Pink or blue? The impact of gender cues on brand perceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1550-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Claudia Hess ◽  
Valentyna Melnyk
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Feminine Gender ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Brand Perception ◽  
Purchase Likelihood ◽  
High Competence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, how and why gender cues influence brand perception and subsequent purchasing behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Across four experimental studies conducted online with either a convenience sample (Studies 1a and 1b) or a representative sample of consumers (Studies 2 and 3), the authors empirically investigate whether gender cues impact brand perception along dimensions of warmth and competence and how other warmth and competence cues in a consumer environment moderate the effect of gender cues on consumer brand perceptions. Findings Gender cues (e.g. gender-typed colours and shapes) activate gender-stereotypical knowledge of warmth and competence, which spills over to the brand. This effect depends on the presence of other competence cues in a consumer’s environment. In contrast to conventional practice, in the presence of a high competence cue (e.g. reputable brands), feminine gender cues enhance purchase likelihood (via activation of warmth perceptions), whereas masculine cues actually decrease purchase likelihood. In contrast, in the presence of a low competence cue (e.g. new companies), masculine gender cues enhance purchase likelihood (via activation of competence perceptions), whereas feminine cues lower purchase likelihood. Research limitations/implications The authors used an experimental approach to explicitly test for causality and isolate the effect of gender cues in a controlled setting. Future research should further address the implication of gender cues using actual sales data. Practical implications Reputable companies often explicitly use cues to highlight their competence. The results of this research suggest that managers may want to reconsider this approach. That is, marketers of brands with established high competence should consider integrating more feminine cues to highlight their warmth, such as feminine shapes (e.g. circles and ovals) or feminine colours (e.g. a shade of pink) in their packaging and marketing communication. In contrast, companies that have not established their competence or not-for-profit organisations would be better off integrating masculine cues. Originality/value This is the first research to empirically investigate the effect of gender cues on brand perception and subsequent purchase behaviour. Not only does this research show that gender cues can alter brand perception along the warmth and competence perception but also the authors address the call to identify conditions under which warmth versus competence cues enhance brand perception and purchase likelihood (Aaker et al., 2010). In particular, this research demonstrates how multiple warmth and competence cues interact with each other.

I am ugly, but I am tender: the dominance of moral character and warmth

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-176
Author(s):  
Joseph W. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Moral Character ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Moral Intuitions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Evaluations ◽  
Culture Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dominance of athlete endorser characteristics (i.e. moral character vs warmth) on athlete endorser perception and the influence of tarnished athlete endorsers (i.e. immoral character vs coldness) on brand evaluations from the perspectives of perceiver characteristics, including dispositional tendency, innate moral intuitions, and self-location (SL). Design/methodology/approach This research consists of three experimental studies with 135, 72, and 91 participants, respectively. Study 1 compared the dominance of moral character and warmth on athlete endorser perception. Study 2 examined the impact of perceiver characteristics on the cause-and-effect relationship between tarnished athlete endorsers (i.e. immoral character vs coldness) and brand evaluations. Study 3 investigated the cross-cultural generalizability of the US-based research findings in Study 2 for Indians. Findings Moral character is more influential than warmth on athlete endorser evaluations. Tarnished athlete endorsers with immoral character exert more negative influence than tarnished athlete endorsers with coldness characteristic on brand evaluations. Except for dispositional tendency, innate moral intuitions and SL moderate brand evaluations. Endorser and perceiver characteristics yield asymmetric patterns of influence on Americans’ and Indians’ brand evaluations. Research limitations/implications Future research is needed to verify the causal effects of thinking styles on the relationship between tarnished athlete endorsers and brand evaluations. Practical implications The determination of endorsement continuity has to jointly consider the characteristics of endorsers, perceivers, and cultures. Originality/value This research contributes to the endorsement research by advancing the research scopes of athlete endorser, perceiver, and culture characteristics.

scholarly journals Mapping of internal audit research: a post-Enron structured literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1969-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Kotb ◽  
Hany Elbardan ◽  
Hussein Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Structured Literature Review

PurposeThis paper reviews the field of internal auditing (IA) post-Enron to develop insights into how IA research has developed, offer a critique of the research to date and identify ways that future research can help to advance IA.Design/methodology/approachA structured literature review (SLR) was used to analyse 471 papers from 64 journals published between 2005 and 2018 based on a number of criteria, namely author, journal type, journal location, year, theme, theory, nature of research, research setting, regional focus, method and citations.FindingsThe IA literature has not significantly contributed to knowledge of the internal audit function (IAF), and one still knows relatively little about the factors that contribute to making the impact of IA practice effective and measurable. The IA literature is US-dominated (authors and journals), focussed on the American context (publicly listed companies), reliant on positivist analyses and largely makes no explicit reference to theory. Central regions (emerging economies) and key organisational settings (private SMEs and not-for-profit organisations) are largely absent in prior IA research. This paper evaluates and identifies avenues through which future research can help to advance IA in order to address emerging challenges in the field.Originality/valueThis is the first comprehensive review to analyse IA research in the post-Enron period (2005–2018). The findings are relevant to researchers who are looking for appropriate research outlets and emerging scholars who wish to identify their own research directions.

The interplay of social responsibility consciousness and evaluation mode in consumers’ response toward cause-related marketing-enhanced product

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1651-1674
Author(s):  
Eun Young Park ◽  
Jung Min Jang
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Presentation Mode ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Price Fairness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cause Related Marketing ◽  
Evaluation Mode ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper demonstrate that purchase intention toward a cause-related marketing (CRM)-enhanced product can be positively correlated with consumers’ social responsibility consciousness (SRC) and can be increased or decreased merely by changing the evaluation mode. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct three experimental studies with two levels of SRC (high vs low) × two evaluation modes (joint evaluation (JE) vs separate evaluation (SE)) between-subjects design. The dependent variable is purchase intent toward the CRM-enhanced product. Findings The results indicate that consumers with high SRC are more likely than those with low SRC to purchase a CRM-enhanced product when two products are presented side by side (JE). However, consumers’ SRC level does not impact purchase intention when they see only one product (SE) independently (Study 1). The authors confirm that the proposed effect is mediated by perceived price fairness toward the product (Studies 2 and 3). Research limitations/implications Future research on CRM-enhanced products should carefully consider that the impact of individuals’ SRC level was in very different directions depending on the evaluation mode. In addition, further investigation is needed to address generalizability issues regarding samples and hypothetical stimuli. Practical implications These findings offer recommendations to help practitioners design effective marketing communications about CRM practice for target markets. Originality/value To the authors best knowledge, the current study is the first attempt to explore the crucial role of SRC, presentation mode and their interaction on purchase intention toward CRM-enhanced products.

The impact of backstage cues on service evaluation

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Fen Liu ◽  
Yingzi Xu ◽  
I-Ling Ling
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reduction Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Experiences

Purpose This research aims to investigate how backstage visibility affects intangibility and perceived risk at the pre-purchase stage and how service credence moderates the effect of backstage visibility on intangibility and perceived risk. It also focuses on the effect of backstage visibility on perceived service quality and value at the post-purchase stage and the moderating role of the service contact level. Design/methodology/approach This research tests the causal relationships between backstage visibility and customers’ service evaluations through two experimental studies. Findings Study 1 shows that customers who are exposed to backstage cues perceive less pre-purchase risk in the service than those who are not exposed. Pictures plus text information are more effective than text illustrations alone for risk reduction. This risk reduction effect is stronger for high-credence than for low-credence services and is partially mediated by the perceived intangibility of the service. Study 2 reveals that customers with access to backstage cues perceive higher service quality and higher overall value from service experiences. The value increase is more significant for high-contact than for low-contact services. Research limitations/implications Future research could apply different methods to different data sources to provide further insight about backstage visibility. Originality/value The findings of this research suggest that allowing customers to view some backstage activities before purchase helps tangibilize the service, achieve more effective communication with customers and create more positive service experiences.

scholarly journals The effects of logo frame design on brand extensions

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113
Author(s):  
Yu-Shan Athena Chen ◽  
Lien-Ti Bei
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Brand Extension ◽  
Brand Extensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frame Effect ◽  
Frame Design ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purposes of two experiments were to examine how brands may create a broad brand impression and benefit brand extensions by crafting logo frames. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 examines how removing and breaking logo frames expands perceived brand breadth. Study 2 considers the implication of this logo frame effect and indicates the impact of logo frames on brand extension scenarios. Findings Removing and breaking logo frames could expand perceived brand breadth and, in turn, benefits the brand extensions, especially for promotion-focused consumers. However, prevention-focused people held favorable brand extension attitudes when the brand logo constructs a complete frame due to its perceived trustworthiness. Research limitations/implications As an initial exploration, this study conceptualizes and manipulates logo frames as full framed, partial framed and open logo. Future research studies could include further design features in the examination. Practical implications If a brand seeks to be broad, removing or breaking its logo frame is an alternative. However, consequential negative impressions on brand extension attitudes among prevention-focused customers should be considered. Originality/value This study is the first investigation into the impacts of logo frame patterns on consumers’ perception of brand breadth and the consequent extension attitudes.

Caste at work: study of factors influencing attitudes toward affirmative action in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambika Prasad ◽  
Laurie T. O’Brien ◽  
Caitlin E. Smith Sockbeson
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Applied Study ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Lower Castes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of caste identity in applied settings. The authors do this within the larger framework of affirmative action programs (AAPs) or “reservations” in India. The paper explores the interplay of a primordial identity like caste with the modern institutions representing equality – a context unique to India. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports the findings of two experimental studies collecting data using Mechanical Turk. Findings The first study finds that an individual hired under the AAP is perceived poorly on his/her competence and reward worthiness. The second study finds support for the influence of an individual’s conception of modern casteism and his/her caste identity as factors in shaping attitudes toward AAP. Research limitations/implications The paper lays the groundwork but does not explore the contours of casteism in contemporary India. Understanding of this construct as well as the impact of factors as region, education, urbanization, religion, nature of employment, etc. on caste dynamics should be considered by future research. Practical implications The paper uncovers some similarities between Indian and Western findings, but it also demonstrates key differences between findings related to race-based AAPs in the West and the caste-based AAP in India. This understanding will guide discourses on diversity management in under-researched countries like India. The findings can sensitize organizations to the need for addressing unconscious biases related to caste. Social implications The paper underscores the continuing relevance of caste in modern India and the negative perceptions of lower castes. The paper finds that individuals with an appreciation of the subtle forms of casteism are sympathetic to programs that promote social equality. In modern social contexts this nuanced operationalization of casteism can be a relevant indicator of caste dynamics. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to examine caste-based AAP in India in an applied study and unpacks the psychological underpinnings of the attitudes toward AAP.

Applying Schema Resonance Model in live chat e-service

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-281
Author(s):  
Xu Song ◽  
Cindy T. Christen
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Communication Model ◽  
Resonance Model ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Effectiveness ◽  
Live Chat ◽  
Communication Approach ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Live chat e-service provides a communication platform for online customers to make information inquiries and receive instantaneous assistance from a service representative. It is important for organizations to explore ways to improve their live chat e-service. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new organization–customer communication model (Schema Resonance Model), explicate how schema resonance can be achieved in live chat e-service, and investigate the impact of schema resonance on live chat e-service effectiveness, efficiency, customer satisfaction and intention of continued use. Design/methodology/approach A post-test only, between-subjects experiment was conducted. A total of 409 participants completed the experiment sessions, and 389 of these participants were used in the analysis. Findings Research results suggest schema resonance could improve the time efficiency of the live chat e-service while maintaining e-service effectiveness. Schema resonance could increase customer satisfaction with the overall e-service, the communication approach used by the representative and the information provided. Research limitations/implications Because a convenience sample was used in the experiment, results cannot be generalized to all live chat e-service users. Future research should include observation of real-world organization–customer live chat e-service sessions. Practical implications Organizations can consider applying the Schema Resonance Model in live chat e-service practices to enhance customer satisfaction and increase representatives’ service productivity. Originality/value This research proposes and tests a new organization–customer communication model to explore how organizations can improve live chat e-service in response to customers’ information inquiries.

Identifying key quality features for wearable technology embedded products using the Kano model

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mir Salahuddin ◽  
Young-A Lee
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Kano Model ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Features

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify the major quality features of wearable technology embedded products that have the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction using the Kano model, an organized approach to specify consumer requirements and expectation through a preference classification technique.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quantitative research method, an online survey was conducted with a convenience sample of US consumers aged between 19 years old and over. A total of otal 471 useable data were obtained and used for the data analysis.FindingsThis study identified that the 11 quality features of wearables belong to one-dimensional quality category among the five Kano categories, although the impact of each quality feature's performance on consumer satisfaction varies. The results also showed that the performance level of durability, long battery life, usability, product safety, comfortability and reasonable price has the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction of wearables.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has implications for future research by integrating the Kano model with other design and product development related theoretical models when designing, developing and evaluating various wearable products.Originality/valueThis study quantified the key quality features of wearables using the Kano model, which can be a great measurement tool for future researchers to adopt in their studies. The findings of this study help designers, developers and producers of wearables to prioritize the quality features during the product design, development and manufacturing process.

scholarly journals Chinese students’ participation: the effect of cultural factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 430-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris S. Hodkinson ◽  
Arthur E. Poropat
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Chinese Student ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Electronic Interaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide for Western educators of international Chinese and Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) students the first integrated review of kiasu, the “fear of missing out”, and its consequences for learning, teaching, and future research. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the economic importance of international Chinese students is provided, followed by consideration of the pedagogical consequences of restricted participation in educational activities by the so-called “silent Chinese student”. Examination of research on international Chinese students and their source cultures established significant gaps and misunderstandings in the generally accepted understandings of CHCs, especially with respect to the actual practices used in Western and Chinese teaching. More importantly, the participation-related implications of kiasu within the context of broader cultural characteristics are described and implications drawn for teaching practices and research. Findings – While many Western university teachers are aware of the “silent Chinese student” phenomenon, few understand its underlying reasons, especially the kiasu mindset and its relationship to other cultural elements. Kiasu actively impedes the interaction of international Chinese students with their teachers and restricts collaboration with peers, thereby limiting educational achievement. Specific tactics for amelioration are reviewed and recommendations are provided, while an agenda for future research is outlined. Practical implications – Western teachers need to normalise and encourage Chinese student participation in class activities using tactics that have been demonstrated to improve outcomes for Chinese students, but that also assist students generally. These include both within-class and electronic interaction tools. Social implications – More culturally sensitive understanding of the impact of cultural differences on teaching effectiveness. While some effective responses to these already exist, further research is needed to expand the skill-set of Western teachers who work with international Chinese students. Originality/value – This paper provides the first systematic integration of the kiasu phenomenon with educational practice and research.

Transnationality in the XXI century. Concept and indicators

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Ietto-Gillies
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Transnational Corporation ◽  
First Century ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Fixed Assets ◽  
Inclusive Concept ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of major structural changes on the conceptualization of the transnational corporation (TNC) based on foreign direct investment (FDI) and on indicators of transnationality. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of three major structural changes which impact the current conception of transnationality. They are: the rise of digital companies; the increased role of finance in the economy; externalization of activities via non-equity modalities (NEMs) with an impact on FDI and on the labour market. Findings The paper finds that the current concept of transnationality needs widening to take account of companies with a low degree of fixed assets abroad such as the digital and the financial companies and those internationalizing via NEMs, as well as to take account of the evolving relationship between TNCs and labour. Research limitations/implications Future research along the lines proposed should consider: working explicitly with the new, inclusive concept of transnationality and arrive at an empirical estimate of the proposed indices of transnationality which modify and amplify the current United Nations Conference on Trade and Development indices. Social implications Useful for understanding the nature of transnationality in the twenty-first century and for developing policies. Originality/value The paper proposes a new concept of transnationality and of the TNC, one that allows for new ways of organizing direct business activities abroad. It also proposes broadening the list of indicators of transnationality.

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