Is a smiling model better? A study based on apparel e-retailers

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
Ruijuan Wu ◽  
Xiaoqian Ou ◽  
Yan Li

PurposeThe objective of this study is to examine the effect of human model facial presentation (a smiling facial expression vs a neutral facial expression vs no facial presentation) on consumers' approach behavior and to determine the mechanism and boundary conditions behind such effects.Design/methodology/approachThe research consisted of four laboratory experiments.FindingsThe results of four studies showed that a smiling facial expression led to the highest score for approach behavior. Pleasure and arousal mediated the effect of facial presentation on approach behavior. In the relationship between facial presentation and approach behavior, the moderating effects of emotional receptivity and the situation were significant. To be specific, for participants with high emotional receptivity, smiling facial expressions led to the highest approach behavior; for participants with low emotional receptivity, neutral expressions led to the highest approach behavior. In a browsing situation, the approach behavior of participants in response to a smiling facial expression was the highest. However, no significant differences were found in approach behavior under the three conditions regarding a purchasing situation.Originality/valueThis study supplements the literature on human model presentation and enriches the study of facial expressions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-283
Author(s):  
Dong Liang ◽  
Xia Wang

Purpose Online reviews have been indicated to play an important role in consumers’ decision-making process, as supported by numerous studies. However, none of them has considered the neighborhood effect of online reviews. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of neighbor store’s reviews on central store’s, along with the moderating effects of store density and product similarity. Design/methodology/approach Using data from dianping.com, this study conducts economic analysis accounting for endogeneity. Findings The results show that the neighbor store’s reviews exert a negative impact on that of central stores. Nevertheless, the relationship is moderated by store density and product similarity, such that the negative effect is stronger if there are a lot of stores around the central store, or if the neighbor store and central store provide similar products. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the neighborhood effect of online reviews.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruijuan Wu ◽  
Yan Li

PurposeThe objective of this study was to examine the effects of human model backgrounds (concrete backgrounds vs. solid backgrounds) on consumer responses (attention and attitude) and to determine the mechanism and boundary conditions behind such effects.Design/methodology/approachThe research consisted of one eye-tracking experiment and two experimental studies.FindingsThe results showed that consumers notice faster and pay more attention to the central figure against solid backgrounds. However, concrete backgrounds elicit more favorable attitudes toward products, and mental imagery mediates the effects of image backgrounds on consumers' attitudes. The authors also found that the situation moderates the relationship between image background and attitude.Originality/valueThe study also supplements the literature on the effects of image backgrounds on consumer responses and the literature on online presentation using human models. Last, the study combines questionnaires with an eye-tracking experiment to obtain a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of the results.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad T. Jannesari ◽  
Sherry E. Sullivan

PurposeThe number of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) is growing, yet we know relatively little about their work experiences, especially how they react to stress. The purpose of this study is to examine whether challenge and hindrance stressors influence SIEs' intent to remain as well as the possible influence of emotional resilience and cultural novelty upon these relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 249 SIEs working in China.FindingsAs hypothesized, hindrance stressors were negatively related to the SIEs' intent to remain. Contrary to expectations, challenge stressors were not associated with intent to remain. Hindrance (challenge) stressors were negatively (positively) related to emotional resilience, and resilience mediated the relationship between stressors and intent to remain. Cultural novelty failed to moderate the relationship between emotional resilience and intent to remain and did not moderate the mediated effects of challenge stressors on intent to remain via emotional resilience. Cultural novelty did moderate the mediated effects of hindrance stressors on intent to remain via emotional resilience, but not in the hypothesized direction.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was cross-sectional. It examined SIEs working in China, and its findings may not be generalizable to SIEs working in other countries.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine how emotional resilience may mediate the relationship between stressors and SIEs' intent to remain and also considered the possible moderating effects of cultural novelty. In addition, unlike most studies that focus only on the negative outcomes of hindrance stressors, this study tested the possible positive effects of challenge stressors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 892-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Galavotti ◽  
Donatella Depperu ◽  
Daniele Cerrato

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze corporate scope decisions in acquisitions with a focus on the relationship between target country unfamiliarity and acquirer-to-target relatedness and on the moderating effects played by product diversification and international experience. Design/methodology/approach Using a dataset of 689 acquisitions completed in the period 2007-2013 by acquirers located in 60 countries, this paper utilizes an ordered logistic regression analysis. Findings With greater target country unfamiliarity, acquirers are encouraged to pursue greater acquirer-to-target relatedness. This finding suggests that acquirers tend to seek a balance between product and international diversification to reduce the sources of uncertainty in their acquisition moves. While past international experience strengthens this relationship, diversification experience has a negative moderating effect and hence encourages acquirers to reduce relatedness at increasing market unfamiliarity. Originality/value The originality of this paper is twofold. First, the authors extend the traditional internationalization-diversification framework to an unfamiliarity-relatedness relationship in the context of acquisitions. Second, the authors propose a construct of target country unfamiliarity in acquisitions that goes beyond the traditional domestic vs cross-border dichotomy by including previous experience in the target country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feiyuan Cao ◽  
Haomin Zhang

Purpose This paper aims to clarify the influences of workplace friendship, psychological safety on employees’ innovative behavior and the moderated role of transformational leadership and face. Design/methodology/approach The current research proposes and tests a theoretic framework to explore the mechanism of workplace friendship in influencing employees’ innovative behavior. Based on a sample of 441 respondents from various Chinese companies, this paper used SPSS 22.0 and Amos 22.0 to examine the hypotheses. Findings Results indicate that workplace friendship positively related to innovative behavior and psychological safety functioned as a mediator between them. Moreover, it examines the moderating roles of transformational leadership and face. Transformational leadership and desire to gain face strengthen the relationship between psychological safety and employees’ innovative behavior but fear of losing face is negatively related to the strength of this relationship. Originality/value The current research is meaningful for managerial practice. Then, the theoretical framework will contribute to providing a new perspective for understanding complex friendship at studies thus explore its boundary conditions, which help to lead to desirable outcomes. Besides, the findings advance nascent theory on face under oriental culture background.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Dempster ◽  
Justin Isaacs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the literature on entrepreneurship and corruption by examining the link between productive and unproductive entrepreneurial activities as moderated by economic freedom. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that various aspects of economic freedom are contextual in their moderating effects, so that what matters in terms of economic freedom will depend on other factors such as levels of human capital. Design/methodology/approach The authors test these hypotheses by incorporating aggregated and disaggregated measures from the Economic Freedom of the World into a model of international entrepreneurial activity. Findings The results indicate that not only is economic freedom a major determinant of the level of entrepreneurial activity across countries, as previously verified, but that it also moderates the relationship between human capital, corruption, and productive entrepreneurship. Originality/value These findings resolve many of the ambiguities previously identified in the literature on the link between corruption, entrepreneurship, and growth.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1899-1913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Walsh ◽  
Alexander Deseniss ◽  
Stefan Ivens ◽  
Mario Schaarschmidt

Purpose This paper aims to increase understanding of how the strength of the relationship between service failure-induced customer anger and revenge intentions might be influenced by attitudinal moderators that are both within and outside the realm of the service firm’s control. Drawing on past research, the authors hypothesize that customers’ perceptions of the corporate reputation and silent endurance constitute boundary conditions of the relationship between service failure-related customer anger and revenge intentions. Design/methodology/approach In line with past service failure research, the authors test the hypotheses using a scenario-based online experiment with 243 participants. Findings This research reaffirms the positive relationship between anger and revenge intentions and finds support for the hypothesized boundary conditions; customers with better corporate reputation perceptions and higher levels of silent endurance express weaker revenge intentions than those with poor corporate reputation perceptions and lower levels of silent endurance. Originality/value This research offers unique insights into how service organizations can buffer the detrimental effects of service failure-induced customer anger.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1310-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soojeen Sarah Jang ◽  
Hyesoo Ko ◽  
Yanghon Chung ◽  
Chungwon Woo

Purpose This paper aims to explore the effect of social ties on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance in Korea. Design/methodology/approach Social ties were measured from firm disclosures of 318 Korean firms from 2012 to 2015. Propensity score matching and regression analysis were used to investigate the moderating effects of social ties on the relationship between CSR and firm performance. Findings The result shows that social ties have more negative moderating effects on the relationship between CSR and firm performance in Chaebol firms than in non-Chaebol firms. Practical implications Firms need to enhance the monitoring of social ties within board members to assure the proper oversight of CSR. Originality/value This paper contributes to the CSR literature by providing empirical evidence of the negative aspects of social ties on the relationship between CSR and firm performance in Korea.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahe Song ◽  
Kang-Bok Lee ◽  
Zhongyun Zhou ◽  
Lin Jia ◽  
Casey Cegielski ◽  
...  

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between social media and sensing capability for supply chain management (SCM) from an environmental scanning perspective. The authors consider upstream supply and downstream customer markets as two aspects of social media-enabled environmental scanning (SMES). The moderating effects of three uncertainties are explored.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 178 supply chain professionals through a survey. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to analyze the data.FindingsSMES in both supply and customer markets enhance sensing capability. Interestingly, the results reveal an accelerating effect on sensing by the incremental effort of SMES-supply. However, that of SMES-customer leads to a decelerating outcome for sensing. Also, uncertainties, especially the demand- and technology-related, play a series of interacting effects according to SMES levels.Research limitations/implicationsThis research contributes to the literature of operations and supply chains regarding social media strategies and dynamic capabilities. It opens the black box of environmental scanning behavior on social media and adds new knowledge on the dynamic influence of such behavior toward organizational sensing capability for SCM. In addition, further understanding on supply chain uncertainty as a moderator is also strengthened through this research.Originality/valueThis research is the first to empirically uncover the effect of social media on sensing capability for SCM through the lens of environmental scanning. The results support the employment of social networking for improving supply and demand sensing.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan Xiao ◽  
Zhenduo Zhang ◽  
Li Zhang

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between temporal leadership and employees' innovative behavior while considering the competitive mediators of harmonious and obsessive passions in work situations, along with the moderating role of synchrony preference.Design/methodology/approachInsights from the literature and affective events theory (AET) underpin the hypotheses on whether and how temporal leadership would affect employees' innovative behavior. A total of 365 responses were received, and 336 questionnaires were considered for the analysis. This paper examined the whole model through a path analysis using Mplus 7.4.FindingsThe results indicated the significant effect of temporal leadership on innovative behavior through harmonious passion which is moderated by synchrony preference, such that the positive effects are stronger when employee's synchrony preference is higher.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the emerging literature on temporal management by examining the path of temporal leadership→ job passion→ innovative behavior to deepen knowledge of how temporal leadership may impact employees' innovative behavior. This paper also proposed a collaborative model related to temporal leadership and the synchronization of employees, providing a powerful explanation for the boundary conditions of temporal leadership.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document