Exploring the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers by investigating the mediating role of perceived value in the impact of normative community pressure and perceived brand credibility on purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from two studies in India, one with urban (N = 307) and another with rural (N = 206) consumers of fast moving consumer goods brands being endorsed by popular celebrity business founders. The authors tested all our hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach with SmartPLS software.FindingsPerceived value mediates the positive impact of normative community pressure and perceived brand credibility on purchase intention for the brands endorsed by celebrity business founders, and these mediating effects are stronger for urban (vs rural) consumers.Research limitations/implicationsThe results from Indian consumers may not be generalizable to other emerging markets with diverse cultural and socio-economic conditions.Practical implicationsThis research would help international marketers understand the unique branding and marketing strategies used by local players to learn how to successfully target both urban and rural consumers in the emerging markets.Originality/valueThis paper extends the celebrity endorsement literature by exploring the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers, a growing trend in the emerging markets with high cultural and religious diversity (e.g. India and Indonesia).

[The Need of Psychospiritual in Managing Secondary Traumatic Stress (Sts) for Covid-19 Counselor Workers] Keperluan Persediaan Psikospiritual Dalam Pengurusan Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) Bagi Kaunselor Petugas Covid-19

Pandemic of COVID-19 unspecifically has a physical effect on its sufferers, however it has negative impacts towards the mental and psychological of sufferers. To alleviate community pressure, the government and some NGOs are responsible for providing counselling services as psychological support. Counsellors, on the other hand, are continuously exposed to trauma disorders as a result of the conduct of counselling sessions, even though they do not directly experience it. Secondary Traumatic Stress, or STS for short, is a disease that refers to emotional distress caused by the emotional suffering of others. This impact was created because the client was given attention and compassion, as well as strong incentive to help ease the patient's pain. If no special preparation is given, the patient is vulnerable to the onset of STS symptoms, which have negative consequences on the physical, cognitive, mental, behavioural, social, and spiritual levels. As a result, during the COVID-19 pandemic era, a study that provides preparatory recommendation for counsellors dealing with a wide range of clients during the COVID-19 pandemic period is much needed. This research focuses on a data collection procedure in a library based on the theory of Secondary Traumatic Stress and the COVID-19 pandemic. This study argues that counsellors receive psychospiritual support training in order to satisfy the demands of Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Keywords: COVID-19, traumatic, psychospiritual, mental health, sympathy Abstrak Wabak COVID-19 bukan sahaja memberi kesan berbentuk fizikal kepada para pengidapnya, malah turut memberi impak negatif kepada mental dan psikologi. Bagi mengurangkan tekanan kepada masyarakat, pihak kerajaan dan beberapa NGO menggalas tanggungjawab memberikan perkhidmatan kaunseling sebagai sokongan psikologi. Namun begitu, pada hakikatnya para kaunselor turut terdedah dengan gangguan trauma secara berterusan akibat daripada pengendalian sesi kaunseling yang dijalankan walaupun tidak mengalaminya secara langsung. Gangguan tersebut dikenali sebagai Secondary Traumatic Stress atau singkatannya STS yang merujuk kepada penderitaan emosi kerana penderitaan emosi orang lain. Kesan ini lahir kerana perhatian dan simpati yang diberikan kepada klien disertai galakan yang kuat untuk menolong meringankan penderitaan pesakit. Sekiranya tidak disediakan persediaan yang khusus, ini mendedahkan kepada peletusan simptom STS yang memberi implikasi negatif kepada fizikal, kognitif, emosi, perilaku, sosial dan spiritual. Sehubungan itu, kajian yang memberikan cadangan persediaan bagi kaunselor yang berdepan dengan pelbagai klien yang ramai dalam tempoh pandemik COVID-19 adalah sangat diperlukan. Kajian ini menumpukan kepada proses pengumpulan data perpustakaan yang memfokus kepada teori Secondary Traumatic Stress dan pandemik COVID-19. Kajian ini mengemukakan cadangan mengambil persediaan sokongan psikospiritual bagi kaunselor dalam mendepani cabaran gangguan Secondary Traumatic Stress di era pandemik COVID-19. Kata kunci: COVID-19, traumatik, psikospiritual, kesihatan mental, simpati

Community pressure, regulatory pressure and corporate environmental performance

This article analyses the relationship between community pressure, regulatory pressure and corporate environmental performance. Using a sample of 2192 firm-year observations in environmentally sensitive industries for the period 2007–2012, we find that increased community pressure is negatively associated with corporate pollution levels and thus positively associated with corporate environmental performance. Furthermore, intensified community pressure can strengthen regulatory enforcement, but it cannot increase the size of the government subsidy allotted to environmental issues. Finally, regulatory enforcement partly mediates the relationship between community pressure and environmental performance. This study contributes to the understanding of firms’ environmental management and the interaction of community and regulatory pressure. JEL Classification: G38, M41, Q53, Q56

Factors Influencing Choices for Early Marriage in Urban Informal Settlements of Bangladesh

This study explores factors that shape parents’ decisions as to whether or not to arrange an early marriage of a girl child in the context of urban informal settlements in Bangladesh. The article draws on data from a larger mixed methods study conducted in two informal urban settlements of Bangladesh, and the analysis was guided by the theory of social exchange. The study found the following factors leading to early marriage: endemic poverty, high dowry costs for older girls, parents’ lack of wider social networks, adolescents dropping out of school, crime and insecurity, love affairs between adolescents and community pressure. Collaboration between government and non-government programmes to improve education, implementation of supportive laws, and greater formal economic opportunities for residents, including adolescents, in urban informal settlements, are critical to prevent early marriage in these environments.

The Determinants of Green Banking Adoption in Bangladesh: An Environmental Perspective

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to assess the environmental factors’ influence on the green banking adoption in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: This study is an empirical attempt to prove the cause and effect relationship for the hypotheses developed from a conceptual framework for which it has used both descriptive, as well as quantitative research. The survey unit of the analysis administered a simple random sampling technique over 323 respondents by using a structured questionnaire. Findings: The study identified that the customer pressure, the competitor pressure and the community pressure are the salient environmental factors which have a positive influence on green banking adoption in Bangladesh. Practical implications: The study may have significant implications providing the bank management with better understanding of the environmental factors and also the influence of it to find out appropriate strategies required to green banking practice. Research limitations: The research is mostly based on primary data focused only the customers of commercial banks as respondents ignoring managerial samples across the banks. Originality/value: To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is one of the earliest initiatives to explore the environmental factors and its influence behind the adoption of green banking practices in Bangladesh.

EVALUATION AND STRATEGY OF TAPPING PINE TREES AS AN ATTEMPT FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENTIN SUMEDANG, WEST JAVA

The increase in economic needs has resulted in increased community pressure on forest area. This encourage the government to open up access to utilize forest, in order to improve the community's economy. Since March 2018, access to utilize forest has been implemented in Masigit Kareumbi Game Reserve (TBMK). However, research related to the evaluation of activities has not been widely found. This study aims to evaluate and determine the optimal pine tapping management strategy in TBMK. The research was conducted in Sukajaya and Citengah Villages, South Sumedang District, using Ostrom Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, Stakeholder Analysis, and the Analysis Hierarchy Process. The result showed that, the potential of pine resin in the research location was 308,377.3 kg/year, which had a positive economic, social, and institutional impact on the community but tended to have a negative impact on the ecological aspects. Stakeholder analysis showed that the parties involved were among others KLHK, BBKSDA West Java, Sukajaya and Citengah Heads Village, Forest Farmer Group (KTH) Sawargi and Medal Kencana, Pinus Merkusii Cooperation, and the Indonesian Conservation Cadre Communication Forum (FK3I). Each stakeholder has a good relationship, however, there is still a need for a more optimal communication and coordination system between one another. The suggested strategy is to increase community assistance by FK3I and Pinus Merkusii Cooperation involvement in limiting the tapping pine resin.

The red packet interaction and brand attitude in the brand communities on WeChat

Purpose Monetary incentives have been widely adopted by brands to promote consumer engagement in their brand communities on social networking sites. This paper aims to explore how the interactions triggered by an emerging monetary incentive, red packets, affect consumers’ brand attitude in the context of WeChat brand groups (WCBGs). Design/methodology/approach According to whether brands ask for commercial returns from consumers, two types of interactions were identified, namely, exchange red packet interaction (ERPI) and communal red packet interaction (CRPI). The corresponding influences on brand attitude were examined in three experiments. Findings Compared to CRPIs, ERPIs elicit greater normative community pressure, inducing a less favorable brand attitude. Moreover, this impact is moderated by the time frame of brand communities. In the long-term WCBGs, a significant difference exists between ERPIs and CRPIs, while such difference attenuates or even disappears in short-term WCBGs. Practical implications When using red packets as an engagement strategy, brand managers should be alert to their potential negative influence. Specifically, in short-term brand communities, ERPIs enable managers to acquire commercial returns without hurting brand attitude. In long-term brand communities, managers are advised to implement CRPIs to foster a positive brand attitude. Originality/value This study investigates red packet interactions in brand communities, which have been widespread but unexplored. The results expand the literature by addressing the undermining effect of ERPI and the moderating effect of the time frame.

Unblocking the impasse

The final chapter calls for a decisive break from the policies and practices and removal of the blockages that have strangled social and affordable housing development over the past 40 years. It calls for a national social housing drive to solve the housing crisis. The chapter argues that radical land and planning reforms are essential, and that local government will need to be refocused and re-skilled for this task. It warns of the likely backlash from the property lobby who will attempt to block any or all of these reforms. Therefore, continued community pressure and action is essential if reform is to be achieved.