Motivational bases for consumers’ underdog affection in commerce

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Phillip McGinnis ◽  
Tao Gao ◽  
Sunkyu Jun ◽  
James Gentry
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
The Other ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Need For Uniqueness ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Business Entities

Purpose The understanding of the motives for consumers’ support of business underdogs is generally limited. The purpose of this paper is to help address this important research topic by conceptualizing underdog affection as a theoretical construct capturing the emotional attachment held by some consumers toward underdog business entities and advances two perspectives (self- and other-oriented) to unravel its motivational underpinnings. Design/methodology/approach To test the conceptual model, a survey study was conducted involving 365 respondents drawn from an electronic alumni association list from a medium-sized Midwestern university in the USA. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses were used to validate the scales, and the structural equations modeling method was used to test the hypothesized effects. Findings The data support most of the hypotheses (eight out of nine). Under the self-oriented perspective, commerce underdog affection is positively influenced by underdog orientation, need for uniqueness, nostalgia proneness, and hope, and is negatively impacted by their materialism level. Only hope did not impact consumer underdog affection. Under the other-oriented perspective, balance maintenance, top dog antipathy, and empathic concern positively influence underdog affection. The other-oriented factors, especially top dog antipathy and balance maintenance, show stronger effects on commerce underdog affection than self-oriented factors. Research limitations/implications The sample was geographically restrictive in the sense that it measured only one group of respondents in the USA. The conceptual model is limited in terms of its coverage of the consequences of underdog affection. While discriminant validity is established in the scale development phase of the study, relatively close relationships do exist among some of these theoretical constructs. Practical implications Given the significant evidence linking consumers’ underdog affection to underdog support in commerce, small locally owned businesses could use underdog positioning advertising to differentiate themselves against national retailers. Due to their tendency to display higher underdog affection in commerce, people with higher levels of balance maintenance, top dog antipathy, underdog orientation, emphatic concern, and nostalgia proneness, and lower levels of materialism can be segmented for marketing purposes. Social implications This research indicates that there are ways in which small business entities and non-profits alike can operate in a business setting that is increasingly more competitive and challenging for underdog entities. Originality/value This study integrates the various underdog studies across contexts to examine motives to underdog affection, a construct not yet operationalized in business studies. In addition, hypotheses linking eight specific antecedents to commerce underdog affection, via two theoretical perspectives, are empirically examined to assess relative as well as absolute effects.

scholarly journals Empirical evaluation of a conceptual model for the perceived value of health services

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodor Pevec ◽  
Aleksandra Pisnik
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Service Value

AbstractIntroductionPerceived value and its antecedents and consequences have been claimed to be important in industries with higher customer involvement. The aim of this paper is therefore to empirically assess the conceptual model, with perceived service value as its central component. It also investigates how it affects loyalty and satisfaction, how it is influenced by its antecedents, and to compare with other studies investigating partial relationship between variables.MethodsA total of 800 patients were enrolled in the main study, and the data was analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. By modelling linear structural equations, we assessed reliability and established the convergent and discriminant validity of the questionnaire in the same way as in the pilot study.ResultsIn the conceptual model for testing our hypotheses, we also included the relationship between patient satisfaction and loyalty. In this manner, the fitting of data to the model was significantly improved. After including the additional relationship, global fit indices had the following values: Chi-square=349.6 (sig.=0.00), df=143, RMSEA=0.05, NFI=0.96, CFI=0.97. All relationships between the constructs were statistically significant, thus confirming all our hypotheses.ConclusionsThe major conclusion of this paper is that an especially higher reputation and higher perceived service quality can contribute to perceived service value and therefore to more satisfied patients. The research approach has a few limitations. In the future, the model of perceived service value can be extended with variables such as emotions, patient trust, and commitment as well.

Development and validation of financial well-being related scales

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1025-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Diba M.A. Abrantes-Braga ◽  
Tania Veludo-de-Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Additional Income

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop valid and reliable scales for assessing a driver and two obstacles potentially related to financial well-being (FWB): financial preparedness for emergency, beliefs of credit limits as additional income and risky indebtedness behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe scales were developed from scratch across six studies, employing a two-step methodology, which encompassed both qualitative (e.g. focus group, interviews) and quantitative (i.e. online surveys) data collection. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to test and validate the proposed scales.FindingsThis study provides a set of three parsimonious, self-reported behavioural measures that could be employed in conjunction with objective economic indicators to identify individuals who are financially ill prepared and potential candidates for delinquency. The three proposed scales achieved satisfactory levels of reliability and convergent and discriminant validity.Research limitations/implicationsThe resulting scales still need to be tested for predictive validity and in different consumer groups. The scales were validated in a single culture population (Brazil, a country that presents extraordinarily high credit card interest rates), and they should be tested cross-culturally in countries with different economic and credit policies.Originality/valueThe literature on FWB has traditionally employed objective financial indicators as an attempt to measure the concept of FWB and its elements. Self-reported behavioural measures of such constructs are scant to the point of being non-existent for some elements. This study is the first to offer scales for measuring the elements of financial preparedness for emergency, beliefs of credit limits as additional income and risky indebtedness behaviour.

Privacy helplessness on social media: its constituents, antecedents and consequences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichang Cho
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

PurposeMany internet users exhibit signs of privacy helplessness and entirely give up online privacy management. However, we know little about what privacy helplessness is, when users are likely to experience it and its implications for privacy behavior. The objectives of this study were twofold: (a) the conceptual explication of privacy helplessness as a novel construct in privacy research and (b) the development of a theoretical model that specifies the antecedents and consequences of privacy helplessness.Design/methodology/approachA research model of privacy helplessness that contains three subcomponents of privacy helplessness, five antecedents and one outcome was developed. The model was empirically examined based on survey data collected from 589 Facebook users in the USA.FindingsThe results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that privacy helplessness is adequately assessed by a three-factor model with affective, cognitive and motivational components. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that these three aspects of privacy helplessness are uniquely predicted by five theoretical factors: (a) prior experience of privacy risks, (b) personal mastery, (c) perceived costs of adaptive privacy actions, (d) perceived rewards of privacy inactions and (e) perceived vulnerability. Furthermore, it was found that helplessness as motivational deficits (and cognitive helplessness via this) impedes adaptive privacy actions, while cognitive helplessness promotes adaptive privacy actions when they do not result in motivational deficits.Originality/valueThis study pioneers investigation in understanding key constituents, attributes and processes underlying privacy helplessness. First, the present study developed the first theory-derived, successively validated measurement model of privacy helplessness. Second, this research proposed a theoretical model of privacy helplessness, specifying antecedents and consequences of privacy helplessness.

Articulated dissent and immediacy: a cross-national analysis of the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Michael Croucher ◽  
Stephanie Kelly ◽  
Chen Hui ◽  
Kenneth J. Rocker ◽  
Joanna Cullinane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
The Usa ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
Cross National

Purpose In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to explore how working remotely might impact the superior–subordinate relationship. Specifically, this study examines how immediacy explains articulated dissent, considers how an individual’s attitudes toward online communication predicts immediacy and articulated dissent and compares these relationships in England, Australia and the USA. Design/methodology/approach Three nations were examined: Australia, England and the USA (n = 1,776). Surveys included demographic questions and the following measures: organizational dissent scale, perceived immediacy measure, computer-mediated immediate behaviors measure and measure of online communication attitude. Findings The results reveal supervisors’ computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy both positively predict dissent. Some aspects of online communication attitudes positively predict computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy. In addition, attitudes toward online communication positively predict dissent. National culture influences some of these relationships; in each case the effects were substantively larger for the USA when compared to the other nations. Originality/value This study is the first to cross-culturally analyze dissent and immediacy. In addition, this study considers the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic influences the superior–subordinate relationship.

Health harm of work from the sustainable HRM perspective: scale development and validation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 924-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sugumar Mariappanadar
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Study Item ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a health harm of work scale from the sustainable HRM perspective. Design/methodology/approach A three-dimensional model was proposed for the health harm of work scale and validated (Total n=527) using a five-part study (item generation, item reduction, convergent, construct and discriminant validity). Findings Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported that the three dimensions (restrictions for positive health, the risk factors for psychological health and the side effect harm of work) simultaneously tap into different aspects of the health harm of work construct. The results from the construct validity revealed that health harm of work as a phenomenon has manifested itself in different facets of health harm of work intensification. Finally, the discriminant validity study revealed that the overlap between the dimensions of the health harm of work scale and the dimensions of recovery experience from the work questionnaire is low and it provides support for the discriminant validity of dimensions between these two scales. Practical implications The proposed measure can be used as potential leading indicators for negative occupational health to prevent or delay the onset of work-related illness manifestation or health consequences (sick leave, absenteeism, presenteeism, etc.). Originality/value This is the first study to validate a measure of health harm of work and to provide tangible evidence of health harm of work which will subsequently trigger organizations to introduce a planned intervention to improve occupational well-being to promote sustainable HRM.

Modeling guests’ intentions to use mobile apps in hotels

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 1968-1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Morosan ◽  
Agnes DeFranco
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The unprecedented development of hotel-branded mobile applications (apps) has been instrumental in facilitating the rich guest–hotel interactions, thus contributing to a high personalization of services. For true personalization, guests need to provide personal information via apps. Yet, no study to date has addressed how guests develop intentions to use such apps given the current personalization and privacy challenges. Therefore, this study aims to investigate hotel guests’ intentions to use hotel apps to access personalized services. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from personalization-privacy theory, this study conceptualized perceived personalization and privacy concerns as distinct constructs while recognizing two different privacy concerns constructs: general and app-specific privacy concerns. To build a comprehensive structural model that is appropriate for explicating intentions to use hotel apps, this study incorporates consumer psychology and information systems theoretical streams that provide constructs that unequivocally capture the unique set of consumer–app interactions in highly experiential settings such as hotels (e.g. innovativeness and involvement). Using a nation-wide sample of hotel guests from the USA, the model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling. Findings The predictors explained 79 per cent of the variability in the intentions to use hotel apps to personalize hotel services. The strongest predictor of intentions was involvement, followed by app-related privacy concerns and perceived personalization. Research limitations/implications First, this study’s extended theoretical framework was well supported, as it captures relevant elements of the mobile commerce ecosystem (e.g. personalization and privacy), thus extending the classic paradigmatic approach to information systems adoption beyond system beliefs. Second, this study clarifies the distinct roles of personalization and privacy in the context of hotel apps, which has not been examined in the context of m-commerce in hospitality. Third, the study clarifies the role of involvement as the most critical factor that can influence guests’ intentions to use hotel apps when personalization options and privacy concerns exist. Practical implications This study offers hotel decision-makers a mapping of the factors, leading to use of hotel apps for purchasing personalized hotel services. Originality/value This study provides a first theoretical perspective on the hotel app utilization behaviors that have not been studied so far, but carry a strong strategic and financial significance for the hotel industry (direct distribution, brand consolidation and extensive contact with guests).

Drawing negative inferences from a positive country-of-origin image

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashef A. Majid
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Country Of Origin Image

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how a positive country-of-origin image will impact consumer perceptions for a high-risk product when the price is unexpectedly low. Design/methodology/approach An experimental approach was used with consumers from the USA and India. Consumers were divided into groups and given two scenarios that involved purchasing medicine that may have been counterfeit. In one scenario manufacturing took place in India, the other in Switzerland. They were asked to state the probability that certain goods could be counterfeit if they originated from the stated country and then make choices based on those perceived probabilities. An analysis of variance was conducted to test for differences between groups. Findings The authors found that in both samples consumers attached greater probabilities toward low-priced medicines if they originated from Switzerland vs India. Conversely, the higher priced medicines were more likely to be counterfeit if they originated from India vs Switzerland. When given a choice scenario consumers chose more versions of the cheaper products from India than from Switzerland. Originality/value When country-of-origin is salient then it is believed that a positive country-of-origin image will benefit products that are produced from that country. Consumers expect that more expensive products come from a country with a positive country-of-origin image. The results demonstrate that when there is a conflict between expectations of the country and the price of the product the outcome is lowered perceptions and consumption of the product. This holds true for consumers from a high-cost economy (USA) and consumers from a low-cost economy (India). The authors add to the literature on country-of-origin by demonstrating that a positive image can be a liability when consumers are wary of purchasing a high-risk product.

Validity and reliability of the questionnaire that evaluates factors associated with perceived environmental behavior and perceived ecological purchasing behavior in Peruvian consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Lopez-Odar ◽  
Aldo Alvarez-Risco ◽  
Aristides Vara-Horna ◽  
Raquel Chafloque-Cespedes ◽  
M. Chandra Sekar
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Purchasing Behavior ◽  
Environmental Identity ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Metric Properties

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the metric properties of a questionnaire that evaluates environmental and ecological purchasing behavior, environmental personal norms, environmental identity and environmental social influence. Design/methodology/approach The validity and reliability of the scales of the questionnaires were determined in a sample of 2445 consumers from Lima (Peru), selected through non-probabilistic sampling by quotas and by factorial analysis based on Classical Theory of Tests (CTT) and Structural Equations of Variance with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). Findings The results support the construct and discriminant validity of the instrument, as well as the internal consistency of all the subscales (Cronbach’s alpha between 0.662 and 0.8887 – composite reliability between 0.815 and 0.917). Research limitations/implications Customers evaluated were only from Lima city. It would be important to evaluate, in future research, customers from other cities in Peru. Practical implications Although a large number of instruments have been designed, not all are based on integral theoretical models, and their metric properties were determined with methodological criteria that restrict their applicability. Therefore, there is a need to have valid and reliable instruments for the identification of environmental behavior and ecological purchasing. Social implications This “new questionnaire” integrates the exploration of environmental behavior and ecological purchasing, along with the measurement of personal environmental norms, environmental identity and the social influence received from peers and teachers, to provide a comprehensive picture of the consumer behavior. Originality/value This research constitutes a theoretical and practical contribution to the understanding and evaluation of ecological behavior and some of its associated factors. Its main contribution is the adaptation of this instrument to the Peruvian context and the validation of an instrument that evaluates environmental and ecological purchasing behavior, personal environmental standards, environmental identity and environmental social influence.

College students’ understanding of social justice as sustainability

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina M. Kruger ◽  
Nicholas McCreary ◽  
Brandon L. Verhoff ◽  
Virgil Sheets ◽  
James H. Speer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Class Standing ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Don't Know Responses

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore college students’ understanding of sustainability and, specifically, the extent to which students see social justice as being integral to sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Between fall 2015 and 2017, an online survey study was deployed to students at a Midwestern University in the USA to assess attitudes and concerns about environmental issues and awareness of the university’s activities related to these issues. This analysis included ten assessment items from a larger study, of which 1,929 participants were included in the final sample. A chi-square goodness-of-fit and variable cluster analysis were performed on the included items. Findings Items such as “recycling,” “economic viability” and “fair treatment of all” were identified as integral to the concept of sustainability, while items such as “growing organic vegetables” and “reducing meat consumption” had high levels of “not applicable” and “don’t know” responses, with differences arising across gender and class standing. Social justice-related items were seen as more distally connected to sustainability. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by a non-random sample of students. Practical implications College students tend not to recognize the integral nature of social justice or the relevance of food to sustainability, providing an opportunity for universities to better prepare their students for a sustainable future. Social implications Universities might adopt policies and curricula that address these areas of ignorance. Originality/value This study is among the first to identify specific areas of college students’ lack of understanding about sustainability.

scholarly journals Antecedents of turnover in federal public administration

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-384
Author(s):  
Pedro Cavalcanti G. Ferreira ◽  
Elaine Rabelo Neiva
Keyword(s):  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Executive Branch ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Low Expectations ◽  
The Government

Purpose Understanding the reasons that lead civil servants to abandon their offices is an important step towards qualifying personnel management in the Federal Administration. The purpose of this study is to present an initial approach to the subject and to investigate variables that favor or reduce the turnover intention among civil servants in the Federal Executive Branch. Design/methodology/approach To fulfill the objective stated, the study resorted to variables of values, expectations and affective commitment to the organization. Variables were tested in a model of structural equations capable of verifying if these are antecedent or not of the turnover intention levels in a sample comprising 228 civil servants. Findings The validation of a model of structural equations unveiled a statistically relevant relation of dependence among values, expectations and the affective commitment to the organization. Moreover, engagement proved to be a mediator of the relation between the other variables and the turnover intention. Originality/value The work contributed to literature by presenting evidence that low expectations among civil servants bring low affective commitment which, in turn, leads to higher willingness to quit organizations. On the other hand, the same model showed that self-transcendent values, typical to the public career (serve the public), prevail among civil servants and positively impact commitment. This scenario shows that in people management all these elements of values and expectations must be worked on to reduce the number of civil servants that quit the government every year, as well as the high costs associated with quitting.

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