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Becker, Jan-Michael; Völckner, Franziska & Sattler, Henrik
(2024)
How Important Is Word of Mouth? Development, Validation, and Application of a Scale
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Motoki, Kosuke; Bunya, Ayana, Park, Jaewoo & Velasco, Carlos
(2024)
Decoding the meaning of alternative proteins: Connotations and music-matching
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Alvarado, Jorge Andres; Velasco, Carlos & Salgado-Montejo, Alejandro
(2024)
The organization of semantic associations between senses in language
Language and Cognition.
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Velasco, Carlos; Vargas, Jessica & Petit, Olivia
(2024)
Multisensory experiences and technology in the context of wine experiences
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Munksgaard, Kristin B.; Abrahamsen, Morten Høie & Frandsen, Kirsten
(2024)
The influence of network understanding on value creation in business relationships
Show summary
Purpose –
This study aims to investigate how companies’ understanding of the business network influences the creation of value in business-to-business relationships. The authors do this by analysing dimensions in actors’ “network pictures” and illustrating how value perception and network understanding influence actors’
mutual effort to create value. Approaching relationship value from the point of actors’ cognitive understanding of their business network has so far been largely overlooked in relationship value research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a qualitative case study methodology whereby dyadic data from a well-established business-to-business relationship is collected from 18 company representatives through personal interviews and group interviews supplemented by participant observations and company data.
Findings
The findings contribute with new insight into how companies’ understanding of their surrounding network influence (facilitates or limits) relationship value creation. The authors find that companies continuously reflect on changes in their networks and the related changes in partners’ value perceptions. Through value
articulations, companies seek to explicitly express their value perception. Value reflections and value articulations create a dynamic process formed not only by the individual actor but also through their relationship and engagement in their network environment. This requires companies to develop their networking capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents findings, insights and contributions limited
to a case study of a particular business relationship within an industrial setting. Although the findings and contributions are valid and in line with the criteria for rigorous qualitative research, the authors advocate and call for additional studies that investigate relationships value creation and address the interplay between
actors’ network understanding and their actions and behaviour. One way to approach this would be to test the four propositions derived and presented as part of the present study.
Practical implications
The findings imply that management needs to be aware not only of the value
created and delivered to a specific partner but also of how the partner’s understanding of the wider network will influence the value delivering and capturing process.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the growing literature on relationship value creation by
outlining a dynamic process where relationship partners reflect upon and articulate value. Such activities are influenced by the partners’ network understanding and form the basis of the mutual relationship value
creation effort. The findings also contribute to the network pictures literature by emphasizing insights into the formation of value perceptions through actors’ understanding of their surrounding networks.
Keywords
Network understanding, Value creation, Relationship value, Network pictures,
Business relationships, Value perceptions
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Chuquichambi, Erick Gustavo; Munar, Enric, Spence, Charles & Velasco, Carlos
(2024)
Individual differences in sensitivity to taste-shape crossmodal correspondences
Show summary
People generally associate curved and symmetrical shapes with sweetness, while associating angular and asymmetrical shapes with the other basic tastes (e.g., sour, bitter). However, these group-level taste-shape correspondences likely conceal important variation at an individual-level. We examined the extent to which individuals vary in their sensitivity to crossmodal correspondence between curvature and symmetry, on the one hand, and the five basic taste qualities (sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami), on the other. In Experiment 1, participants matched shapes (curved vs. angular, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical) and taste words. In Experiment 2, participants performed a similar task, though this time using actual tastants. Given that people differ in their hedonic experience of such shapes and tastes, we also measured participants’ liking for each taste and shape separately. The results replicate the general crossmodal correspondences between curved-sweet and symmetrical-sweet stimuli. Furthermore, participants tended to match sour and bitter tastes with angular and asymmetrical stimuli. However, these group-level taste-shape correspondences coexist alongside substantial variation at the level of the individual. While some participants consistently matched specific tastes with curved and symmetrical stimuli, others consistently matched these tastes with angular and asymmetrical stimuli, or else did not show these taste-shape correspondences. Liking for curved and symmetrical stimuli was higher than for angular and asymmetrical stimuli. However, participants also differed considerably in the extent to which these visual features affected their liking. Overall, our findings highlight the substantial individual differences that are associated with the degree to which people associate and like shapes and tastes.
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Caruelle, Delphine Sylvie Sophie; Shams, Poja, Gustafsson, Anders & Lervik-Olsen, Line
(2023)
Emotional arousal in customer experience: A dynamic view
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Caruelle, Delphine Sylvie Sophie; Lervik-Olsen, Line & Gustafsson, Anders
(2023)
The Clock is Ticking—Or Is It? Customer Satisfaction Response to Waiting Shorter vs. Longer than Expected During a Service Encounter
Show summary
Customer waits are commonplace in retail settings. To develop efficient wait management strategies, retailers need insights into how customers respond to waiting during service encounters. An intuitive insight supported by extensive research is that a longer wait duration decreases customer satisfaction. However, the same wait duration might have different effects on customers depending on whether it is shorter or longer than what customers expected. To address this question, we draw upon the research on time value and predict asymmetry in the customer satisfaction response to waiting shorter versus longer than expected: Though the clock is often said to be ticking, waiting longer than expected leads to a minor decrease in satisfaction, whereas waiting shorter than expected substantially increases satisfaction. We provide evidence for this asymmetric effect across three studies and identify two boundary conditions: if the source of the expectation is external (e.g., wait time estimate provided by the retailer) or if the wait is much longer than expected. Overall, our research encourages retailers to put the customer response to waiting into perspective: Customers will tolerate waiting longer than expected, up to a certain point.
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Scharfenberger, Phillipp; Wentzel, Daniel, Warlop, Luk & Riegler, Verena
(2023)
The proximal self: Why material objects are particularly relevant for consumers' self-definition
Show summary
Previous research has extensively investigated the relationships that consumers create and maintain with their possessions. However, little is known about why material objects (compared to immaterial ones) may be particularly relevant for consumers' self-definition. In this research, we argue that being physically close to objects helps consumers to feel psychologically close to the more abstract meaning of these objects. Four experimental studies provide converging support for this reasoning. Specifically, these studies indicate that being proximal to an object reduces the psychological distance to the object's meaning and enhances the benefits that consumers associate with the object. Moreover, the effect of bodily proximity on perceived benefits is moderated by separation anxiety, such that consumers that are highly anxious about being separated from the object's meaning derive higher benefits from being proximal to it. The findings contribute to research on the extended self and highlight the potential importance of physical proximity as a motivational driver of consumer behavior.
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Veflen, Nina Jeanette; Andersen, Veslemøy Eva Margrethe & Lelieveld, Huub
(2023)
Misinformation about food safety
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Dorotic, Matilda; Stagno, Emanuela & Warlop, Luk
(2023)
AI on the Street: Context-dependent Responses to Artificial Intelligence
Show summary
As artificial intelligence (AI) applications proliferate, their creators seemingly anticipate that users will make similar trade-offs between costs and benefits across various commercial and public applications, due to the technological similarity of the provided solutions. With a multimethod investigation, this study reveals instead that users develop idiosyncratic evaluations of benefits and costs depending on the context of AI implementation. In particular, the tensions that drive AI adoption depend on perceived personal costs and choice autonomy relative to the perceived (personal vs. societal) benefits. The tension between being served rather than exploited is lowest for public AI directed at infrastructure (cf. commercial AI), due to lower perceived costs. Surveillance AI evaluations are driven by fears beyond mere privacy breaches, which overcome the societal and safety benefits. Privacy-breaching applications are more acceptable when public entities implement them (cf. commercial). The authors provide guidelines for public policy and AI practitioners, based on how consumers trade off solutions that differ in their benefits, costs, data transparency, and privacy enhancements.
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Warren, Nathan & Warren, Caleb
(2023)
Trying too hard or not hard enough: How effort shapes status
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Carlborg, Per; Snyder, Hannah & Witell, Lars
(2023)
How sustainable is the sharing business model? Toward a conceptual framework
Show summary
The sharing economy, which is considered a better way of utilizing existing resources, is associated with positive effects not only on the financial aspects of sustainability but also on its environmental and social dimensions. But is this true? Previous research has typically discussed either the positive or negative aspects of the sharing business model in specific contexts. This study adopts a dual perspective regarding the sustainability of sharing business models by critically analyzing the relationship between sharing business models and sustainability. Building on the resource-based view of the firm and practice theory, the current research develops a conceptual framework for evaluating the sustainability of sharing business models at the level of the individual, the firm, and society. Our proposed dual-process model suggests that two competing processes contribute to sustainability. The study's conceptual model and propositions advance theory and provide a research agenda for future empirical studies. This research also provides valuable guidance to managers and policymakers regarding the sustainability of sharing business models, which can inform the business model innovation process.
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Hoang, Chi; Knöferle, Klemens & Warlop, Luk
(2023)
Using different advertising humor appeals to generate firm-level warmth and competence impressions
Show summary
An online experiment and a large-scale correlational study show that the effects of a humor appeal in product advertising go beyond consumers’ general attitudes toward the ad and the advertised product. A humor appeal influences consumers’ perceptions of the advertised firms’ competence and warmth. Importantly, the competence and warmth signaling values of humor in advertising vary with the nature of the humor appeal. We specifically find that an incongruity resolution humor appeal enhances consumers’ impressions of the firms’ competence but only when consumers can resolve the incongruity. A tension relief humor appeal enhances consumers’ impressions of the firms’ warmth. Humorous self-disparagement reduces impressions of the firms’ competence, while other-disparagement reduces both warmth and competence firm impressions. We discuss how firms can use humor appeals in their marketing communication to signal their different qualities.
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Sääksjärvi, Maria
(2023)
From mental pictures to mental movies: a new approach to positioning of innovations
Show summary
Purpose
As innovations introduce novel benefits to customers, they would need to be positioned in a way that sets them apart in the market. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel approach for the positioning of innovations with the use of the customer imagination and, specifically, mental movies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the schema approach as this study’s theoretical framework, the author proposes that innovations could be positioned using moving pictures (i.e. mental movies) instead of mental pictures (the approach traditionally taken).
Findings
A new conceptual framework for the positioning of innovations using mental movies is presented. In the framework, this study outlines how innovations can be positioned with the use of mental movies, and why such an approach would be beneficial. The framework outlines mixed reality, i.e. augmented reality, augmented virtuality and virtuality, as well as the metaverse and gaming as avenues for positioning innovations using mental movies. On the benefit side, the framework identifies successful market introductions, engagement and stickiness, memorability and positive emotions, uniqueness and differentiation and market share as the concrete benefits that can be achieved with this type of positioning.
Originality/value
The framework provides a novel approach for the positioning of innovations. It departs from existing literature by proposing that innovations can be positioned using mental movies. The framework also identifies why this approach would be beneficial for marketers and managers and provides concrete guidelines for how such a positioning can be achieved in the market.
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Obrist, Marianna & Velasco, Carlos
(2023)
Memory Bites: From Earth to Space and Back
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Ghanbarpour, Tohid; Crosby, Lawrence, Johnson, Michael & Gustafsson, Anders
(2023)
The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Stakeholders in Different Business Contexts
Show summary
The authors explore two important topics related to this special issue. One is how corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities impacts stakeholders, more specifically customers and shareholders/investors. Second is understanding customer recognition and demand for CSR activities. Insight into these topics is gained through the study of contextual differences in this value creation. Previous studies suggest that two important contextual differences have the potential to impact CSR-based value creation, the product versus service nature of the firm and whether the firm operates primarily in a business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer (B2C) channel. The lower innovative capabilities of service firms and the relative intangibility of services should hamper the impact of CSR activities in service versus product contexts. The impact should be higher, however, in a B2B versus B2C context based on the need for greater organizational alignment, adaptation, and relationship-specific investments. Results from a large-scale secondary dataset reinforce prior findings that CSR activities influence firm value through customer satisfaction. Moreover, the results reveal that this effect is weaker for service (vs. product) firms and stronger for B2B (vs. B2C) firms. The findings offer important implications for marketing theory and practice.
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Velasco, Carlos; Corradi, Guido & Motoki, Kosuke
(2023)
Harmony of senses: Exploring the impact of sound aesthetic features' on taste imagery
Show summary
People reliably associate visual aesthetic features such as curvature and symmetry with tastes. In the present study, considering the transitive hypothesis of crossmodal correspondences, we evaluated whether these findings would extend to the relationship between sound aesthetic features and tastes, and whether feature-based congruency or affective priming would explain the influence of melodies on taste imagery. In Experiment 1, we evaluated how people associate different melody profiles (balanced vs. unbalanced, smooth vs. jagged, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical, simpler vs. more complex) with different tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty), as well as the melodies' associated fluency, valence, and arousal. Smooth and complex melodies were perceived as sweeter, jagged and unbalanced melodies as sourer, asymmetrical and jagged melodies as more bitter, and jagged and balanced melodies as saltier. In Experiment 2, we selected the most strongly associated aesthetic sound dimension with tastes, namely contour, and evaluated whether crossmodal congruency, based on crossmodal correspondences, or affective priming would influence people’s sensory and hedonic imagery associated with sweet and sour foods. In the imagery tasks, the participants showed higher sour ratings in the sourness task and higher sweetness ratings in the sweetness task. In the sweet imagery task, smooth melodies led to sweeter and less sour food imagery, whereas jagged melodies in the sourness task led to more sour and less sweet food imagery. These results favour the crossmodal congruency explanation rather than the affective alternative, which we ponder in the general discussion.
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Lervik-Olsen, Line; Andreassen, Tor W. & Fennis, Bob M.
(2023)
When enough is not enough: behavioral and motivational paths to compulsive social media consumption
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Valenti, Albert; Srinivasan, Shuba, Yildirim, Gokhan & Pauwels, Koen
(2023)
Direct mail to prospects and email to current customers? Modeling and field-testing multichannel marketing
Show summary
Multichannel retailers need to understand how to allocate marketing budgets to customer segments and online and offline sales channels. We propose an integrated methodological approach to assess how email and direct mail effectiveness vary by channel and customer value segment. We apply this approach to an international beauty retailer in six countries and to an apparel retailer in the United States. We estimate multi-equation hierarchical linear models and find that sales responsiveness to email and direct mail varies by customer value segment. Specifically, direct mail drives customer acquisition in the offline channel, while email drives sales for both online and offline channels for current customer segments. A randomized field experiment with the beauty retailer provides causal support for the findings. The proposed reallocation of marketing resources would yield a revenue lift of 13.5% for the beauty retailer and 9.3% for the apparel retailer, compared with the 6.5% actual increase in the field experiment.
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Motoki, Kosuke; Marks, Lawrence & Velasco, Carlos
(2023)
Reflections on Cross-Modal Correspondences: Current Understanding and Issues for Future Research
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Witell, Lars; Snyder, Hannah & Carlborg, Per
(2023)
Against Service Innovation: Why Service Innovation Is Not Sustainable
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Snyder, Hannah
(2023)
Designing the literature review for a strong contribution
Show summary
A literature review is an excellent research methodology. For example, a review can synthesise research findings and identify areas where more research is needed, thus providing the basis for a conceptual model, and informing policy and practice. However, despite their potential, the contribution and knowledge development of literature reviews are often weak. Time and again, literature reviews provide only a summary of descriptive statistics that does not facilitate knowledge development or inform policy and practice. This short paper examines common dilemmas and problems when it comes to the contribution of literature reviews. Different approaches are suggested and discussed, with the aim of helping researchers develop more meaningful contributions and thereby facilitate the advancement of research fields and knowledge development. The suggestions may be used by researchers, supporting them in moving from writing summary descriptions towards a more efficient approach to analysis and, therefore, stronger contributions.
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Faramarzi, Ashkan; Worm, Stefan & Ulaga, Wolfgang
(2023)
Service strategy’s effect on firm performance: A meta-analysis of the servitization literature
Show summary
The servitization literature has evolved into a rich field of academic inquiry that today calls for a consolidation of extant knowledge and opens new opportunities for meta-analytic reviews. The present research provides a fine-grained understanding of the servitization–firm performance relationship. We first develop an integrative conceptual framework that systematically ties together factors identified in prior research that affect the relationship. Through a meta-analysis of 379 effect sizes across 85 studies, we then provide broad-based empirical evidence that servitization indeed exerts a positive effect on firm performance. We further examine a broad set of potential moderators affecting the servitization–performance relationship to understand and explain the heterogeneity and, at times, the inconsistency of prior results regarding the relationship’s directionality and strength. Finally, we provide guidance for future research, from both a substantive and methodological standpoint, and sketch out an integrative conceptual model for future research.
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Iversen, Nina Marianne; Foley, Carmel & Hem, Leif Egil
(2023)
THE ROLE OF IMMERSIVE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCES, IDENTITY, AND MEMORY IN CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM
Show summary
This article provides insights for attracting short-haul visitors to cultural heritage festivals. We show how a set of experience dimensions work as value drivers to enhance a cultural heritage experience. Drawing on the experience literature we use structural equation modeling to test the relationships between attitude, memory, and revisit intentions. Empirical data were collected from short-haul visitors (from Scandinavia, Europe, and UK) at five Norwegian Viking festivals. Through an integrative framework we examine how appraisals of the experience are impacted by (1) identification with a festival theme, (2) entertainment value, (3) storytelling, and (4) personal interest. Key findings: attendee perceptions of experience dimensions have a positive influence upon their attitudes, memories, and revisit intentions; the formation of good and abundant memories strengthens the attitude–loyalty relationship; self-identification with heritage theme strengthens revisit intentions. The findings are timely as global emergencies increase the appeal of short-haul tourism.
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Ueland, Øydis; Langsrud, Solveig & Veflen, Nina
(2023)
Food risk communication to consumers: The scare of antibiotic resistant bacteria in chicken
Show summary
In 2014 a food scare following a report on antibiotic resistant bacteria in chicken fillets led to a dramatic drop in sales of chicken. Actors in the food chain as well as the authorities were unprepared for the consequences of the case. The study investigated how risk communicators coped with the crisis through in-depth interviews with 14 relevant actors. The case study illustrated how delayed risk communication from authorities opened for stakeholders with contradictory views and other agendas. Further, although the risk communicators were aware of the concept of risk perception, they may not truly acknowledge the power triggering emotions.
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Lins, Sebastian; Becker, Jan-Michael, Lyytinen, Kalle & Sunyaev, Ali
(2023)
A Design Theory for Certification Presentations
Show summary
Prior information system research remains inconsistent of the effects of system certifications. In their current use, certifications are often reduced to graphical seals. This approach fails to incorporate detailed assurance information emanating from the certification process. To address this gap, we adopt a design science approach and deploy a four-phase research design to clarify how to design impactful IS certification presentations. First, we identify sources of users’ limited understanding of seals and formulate a design proposal for a certification presentation by drawing upon the elaboration likelihood model. In the second phase, we formulate and validate a set of design meta-requirements and guidelines to improve certification presentation, using cognitive load theory and Toulmin’s model of argumentation as kernel theories. In the third phase, new certification presentations that comply with the proposed guidelines are developed and evaluated for their effectiveness. We show that presentations that augment seal-based certification presentations with richer assurance information improve certification effectiveness. This increases users’ assurance and trust perceptions when the presentations align with the users’ cognitive information processing needs in ways that reduce their cognitive load and enhance argument quality of assurance information.
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Escobar Barbosa, Francisco; Velasco, Carlos, Byrne, Derek V. & Wang, Qian J
(2023)
Assessing Mechanisms Behind Crossmodal Associations Between Visual Textures and Temperature Concepts
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 49(6), p. 923-947.
Doi:
10.1037/xhp0001131
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Edelblum, Andrew B. & Warren, Nathan
(2023)
Real men don’t share (online): perceived neediness and the frequent-posting femininity stereotype
Show summary
Purpose
Research emphasizes the motivations underlying and potential harmful consequences of social media use, but there is little understanding of stigmas faced by individual social media users, particularly as they pertain to gender. The purpose of this study is to examine a unique stereotype related to men’s social media use.
Design/methodology/approach
Four experiments examine judgments of men based on how often they post on social media (frequently vs infrequently).
Findings
The authors find that posting frequently (vs infrequently) affects the perceived gender of men but not women. This frequent-posting femininity stereotype is explained by perceived neediness and holds regardless of whether posts are about others (vs the self) or whether posts are shared by influencers (vs ordinary users).
Research limitations/implications
Future research should examine other stereotypes of social media users – including those pertaining to gender – and ways to mitigate such negative attributions. Researchers should examine how the frequent-posting femininity stereotype and other social media use stereotypes affect social media consumption and consumer well-being.
Practical implications
Managers should adjust consumer engagement strategies and restructure platforms to address the unique stigmas facing different consumer groups.
Originality/value
Providing insights into the dark side of social media, the authors investigate a unique domain – stereotypes about individual social media users. The findings of this study uncover an emasculating stigma against men who post often on social media, which may discourage men from online participation.
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Velasco, Carlos; Escobar Barbosa, Francisco, Spence, Charles & Olier, Juan Sebastian
(2023)
The taste of colours
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Howe, Lauren; Shepherd, Steven, Warren, Nathan, Mercurio, Kathryn & Campbell, Troy H.
(2023)
Expressing Dual Concern in Criticism for Wrongdoing: The Persuasive Power of Criticizing with Care
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Warren, Nathan & Hanson, Sara
(2023)
Tipping, Disrupted: The Multi-Stakeholder Digital Tipped Service Journey
Show summary
The shift from analog to digital point-of-sale systems (e.g. Square) and app-based service platforms (e.g. Uber) disrupted frontline services by creating new tipping processes that occur in an ever-expanding range of service contexts and involve new stakeholders. The increasing importance of tipping in the global economy and the uncertainty regarding tipping practices suggest the need for a comprehensive framework that accounts for evolving tipped service networks. We introduce the multi-stakeholder service journey lens to build a conceptual framework that accounts for the competing interests of customers, employees, frontline service managers, technology providers, and other stakeholders in emergent tipped services. This framework examines interactions between stakeholders at different points along the tipped service journey, while accounting for the technologies and contexts that shape stakeholder interactions and the sometimes divergent outcomes that result. Stakeholder interactions at each stage of the tipped service journey suggest theoretically rich research questions, such as “How do digital tipping technologies diffuse into and realign cultural practices?”, and important practical questions, such as “Which tip request framing and formatting choices result in the highest tips, most customer satisfaction, and optimum employee outcomes?” Our conclusion emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder service journey perspectives for examining digitally disrupted services.
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Gripsrud, Geir; Hunneman, Auke & Solberg, Carl Arthur
(2023)
Speed of internationalization of new ventures and survival in export markets
Show summary
Speed of internationalization may refer to how early a new venture goes abroad as well as how fast it expands its activities post-entry. The present paper incorporates both aspects and analyzes to what extent several dimensions of speed influence the ability of new ventures to survive in export markets. Based upon extant theories, two perspectives are deduced – a Learning perspective and a Resource perspective – leading to partly contrasting hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested based upon a unique data set consisting of all new ventures established in Norway a specific year that started to export goods in the following nine years. Among the findings are that survival rates increase when ventures go international immediately after inception and when they expand rapidly into new countries rather than focusing on expanding their export share in a limited number of markets, thus lending support to the Resource perspective.
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Yilmaz, Tuba; Sagfossen, Sofie & Velasco, Carlos
(2023)
What makes NFTs valuable to consumers? Perceived value drivers associated with NFTs liking, purchasing, and holding
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Hunneman, Auke; Bijmolt, Tammo H.A. & Elhorst, J. Paul
(2023)
Evaluating store location and department composition based on spatial heterogeneity in sales potential
Show summary
In this paper, we extend a retail location evaluation model with the possibility to include the effect of department size adaptation at the store level. We relate department-level store sales to a store's competitive and demographic environment, thereby providing richer insights into the drivers of department sales than a model of just aggregate sales. Further, we accommodate heterogeneity in consumer characteristics over space by using zip code level data and unobserved spatial effects in department sales by including spatially autocorrelated error terms.
Using spatial panel data for 30 clothing stores belonging to one Dutch retail chain, we demonstrate how to use the modeling approach to analyze and predict sales performance of new and existing stores. We show that the predictive performance of our model is superior to that of a benchmark model that does not include spatial autocorrelation.
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Burki, Umar; Glavee-Geo, Richard, Dahlstrøm, Robert, Kanani, Renger & Buvik, Arnt
(2023)
The moderating effect of market knowledge on contractual efficacy : evidence from Asian supplier–Western buyer relationships
Show summary
This study employs transaction cost logic to investigate effects of market knowledge on formal contracting. The model maintains that market knowledge moderates the effects of supplier specific assets and buyer specific assets on contracting in international buyer–seller relationships. We collected survey data from 131 international buyer–supplier relationships and applied regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The data suggest that the need for formal contracts diminishes when substantial supplier specific assets accompany high market knowledge. In contrast, the need for formal contracting increases when substantial buyer specific assets are combined with high market knowledge. This study provides new insights for B2B marketing literature by shedding light on the influence of market knowledge on formal contracts. The discussion addresses the study’s implications for interorganizational theory and practice.
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Langsrud, Solveig; Skuland, Silje Elisabeth, Teixeira, Paula, Veflen, Nina Jeanette, Allison, Rosalie, Crawford, Bob, Izsó, Tekla, Kasza, Gyula, Lecky, Donna M., Nicolau, Anca Ioana & Scholderer, Joachim
(2023)
A trans disciplinary and multi actor approach to develop high impact food safety messages to consumers: Time for a revision of the WHO - Five keys to safer food?
Show summary
Background
A significant part of foodborne infections is caused by food eaten at home, and food safety messages are given to help consumers mitigate risk. The World Health Organisation “Five Keys to Safer Food”, developed about 20 years ago has been used with success worldwide to provide general advice on how to prepare food safely.
Scope and approach
In this commentary, we discuss how food safety messages could be updated using a holistic approach built on implementation science, considering new food consumption patterns and insights from natural and social sciences. A stepwise approach for developing and evaluating food safety messages, performed in the European project SafeConsume, is presented. The top pathogen-food combinations associated with foodborne disease in Europe were combined with common consumer practices to identify risky behaviours. Food safety messages were suggested and assessed for understanding as well as capability, opportunity, and motivation in an expert survey.
Key findings and conclusions
Overall, the food safety topics developed overlapped with those from WHO. The opportunity and motivation for changing behaviour, (e.g., choose pasteurised egg) were identified as important restrictions for uptake of messages. Also, understanding terminology, (e.g “thoroughly cooked”) was a challenge. Therefore, there is a need to be specific, without excluding other safe alternatives or make lengthy explanations. The food safety messages suggested by the expert group were considered as more likely to be implemented among domestic cooks, resulting in safer practice than corresponding WHO messages. WHO should reconsider the preventive risk communication based on new knowledge and challenges.
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Veflen, Nina Jeanette & Bánáti, Diána
(2023)
Ethics in Food Safety Management
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Ringler, Christine; Sirianni, Nancy J., Peck, Joann & Gustafsson, Anders
(2023)
Does your demonstration tell the whole story? How a process mindset and social presence impact the effectiveness of product demonstrations
Show summary
Product demonstrations are powerful promotional tools which can vary in how they present information, either illustrating step-by-step processes, or showcasing final outcomes customers may achieve after product usage. Our research investigates customers’ cognitive and social experiences while viewing product demonstrations to reveal which type is most effective in driving purchase intentions. Drawing on theories of mental simulation, cognitive flow, and narrative transportation, we propose that when a customer views a demonstration with a process (versus outcome) focus, this encourages a cognitive flow state which facilitates customers’ absorption into the product story, and results in increased purchase intentions for the demonstrated product(s). Effects are attenuated when the customer experiences the social presence of other audience members. We find support for our proposed process across five studies using multiple product categories and presentation modalities and offer practical guidance to help marketers optimize product demonstrations to motivate purchasing in a constantly evolving, increasingly digital marketplace.
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Koller, Monika; Salzberger, Thomas, Floh, Arne, Zauner, Alexander, Sääksjärvi, Maria & Schifferstein, Hendrik N.J.
(2023)
Measuring individual differences in active smelling to evaluate products – The ENFAS-Instrument
Show summary
Consumers evaluate products with all their senses but exhibit considerable variability in the extent to which they actively use and rely on a specific sense. We know little about the variability in consumers’ propensity to actively engage their sense of smell in the context of product evaluation in purchase decision making. This research provides insights into this issue by conceptualizing the need for smell construct, detailing the development of the ENFAS scale, and providing state-of-the-art psychometric evidence of its validity. Ten studies contributed to a two-dimensional 11-item instrument, supporting the scale’s external and cross-national validity, and establishing the position of need for smell in its nomological net. The results yield insight into how smell perception affects consumer choices and may help optimize product presentations for the retail context.
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Tran, Huy; Veflen, Nina, Reinoso-Carvalho, Felipe, Tabassum, Farhana & Velasco, Carlos
(2023)
Seasonal multisensory eating experiences in Norway and Colombia
Show summary
Research on multisensory food perception suggests that most of our senses can influence eating experiences (Spence, 2020). The present research evaluates how different senses are engaged across country-specific eating experiences. Our goal is to explore each country's prototypical multisensory eating experience throughout the seasons. In Study 1A and 1B, we used the Sensory Perception Item (SPI) scale by Haase and Wiedmann (2018) in Norway (n = 104, M age = 40.73) and Colombia (n = 130, M age = 37.81), to assess how visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory dimensions are engaged in each country’s specific eating experiences and across seasons (Norway: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring; Colombia: Humid, Dry, Cold, Hot). All of the sensory dimensions in Norway, except touch, were significantly influenced by seasons. In Colombia, seasons and climates were only significant for touch and olfaction. In Study 2A and 2B, we evaluated specific sensory components of the eating experiences in Norway (n = 83, M age = 39.1) and Colombia (n = 64, M age = 40.64). Seasons significantly affected several sensory dimensions of the eating experiences in Norway but not in Colombia. Furthermore, we obtained keywords that reflected participants eating experiences across the four seasons. This study provides insights on how the statistical regularities of food experience environments might change throughout certain seasons, climates, and geographical contexts. Restaurant managers can think of changing the ambience settings of the dining rooms to match the image people associate with each season, transferring the external environment into the internal dining atmosphere as one of the innovative ways to enhance eating experiences.
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Heldal, Frode & Stiklestad, Trond
(2022)
Snowflakes – team learning as tool; you are not better than your group.
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Weiss, Stephanie; Knöferle, Klemens & Vossen, Alexander
(2022)
Meaningfully Different? How Visual Semantics Help New Ventures Achieve Optimal Distinctiveness
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Pauwels, Koen; Sud, Bharat, Fisher, Robert & Antia, Kersi
(2022)
Should you change your ad messaging or execution? It depends on brand age
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Olson, Erik Lee
(2022)
‘Sustainable’ marketing mixes and the paradoxical consequences of good intentions
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Koch, Alexander; Mønster, Dan, Nafziger, Julia & Veflen, Nina
(2022)
Food safety related efficacy beliefs, behaviors, beliefs in myths, and the effects of educational online interventions: Data from an online survey experiment with 1,973 consumers from Norway and the UK.
Show summary
Data were collected in a randomized controlled trial of a game-based online intervention aimed at fostering awareness of food safety and risk-reducing behavior among consumers. 1,973 participants from the UK and Norway, aged 18–89 years, were assigned to (i) a control condition, or (ii) exposed to a brief information video, or (iii) in addition played an online game (two different conditions). In all conditions, participants answered a pre- and post-survey with seven days in between. The surveys comprised questions on sociodemographic background, preferences related to food, recent food safety behaviors and beliefs in the efficacy of a number of food safety actions, as well as beliefs in myths related to food and hygiene. Efficacy beliefs (13 questions in the pre- and post-surveys) capture how an individual thinks particular actions will affect the likelihood of contracting food-borne disease. Beliefs in myths (8 questions in the pre- and post-surveys) refer to commonly held ‘true-or-false’ beliefs with no base in scientific facts. Target behavior (21 questions in the pre- and post-surveys) refer to self-reported food safety behaviors that were targeted in the interventions. Additional questions address beliefs and behavior in relevant food safety areas that were not targeted in the interventions. The survey items related to beliefs and behaviors were based on or inspired by previous work of the SafeConsume EU consortium (www.safeconsume.eu). In the information condition, participants watched a two-minute information video about food safety. Participants were given information about five broad themes: personal hygiene (hand washing), kitchen hygiene (cleaning utensils and surfaces), washing fresh vegetables and fruits, not rinsing meat or poultry, checking the temperature of cooked meat or poultry. In the game conditions, participants first watched an information video (either the neutrally framed one from the information condition or a version with pictures framed to trigger a disgust reaction). Then participants prepared four recipes in an online game, where they were repeatedly confronted with food safety related actions. After each recipe, participants received feedback on how they handled a number of important food safety actions. Our survey measures provide scholars and practitioners with data from adults in Norway and the UK to perform analyses regarding consumers’ knowledge and behavior related to food safety. Data and the replication code for the associated research article Koch et al. [3] are accessible at Koch et al. [4].
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Abrahamsen, Morten H.; Halinen, Aino & Naudè, Peter
(2022)
The role of visioning in business network strategizing
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Visioning the future is an essential aspect of strategizing. However, how managers make sense of their networked business environment, future changes in it, and how this visioning informs their interaction and networking has hardly been explored. Drawing on organizational foresight and business network research, we enhance the visioning concept by conducting an abductive qualitative case study on its role in business network strategizing. By comparing forward-looking and backward-looking perspectives of managers in companies within a particular business network, the study reveals what managers can foresee, what limits their visioning, and to what extent visioning informs network strategizing. Our findings suggest that visioning helps managers to openly contemplate the future, to envisage structural changes, detect probable trends, and form strategic intentions, but individual cognitive frameworks and network constraints limit their visioning. The study contributes to the current sensemaking view of network strategizing by proposing a conceptual model where visioning forms an important step in between reflection and networking, and by showing how managers consciously prepare for the future.
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Olsen, Per Ingvar & Abrahamsen, Morten H.
(2022)
The Oslo case: Agile and adaptive responses to Covid-19 challenges by actors in local and globally extended health technology clusters
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Prenkert, Frans; Huang, Lei, Huemer, Lars, Kask, Johan, Landquist, Maria, Pagano, Alessandro, Perna, Andrea, Poblete, León, Ratajczak-Mrozek, Milena, Wagrell, Sofia, Hedvall, Klas, Hasche, Nina, Eklinder Frick, Jens, Abrahamsen, Morten H., Aramo-Immonen, Heli, Baraldi, Enrico, Bocconcelli, Roberta & Harrison, Debbie
(2022)
Resource interaction: Key concepts, relations and representations
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Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Dutot, Vincent, Felix, Reto, Filieri, Raffaele, Flavián, Carlos, Gustafsson, Anders, Hinsch, Chris, Hollensen, Svend, Jain, Varsha, Kim, Jooyoung, Krishen, Anjala S., Hughes, Laurie, Lartey, Jared Offei, Pandey, Neeraj, Ribeiro-Navarrete, Samuel, Raman, Ramakrishnan, Rauschnabel, Philipp A., Sharma, Amalesh, Sigala, Marianna, Veloutsou, Cleopatra, Wirtz, Jochen, Wang, Yichuan, Alalwan, Ali Abdallah, Ahn, Sun Joo (Grace), Balakrishnan, Janarthanan, Barta, Sergio, Belk, Russell & Buhalis, Dimitrios
(2022)
Metaverse marketing: How the metaverse will shape the future of consumer research and practice
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The initial hype and fanfare from the Meta Platforms view of how the metaverse could be brought to life has evolved into an ongoing discussion of not only the metaverse's impact on users and organizations but also the societal and cultural implications of widespread usage. The potential of consumer interaction with brands within the metaverse has engendered significant debate within the marketing-focused discourse on the key challenges and transformative opportunities for marketers. Drawing on insights from expert contributors, this study examines the marketing implications of the hypothetical widespread adoption of the metaverse. We identify new research directions and propose a new framework offering valuable contributions for academia, practice, and policy makers. Our future research agenda culminates in a checklist for researchers which clarifies how the metaverse can be beneficial to digital marketing and advertising, branding, services, value creation, and consumer wellbeing.
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Motoki, Kosuke; Nakahara, Takanobu & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
Tasting brands: Associations between brand personality and tastes
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Söllner, Matthias; Mishra, Abhay N, Becker, Jan-Michael & Leimeister, Jan Marco
(2022)
Use IT Again? Dynamic Roles of Habit, Intention and their Interaction on Continued System Use by Individuals in Utilitarian, Volitional Contexts
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This paper employs a longitudinal perspective to examine continued system use (CSU) by individuals in utilitarian, volitional contexts when alternative systems are present . We focus on two key behavioural antecedents of CSU – habit and continuance intention – and theorise how the relationships between CSU and these antecedents evolve over time. In addition, we hypothesise how the interaction effect of habit and intention on CSU evolves temporally. Our theorising differs from extant literature in two important respects: 1) In contrast to the widespread acceptance of the diminishing effect of continuance intention on CSU in the information systems (IS) literature, we hypothesise that in our context, its impact increases with time; and 2) In contrast to the negative moderation effect of habit on the relationship between intention and CSU proposed in the literature, we posit a positive interaction effect. We collect longitudinal survey data on the use of a higher education IS from students in a European university. Our results suggest that the impact of continuance intention on CSU as well as the interaction effect between habit and intention are increasing over time. We further introduce a methodological innovation – the permutation approach to conduct the multi-group analysis with repeated measures – to the literature.
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Witell, Lars; Carlborg, Per & Snyder, Hannah
(2022)
Beyond the Line of Visibility: Toward Sustainable Service Innovation
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Ghanbarpour, Tohid; Sahabeh, Easa & Gustafsson, Anders
(2022)
Consumer response to online behavioral advertising in a social media context: The role of perceived ad complicity
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Brands and social media platforms are two main players in online behavioral advertising (OBA), but the extant literature overlooks the interaction between them. Although advertising brands invest considerable resources to target potential consumers through social media advertising, our analysis indicates that publisher-platform-related activities can elicit negative consequences. Thus, we examined the role of perceived ad complicity, that is, consumers' perception regarding advertisers partnering with the social media platforms in the OBA process. We used perceived ad complicity as a moderator to explain the variation in consumers' negative responses to OBA in a social media context. Our results indicate that consumers with high perceived ad complicity experience greater perceived ad intrusiveness. This effect directly impacts their attitudes toward publisher platforms and advertising brands but consumers react more negatively toward brands (vs. publisher platforms) regarding this practice. Furthermore, we found that consumers who are more sensitive to social norms experience stronger perceived ad complicity and that informing consumers about why they are seeing specific ads on their social media platforms does not change their views on ad complicity.
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Kurtmollaiev, Seidali; Lervik-Olsen, Line & Andreassen, Tor W.
(2022)
Competing through innovation: Let the customer judge!
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Veflen, Nina & Gonera, Antje
(2022)
Perceived usefulness of design thinking activities for transforming research to impact.
Show summary
Empirical studies that investigate the effect of design thinking within complex contexts involving multiple stakeholders are rare. The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature on design thinking, by investigating the perceived usefulness of including design thinking activities into a complex research project for food safety. A survey was distributed to all participants in SafeConsume, a Horizon 2020 research project, to measure perceived usefulness of design thinking activities such as collaborative workshops, visualization tools and empathic observation studies. Bivariate correlations and one-way ANOVAs were conducted in JMP Pro 14. The results indicate that design thinking activities may be useful also for large food safety projects. Multidisciplinary collaborative workshops can generate optimism and a sense of belonging among the participants, visualization tools can contribute to simplify complex information, and empathic observation studies makes it easier to think user centric. This study is one of few that quantitatively investigate the perceived usefulness of implementing design thinking into a multidisciplinary research project, and the findings contribute to a better understanding of the perceived effects of implementing design thinking into a large complex food safety research projects.
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Kurtmollaiev, Seidali; Lervik-Olsen, Line & Andreassen, Tor W.
(2022)
Honey or Condensed Milk? Improving Relative Brand Attractiveness through Commercial and Social Innovations
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Fjeldstad, Øystein Devik & Wathne, Kenneth Henning
(2022)
Business models and B2B governance Research
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Romeo, Elena; Jensen, Henrik, Hunneman, Auke & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
Assessing the influence of packaging design symmetry, curvature, and mark on the perception of brand premiumness
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Sun, Ya-Yen; Gössling, Stefan, Hem, Leif Egil, Iversen, Nina Marianne, Walnum, Hans Jakob, Scott, Daniel & Oklevik, Ove
(2022)
Can Norway become a net-zero economy under scenarios of
tourism growth?
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Valenti, Albert; Yildirim, Gokhan, Vanhuele, Marc, Srinivasan, Shuba & Pauwels, Koen
(2022)
Advertising's sequence of effects on consumer mindset and sales: A comparison across brands and product categories
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Crosby, Lawrence & Ghanbarpour, Tohid
(2022)
The Drucker intangibles measurement system: An academic perspective
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There is widespread agreement in the literature that intangible assets, particularly those of a relational nature, are key determinants of firm performance. Scholars also acknowledge that stakeholder relationships and innovation are inextricably connected. Conceptual support for these linkages is found in established management theories and evidence from empirical research. However, this research has been handicapped by various data limitations. The purpose of this study is to introduce and evaluate a new dataset that overcomes many of those limitations, allowing for a more comprehensive examination of the complex interplay of relationship-based assets, innovation, and financial performance. Based on this review, we conclude that the Drucker system of measuring customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction/engagement, innovation, and corporate social performance exhibits sufficient content and other types of validity to be suitable for academic research involving this set of intangibles.
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Block, Lauren; Vallen, Beth & Warlop, Luk
(2022)
Consumer Centered Policy Inquiries: a Call to Explore Policy Through a Consumer Lens and Consumers Through a Policy Lens
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The Journal of Public Policy and Marketing has long welcomed scientific inquiry at the intersection of public policy and consumer behavior. While the existence of this intersection feels like a given, defining the contours and borders of this intersection is arguably much grayer. It is not uncommon for readers and authors new to JPP&M to puzzle over whether their consumer research is policy-oriented enough, or question how their policy interest can be studied using methodologies characteristic of consumer research. To provide some insight, we define the body of work at the intersection of public policy and consumer behavior as consumer centered policy inquiries and provide an organizing framework for how to both define and characterize it.
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Jütte, Espen Alexander & Olson, Erik Lee
(2022)
A brand hegemony rejection explanation for digital piracy
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Olsen, Lars Erling; Samuelsen, Bendik Meling, Pappas, Ioannis & Warlop, Luk
(2022)
Broad vs. Narrow brand positioning: Effects on competitive brand performance
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Purpose –Brand managers can choose among two fundamentally different brand positioning strategies. One is a broad brand strategy, focusing on many favorable brand associations. The other is a narrow brand strategy, focusing on just a few and thus more mentally accessible associations. Building on associative memory theory, the current article examines which of these brand positioning strategies performs better under dynamic market conditions.
Design/methodology/approach – Three experiments test the effect of brand positioning strategy on memory accessibility and competitive brand performance. Study 1 tests how brand strategy (broad vs. narrow) affects defensive brand performance. Study 2 tests how broad vs. narrow brands perform differently in a brand extension scenario (offensive brand performance). Study 3 uses real brands and situation-based attributes as stimuli in a defensive scenario.
Findings – The results show that a narrow brand positioning strategy leads to a competitive advantage. Narrow brands with fewer and more accessible associations resist new competitors more easily and have higher brand extension acceptance than do broad brands.
Research implications – The article shows how to use accessibility as evidence of associative strength and test how accessibility influences competitive brand performance in a controlled experimental context.
Practical implications – Brand managers would benefit from a narrow brand positioning strategy in accordance with the USP school of thought used by many marketing practitioners.
Originality – The paper demonstrates that narrow brand positioning performs better than broad brand positioning in dynamic markets, and to our knowledge is the first to do so.
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Becker, Jan-Michael; Cheah, Jun-Hwa, Gholamzade, Rasoul, Ringle, Christian M. & Sarstedt, Marko
(2022)
PLS-SEM’s most wanted guidance
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Purpose – Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has attracted much attention from both methodological and applied researchers in various disciplines – also in hospitality management research. As PLS-SEM is relatively new compared to other multivariate analysis techniques, there are still numerous open questions and uncertainties in its application. This study aims to address this important issue by offering guidance regarding its use in contexts with which researchers struggle.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors examine the most prominent questions and answers posed in a well-known PLS-SEM discussion forum. The authors do so by using a text analysis technique to identify the most salient topics.
Findings – The data analysis identifies three salient PLS-SEM topics (i.e. bootstrapping and significance testing, higher-order constructs and moderation).
Research limitations/implications – The results allow us to address the PLS-SEM community’s main methodological issues. The authors discuss each area separately and provide explanations and guidelines.
Practical implications – The guidelines on the most important PLS-SEM topics provide decision-making and application aids. In this way, the authors make a decisive contribution to clarifying ambiguities when applying the PLS-SEM method in hospitality management research and other disciplines.
Originality/value – There has as yet been no systematic analysis of this kind in the field of PLS-SEM; the authors, therefore, present the first research results. The findings and recommendations provide guidance for PLS-SEM applications in hospitality research and practice.
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Deng, Jialin; Bertran, Ferran Altarriba, Obrist, Marianna, Mueller, Florian 'Floyd' & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
Sketching the future of human-food interaction: Emerging directions for future practice
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Iversen, Nina Marianne; hem, leif egil & Olsson, Ulf H.
(2022)
Willingness to buy US products in three Southeast European countries: The effects of cognitive, affective and conative components of country-of-origin image.
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Caruelle, Delphine Sylvie Sophie; Shams, Poja, Gustafsson, Anders & Lervik-Olsen, Line
(2022)
Affective Computing in Marketing: Practical Implications and Research Opportunities Afforded by Emotionally Intelligent Machines
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After years of using AI to perform cognitive tasks, marketing practitioners can now
use it to perform tasks that require emotional intelligence. This advancement is
made possible by the rise of afective computing, which develops AI and machines
capable of detecting and responding to human emotions. From market research, to
customer service, to product innovation, the practice of marketing will likely be transformed by the rise of afective computing, as preliminary evidence from the feld suggests. In this Idea Corner, we discuss this transformation and identify the research opportunities that it ofers
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Claus, Bart & Warlop, Luk
(2022)
The Car Cushion Hypothesis: Bigger Cars Lead to More Risk
Taking—Evidence from Behavioural Data
Show summary
Car traffic and accidents involving cars create an enormous societal cost,particularly in terms of negative consequences
for public health. Mitigating these effects is a daily concern for public and private institutions and people around the world. At least a subset of accidents is attributable to the amount of risk drivers allow in their driving, and in related behaviour like mobile phone use or substance abuse. Our study looks at the effect of car size on risk taking. While literature highlights several behavioural effects of car size, the direction of causality of these effects is not always clear, and empirical evidence lacking. Two behavioural and consequential studies support that car size affects risk taking in driving, and that this increase in risk taking generalizes to other domains as well. Based on these results and in line with literature showing that social stability and security can affect financial risk taking, we propose the “car cushion hypothesis”. This hypothesis suggests that bigger cars
make people feel more secure, which affects their behaviour in terms of generalized risk taking. We discuss policy implications aimed at contributing to reducing the societal and public health cost of car traffic.
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Olson, Erik Lee
(2022)
Advocacy bias in the green marketing literature: Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
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Advocacy bias is characterized by a preponderance of published articles that support an academic discipline’s favored causes and paradigms, and by the consequent relative absence of bias countering skeptical/falsifying publications. Such imbalance between paradigm/cause advocates and skeptics can be an indication of a research process that has been corrupted by a widely shared scholarly desire to generate supportive results. The current research makes an empirical contribution to the advocacy bias literature with a content analysis based framework that assesses the level of green marketing (GM) advocacy bias among 107 GM related articles from marketing’s Financial Times (FT) list journals and 9 GM related special issues (SI). Evidence of widespread GM advocacy bias is indicated by the almost complete lack of GM skeptical/falsifying articles. It is hoped that this first empirical examination of advocacy bias within the marketing discipline will inspire more discussion and research on the topic.
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Park, Jaewoo; Velasco, Carlos & Spence, Charles
(2022)
‘Looking sharp’: Price typeface influences awareness of spending in mobile payment
Show summary
We investigate whether the typeface used to display the purchase amount in the context of mobile payment influences consumers' awareness of spending. The evidence suggests that prices displayed in angular (vs. round) typeface increase the awareness of spending in the context of mobile payment via the perceived harshness of the typeface and the experienced pain of payment (Studies 1–3, 5, and 6). Angular (vs. round) typeface also has downstream consequences for payment behavior, indicating that the amount displayed with the angular typeface increases the hesitation to press the “pay” button (Studies 2 and 6). Our results also demonstrate that the typeface effect on the awareness of spending is moderated by the purchase amount (Study 3). The robust typeface effect documented for Japanese participants (Studies 1–3) is not observed in North Americans (Studies 4 and 5), highlighting the role of culture. Finally, we replicate the price typeface effect (Studies 1–3) in a situation that is closer to the context of real mobile shopping and demonstrate that price typeface impact people's willingness to spend on the next grocery shop (Study 6). Our research contributes to the scarce literature on addressing the profligacy issues associated with mobile payments and broadly cashless payments.
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Escobar, Francisco Jose Barbosa; Velasco, Carlos, Byrne, Derek V. & Wang, Qian J
(2022)
Crossmodal associations between visual textures and temperature concepts
Show summary
Visual textures are critical in how individuals form sensory expectations about objects, which include somatosensory properties such as temperature. This study aimed to uncover crossmodal associations between visual textures and temperature concepts. In Experiment 1 (N = 193), we evaluated crossmodal associations between 43 visual texture categories and different temperature concepts (via temperature words such as cold and hot) using an explicit forced-choice test. The results revealed associations between striped, cracked, matted, and waffled visual textures and high temperatures and between crystalline and flecked visual textures and low temperatures. In Experiment 2 (N = 247), we conducted six implicit association tests (IATs) pairing the two visual textures most strongly associated with low (crystalline and flecked) and high (striped and cracked) temperatures with the words cold and hot as per the results of Experiment 1. When pairing the crystalline and striped visual textures, the results revealed that crystalline was matched to the word cold, and striped was matched to the word hot. However, some associations found in the explicit test were not found in the IATs. In Experiment 3 (N = 124), we investigated how mappings between visual textures and concrete entities may influence crossmodal associations with temperature and these visual textures. Altogether, we found a range of association strengths and automaticity levels. Importantly, we found evidence of relative effects. Furthermore, some of these crossmodal associations are partly influenced by indirect mappings to concrete entities.
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Escobar, Francisco Jose Barbosa; Wang, Qian Janice, Corredor, Andres & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
The taste of visual textures
Show summary
Numerous crossmodal correspondences between visual elements and basic tastes have been documented in recent years. Research has shown that many of these correspondences can influence taste expectations when applied in food packaging. However, research on correspondences between visual textures and tastes is scarce, despite the ability of the former to convey specific information about materials and objects. In the present study, we conducted two online experiments designed to study crossmodal correspondences between basic taste words and visual textures with common material properties. In Experiment 1 (N = 194), we evaluated explicit associations between six visual texture categories (with four levels of each category) and basic taste words. The results revealed moderate associations between one of the fluffy visual textures and sweetness and between a rough and a crunchy visual texture and saltiness. In Experiment 2 (N = 407), we superimposed the visual textures associated with the basic tastes found in Experiment 1 on food extrinsic factors (i.e., packaging, napkin) served in combination with products of three taste qualities (i.e., neutral/ambiguous, sweet, salty). We did not find evidence supporting the idea that visual textures that are crossmodally corresponding to specific tastes, as revealed in Experiment 1, influenced taste expectations. The results of the study suggest that the strength of the crossmodal correspondence between visual textures and basic taste words studied here is moderate.
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Oest, Rutger Daniel van
(2022)
The Dependence of Chance-Corrected Weighted Agreement Coefficients on the Power Parameter of the Weighting Scheme: Analysis and Measurement
Show summary
Empirical studies that investigate the effect of design thinking within complex contexts involving multiple stakeholders are rare. The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature on design thinking, by investigating the perceived usefulness of including design thinking activities into a complex research project for food safety. A survey was distributed to all participants in SafeConsume, a Horizon 2020 research project, to measure perceived usefulness of design thinking activities such as collaborative workshops, visualization tools and empathic observation studies. Bivariate correlations and one-way ANOVAs were conducted in JMP Pro 14. The results indicate that design thinking activities may be useful also for large food safety projects. Multidisciplinary collaborative workshops can generate optimism and a sense of belonging among the participants, visualization tools can contribute to simplify complex information, and empathic observation studies makes it easier to think user centric. This study is one of few that quantitatively investigate the perceived usefulness of implementing design thinking into a multidisciplinary research project, and the findings contribute to a better understanding of the perceived effects of implementing design thinking into a large complex food safety research projects.
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Iversen, Nina; Hem, Leif Egil & Olsson, Ulf H.
(2022)
Willingness to buy US products in three Southeast European countries: The effects of cognitive, affective and conative components of country-of-origin image
Show summary
The objective of this research is to present results from a survey conducted in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, addressing the negative influence of warfare by USA upon consumer behavior in the region. The results show that perceptions generated from USA's general country image influence consumers' intentions to buy American-made products. Furthermore, country "goodwill" and "bad-will" create cognitive and affective ambivalence, which concurrently promote and hamper consumers' willingness to buy foreign products. Facets of USA's general country image create mixed emotions, which influence approach and avoidance behavior towards US imports. USA's country image concurrently impacts productspecific perceptions, ethnocentric tendencies, animosity, and admiration/affinity, influencing the propensity to buy American-made products among consumers in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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Veflen, Nina; Velasco, Carlos & Kraggerud, Hilde
(2022)
Signalling taste through packaging: The effects of shape and colour on consumers’ perceptions of cheeses
Show summary
This paper questions whether manufacturers can utilize visual packaging cues, in particular colours and shapes, to communicate the intrinsic attributes of cheeses. While the existence of crossmodal correspondences between packaging shapes and tastes have been demonstrated in previous food studies, we still need knowledge about how the interaction of colour and shape of the packaging that the cheese is sold influence customers’ expectations of taste and liking. Throughout two studies, we illustrate that specific shapes and colours communicate certain cheese tastes. In study 1, we found that, while a mild tasting cheese is associated with round shapes, high colour brightness and low colour saturation, a sharp tasting cheese is associated with an angular shape, lower level of colour brightness and higher level of colour saturation. This knowledge can be utilized to communicate taste via the design of the packaging. In study 2, we moved on to test this via packaging. We found that a round shaped packaging combined with high colour brightness and low colour saturation communicates a mild taste, whereas a triangular shape packaging combined with a low colour brightness/ high saturation signals a sharper tasting cheese. Moreover, a round packaging elicits the highest degree of liking. Our findings demonstrate that multiple sensory elements of a product’s packaging can enhance respondents’ taste expectations and expected liking of a product. In conclusion, this paper offers guidance to managers seeking to design packaging that communicates the flavour of food products, specifically for cheeses.
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Dahlstrøm, Robert
(2022)
A Review of Benefits, Constraints, and Research Opportunities in the Markets for Voluntary Offset Investments
Show summary
Voluntary offset investments provide the opportunity to compensate for the ecological consequences of consumption. Despite this opportunity, many entities do not purchase offset investments. We provide an overview of alternative carbon and biodiversity offset investments. We characterize the marketplace conditions, benefits, and constraints operating in the markets for voluntary carbon and biodiversity offset investments. We subsequently outline research implications inherent to these markets.
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Garcia, Vicente Casales; Gonzalez-Abril, Luis, Veflen, Nina & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
Assessing the influence of colour and glass type on beer expectations
Show summary
We evaluated how beer colour and glass type interact when it comes to forming beer expectations. Following previous research, we predicted that, given that colour is a dominant feature in food and beverage expectations, it would modulate the effects of glass type on beer expectations. One hundred and ninety-five participants from the United Kingdom took part in the experiment, which followed a 6 × 7 within-participants experimental design, with factors glass type (Pilsner, Pint, Tulip, Chalice, Weissbier, and Mug) and colour (yellow, blue, brown, orange, black, red, and green). Our results revealed that whilst colour influenced the expectations-based sensory-discriminative, hedonic, and willingness to pay (WTP) ratings, glass type influenced all variables but intensity and WTP. Importantly, all the variables for which glass type had a main effect were followed by a significant interaction. The results indicate that, the extent to which an extrinsic beer element, namely glass, influences expectations, depends on the associations that people have with colour, an intrinsic beer property closely related to beer type. We discuss the implications of our results for the design of beer expectations.
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Kriz, Alexandra; Tresidder, Julia, Dowd, Anne-Maree, Weerawardena, Jay, Witell, Lars, Snyder, Hannah & de Pallant, Rohan
(2022)
Business model–dynamic capabilities and open innovation initiatives in research-intensive organisations: A case of Australia's national science agency
Show summary
Publicly funded national science agencies create value as innovation catalysts and through their scientific and research missions, they tackle wicked problems. Understanding how dynamic capabilities and business model innovation enable research-intensive organisations to seize the market in the mission is key to translating bold new science that has impact. We qualitatively explore how Australia's national science agency—the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)—has pursued open innovation to support business model–dynamic capabilities in an evolving publicly funded landscape. We reflect on the value of open innovation initiatives that have allowed the CSIRO to ambidextrously pursue world-class science while achieving impact.
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Fronczek, Lane Peterson; Mende, Martin, Scott, Maura, Nenkov, Gregana & Gustafsson, Anders
(2022)
Friend or foe? Can anthropomorphizing self-tracking devices backfire on marketers and consumers?
Show summary
Self-quantification, with the promise of motivating consumers to engage in health behaviors through measuring their performance, is a popular trend amongst consumers. Despite the economic impact of self-tracking technologies, consumers’ experiences with self-tracking devices and corresponding consequences for firms remain understudied. Six studies examine how the popular marketing tactic of anthropomorphization influences (a) consumers’ favorability towards wearable tracking devices, (b) their health motivation, and (c) their health behavior (number of steps taken) over time. The authors uncover a novel dynamic effect of anthropomorphism, such that with use, the initially positive evaluations of anthropomorphized (vs. non-anthropomorphized) devices decrease, and (contrary to prior literature), anthropomorphized devices are not favored. Importantly, health motivation and health behaviors are also reduced over time with the use of an anthropomorphized (vs. non-anthropomorphized) wearable device. This decrease occurs because anthropomorphized devices reduce the wearers’ perceived autonomy, which in turn, reduces their health motivation and health behavior. However, customizing the anthropomorphized device (by setting a customized goal or by monitoring a greater number of health-related indicators) can mitigate its negative effects. These findings provide novel insights to marketing scholars and managers, by suggesting that anthropomorphism can be a successful short-term selling strategy, but over time, it can have unintended consequences for both firms and consumers.
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Motoki, Kosuke; Saito, Toshiki & Velasco, Carlos
(2022)
Spontaneous crossmodal correspondences grounded in contexts
Show summary
Thoughts and associations are spontaneously generated and situated. A growing body of research on crossmodal correspondences has revealed that individuals tend to associate information across sensory modalities. However, most of the findings have been based on restricted sensory pairs/items and the role of context remains largely unexplored. Relying on crossmodal correspondence studies and the theory of situated conceptualization, the present study aimed to study spontaneous crossmodal correspondences and the role of context (background settings, culture) in modulating them. Japanese and British participants (n = 604) were presented with shape stimuli (round and angular) and spontaneously generated words describing the stimuli in different contexts (geometric shapes, logo in food packaging, and logo in non-food products). The results demonstrated that individuals spontaneously associate shape features with different senses, something that is influenced by context (background settings, culture). Geometric shapes were associated with visual and auditory descriptors, while shapes in the food context were linked with chemosensory (olfactory and taste) descriptors. Moreover, Japanese participants were more likely to generate touch descriptors, while British participants were more likely to use auditory descriptors. Together, our findings reveal how multisensory associations are spontaneously generated and how these associations are grounded in contexts.
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Koch, Alexander; Mønster, Dan, Nafziger, Julia & Veflen, Nina
(2022)
Fostering safe food handling among consumers: Causal evidence on game- and video-based online interventions
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We design a game-based online intervention to foster awareness of food safety and risk-reducing behavior among consumers. 1087 participants, aged 20–50 years, and additional 886 participants, aged up to 89 years, from the UK and Norway were assigned to (i) a control condition with pre- and post-survey measures of food safety beliefs and behaviors with a one-week spacing, or (ii) in addition exposed to a brief information video, or (iii) in addition played an online game. Both intervention types improved food safety beliefs to a similar extent relative to control. But only the game interventions significantly improved self-reported food safety behavior, suggesting that providing information to consumers often is not sufficient to change routinized behavior. The novel insight of our study is that repeatedly applying correct behavior in the virtual environment of the online game spills over to real-world behavior. Importantly, treatment effects are not concentrated on young people, but are consistent across age groups.
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Petit, Olivia; Velasco, Carlos, Wang, Qian J & Spence, Charles
(2022)
Consumer Consciousness in Multisensory Extended Reality
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The reality-virtuality continuum encompasses a multitude of objects, events and environments ranging from real-world multisensory inputs to interactive multisensory virtual simulators, in which sensory integration can involve very different combinations of both physical and digital inputs. These different ways of stimulating the senses can affect the consumer’s consciousness, potentially altering their judgements and behaviours. In this perspective paper, we explore how technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can, by generating and modifying the human sensorium, act on consumer consciousness. We discuss the potential impact of this altered consciousness for consumer behaviour while, at the same time, considering how it may pave the way for further research.
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Veflen, Nina & Teixeira, Paula
(2022)
Food safety myths consequences for health: A study of reported gastroenteritis incidence and prevalence in UK, Norway and Germany
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Food safety beliefs are not always science based. In this study, we aim to contribute to the state of the art of food safety knowledge by investigating unscientific beliefs consequences for gastroenteritis. After collecting food safety myths across Europe, we conducted a web-based survey on a representative sample of consumers from UK, Germany and Norway (N = 3110) to investigate what food safety myths people believe to be true, and if these beliefs influence gastroenteritis incidences and prevalence.
The results show that a large share of the population believe in food safety myths, in the worst cases more than 70% report to believe myths to be facts and believing in many of these myths correlates positively with gastroenteritis incidences and prevalence. The largest correlations are observed for unscientific beliefs about eggs (such as storing eggs at room temperature and eating raw eggs to cure hangover), bacteria inactivation (that a wooden cutting board, and chili, wasabi and marinades kills bacteria), that vegetarians don't get food poisoning, and that eating dirt and having a diarrhea is good since it cleans up the stomach. In the discussion, we explain the negative consequences by linking the food safety myths to science-based food safety knowledge.
This is the first study linking unscientific beliefs to gastroenteritis. Future studies need to investigate the mechanisms explaining why beliefs in food safety myths correlate with gastroenteritis incidences and prevalence. Studies investigating behavior change methods, including but not limited to correcting false beliefs are also needed.
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Blanchard, Simon J; Goldenberg, Jacob, Pauwels, Koen & Schweidel, David A.
(2022)
Promoting Data Richness in Consumer Research: How to Develop and Evaluate Articles with Multiple Data Sources
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As stated in the mission of the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) (2022) and a recent editorial (Schmitt et al. 2022), JCR is a multi-disciplinary journal where consumer research provides insights about consumers and consumption in the marketplace in a way that meaningfully extends the knowledge from one of our core disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics) about a consumer-oriented construct. Unfortunately, the labels “consumer research” and “consumer behavior” have come to connote far more than the focus of the work—just as, somewhere along the way, “consumer behavior” and “quant” came to imply a particular type of data source (and associated analysis methods) that is primarily used to study theory and phenomena of interest (experiments vs. “field data”). Why this strong association between consumer-relevant questions, data, and methodology? One reason may be that the field rewards specialization. Another may be due to the incentive structure in business schools (Stremersch, Winer, and Camacho 2021). Nevertheless, the rigid lines dividing the artificially created sub-disciplines are our own making, for better and worse. One way to address this divide and consequently expand the reach of our research beyond those who specialize in our particular sub-disciplines is to use more than one type of data source when addressing a consumer research question. Such data richness is the key theme of this article.
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Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Cheung, Christy M.K., Conboy, Kieran, Doyle, Ronan, Dubey, Rameshwar, Dutot, Vincent, Felix, Reto, Goyal, D.P., Gustafsson, Anders, Hinsch, Chris, Jebabli, Ikram, Hughes, Laurie, Janssen, Marijn, Kim, Young-Gab, Kim, Jooyoung, Koos, Stefan, Kreps, David, Kshetri, Nir, Kumar, Vikram, Ooi, Keng-Boon, Papagiannidis, Savvas, Pappas, Ilias, Baabdullah, Abdullah M., Polyviou, Ariana, Park, Sang-Min, Pandey, Neeraj, Queiroz, Maciel M., Raman, Ramakrishnan, Rauschnabel, Philipp A., Shirish, Anuragini, Sigala, Marianna, Spanaki, Konstantina, Wei-Han Tan, Garry, Ribeiro-Navarrete, Samuel, Tiwari, Manoj Kumar, Viglia, Giampaolo, Wamba, Samuel Fosso, Giannakis, Mihalis, Al-Debei, Mutaz M., Dennehy, Denis, Metri, Bhimaraya & Buhalis, Dimitrios
(2022)
Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy
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The metaverse has the potential to extend the physical world using augmented and virtual reality technologies allowing users to seamlessly interact within real and simulated environments using avatars and holograms. Virtual environments and immersive games (such as, Second Life, Fortnite, Roblox and VRChat) have been described as antecedents of the metaverse and offer some insight to the potential socio-economic impact of a fully functional persistent cross platform metaverse. Separating the hype and “meta…” rebranding from current reality is difficult, as “big tech” paints a picture of the transformative nature of the metaverse and how it will positively impact people in their work, leisure, and social interaction. The potential impact on the way we conduct business, interact with brands and others, and develop shared experiences is likely to be transformational as the distinct lines between physical and digital are likely to be somewhat blurred from current perceptions. However, although the technology and infrastructure does not yet exist to allow the development of new immersive virtual worlds at scale - one that our avatars could transcend across platforms, researchers are increasingly examining the transformative impact of the metaverse. Impacted sectors include marketing, education, healthcare as well as societal effects relating to social interaction factors from widespread adoption, and issues relating to trust, privacy, bias, disinformation, application of law as well as psychological aspects linked to addiction and impact on vulnerable people. This study examines these topics in detail by combining the informed narrative and multi-perspective approach from experts with varied disciplinary backgrounds on many aspects of the metaverse and its transformational impact. The paper concludes by proposing a future research agenda that is valuable for researchers, professionals and policy makers alike.
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Solberg, Carl Arthur & Durrieu, François
(2022)
Patterns of international marketing strategy
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Purpose
This paper aims to explore different strategic avenues in international markets. In particular, the authors investigate the role of four marketing tactics – marketing network, domestic network, standardization/adaptation and positioning. The authors aim at identifying optimal use of these strategic vehicles to achieve firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors construct a database of 132 Norwegian exporters and identify, through cluster analysis, three different categories of firms. They use multi-group analysis to explore strategy–performance pattern in each group.
Findings
All four strategic levers impact positively on the performance, but only two of them (marketing networks and positioning) with major impact. Standardization and domestic networks play a minor role. Based on these strategic levers, the authors identify three strategic groups (opportunists, networks seekers and global marketers) with different optimal export strategy patterns. The authors argue that these groups represent firms in different stages, epitomizing a learning process in three stages.
Research limitations/implications
A broader perspective of strategy variables should be included to get a more complete picture of the “optimal” model for different groups of exporters. Other marketing mix factors and the firm’s stance toward governance in international markets (operation modes) should therefore be included in the repertoire of strategy drivers determining group membership and to analyse their pattern.
Practical implications
Opportunists are advised to focus on positioning through domestic network relations; network seekers should concentrate on building marketing networks. Global marketers may carry out standardization strategies – preferably in collaboration with their marketing partners in export markets. For the two other groups, there is no evidence that speak in favour of such approach, nor for its counterpart, adaptation. For export promotion agencies, the authors suggest enhanced support to establish network partners.
Originality/value
The authors introduce strategic levers not yet explored in the export literature. Furthermore, they use a contingency causal approach to explain differences in strategy development (in international markets) and the link with performance.
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Nygaard, Arne & Silkoset, Ragnhild
(2022)
Sustainable development and greenwashing: How blockchain technology information can empower green consumers
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The unethical behavior of greenwashing threatens the growth of sustainable products and markets. Greenwashing degrades essential efforts to reduce climate change and pollution and to promote social justice. False marketing communication that
claims products are sustainable hurts the value of green products and weakens customer capability to prefer sustainable to nonsustainable products. Greenwashing also
eliminates trust in “green” products. Markets infected by fake “green” products ultimately fail to provide the necessary sustainable transformation. Our study demonstrates
that consumer access to reliable transparent, traceable, and tamperproof product information counteracts perceived greenwashing among consumers of ecological foods. Furthermore, our data indicate that blockchain information significantly more than certification systems safeguard consumers against the threat of greenwashing. Information validating authenticity promotes the development of sustainable products, protects intellectual property rights for suppliers of green products, and safeguards the supply of green products to consumers. Consumers need key information that ensures the provenance of green products. Conventional wisdom endorses certifications to constrain greenwashing. However, we find that blockchain information dimensions protect brands against perceived greenwashing more
robustly than certification systems.
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Nygaard, Arne & Dahlstrøm, Robert
(2022)
Better together? How evolution of co-branding alliance affects performance
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Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine role stress over the course of an alliance between supply chains. This study examines ambiguity as antecedent to multiple organisational outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
This study subsequently uses a time series design that uses a close replication of the authors’ initial study. The design affords the opportunity to examine the dynamics associated with the evolution of the alliance.
Findings
This study recognises that the relationships developed by collaborating firms are enacted by downstream entrepreneurs in the supply chain, yet this observation is rarely incorporated into interfirm research. The authors illustrate that the alliances have a significant downstream influence on operations at the retail level.
Research limitations/implications
This longitudinal research has the potential to reduce common method variance and enhance causal inference. The second limitation concerns the simultaneous collection of the predictor and criterion variables. The third limitation is the use of single informants as the primary vehicle for the analysis of the theoretical model when prior research indicates that multiple informants offer enhanced reliability and validity.
Practical implications
The findings contribute to the management theory of business entrepreneurship and strategic alliances and research on supply chains.
Originality/value
This study underscores the need to examine alliances via time series. Research that attempts to generalise from data collected at a single point in time is unlikely to be able to capture the dynamics associated with the development of a joint venture and offers limited opportunity to make inferences about the causal order of relationships. The model based on longitudinal data reveals that the stage of an alliance influences the level of vertical control and ambiguity and the effect of control on role ambiguity.
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Velasco, Carlos; Escobar Barbosa, Francisco & Petit, Olivia
(2022)
Ethics of experience design and management in the context of digital transformations
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Bolton, Ruth N.; Gustafsson, Anders, Tarasi, Crina & Witell, Lars
(2021)
Managing a Global Retail Brand in Different Markets: Meta-Analyses of Customer Responses to Service Encounters
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This study investigates how retailers can leverage their brand to shape customers’ satisfaction with service encounters. It develops and tests hypotheses about how brand, store, and consumer factors moderate customer responses to experience clues during retail service encounters. Six meta-regression analyses synthesize and compare results from 842 satisfaction equations describing customers’ encounters with a global retailer operating 400 stores in 32 countries. The results show how customers weigh their perceptions of service encounters differently depending on brand, store, and consumer factors. In markets where customers believe the retailer has high holistic brand quality, they place less weight on experience clues within the store. In markets where customers believe the retailer’s service brand promise, they place more weight on in-store experience clues. In markets where the retailer promises utilitarian value, customers weigh functional experience clues more heavily. In markets with an online purchasing channel, the effect of experience clues common to offline and online store environments is magnified, and unique clues are diminished. In addition, customers heavily weigh experience clues that fit their goals. In general, retail success factors include high brand quality (which makes customers more forgiving), a service brand promise that is mirrored in the store image (which makes customers attend to the experience clues aligned with them), and the careful monitoring and managing of retail touchpoints (to customize experience clues to each market). In this way, retailers can use customer-based strategies to effectively design and manage their global retail brand in different markets.
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Elvekrok, Ingunn; Veflen, Nina, Scholderer, Joachim & Sørensen, Bjarne T.
(2021)
Effects of network relations on destination development and business results
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Taking a firm perspective, this study investigates cooperation in a destination network in a mountain village in Norway. 51 organizations participated in a survey, indicating their main cooperation partners and assessing the value of each cooperation in terms of ten intermediary benefits (increased sales, reduced costs, etc.) and two ultimate outcomes (business results, destination development). Firms perceived a cooperation to contribute to business results if the cooperation had led to increased sales or made the firm more resilient to market fluctuations. Firms perceived a cooperation to contribute to destination development if the cooperation had led to new knowledge, improved customer satisfaction, and hat not simply helped improve operations. The findings demonstrate the interconnectedness of intermediate and ultimate relationship outcomes on firm and destination level. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of network relations, relevant to the literature on relational benefits and destination development.
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Somosi, Agnes; Stiassny, Alfred, Kolos, Krisztina & Warlop, Luk
(2021)
Customer defection due to service elimination and post-elimination customer behavior: An empirical investigation in telecommunications
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Service industries require rapid innovations in their service portfolios to gain and maintain competitive advantages. Service elimination is a potential tool for portfolio renewal, though it might threaten increased defection rates. To contribute to both service elimination and customer defection literature, this paper proposes a model of customer responses to service elimination, with practical implications for decision-makers in rapidly innovating telecommunication markets.
In particular, the main study, conducted in the context of Hungary’s telecommunications sector, reveals that customers’ tenure, usage intensity, and age reduce the negative effects of a price increase on their defection; the price increase, degree to which customers interact with service providers, customer defection, and competitive effects in turn increase post–service elimination usage intensity.
These findings suggest implementation strategies that can reduce customer defection following price increase due to service elimination, by focusing on new customers, light users, and the quality of customer interactions.
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Javornik, Ana; Marder, Ben, Barhorst, Jennifer Brannon, McLean, Graeme, Rogers, Yvonne, Marshall, Paul & Warlop, Luk
(2021)
'What lies behind the filter?’ Uncovering the motivations for using augmented reality (AR) face filters on social media and their effect on well-being
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Augmented reality (AR) filters are a popular social media feature affording users a variety of visual effects. Despite their widespread use, no research to date has examined either ‘why’ people use them (i.e., motivations) or ‘how’ their usage makes people feel (i.e., well-being effects). Through the uses and gratifications theory supported by a sequential mixed-method approach (interviews N = 10 and survey N = 536), we provide three overarching contributions. First, based on prior literature and a qualitative study, we identify nine motivations that can potentially drive AR face filter usage on Instagram. Our survey indicates that seven of those motivations (e.g., creative content curation, social interactions) are significant drivers of usage behaviours, while two (true self-presentation and silliness) did not have a significant impact. Second, we provide nuanced insights into the multi-faceted nature of the self-presentation motives underpinning AR face filter use (ideal, true and transformed self-presentation). Lastly, we show filter usage can have both positive and negative well-being effects depending on the underlying motivation. The results offer important implications for policymakers, site designers and social media managers.
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Dimitriu, Radu & Warlop, Luk
(2021)
Is similarity a constraint for service to service brand extensions?
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Are service brands constrained in launching new service offerings? Both research evidence and managerial wisdom suggest brands should extend to similar categories. However, in five studies using real-life brands - four experiments and one large-sample survey - we provide evidence that similarity is less of a constraint for service brands extending to other service categories (service-to-service extensions), compared to cases involving parent brands or extension categories of a product nature. Importantly, we demonstrate that such an effect occurs because service brands possess associations relevant across the spectrum of service categories. Our results suggest that service brand managers have the opportunity to stretch their brands to dissimilar service offerings; yet, they need to ensure the marketing execution does not make the brands’ service associations inaccessible to consumers. The findings suggest that even product brands can build service associations by adding service components to their offering, thus becoming “servitized” and better able to extend to dissimilar service categories. Overall, our work contributes to the academic debate documenting that the principles governing the management of product vs. service brands are not identical.