Assessing levers of guilt in luxury consumption: an international perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Noel Kapferer ◽  
Pierre Valette-Florence

Purpose For as long as luxury has existed, it has been criticized, by philosophers and moralists, who condemn self-indulgence, hedonism and vanity. Yet these concerns have not prevented the remarkable expansion of the luxury sector, evidence that most buyers revel in unashamed luxury. Modern economists point out the link between the development of the luxury market and the growth of social inequality. This study aims to assess how much guilt consumers feel during luxury purchases and identify its levers. Design/methodology/approach Based on 3,162 real luxury buyers from 6 countries, both Asian and western, emerging and mature luxury markets, a partial least squares-structural equation models (PLS-SEM) analysis assesses the level of guilt experienced during luxury purchases and identifies which drivers most impact guilt. Findings This study assesses the presence of a little guilt among a significant portion of luxury buyers across countries. Two countries present extreme scores: the USA (55.6%) and Japan (32%). Overall, the main driver of guilt is that luxury makes economic inequality highly visible; interestingly the pursuit of hedonism reduces the feelings of guilt. Research limitations/implications These findings have notable implications for luxury companies as the long-term success of this sector would be questionable if it attracts social criticism and induces distressing feelings among clients. Practical implications Luxury brands need to implement guilt reducing communication strategies. Social implications The luxury sector as a whole should redefine its purpose and mission. Originality/value This level of guilt experienced during purchases rarely has been investigated in prior luxury research. Yet luxury addresses larger targets, from the happy few to the happy many. Thanks to PLS-SEM modelization, the same hierarchy of guilt driving factors is revealed across countries.

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana B. Escrig-Tena ◽  
Beatriz Garcia-Juan ◽  
Mercedes Segarra-Ciprés

Purpose Although the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model has been widely adopted throughout Europe, a thorough examination of the factors that contribute to the internalisation of the model (i.e. a substantive adoption) has been neglected in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a model that analyses the drivers of the real internalisation of the EFQM excellence model, with a focus on the role of motives for adoption, and appraisal and compensation systems. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was carried out based on a sample of Spanish organisations that had been awarded EFQM recognition. Structural equation models, cluster analysis and ANOVA were used to examine the research questions. Findings Internal motives concerning the creation of a participative style are the main driver of internalisation. Moreover, having an appraisal system-oriented towards the development of employees helps the substantive adoption of the EFQM model. These findings reinforce the importance of the soft elements of the EFQM model. Originality/value This study enhances evidence about the motives for adoption and their influence on the internalisation of the EFQM model. It analyses internalisation in a novel context, EFQM recognised organisations, and contributes to the debate about the efficacy of the EFQM model to performance improvement, by unveiling the factors that could foster the internalisation of the model within the organisational routines.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 191-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Sheoran ◽  
Divesh Kumar ◽  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Deepak Verma

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the scholarly contributions to the field of marketing by analyzing top ten journals of marketing. Design/methodology/approach The marketing journals were selected using SciMago marketing journal list, and SCOPUS database was used to identify the publications of the journals. A total of 9,190 articles were analyzed having 562,322 citation references. Methodologies like Wordle and Gephi were used to understand the most researched keywords and co-citation analysis among top five researchers. This paper also captured the information on most cited article along with author, most published author, most publishing country, most publishing university, the year with maximum publications and most used keywords. Findings The analysis indicates that “Kumar, V.” is most published author, that is, 68 publications, the most cited article is “On the evaluation of structural equation models” by Bagozzi and Yi (1988) with 6989 citations. The USA contributed the highest 6,720 publications, while University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School topped the list with 235 articles. In 2009, highest publication work was done by publishing 382 articles. “Game theory”, “Pricing” and “Advertising” are most used keywords which have been discussed in the literature. Research limitations/implications This analysis will help researchers in understanding the growth in the field of the marketing in recent years and possible direction it could take in future. However, this paper considered only top ten marketing journals as listed in SciMago marketing journal list; therefore, future researchers may incorporate more research journals to get a clearer picture of the field of marketing. Originality/value This paper is one of the first attempts in recent time to understand the research work in the field of marketing considering top ten journals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandini Bhalla ◽  
Holly K. Overton

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of cultural factors on environmental CSR attitudes and purchase intentions among publics in a developed (USA) country and a developing (India) country.Design/methodology/approachUsing a 2 (location of the company: India vs USA) × 2 (location of the CSR activity: India vs USA) between-subjects experimental design, the study examines individuals’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a company’s environmental CSR activities in each respective country.FindingsTwo structural equation models were created for US publics and Indian publics. Results indicated that cultural factors, specifically the uncertainty avoidance dimension, play an important role among both Indian and US residents’ attitudes toward a company’s environmental CSR efforts and their intention to purchase its products/services. Among Indians, the power distance dimension acted as a mediating factor.Originality/valueThis study is novel in its examination of the impact of cultural factors among residents in India and the USA. This information can be utilized by multinational companies to implement effective CSR activities and enhancing their global CSR communication efforts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 340-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Zheng

Purpose The long-term development of a mobile gaming application (app) depends on its continued use by its users. The expectation–confirmation model of IS continuance was used as the basic framework, to which bi-dimensional consumption emotions were added to help better explain satisfaction judgment and continuance intention in the context of mobile gaming app use. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The data were analyzed using structural equation models. The effects of positive consumption emotions and negative consumption emotions were examined, respectively, in Models 1 and 2. Competing models (Models 3 and 4) were also examined in order to compare the proposed model. Findings Both PE and NE have an effect on the satisfaction of mobile gaming app users and their continued usage intention, a finding that represents an important contribution to the extension of technology continuance theory. Comparison with the IS continuance model shows that the new model can explain significantly more variance in continuance intention. Practical implications Mobile gaming firms should pay attention to users’ consumption emotions, especially negative emotions. Some specific emotions involved in mobile gaming app use were identified, which could guide firms’ understanding of users’ emotions. Originality/value This study offers insight into the role of consumption emotions in forming continuance intentions toward mobile gaming app use in China, a topic that has not previously been investigated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1309-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarang Joshi ◽  
Manoj Kharat ◽  
Rakesh Raut ◽  
Sachin Kamble ◽  
Sheetal Kamble

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between supplier development practices (SDPs) and supplier-buyer relationship practices from the supplier’s perspective (SBRSP), and seek to understand how specific SDPs may impact a buyer’s operational performance as well as supplier-buyer relationship practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey of 512 respondents from the different manufacturing firms in India and applied structural equation modelling to test a structural model that proposes the impacts of various efforts of SDPs on a buyer’s performance as well as SBRSP. Findings The study concludes that SDPs and SBRSP together improve the relationship between a buyer and supplier, and this improved relationship leads to competitive advantages (CAs) followed by profitability. Results indicate that supplier perspective of buyer-supplier relationship can be improved under the condition of SDPs and SBRSP together. SDPs are driven by productive measure and competitive pressure, whereas customer uncertainty is found to be statistically insignificant. Research limitations/implications The study was carried out in North Maharashtra Industrial Zone of India, where the auto sector and machine/components manufacturing firms have been established for a considerable period of time. Results of the study are limited to manufacturing organizations predominantly focussing on the automobile sector and machine/components manufacturing firms. Practical implications This study provides significant insights into the specific impact of various SDPs and SBRSP for both academics and practitioners. SDPs along with SBRSP practices lead to improvement in the relationship leading to CAs. SBRSP suggests that trust, long-term commitments and the supplier’s perspective are important practices for relationship improvement. Originality/value The current study attempts to identify what are the success factors for the supplier-buyer relationship from the supplier’s perspective and SDPs and how the supplier-buyer relationship can be improved under the condition of SDPs and SBRSP. Hence, the aim is to develop a more thorough understanding of the outcomes of a supplier-buyer relationship improvement from both buyer’s and supplier’s perspective, under the conditions of supplier development to achieve CAs leading to profitability. Furthermore, the study analyses the effect of the improved supplier-buyer relationship for achieving CAs leading to profitability.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Seiberling ◽  
Simone Kauffeld

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to seek a better understanding of the role of volition in the learning transfer system beyond the well-established concept of motivation to transfer. Design/methodology/approach Participants of a two-day leadership training were asked to complete two online questionnaires (t1 directly after training, t2 eight weeks after training). In total, 891 managers answered the first questionnaire, 465 the second. Findings Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that motivation and volition to transfer are perceived as two different constructs. Hierarchical linear regression shows that additional variance in training transfer can be explained when volition to transfer is taken into account. Structural equation models and bootstrap analysis suggest that both motivation and volition to transfer mediate effects of supervisor support and trainer performance on training transfer. Research limitations/implications The results imply that besides motivation to transfer, volition to transfer may be a relevant construct in the transfer of training. It remains to be tested how far these findings can be generalized to other training settings beside leadership trainings. Practical implications Organizations aiming at improving training transfer should focus on enhancing the participants’ motivation and volition to transfer. Both trainers and supervisors seem to promote transfer of training by influencing a trainee’s motivation to transfer and volition to transfer. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically examine the role of volition in training transfer.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ D. Kashian ◽  
Tracy Buchman ◽  
Robert Drago

PurposeThe study aims to analyze the roles of poverty and African American status in terms of vulnerability to tornado damages and barriers to recovery afterward.Design/methodology/approachUsing five decades of county-level data on tornadoes, the authors test whether economic damages from tornadoes are correlated with vulnerability (proxied by poverty and African American status) and wealth (proxied by median income and educational attainment), controlling for tornado risk. A multinomial logistic difference-in-difference (DID) estimator is used to analyze long-run effects of tornadoes in terms of displacement (reduced proportions of the poor and African Americans), abandonment (increased proportions of those groups) and neither or both.FindingsControlling for tornado risk, poverty and African American status are linked to greater tornado damages, as is wealth. Absent tornadoes, displacement and abandonment are both more likely to occur in urban settings and communities with high levels of vulnerability, while abandonment is more likely to occur in wealthy communities, consistent with on-going forces of segregation. Tornado damages significantly increase abandonment in vulnerable communities, thereby increasing the prevalence of poor African Americans in those communities. Therefore, the authors conclude that tornadoes contribute to on-going processes generating inequality by poverty/race.Originality/valueThe current paper is the first study connecting tornado damages to race and poverty. It is also the first study finding that tornadoes contribute to long-term processes of segregation and inequality.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Purvendu Sharma

PurposeThe present research aims to introduce and understand the promising nature of destination evangelism in the context of social media-based tourism communities (SMTCs). Further, factors that influence evangelism and information-seeking behaviors on SMTCs are examined.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is developed that features an interplay of destination distinctiveness, destination evangelism, travel commitment and information-seeking engagement. Data were collected from 215 active users of SMTCs and analyzed using structural equation models.FindingsThe research findings indicate that destination distinctiveness and information-seeking positively lead to destination evangelism. Information-seeking is found to mediate the relationship between (1) destination evangelism and travel commitment and (2) destination evangelism and distinctiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe research offers meaningful insights into exploring constituents of destination evangelism. The research also understands and highlights the critical role of information-seeking engagement about distinct destinations.Practical implicationsThis research highlights key areas to build, improve and inspire destination evangelism on SMTCs.Originality/valueThis study offers a fresh contribution to tourism literature by investigating destination evangelism and its drivers. This is explained by closely uniting vital research streams of evangelism, tourism and engagement. It further highlights the dual mediating role of information seeking, suggesting that these engagements are critical to evangelizing destinations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichang Cho

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 734-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Mady

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the research paradigm focusing on behaviorally-based first-mover advantages (FMA) by applying the widely-accepted Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and offers insights into differences between a mature market (USA) and an emerging market (EM) (India) regarding how intentions to purchase the pioneer are formed. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing samples of 208 USA and 194 Indian consumers, hypotheses examining the underlying beliefs, attitudes, social norms and purchasing intentions regarding pioneer brands are developed and tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Insights from the study suggest the TRA provides a means for assessing behaviorally-based FMAs across cultures, even as manifestations of purchase intentions differ significantly. According to the TRA and findings of this study, intentions are a function of overall attitudes and social norms. In the USA, individual attitudes were found to play a more significant role than social norms in formulating purchase intention. In India, social norms played a more dominant role in intention formation. Originality/value The study represents one of the first empirical attempts to shed light on the extent of behaviorally-based FMAs in an EM and how manifestations of intention to purchase the pioneer differ from mature markets. The study expands the behavioral paradigm of analysis to include one of the most sought-after EMs today (India) and provides one of the first empirical studies to utilize the TRA in addressing behaviorally-based FMAs.


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