scholarly journals Relational cohesion between users and smart voice assistants

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanca Hernández-Ortega ◽  
Joaquin Aldas-Manzano ◽  
Ivani Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Frequent User ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Cohesion Theory ◽  
Smart Technologies

Purpose This study aims to examine users’ affective relationships with smart voice assistants (SVAs) and aims to analyze how these relationships explain user engagement behaviors toward the brands of SVAs. Drawing on relational cohesion theory, it proposes that cohesion between users and SVAs influences brand engagement behaviors, that is, continuing purchasing other products of the brand, providing knowledge to the brand and referring the brand. Design/methodology/approach Data from a survey of 717 US regular SVA users confirm the validity of the measurement scales and provide the input for the covariance-based structural equation modeling. Findings The results demonstrate that frequent user-SVA interactions evoke positive emotions, which encourage cohesive relationships. Pleasured-satisfaction and interest emerge as strong emotions. Moreover, relational cohesion between users and SVAs promotes engagement with the brand of the assistant. Originality/value This paper applies an interpersonal approach in a context that, to date, has been examined from a predominantly technological perspective. It shows that users develop positive emotions toward smart technologies through their interactions, and establishes the importance of building affective relationships. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze cohesion between users and smart technologies and to examine the effect of this cohesion on user engagement with the brand.

Effects of humor climate within online brand community

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Yang ◽  
Jian Cai ◽  
Hongwei Tu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Affective Events Theory ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Affective Events

PurposeThis study examines the effects of the online brand community's (OBC) humor climate on the value cocreation (VCC) behavior of consumers using the affective events theory. It also evaluates the serial mediating roles of positive emotions and brand engagement and the moderating effect of membership duration.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 601 Chinese consumers of OBCs using an online questionnaire survey and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the data.FindingsThe authors found a positive relationship between OBC humor climate and VCC behavior, which was mediated by positive emotions and brand engagement. Additionally, there was a serial mediation effect of these two variables. The influence of the OBC humor climate on positive emotions was stronger for short-term members than long-term ones.Practical implicationsThis research contributes toward OBC management and VCC marketing strategy for constructing brand equity.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to focus on the significance of the OBC humor climate, thus enriching the OBC literature and providing a new perspective on how to facilitate VCC behavior. It also broadens the application of the affective events theory in marketing.

scholarly journals Brand engagement in self-concept: a comparative study in Austria, Italy and Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 785-794
Author(s):  
Wiktor Razmus ◽  
Valentina Mazzoli ◽  
Diletta Acuti ◽  
Sonja Grabner-Kräuter
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Observation Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Cross Country

Purpose The study aims to shed light on cross-country comparisons of brand engagement in self-concept (BESC) among consumers from European countries and to link presumed differences with country-level economic growth and materialism. This study contributes to the literature on the customer–brand relationship and provides implications for international branding strategies. Design/methodology/approach This observation study explored levels of BESC in three European countries. Questionnaire data were collected from consumers of Austria (N = 302), Italy (N = 431) and Poland (N = 410) with the purpose to make cross-country comparisons of BESC among consumers. Findings The results provide evidence for partial scalar invariance of the BESC scale. Cross-country comparisons of latent means reveal that Polish consumers score higher on BESC than consumers from Austria and Italy. Moreover, Austrian consumers score higher on BESC than Italian consumers. Research limitations/implications Culture as a contextual factor of BESC should be studied further. The findings should be replicated with non-convenience samples in additional cultural contexts to improve the generalizability of data. Structural equation modeling could be used to investigate psychological drivers of BESC differences. Practical implications The findings coming from the cross-country comparisons of BESC are of practical relevance to marketing managers: they should tailor their branding and communication strategies accordingly. Originality/value So far, the understanding of cross-cultural and cross-country differences in consumer–brand relationships has remained limited. This study adopts a rigorous approach to cross-cultural research enriching the literature on BESC from a cross-country perspective.

Winning engaged consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh Bazi ◽  
Alireza Hajli ◽  
Nick Hajli ◽  
Mohana Shanmugam ◽  
Xiaolin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement

Purpose Under the sunlight of social commerce, few concepts have blossomed like value co-creation. But when blurred strategies are implemented, the opportunity to wilt a brand is high. To avoid the miscues and the controversies, an ascendant step is to engage consumers with social commerce sites. The purpose of this paper is to propose three antecedents to engage consumers with social commerce sites, namely, social support, social commerce value and social commerce information sharing, and the effect of brand engagement on the intention of brand co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study used survey data from 234 Iranians with experience using social commerce sites. Variance-based structural equation modeling using the partial least squares path modeling approach was adopted to analyze the structural model. Findings The authors found that social support, social commerce value and social commerce information sharing positively foster brand engagement. The study also revealed that brand engagement is a significant predictor of brand co-creation intention. Originality/value The study is the first study that considers and explains brand engagement from social support theory, social commerce value theory and social commerce information exchange. Also, the study shows how consumers can be an integral part of a brand. Unlike other studies which were done in industrialized countries, this study was employed in Iran.

Perceived credibility of online hotel reviews and its impact on hotel booking intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 3465-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttam Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
Booking Intentions ◽  
Hotel Booking ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the vitality of source, receiver and message factors on credibility assessment of online hotel reviews. Further, the current study determines the effects of perceived credibility of online reviews (PCOR) on hotel booking intentions (HBI). Design/methodology/approach The current study performs reliability analysis to determine the internal consistency of the measurement scales and to ensure the uni-dimensionality of the measurement scales the present study performs exploratory factor analysis. Further, the present study performs structural equation modeling to identify the relationships between the variables. Findings Two-sided online reviews have a more significant positive impact on PCOR as compared to the effects of receiver, review quality, review consistency and negative-sided online reviews. Originality/value This is one of the first study that analyses the impact of source, receiver and message on PCOR. Moreover, the present study offered theoretical justification behind the factors that affect the authenticity of online hotel reviews and its effects on HBI.

A dialectical model of buyer‐seller relationships

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 207-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud Dampérat ◽  
Alain Jolibert
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Level Structure ◽  
Data File ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Data ◽  
Four Levels

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on building and testing a model of buyer‐seller relationships from a dialectical perspective. It aims to provide both academics and managers with a better understanding of the relationships among the key relational variables in business settings. The model distinguishes four levels of social complexity (individual, interaction, relationship, and intergroup level) and includes the key relational variable for each level.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 151 French professional buyers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the validity of the measures. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The empirical test includes linear, non‐linear, moderating, and mediating effects testing.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of the study relate to the sample of respondents and the measurement scales. More precisely, the sample is based on a unique company's customer data file and a single informant source. Results confirm the hypothesized model and its four‐level structure.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrates that buyer relational orientation as well as seller expertise influence the course of business relationships. Although the necessity to train salespeople is obvious, the importance of training buyers is not as well documented. This study shows that they both need to be trained to manage business relationships appropriately.Originality/valueThis research examines the relationships among the key relational variables within a framework of four successive levels of explanation. It provides an alternative approach to studying business relationships.

scholarly journals From sense-making to perceived organizational performance: looking for the best way

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Mas-Machuca ◽  
Frederic Marimon
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications

PurposeMission statements (SMs) are a frequent strategic tool, yet little is known about their effects on economic performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to model and assess the relationships among the sense-making of the SM, employee mission engagement (EME), organizational mission fulfillment (OMF) and perceived organizational performance (PER) and, second, to determine the path that best explains these connections.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports the results of an empirical investigation drawn from a sample of 132 managers at different levels in two Spanish companies. The data analysis was performed in two steps: the first was to assess the reliability of the measurement scales and the second was to build a causal model using structural equation modeling analysis.FindingsThe findings suggest that the best path to explain the relationships between the SM and perceived organizational performance (PER) is SM, EME, OMF, PER, with a full mediation effect for EME and OMF. These findings are consistent with previous research.Practical implicationsThe managerial implications of these results are that just having a good mission and effective communication of the mission is not enough. The mission has to be related to employee engagement and, at the same time, the organization needs to be mission driven.Originality/valueThis research provides a new paradigm for understanding the relationships between sense-making around the SM, EME, OMF and PER, and helps to adjudicate among possible outcome paths and better explain the inter-relationships among these constructs.

Drivers and outcomes of brand engagement in self-concept for luxury fashion brands

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-609
Author(s):  
Munyaradzi W. Nyadzayo ◽  
Lester W. Johnson ◽  
Monica Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Positive Word Of Mouth ◽  
Descriptive Survey

PurposeTo understand consumer brand engagement processes in luxury fashion brands. Grounded on the brand engagement in self-concept (BESC), this study examines key drivers (i.e. value co-creation, social media marketing (SMM) activities, brand self-connection and brand image) of BESC that in turn, enhance brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) in the context of luxury fashion brands.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive survey approach was utilized and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe findings reveal that value co-creation, SMM activities and brand self-connection are significantly related to BESC and subsequently, BESC is related to both brand loyalty and positive WOM. However, brand image is not related to BESC and brand loyalty but shows a strong relationship with WOM.Originality/valueThe recognition that consumer experiences add significant value to a brand drives companies to engage with their consumers focusing on the self-concept.

Consequences of consumers’ emotional responses to government’s green initiatives

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ila Mehrotra Anand ◽  
Sanjaya Singh Gaur
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Right ◽  
Positive Word Of Mouth ◽  
The Impact

PurposeA government’s green initiatives are meant to prevent or reduce harm to society. Such initiatives can elicit positive emotions that may lead to generating a supportive public response to the government. The purpose of this paper is to understand the consumers’ emotional response to government’s actions toward making the society sustainable.Design/methodology/approachThe scenario-based experimental design is used in this study where one between-subjects manipulation is created for the government’s green actions, and one between-subjects control condition is created. A total of 140 respondents were assigned to experimental and 121 respondents were assigned to control groups using judgmental sampling. Partial least squares based structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis was used for the testing of both structural and measurement model.FindingsPositive emotions (i.e. gratitude, pride and happiness) that are evoked by the manipulated scenario are found to have a direct impact on the consumers’ outcome behavior (i.e. positive word of mouth, identification with the government, interest in green initiatives of the government and interest in the government’s actions to grow the nation).Originality/valueThe research contributes to the literature on the social sustainability by examining the impact of emotional responses to the government’s green initiatives. This study shows that positive emotions can be evoked in the context of environmental quality by sending the right message to the consumers (i.e. the general public in this case).

An examination of innovative consumers’ playfulness on their pre-ordering behavior

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Ah Byun ◽  
Mayukh Dass ◽  
Piyush Kumar ◽  
Junghwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Cues ◽  
Early Adoption ◽  
Congruity Theory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of playfulness on innovative consumers’ pre-order behavior for new products. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon self-congruity theory and early adoption literature, the effects of playfulness and innovativeness on pre-order behavior and the role of self-congruity are tested using four experimental studies that are analyzed using generalized linear model (GLM) and structural equation modeling. Findings Results indicate that playfulness amplifies the advance-purchasing propensity, especially when the pre-launch information cues come from a credible source. Originality/value This paper refines playfulness measurement scales and proposes how both enjoyment- and creativity-based playfulness amplify the purchase intention among innovative consumers. The results assist product managers in developing advanced marketing plans before a new product is launched.

Can “bad” stressors spark “good” behaviors in frontline employees? Incorporating motivation and emotion

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxin (Sylvia) Wang ◽  
Xiaoxiao Fu ◽  
Youcheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to investigate the antecedents of frontline employees’ boundary-spanning behaviors in the hospitality industry. Anchored in transactional stress theory, affective events theory and motivation theories, a conceptual model was built to explore the impacts of hindrance stressors on boundary-spanning behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from frontline employees in the hospitality industry in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used. Findings The findings revealed that despite hindrance stressors’ negative indirect impact on frontline employees’ boundary-spanning behaviors, intrinsic motivation worked effectively to reduce hindrance stress and influence subsequent emotions leading to boundary-spanning behaviors. Practical implications This study provides substantial and detailed strategies for hospitality practitioners who are pressed to alleviate the hindrance stressors from which frontline employees frequently suffer, foster employees’ positive emotions and ease negative emotions while promoting boundary-spanning behaviors. Cultivation of employees’ intrinsic motivation and emotional management is encouraged, as is effective organizational structure and management intervention. All of these are deemed helpful in buffering employees’ work-related stress while motivating them to go above and beyond their nominal duties. Originality/value Very few studies have examined how “bad” hindrance stressors affect boundary-spanning behaviors. Rather than suggesting that hindrance stressors are relevant only to counterproductive behaviors, this study extends both the stress and boundary-spanning literature by uncovering the impact of hindrance stressors on frontline employees’ boundary-spanning behaviors while accounting for the roles of workers’ motivation and emotion.

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