I am you, you are me: game character congruence with the ideal self

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Woo Ko ◽  
Jihye Park
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Game Player ◽  
Game Players ◽  
The Ideal

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the effects of congruence between the ideal self-image of a game player and the game character on identification and interaction with the game character, perceived game power and performance, character attachment and willingness to spend money on the game character.Design/methodology/approachA total of 347 online game players participated in an online survey posted via the nationwide crowdsourcing web service Mechanical Turk in the US. A structural equation modelling was conducted using a maximum-likelihood estimation procedure to test the relationships among the variables.FindingsThe results revealed a significant positive impact of congruence between a game character and the ideal self-image of a game player on identification and interaction with the game character, perceived game power, game performance, attachment to the game character and willingness to spend money on the game character.Originality/valueAlthough significant research has been conducted in the area of online gaming, limited attention has been given to the strategic game content that stimulates a player's intention to purchase game items. Due to the challenges in sales growth in the game industry caused by business model shifts from a subscription-based model to a free-to-play one, it is important for marketing practitioners to motivate game players to continue playing the game and purchase game items. The results of this study provide valuable strategic insights to overcome the limitations of existing marketing strategies in the online game business.

Electronic word-of-mouth generation and regulatory focus

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sohaib ◽  
Umair Akram ◽  
Peng Hui ◽  
Hassan Rasool ◽  
Zohaib Razzaq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Electronic Word Of Mouth ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) motivations of regulatory-focused customers with positive and negative consumption experiences. Design/methodology/approach An online survey is conducted in Beijing and Shanghai. A random sampling technique is used to collect data from 854 respondents. Two scenarios of eWOM communication – positive and negative consumption experiences – are randomly assigned to each respondent. This study employs the structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis techniques. However, it uses ordinary least squares and logistic regression to analyze 137 participants in the experimental study. Findings Promotion-focused customers that aim for self-enhancement and obtaining social benefits are motivated to spread positive eWOM on social networking sites. However, prevention-focused customers are driven by vengeance and anxiety, revealing higher intentions to post negative eWOM on review sites. eWOM generation is subject to gender, as promotion-focused male customers spread it more than both prevention-focused and promotion-focused female customers. Moreover, platform assistance (PA) has a significant positive impact upon regulatory-focused customers and eWOM (positive vs negative) relationships. Practical implications This study provides a deeper understanding of motivational factors of eWOM communication. Specifically, in case of product or service failure, negative consumption experiences drive prevention-focused customers to generate negative eWOM. Thus, using various tactics, marketers need to shift customers from focusing on prevention to focusing on promotion. For example, redeemable free coupons can shift customer attention and generate positive eWOM. Originality/value This study provides unique insights about eWOM motivation across genders. It examines regulatory focus, positive vs negative consumption experiences and moderation of PA.

The role of perceived brand personality in promotion effectiveness and brand equity development of professional sports teams

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Giroux ◽  
Frank Pons ◽  
Lionel Maltese
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sports Industry ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In the highly saturated sports industry where sport teams represent a complex offering loaded with intangible and tangible attributes, it is important to implement appropriate marketing strategies that will ultimately contribute to the development of strong brand equity. In this paper, the authors focused on the relationship between brand variables and marketing activities on the development of brand equity. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to study the impact of brand personality on the evaluation of marketing promotional activities and the impact on the brand equity. Design/methodology/approach Respondents (2,400) were recruited through an online survey and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The survey revealed that the congruence between the brand personality and the promotional activities has a positive impact on its evaluation and on brand equity. In addition, the results showed that consumers who consider the financial strength of the team as an important factor evaluate more positively the value of congruent and incongruent promotional activities. Practical implications Brand managers should maintain consistency between their brand personality and their promotional activities in order to maintain and increase their brand equity. Originality/value The results contribute to the literature by investigating the impact of brand personality on the evaluation of promotional activities. Also, it examines an important factor (financial consciousness) that could influence how fans react in front of an incongruent promotional activity. This research brings a better understanding of the impact of brand personality on marketing strategies and brand equity.

Factors affecting attendees continued use of mobile event applications

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Bulent Ozturk ◽  
Wei Wei ◽  
Nan Hua ◽  
Ruoxi Qi
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Performance Expectancy ◽  
Effort Expectancy ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2), the purpose of this study was to examine users’ continued usage intention of mobile event application (MEA) technology. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered online survey was used to collect the study data from 407 MEA users, and structural equation modeling was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings The study’s results revealed that users’ continued usage behavior was positively influenced by effort expectancy, performance expectancy, habit, facilitating condition and perceived security. The study’s results further indicated that personal innovativeness had a positive impact on effort expectancy and performance expectancy. Practical implications The findings of the current study deliver important practical implications for event organizers and event technology vendors for identifying factors affecting MEA users’ continued usage intention. Originality/value By extending UTAUT2, the current study is one of the first studies that examined users’ intention to continue to use MEA technology.

The role of buyer-seller guanxi facets and positions in social commerce: an analysis of the buyer's perspective in Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Kuei Wu ◽  
Hsiao-Chung Wu ◽  
Chih-Sung Lai
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Cluster Analysis ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThis study aims to explore how a buyer's perceived buyer-seller (B-S) guanxi facets (i.e. ganqing, renqing and mianzi) and guanxi positions (i.e. zi-ji-ren, shou-ren and sheng-ren) affect the seller's influence effectiveness (SIE) and purchase intention (PI) in social commerce.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an online survey in three cities of Taiwan and collected a total of 364 data. The structural equation modeling and cluster analysis were used to test research hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that (1) each guanxi facet exerts a different and positive impact on SIE, but only one guanxi facet – renqing – helps improve PI, (2) guanxi facets can be used to predict the buyer's perceived guanxi position toward the seller, (3) the effect of guanxi facets on SIE and PI varies across B-S guanxi positions and (4) the SIE positively mediates effects of guanxi facets on the PI.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the individual effect of each guanxi facet on SIE and PI and affirms the implicit guanxi position features guanxi facets and determines the buyer's perceived SIE and PI as well. To the best of our knowledge, these findings are rarely proposed in previous research and are beneficial for understanding the guanxi mechanism in social commerce.

Exploring the impact of employees’ self-concept, brand identification and brand pride on brand citizenship behaviors

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 58-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Verena Helm ◽  
Uwe Renk ◽  
Anubha Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Brand Identification ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Pride ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Ideal

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify how employees’ perceived congruity of their employers’ corporate brand with their own actual and ideal self may affect their brand identification (BI), brand pride (BP) and brand citizenship behavior (BCB). Design/methodology/approach – This cross-sectional paper involved 283 employees in Germany who completed an online survey. Findings – Congruity of the brand with employees’ actual self and with their ideal self has similar effects on employees’ BI. However, effects differ with respect to the other outcome variables. BP is only affected by congruity of the brand with the ideal self, whereas BCB is only affected by congruity of the brand with the actual self. Brand identity is positively related to BP and BCB; BP also affects BCB. Research limitations/implications – Future studies could include different sources for evaluation of BI, BP and BCB; for temporally separate measurement of identification, pride and BCB; and for use of fictitious brands or experimental manipulations of pride to increase internal validity. The discrepant impacts of congruity of the brand with the actual self and the ideal self as detected in the paper could spark research interest in addressing motivations to increase self-esteem and self-consistency in a work context or in investigating specific mediators or moderators in the relationship between self-concept, (brand) identification and pride, as well as behaviors. Finally, research could address different kinds of pride, such as individual and collective forms of pride, as well as their interplay. Practical implications – Managers should be aware of the different effects of a corporate brand’s fit with employees’ actual and ideal self, and also should note that BI seems essential in augmenting BP and brand-related behaviors. The paper develops implications for internal branding and HRM strategies regarding employee selection, promotion and retention. Findings also indicate that BP motivates BCB in line with current assumptions in research and practice on individual forms of pride. Originality/value – This paper investigates employees’ perceptions of “their” brand’s fit with their actual and ideal self separately, and determines the differences in impact on BP and BCB, extending existing knowledge on drivers of brand-building behaviors. It also develops the concept of BP in the context of social identity theory and the need for distinction; it further provides initial empirical insights into the role of employees’ BP, including the development of a measure.

scholarly journals “Just be there”

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1281-1303
Author(s):  
Maria Karampela ◽  
Ewelina Lacka ◽  
Graeme McLean
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Strength ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
B2b Relationships ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In business-to-business (B2B) settings, research on social media sites (SMS) has primarily examined the benefits and challenges relating to their use, as well as factors driving their adoption. Recently, attention has turned to the consequences of using SMS in B2B markets. The purpose of this paper is to extend this line of research by investigating the impact of B2B brands’ social media presence, interactivity and responsiveness on customers’ perceptions of four indicators of brand relationship strength (commitment, intimacy, satisfaction and partner quality). Design/methodology/approach Data from an online survey (N = 200) with customers of UK-based B2B firms were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The study reveals that a supplier’s presence on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook has a positive impact on all four brand relationship strength indicators; interactivity enhances perceived partner quality, while responsiveness positively influences commitment. Differences across the three SMS are also observed. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted on a sample of UK-based firms with varying degrees of SMS use that may influence the impact on B2B brand relationship strength. Practical implications This study indicates that B2B brands ought to focus primarily on presence on SMS, given its positive impact on brand relationship strength. At the same time, however, B2B brands should be active in responding to customers’ queries on SMS, as well as interacting with them to enhance commitment and perceived partner quality, respectively. Originality/value This study contributes to the digital marketing and B2B relationships interface and is the first to examine the role of B2B brands’ presence, interactivity and responsiveness on SMS in enhancing relationships with customers.

scholarly journals The role of senior managers’ positive self-image in supporting MIS implementation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nahid Izadpanah Mehrkish ◽  
Susan B. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Model Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Researchers have long been interested in how the psychology of senior managers affects their behaviours. This paper aims to present the results of a questionnaire into how positive self-image influences how well senior managers in UK manufacturing organisations support the implementation of management information system (MIS). This study developed two scales, one to measure senior managers’ attitudes and the other to measure support of MIS implementation. It also sought to investigate the impact of senior managers’ positive self-image on their support of MIS implementation in UK manufacturing organisations. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested the hypotheses on a data set of 400 senior managers from UK manufacturing organisations. Two unidimensional scales to measure senior managers’ attitude and support level towards MIS implementation were developed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to validate the scales. The study also examined the impact of senior managers’ positive self-image on their attitude and support from the perspective of UK manufacturing organisations by using structural equation modelling. Findings The study found that senior managers’ positive self-image is a significant contributing factor to their attitude. Also, senior managers’ attitude has a strong positive impact on their support in the MIS implementation process. A strong mediating relationship was found to exist between senior managers’ positive self-image and support through their attitude towards MIS implementation. Originality/value Although past literature has examined the importance of senior managers’ attitude and support in successful MIS implementation, there has been no specific scale around management support and attitude towards MIS implementation developed to date. Thus, a contribution of this study is its development of two new scales based on a survey of senior managers of UK manufacturing organisations. The scales can be used to evaluate senior managers’ perception towards MIS implementation and the support they are willing to give whilst implementing MIS. Another contribution of this study is the analysis of positive self-image via item-parcelling which improves model efficiency and provides more stable estimates of the construct.

An interpersonal perspective to study silence in Indian organizations

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1010-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay K. Jain
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Work Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Employee Silence ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate dimensions of employee silence in Indian work context with regard to the supervisors and how job satisfaction mediates the relationship between silence and turnover intention. The study also explores the relevance of superior-subordinate relationship and self-image maintenance perspectives in Indian socio-cultural context to explain and understand the phenomenon of silence in India. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative (n=55) and quantitative data (n=334, n=314 and n=116) were collected from employees working in private, public and multinational organizations located in northern part of India. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to explore and validate the dimensions of silence behavior among Indian managers and structural equation analysis was carried out to see the meditating role of job satisfaction in the relationship of silence and turnover intention. Findings – Results have indicated the existence of four major dimensions of silence in India namely; fear of retaliation, internal motivation, self-competence and self-image as the possible causes of silence. Further job satisfaction has mediated the effect of silence on turnover intention. This study showed the positive impact of silence on satisfaction which is contrary to the western studies. These results have supported the theoretical arguments developed in this paper in the Indian work context. Practical implications – The results are useful in understanding the dynamics of silence in Indian organizations as employees might use silence in a strategic manner to regulate their satisfaction and in maintaining their membership with the organization. Originality/value – The present study is among the first attempts to empirically examine the causes and consequences of employee silence in the high power distance and collectivistic cultural context.

How readers’ perceived self-congruity and functional congruity affect bloggers’ informational influence

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Ju Wang ◽  
Chiu-Ping Hsu ◽  
Heng-Chiang Huang ◽  
Chia-Lin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Parasocial Interaction ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informational Influence ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Perceived Interactivity ◽  
Functional Congruity ◽  
Human Brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to treat bloggers as human brands and applies self-congruity theory to explore how actual and ideal blogger-reader self-congruity, combined with the blog’s functional congruity, influences blogger-reader relationship quality (BRRQ) and the blogger’s informational influence, taking perceived interactivity among blog members as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach – Using a survey of 372 female beauty blog readers, this study employs the structural equation modelling approach to investigate the proposed model. Findings – The empirical findings indicate that readers’ perceived self-congruity with beauty bloggers raises the bloggers’ informational influence, mediated by BRRQ and functional congruity. Actual self-congruity has greater predictive power than ideal self-congruity in explaining bloggers’ informational influence. Moreover, perceived interactivity plays a two-sided role because it strengthens the positive impact of BRRQ on informational influence but weakens the positive impact of functional congruity on informational influence. Practical implications – The findings should help marketers identify influential beauty bloggers through their presented image on their blogs to encourage readers’ acceptance of their opinions about products and services. However, when focusing on beauty blogs featuring high-perceived interactivity among blog members, marketers should carefully balance the facilitating and offsetting effect of perceived interactivity and identify bloggers equipped with superior BRRQ. Originality/value – Using human brand and parasocial interaction perspectives, this study contributes to emerging research on human brands and blog marketing and demonstrates that perceived interactivity is a double-edged sword in stimulating a blogger’s informational influence.

scholarly journals Digital platforms: customer satisfaction, eWOM and the moderating role of perceived technological innovativeness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. Ruiz-Alba ◽  
Mohamad Abou-Foul ◽  
Alireza Nazarian ◽  
Pantea Foroudi
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Cost Saving ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Collaborative Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe paper aims to investigate how customer satisfaction can be achieved in the context of digital platform services, its influence on electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and how such relationships can be moderated by perceived technological innovativeness (PTI).Design/methodology/approachThe research framework was developed and empirically tested using an online survey and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Data were gathered from 501 Uber customers in London, UK.FindingsThe study recognises and confirms that trust and cost saving enhanced customer satisfaction in Uber mobility services, which has a positive impact on eWOM. There are other findings regarding users who share rides vs those who do not share. Furthermore, it has been found that PTI moderates the relationship between customer satisfaction and eWOM.Originality/valueThe research draws on collaborative consumption literature and contributes to the antecedents of customer satisfaction in digital economy literature: trust, environmental impact, cost saving and utility. The study offers an empirical validation of the role of PTI in enhancing eWOM. The paper breaks new ground for a better understanding of how PTI can moderate the influence of customer satisfaction and eWOM in digital platforms.

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