theoretical model.

Money laundering through gambling devices

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
June Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Telephone Conversation ◽  
Mandatory Training ◽  
On Line ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The aim of this paper is to examine how money laundering occurs through electronic gaming devices, the regulatory requirements for operators of electronic gaming machines, the issues of on-line versus land-based gambling and a discussion about ethics and social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach This is primarily a conceptual paper which includes an identification of several theories relevant to money laundering. Primary data were obtained from one respondent through a face-to-face meeting and another through a telephone conversation. Findings A strong, globally co-ordinated effort is required to fight against the increasingly “dark side” of money laundering. The tenets of corporate social responsibility (CSR), including a strong focus on ethics, is vitally important in the gambling industry in helping to wipe out money laundering, which is used to make “dirty” money “clean” and in some instances, used to fund terrorism. Research limitations/implications Further studies could be conducted incorporating a sample of primary data within, and between, jurisdictions. Further work is recommended for developing a form of global collective targeted practical deterrents, supported by technology including artificial intelligence as identified to some degree in this paper. Whilst this paper has included a discussion on CSR, moral management and ethics as a means of arbitrating money laundering, future research could put this idea to the test. Practical implications Efforts (including technological) to combat money laundering at the venue level continue to be developed. Further, regulations could include mandatory training in CSR and ethics for all employees in organisations identified by regulators as being particularly susceptible to money laundering. Social implications Terrorist actions have gained increasing attention as various countries have had to endure seemingly escalating atrocities in their jurisdictions. Government has an important role to take the necessary steps to strike out terrorism to protect its citizens. Originality/value No peer-reviewed academic articles could be identified using a Google Scholar search on money laundering and/or marketing and or CSR. A limited number of articles were identified using the search terms “money laundering and gambling”.

Perceptions of mobile plan unit pricing and terms and conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-753
Author(s):  
Lisa McQuilken ◽  
Nichola Robertson ◽  
Michael Polonsky ◽  
Paul Harrison ◽  
David Bednall
Keyword(s):  
Limited Range ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Informational Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Value Perceptions ◽  
Country Market ◽  
Type Size ◽  
Unit Pricing ◽  
Full Factorial

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the efficacy of disclosing unit pricing and increasing the type size of complex terms and conditions in advertising. This is in line with recommendations made by global telecommunications regulators, including in Australia, to protect consumers in selecting mobile plans. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed a 2 (unit price disclosed: no, yes)×3 (type size: nine-, 12- and 15-point terms and conditions) full factorial, between-subjects experimental design using a scenario and fictional advertisements for 24-month mobile phone plans. This was complemented by 24 in-depth interviews with consumers who had recently purchased “real” plans and their assessment of these. Findings Extra information in the form of unit pricing has a positive influence on consumers’ value perceptions, but not on perceived confusion or risk. Presenting complex terms and conditions in larger type increases consumers’ perceived confusion and risk, but not perceived value, as consumers have difficulty understanding the complicated information presented. Research limitations/implications This study focused on a single country market for one product type of mobile phones, using a limited range of mobile plans. Practical implications Public policymakers and providers are advised to pre-test planned changes to advertising’s informational content prior to implementation to identify the efficacy of proposed changes to protect consumers. Consumers may also need to be educated to accurately interpret complex plans. Originality/value The study contributes to the domain of informational content in advertising as a form of consumer protection. The effect of unit pricing and larger type for terms and conditions on consumer perceptions has not been examined previously in complex product settings.

Emerging forms of inter-organizational and cross-sector collaborations in e-government initiatives

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Pilemalm ◽  
Ida Lindgren ◽  
Elina Ramsell
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergency Response System ◽  
Interdisciplinary Design ◽  
On Line ◽  
Is Development ◽  
User Tasks ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to explore recent public sector trends, inter-organizational and cross-sector collaborations, and analyzes these in terms of implications for participative development of information systems (IS). These trends are understood as being part of emerging forms of e-government. Initial suggestions for how to develop IS in the new contexts are provided. Design/methodology/approach Three cases involving the trends described above, taking place in the Swedish emergency response system, are studied and used as basis for identified participative IS development challenges and suggested adaptation needs. Data collection involves semi-structured interviews, focus groups and future workshops. Findings The identified challenges concern balancing ideological versus practical needs, lack of resources, lack of know-how and design techniques and tool challenges. Some practical implications for participative IS development include more extensive focus on stakeholder and legal analysis, need for interdisciplinary design teams, merging of task and needs analysis for yet-undefined user tasks and using on-line alternatives for interacting with users. Research implications/limitations The study is exploratory where the three cases are in different, but at the same time interrelated, collaboration contexts. The identified implications and challenges provide proposals that in future research can be applied, formalized and integrated when developing practically feasible participative IS development approaches. Originality/value It is argued that the results point toward a current emerging form of e-government initiatives directed toward certain demarcated groups of citizens actually carrying out certain tasks for their co-citizens and society rather than the broad masses, having far-reaching practical implications and complicating the issue of IS development.

When time pressure counters the zero price effect

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bowman Dinsmore ◽  
Scott A. Wright ◽  
Daria Plotkina
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Consumer Preference ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pricing Model ◽  
Price Effect ◽  
Digital Products ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Performance ◽  
Anchoring Effects

Purpose The freemium pricing model is dominant in digital products such as mobile applications. While limited evaluation of a product such as when a consumer is under time pressure, has been found to increase consumer preference for the free version (“the zero price effect”), this paper aims to explore moderators that attenuate or reverse that effect. Design/methodology/approach Three experiments test the role of anchoring effects induced by time pressure in moderating the zero price effect. Findings The studies offer evidence that anchoring effects induced by time pressure can be directed to reduce preference for free versions of products. In addition, these effects are mediated by the perceived performance risk of a product and an upper boundary condition for monetary price level is found. Research limitations/implications This research demonstrates exceptions to time pressure’s role in intensifying the zero price effect. Future research could focus on additional moderators of the effect such as the need for certainty and examine time pressure’s effect on in-app purchases. Practical implications These findings can be directly applied by marketers of digital products using a freemium pricing model who wants to use time pressure to create urgency with customers without pushing them toward the free version of a product. Originality/value This paper finds exceptions to the zero price effect where consumers exhibit a stronger preference for the paid (vs free) version of a product when under time pressure.

Self-perceptions of English and Welsh constables and sergeants preparedness for online crime

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Burruss ◽  
Christian Jordan Howell ◽  
Adam Bossler ◽  
Thomas J. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Response ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Fraud ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
On Line

Purpose Cybercrime is the greatest threat facing law enforcement agencies in England and Wales. Although these crimes are transnational by nature, the burden of response has been placed on line officers. Not all officers, however, believe they are capable of responding to calls involving cybercrime. The current study, using latent class analysis (LCA) on a large sample of English and Welsh officers, finds two types of officers: those prepared (39 percent) and those unprepared (61 percent). Using logistic regression to predict who falls into either classification, the authors find that training and age are the best predictors of latent membership. Implications for policy and future research are discussed. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used LCA to determine the number and character of unobserved categories of officers in how they deal with cybercrime. Findings The LCA indicated there are two distinct categories of police in the English and Welsh constabulary: those prepared (39 percent) and those unprepared (61 percent). Training and age were the two key determinants of this classification. Research limitations/implications LCA is an exploratory analysis technique that requires additional validation to confirm the findings of any one study. Practical implications The salience of training in helping officers feel prepared to deal with cybercrime cases as well as victims was demonstrated. A full 60 percent of the officers in this study fell in the “unprepared” category, which continues to highlight the limitations of local police to handle cybercrime cases; nevertheless, almost 40 percent of officer could be considered ready when responding to cybercrimes. Social implications As the harm cybercrime brings to our financial and social well-being, law enforcement agencies will be required to improve their response capabilities. Most current cybercrime responses address technical issues related to online fraud and abuse, but officers often perceive the problem as outside their legal and geographic jurisdiction. Knowing how officers perceive cybercrime as well as their own capabilities will allow us to begin changing enforcement policies, training capacity and individual response efficacy. Originality/value This study involved a sample of English and Welsh constables and sergeants to classify their cybercrime readiness. The analysis and particular data are unique to the study of cybercrime.

Does unit pricing influence store price image dimensions and shopping intentions for retail stores?

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1396-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Roth ◽  
Lena Himbert ◽  
Stephan Zielke
Keyword(s):  
Positive Influence ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Product Choice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
Unit Pricing ◽  
Price Image ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose While previous literature focusses on the impact of unit pricing on the customer level by analysing customer awareness and product choice, the present research aims to highlight the impact unit pricing has at the store level. Design/methodology/approach The impact of unit pricing on the store price image is investigated in two experiments. While the first experiment assesses the general influence of unit price presence and unit price prominence on store price image, the second experiment provides further insights into the influence of unit price prominence on store price image and shopping intentions under consideration of moderating variables. Findings This research demonstrates that the availability of unit prices influences several store price image dimensions positively, namely, price processibility, price perceptibility and evaluation certainty. There is also an indirect positive effect on value-for-money perception. Furthermore, unit price prominence has a positive effect on the dimension price processibility. There is a positive influence of unit price presence and unit price prominence on the consumers’ intention to shop at a given store through the store price image. Originality/value This paper adds to the existing unit price and store price image literature and derives implications for retailers as well as for policymakers regarding the presentation of unit prices on price labels. Policymakers can use the results for motivating retailers to use unit price information more actively and present it more prominently beyond the minimum regulatory standards.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document