scholarly journals Inspired by the Paralympics: Effects of Empathy on Audience Interest in Para-Sports and on the Destigmatization of Persons With Disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Bartsch ◽  
Mary Beth Oliver ◽  
Cordula Nitsch ◽  
Sebastian Scherr

Theories of eudaimonic entertainment and destigmatization concur to suggest that empathic feelings elicited by portrayals of Paralympic athletes can increase audience interest in para-sports and can lead to prosocial attitude change toward persons with disabilities in general. Three experiments were conducted to examine this dual, mutually reinforcing function of empathy in promoting public awareness and destigmatization. Participants watched television spots about the Paralympics that elicited different levels of empathy. As expected, structural equation modeling revealed indirect effects of empathy on audience interest, attitudes, and behavioral intentions that were mediated by elevation and reflective thoughts (Studies 1 and 2), and by feelings of closeness, elevation, and pity (Study 3). Mediation effects were positive for reflective thoughts, elevation, and closeness, but were negative for pity. Results are discussed with regard to problematic effects of pity, and concerns that elevating “supercrip” narratives might lead to negative perceptions of persons with disabilities in general.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Sun ◽  
Xi Yu Leung ◽  
Billy Bai

Purpose This paper aims to study how a social media influencer (SMI) endorsement affects followers’ event attitude and behavioral intentions. More importantly, it comparatively examines the role of followers’ gender in event SMI marketing effectiveness. Design methodology approach Based on the congruity theory of attitude change, the current study developed an integrated framework of SMI marketing. In total, 335 online surveys were collected. Partial least squares structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings Results show that a follower’s attitude and behavioral intentions toward the event are affected by his or her influencer attitude. The present study also finds that follower’s social media post attitude plays a mediating role. Moreover, female followers are impacted more directly by their influencer attitude, while male followers are affected more indirectly through their attitude toward the social media posts. Research limitations implications The current study not only extends the event literature on SMI marketing but also provides recommendations for event professionals on SMI selection. Originality value This study examines SMI endorsement as a relatively new marketing tool in the event setting. It also is a pioneer study in testing the effect of social media followers’ gender differences.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
FenfenWei ◽  
Nanping Feng ◽  
Jinqi Xue ◽  
Ruxiang Zhao ◽  
Shanlin Yang

PurposeSmall- and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to the success of platform-based innovation ecosystems (PIEs). However, less is known about their behaviors and behavioral intentions (BIs) toward participating in PIEs. Considering that SMEs' BIs directly influence their behaviors and reveal the underlying logic of their behaviors, this study, therefore, focuses on SMEs' BIs and explores the antecedents to reveal the rational effects on BIs of the participation.Design/methodology/approachAn extended framework is proposed to understand SMEs' BIs toward the participation and empirically tested with data from a sample of 189 Chinese SMEs based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that (1) the framework has a good fit in the context of PIEs and a large predictability of SMEs' BIs toward the participation; (2) as expected, SMEs' BIs are directly positively affected by their attitudes (ATTs), subjective norms (SNs) and platform leaders (PLs), while indirectly positively influenced by perceived usefulness (PU) and ease and negatively influenced by perceived risks (PRs) via mediation effects and (3) surprisingly, BIs are directly negatively affected by platforms probably because of the potential collaborative risks based on platforms.Originality/valueThis study enriches PIE literature by focusing on complementors and proposing a framework of SMEs' BI toward joining PIEs, and it also expands the application of BI–behavior theories in the context of PIEs by offering a BI–behavior perspective to analyze the rational logic of SMEs' behaviors of participating to PIEs. Practically, the main findings not only benefit SMEs to better understand their BIs and to make a wise choice toward the participation, but provide implications for PLs to proactively design interventions for attracting SMEs’ complementors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1903-1924
Author(s):  
N. Gökhan Torlak ◽  
Ahmet Demir ◽  
Taylan Budur

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships of capacity/layout (CL), design (D), location, (L), hygiene (H), human resource management (HRM), food quality (FQ) and ambiance (A) in operations management strategies (OMS) and the direct and indirect effects of OMS on customer satisfaction (CS) and customer behavioral intentions (CBIs) that might affect income and, therefore, be influential regarding café-restaurants in Sulaimania in Iraq. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected through a survey questionnaire using a simple random sampling methodology from 254 customers of 46 casual café-restaurants. Methodology includes demographic analysis, factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediation analysis. Findings Concerning relationships between structural and infrastructural elements of OMS, only CL and H influence HRM, D and H affect A, and H influences FQ. Regarding relationships between OMS and CS and CBIs, only L, HRM, FQ and A affect CS. Concerning the relationship between CS and CBIs, CS influences CBIs. Finally, given indirect effects of OMS on CS and CBIs, HRM mediates relationships between CL-CS and H-CS; FQ and A mediate relationships between H-CS; and CS mediates relationships between L-CBIs, FQ-CBIs and HRM-CBIs. Research limitations/implications The study that treats seven variables in OMS is limited to Sulaimania in Iraq. Thus, the findings cannot be generalized. The study might guide future studies about the way OMS elements forge CS and CBIs in café-restaurants where owners/managers develop credible strategic plans. Originality/value The study provides a unique insight into the hospitality industry in Iraq where studies among elements of OMS are few and far between.


Author(s):  
Jessica Liu ◽  
Caroline Wright ◽  
Olga Elizarova ◽  
Jennifer Dahne ◽  
Jiang Bian ◽  
...  

There is a gap in knowledge on the affective mechanisms underlying effects of exposure to health misinformation. This study aimed to understand whether discrete emotional responses and perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes versus smoking mediate the effect of exposure to tweets about the harms of e-cigarettes on Twitter and intention to purchase e-cigarettes among adult smokers. We conducted a web-based experiment in November 2019 among 2400 adult smokers who were randomly assigned to view one of four conditions of tweets containing different levels of misinformation. We fitted mediation models using structural equation modeling and bootstrap procedures to assess the indirect effects of exposure to tweets through perceived relative harm of e-cigarettes and six discrete emotions. Our findings support that exposure to tweets about harms of e-cigarettes influence intention to purchase e-cigarettes through perceived relative harm, discrete emotional responses, and serially through emotional responses and perceived relative harm. Feeling worried, hopeful, and happy mediated the effects of condition on intention to purchase e-cigarettes. Feeling scared, worried, angry, and hopeful mediated the effects serially through perceived relative harm. Affective responses and perceived relative harm following exposure to misinformation about e-cigarette harm may mediate the relationship with intention to purchase e-cigarettes among adult smokers.


Author(s):  
Monica Jamali-Phiri ◽  
Ikenna D. Ebuenyi ◽  
Emma M. Smith ◽  
Juba Alyce Kafumba ◽  
Malcolm MacLachlan ◽  
...  

This paper aims to address the information gap on the influence of socio-demographic factors on access and utilization of Assistive Technology (AT) among children with disabilities in Malawi. Thus, it contributes towards the realization of the recommendations of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities and the development of a framework for creating an effective national AT policy. The paper used two statistically matched datasets, namely, the 2017 survey on Living conditions among persons with disabilities in Malawi and the 2015-16 Malawi Demographic and Health survey. Logistic regression and structural equation modeling techniques were utilized to assess the influence of socio-demographic factors on the use of AT among children with disabilities. The results indicate that there is a high level of unmet need for AT among young children aged 2 to 9 and those living in urban areas. The results further indicate that children with multiple disabilities have lower odds (OR = 0.924) of using AT for personal mobility compared to children with a single functional difficulty. These results entail that AT needs for children with multiple disabilities are not adequately addressed. Therefore, when developing policies on AT, younger children and those with multiple disabilities need to be specifically targeted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6069
Author(s):  
Hong-Long Chen

Many studies advance the contemporary technologies of Industry 4.0. However, relatively little is known about how Industry 4.0 affects corporate financial performance. Using a survey, bootstrap sampling, and structural-equation modeling, this study evaluates the moderated mediation effects of Industry 4.0 maturity on financial performance. The results show that Industry 4.0 maturity significantly affects internal business process performance (IBPP), which influences customer performance through the mediating effect of supply chain performance (SCP), and IBPP and SCP affect financial performance fully through the mediating effect of customer performance. The results also show that Industry 4.0 maturity moderates the positive relationship between customer performance and financial performance. Customer performance and IBPP have the largest direct and total effects on financial performance in the context of Industry 4.0 implementation, respectively. The results indicate that Industry 4.0 magnifies the potential returns to companies mainly through IBPP, SCP, and customer performance. This study offers an enhanced understanding of the financial implications of Industry 4.0 implementation and provides insights into the factors through which Industry 4.0 maturity influences financial performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na-Yeun Choi ◽  
Matthew J. Miller

This study tested two competing theoretically and empirically derived models of college students’ attitudes toward seeking counseling. It extends the literature in this area by assessing the influence of objective and subjective social class, classism, and stigma on attitudes. We used structural equation modeling to analyze self-reported archival data from 2,230 incoming college students at a large, public research university in the Eastern United States. The results demonstrated the superiority of the direct and indirect effects of social class over the competing indirect effects model of social class. The results further indicated that objective social class related to attitudes toward seeking professional help indirectly through subjective social class, classism, and stigma. Finally, the results also showed that objective social class, subjective social class, and classism operated differently in the model. We discuss study limitations, future directions for research, and recommendations for practice.


2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristóbal Sánchez‐Rodríguez ◽  
David Hemsworth ◽  
Ángel R. Martínez‐Lorente

PurposeSupply chain management is an increasingly important organizational concern, and proper management of supplier relationships constitutes one essential element of supply chain success. However, there is little empirical research that has tested the effect of supplier development on performance. The main objective is to analyze the effect of supplier development practices with different levels of implementation complexity on the firm's purchasing performance.Design/methodology/approachThree supplier development constructs were defined: basic supplier development, moderate supplier development, and advanced supplier development. Three structural models were hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling through field research on a sample of 306 manufacturing companies in Spain.FindingsIdentified important interrelationships among the various supplier development practices, basic, moderate, and advanced. Also indicated that the implementation of supplier development practices significantly contributes to the prediction of purchasing performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of a single key informant could be seen as a potential limitation of the study. The study was a cross‐sectional and descriptive sample of the manufacturing industry at a given point in time. A more stringent test of the relationships between the different levels of supplier development and performance requires a longitudinal study, or field experiment.Practical implicationsThis study focused on supplier development practices and revealed how involving suppliers in supplier development activities is important and may help buyers to increase their purchasing performance. The findings from the structural analysis should provide practicing managers with insights on how these practices and their benefits are related in terms of purchasing performance, thus affecting their ability to make better sourcing decisions.Originality/valueFills an important gap in the purchasing literature with respect to the area of supplier development. While there is much written about supplier development based on conceptual and case study research, this study is unique in that it is the first attempt to empirically model the relationships between different levels of supplier development and their impact on purchasing performance using a comprehensive set of practices.


1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Bass ◽  
Tim Barnett ◽  
Gene Brown

Abstract:This study examined the relationship between the individual difference variables of personal moral philosophy, locus of control, Machiavellianism, and just world beliefs and ethical judgments and behavioral intentions. A sample of 602 marketing practitioners participated in the study. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships. The results either fully or partially supported hypothesized direct effects for idealism, relativism, and Machiavellianism. Findings also suggested that Machiavellianism mediated the relationship between individual difference variables and ethical judgments/behavioral intentions.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S Hagger ◽  
Juho Polet ◽  
Taru Lintunen

Rationale: The reasoned action approach (RAA) is a social cognitive model that outlines the determinants of intentional behavior. Primary and meta-analytic studies support RAA predictions in multiple health behaviors. However, including past behavior as a predictor in the RAA may attenuate model effects. Direct effects of past behavior on behavior may reflect non-conscious processes while indirect effects of past behavior through social cognitive variables may represent reasoned processes. Objective: The present study extended a previous meta-analysis of the RAA by including effects of past behavior. The analysis also tested effects of candidate moderators of model predictions: behavioral frequency, behavior type, and measurement lag.Method: We augmented a previous meta-analytic data set with correlations between model constructs and past behavior. We tested RAA models that included and excluded past behavior using meta-analytic structural equation modeling and compared the effects. Separate models were estimated in studies on high and low frequency behaviors, studies on different types of behavior, and studies with longer and shorter measurement lag.Results: Including past behavior attenuated model effects, particularly the direct effect of intentions on behavior, and indirect effects of experiential attitudes, descriptive norms, and capacity on behavior through intentions. Moderator analyses revealed larger intention-behavior and past behavior-behavior effects in high frequency studies, but the differences were not significant. No other notable moderator effects were observed.Conclusion: Findings indicate a prominent role for habitual processes in determining health behavior and inclusion of past behavior in RAA tests is important to yield precise estimates of model effects.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document