I Have Paid Less Than You! The Emotional and Behavioral Consequences of Advantaged Price Inequality

This study examines the emotion blends and the subsequent customer reactions that occur in advantaged price inequality situations, that is, when consumers learn that retailers charged them a lower price than what the same retailers charged another customer. Drawing on the appraisal theories of emotion and on social comparison theory, an experiment (n = 272) and a field study (n = 261) are conducted. The results reveal that in advantaged price inequality situations, customers experience a host of positive and negative emotions depending on two factors: the quality of relationship that the customer has with a disadvantaged other customer (neutral, positive, or negative) and the attribution of agency for the price advantage (situational attribution to competition, external attribution to store policies, or internal attribution to customer abilities). Positive emotions include happiness, gratitude, pride, and malicious joy; while negative emotions include pity, outrage, and guilt. These emotions are shown to mediate the occurrence of customer reactions (i.e., customer satisfaction, loyalty, WOM referral, and WOM activity). The article concludes with theoretical implications and recommendations for retail practitioners on how to use dynamic pricing.     

Comparing adolescent-focused obesity prevention and reduction messages

Drug abuse, smoking, and disordered eating literature reveal that some health promoting messages can induce unintended or harmful effects on the target audience. Scholars recommend careful messaging in social marketing campaigns, by shifting the focus away from health outcomes. This study tests the effects of adolescent-targeted obesity prevention messages (body-image, health benefit) with positive experience and unrelated messages on health behavior intentions and unintended effects. A pre-post experiment (N = 95) reveals that body-image public service advertisements (PSAs) may increase anxiety when compared to unrelated PSAs (no main effect, significant planned comparisons are found). Health benefit PSAs are more readable (F = 4.59, p < .05) than all other PSA groups and show higher healthy eating planning (F = 3.19, p < .05) compared to unrelated ones. No significant weight attitudes, self-esteem, and stages of change differences are found by message type. Overall, health benefit messages are not less effective.     

Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes

Effective human capital formation through the medium of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) is of increasing concern for governments, as EET is growing rapidly across the world. Unfortunately, there is a lack of consistent evidence showing that EET helps to create more or better entrepreneurs. We undertake the first quantitative review of the literature and, in the context of human capital theory, find that there is indeed support for the value of EET. Based on 42 independent samples (N = 16,657), we find a significant relationship between EET and entrepreneurship-related human capital assets (r_w = .217) and entrepreneurship outcomes (r_w = .159). The relationship between EET and entrepreneurship outcomes is stronger for academic-focused EET interventions (r_w = .238) than for training-focused EET interventions (r_w = .151). We find evidence of heterogeneity in many of our correlations, and recommend that future studies examine potential moderators to more clearly delineate EET effect sizes. We also find a number of methodological weaknesses among the studies analyzed and that those studies with lower methodological rigor are overstating the effect of EET. Recommendations to improve the quality of future work in the field are provided.     

Human capital and entrepreneurial success: A meta-analytical review

The study meta-analytically integrates results from three decades of human capital research in entrepreneurship. Based on 70 independent samples (N = 24,733), we found a significant but small relationship between human capital and success (r_c = .098). We examined theoretically derived moderators of this relationship referring to conceptualizations of human capital, to context, and to measurement of success. The relationship was higher for outcomes of human capital investments (knowledge/skills) than for human capital investments (education/experience), for human capital with high task-relatedness compared to low task-relatedness, for young businesses compared to old businesses, and for the dependent variable size compared to growth or profitability. Findings are relevant for practitioners (lenders, policy makers, educators) and for future research. Our findings show that future research should pursue moderator approaches to study the effects of human capital on success. Further, human capital is most important if it is task-related and if it consists of outcomes of human capital investments rather than human capital investments; this suggests that research should overcome a static view of human capital and should rather investigate the processes of learning, knowledge acquisition, and the transfer of knowledge to entrepreneurial tasks.     

The effect of error orientation,motivation to learn,and social support on training transfer intentions: A moderated mediation model

This study aims to assess whether trainees’ errors orientation can influence their motivation to learn and their intention to transfer training. Data were collected from 275 trainees participating in a corporate training program offered by a Canadian government agency. Results show that the concept of learning by error positively influences trainees’ levels of motivation and their intention to transfer learning. Results also confirm the mediating role of motivation between the concept of learning by error and the intention of transferring learning. Finally, results confirm the moderating role of social support on the relationship between motivation to learn and the intention to transfer learning. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generation Y employees' retail work experience: The mediating effect of job characteristics

This research examines Generation Y employees' retail work experience. Based upon Brown and Peterson's [Brown SP, Peterson RA, Antecedents and consequences of salesperson job satisfaction: meta-analysis and assessment of causal effects. J Mark Res 1993; 30: 63-77; Brown SP, Peterson RA, The effect of effort on sales performance and job satisfaction. J Mark 1994; 58: 70-80.] job satisfaction model, Gen Y employees work experience framework encompasses the work environment variables of role conflict, role ambiguity, supervisory support, and work involvement to predict job performance, job satisfaction, and, ultimately, retail career intention. Drawing from the job crafting perspective in management theory [Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001], this research tests the mediating effect of job characteristics between work environment and job outcomes using structural equation modeling. Study participants were members of a national sample of students (n = 803) from 14 universities in the United States. The findings indicate that job characteristics have a critical mediating role on the relationships for Gen Y employees, suggesting a paradigm shift from passive to active employees who craft their jobs, roles, and selves within a retail organizational context.     

A multi-country study of bank reputation among customers in Africa: Key antecedents and consequences

This paper studies the antecedents related to service quality and the consequences of bank reputation among bank customers in three prominent markets in Africa, the continent on which one of the banking industries with the highest potential in the world is located. The research hypotheses were tested through the use of partial least squares modelling and by employing data collected from almost 1000 retail-banking customers from Ghana (n = 349), Kenya (n = 337), and South Africa (n = 300). An analysis of these data indicates that service quality dimensions, namely service offering appeal and customer care, meaningfully contribute to the strong perceptions customers have of their banks as regards reputation. The positive role of bank reputation in the development of trust and customer loyalty is also validated in this study. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis shows differences among countries in the case of all the relationships analysed, with the exception of the weight of customer care on bank reputation. Finally, the conclusion is reached that bank managers should focus their reputational strategies on improving the competitiveness of their bank products and should consider subtle institutional differences outside the bank's home-country in order to succeed in their internationalization strategies on the continent.     

The pivotal roles of product knowledge and corporate social responsibility in event sponsorship effectiveness

The authors apply consumer theories of cognition to event marketing specifically in relation to corporate sponsorships. Upon conducting field surveys with attendees (n = 1636) at an international sporting event with a multinational sponsor, the authors demonstrate the pivotal roles that 1) attendees' knowledge regarding the sponsor's product, and 2) perception of the sponsor's commitment to corporate social responsibility have on successful event sponsorship. Specifically, structural model results show how attendees' knowledge of the event sponsor's products and perceptions of the sponsor as socially responsible enhance attendees' commitment to the sponsor and intentions to purchase the sponsor's products. These results provide scholars and managers with means of improving event marketing communications.     

Effets des conceptions de l'erreur,de la motivation à apprendre et du soutien social sur l'intention de transférer les nouveaux apprentissages : un modèle de médiation modérée

This study aims to assess whether trainees' errors orientation can influence their motivation to learn and their intention to transfer learning. Data were collected from 275 trainees participating in a corporate training program offered by a Canadian government agency. Results show that the concept of learning by error positively influences trainees' levels of motivation and their intention to transfer learning. Results also confirm the mediating role motivation plays between the concept of learning by error and the intention of transferring learning. Finally, results confirm the moderating role of social support on the relationship between motivation to learn and the intention to transfer learning. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multidimensional trust building in e-retailing: Cross-cultural differences in trust formation and implications for perceived risk

The importance of trust in consumers' purchase decisions in e-retailing is of significant interest to retailers. As retailing becomes increasingly globalized, retailers are more interested in cultural differences related to purchase decisions. This empirical study researches how cultural factors are related to multiple dimensions of trust and trust building. Although previous research has examined the influence of trust as a one-dimensional construct, this research examines three dimensions of the trust construct—competence, benevolence and integrity. This research proposes that cultural values will have an impact on how consumers with Eastern vs. Western cultural backgrounds form their trust of e-retailers and how that trust influences their interactions with e-retailers. It focuses on differences between USA (n=252) and Korean (n=256) online customers. It examines how two significant trust forming antecedents, reputation and website quality, affect the three dimensions of trust in the two different cultures, and how the trust dimensions impact two significant consequences, willingness to depend on the e-retailer and related perceptions of risk when dealing with e-retailers.     

Responsibility of the University in Employability: Development and validation of a measurement scale across five studies

This paper develops and validates, at a confirmatory level, a second‐order scale to measure Responsibility of the University in Employability (RUE). First, the literature on the components of RUE is explored and a formative conceptual model is proposed to underpin its measurement using extant research in the field of organisational responsibility and employability. At the empirical level, the second‐order RUE model considers the reputation of the university, the teaching staff, and the matching activities with employers as components of RUE. This model is based on five empirical studies. The first is a small‐sample study based on the opinions of experts (n = 5) and the rest are based on representative samples of university students (n = 816, n = 1,082, n = 1,088, and n = 1,203). A very good fit between model and data were revealed (CFI = 0.975; RMSEA = 0.039; standardised X² = 2.676). The results indicate that matching activities with employers and teaching staff generate more RUE than university reputation. Guidelines are offered for managing the responsibility of the university in employability.     

The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs

This study examines nascent entrepreneurship by comparing individuals engaged in nascent activities (n=380) with a control group (n=608), after screening a sample from the general population (n=30,427). The study then follows the developmental process of nascent entrepreneurs for 18 months. Bridging and bonding social capital, consisting of both strong and weak ties, was a robust predictor for nascent entrepreneurs, as well as for advancing through the start-up process. With regard to outcomes like first sale or showing a profit, only one aspect of social capital, viz. being a member of a business network, had a statistically significant positive effect. The study supports human capital in predicting entry into nascent entrepreneurship, but only weakly for carrying the start-up process towards successful completion.     

Can rewards induce corresponding forms of theft? Introducing the reward-theft parity effect

Rewards are reinforcement mechanisms that organizations use to shape desirable employee behaviors. However, rewards may also have unintended consequences, such as building expectations for receiving extra benefits and weakening employee barriers to unethical acts. This article investigates the dark side of the reward–behavior association, and exploring what is referred to as the reward–theft parity effect (RTPE). The authors hypothesize that receiving rewards induces a corresponding type of theft. In Study 1, survey results (n = 634) show initial support for the RTPE between rewards and same-category theft, and that perceptions of procedural justice attenuate this association. Study 2 involved a 2 (reward) × 2 (theft opportunity) between-subjects experimental design (n = 300) and provides further support for the RTPE by revealing greater theft under a reward–theft parity condition than under a reward–theft disparity condition. Study 3 replicates these findings in a field experiment (n = 285) and finds that the RTPE is exacerbated when the reward–behavior task is perceived as unjust. Collectively, these findings provide new theoretical insights while also giving managers a more complete understanding of the dark side of behavioral reinforcement mechanisms.     

Consumer responses to high-technology products: Product attributes, cognition, and emotions

The present study investigates how high-technology attributes influence consumer responses. Based on Mehrabian and Russell's Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework (1974), this study proposes that high-technology product attributes elicit consumers' cognitive (attitude) and affective states (pleasure and arousal), contributing to their approach-avoidance behavior. High-technology product users (N = 408) participated in surveys. The results provide support for the model. Among six factors of high-technology product attributes (usefulness, ease of use, innovativeness of technology, visual appeal, prototypicality, and self-expression), the latter four have major influences on approach behavior through attitude (cognitive state) and pleasure (affective state). Supplemental analysis shows that attitude and pleasure influence approach-avoidance behavior directly, but that arousal affects approach-avoidance behavior indirectly via pleasure.     

More mindfulness,less conspicuous consumption? Evidence from middle-aged Chinese consumers

Mindfulness has attracted more and more attention from researchers in many disciplines, including consumer behavior. This study adopted the mindfulness reperceiving model to examine the effect of mindfulness on conspicuous consumption and the mechanism of this effect. Data from middle-aged consumers were collected through a two-wave questionnaire survey with a 3-month interval in China (n = 433). Results of regression-based analyses revealed that mindfulness was negatively associated with conspicuous consumption through lower materialism and lower status anxiety, and the mediating effect of status anxiety was stronger for married men than married women. The current study is a novel attempt to demonstrate the possible relations among mindfulness, materialism, status anxiety, and conspicuous consumption. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding why people who are mindful engage in less conspicuous consumption, and they have heuristic value for future research.     

Revisiting the automaticity of phonetic symbolism effects

This research extends our understanding of the automaticity of phonetic symbolism judgments for adults and children. Replicating Study 2 from Yorkston and Menon (2004), we demonstrate that phonetic-based inferences are automatic and relatively effortless for adults, but not for children. Phonetic symbolism effects have a developmental grounding, with initial phonetic-based judgments not present in younger children (6 to 9 years). Older children (10 to 13 years), however, demonstrate phonetic-based effects only when cognitive constraints are not imposed.     

Impact of Ethical Leadership and Leader–Member Exchange on Whistle Blowing: The Moderating Impact of the Moral Intensity of the Issue

Given the prevalence of corporate frauds and the significance of whistle blowing as a mechanism to report about the frauds, the present study explores the impact of ethical leadership and leader–member exchange (LMX) on whistle blowing. Additionally, the article also explores the moderating role of the moral intensity [studied as magnitude of consequences (MOC)] of the issue on this relationship. The article reports results of three experimental studies conducted on the postgraduate students of a premier technology institute in India. Ethical leadership, LMX, and moral intensity are manipulated through scenarios. Study one (n = 81) manipulates ethical leadership (ethical/unethical) and quality of LMX (low and high) as independent variables; study two (n = 80) manipulates ethical leadership and moral intensity (high and low MOC), and study three (n = 87) manipulates LMX and MOCs to assess their individual and joint effects on whistle blowing. Results show that not only do ethical leadership and LMX predict whistle blowing, but these relationships get moderated by the moral intensity of the issue as well.     

How can shopping mall management best capture mall image?

One way to generate more traffic in a mall is to build a strong mall image perceived by shoppers as delivering a unique bundle of benefits. Such effort has to be guided by a performance metric, namely a comprehensive measure of mall image. We hypothesize that mall image can best be conceptualized in terms of five major dimensions a la Ailawadi and Keller [Ailawadi K.L., Keller K.L. Understanding Retail Branding: Conceptual Insights and Research Priorities. J Retail 2004; 80 (Winter):331-342.] retail branding dimensions: access, store atmosphere, price and promotion, cross-category assortment, and within-category assortment. The predictive (nomological) validity of the mall image measure was tested in relation to mall attitude, mall patronage, and word-of-mouth communications. We validated the mall image measure using data generated with mall-intercept surveys in two different malls in a large city in Canada (N = 861). The data provided support for the predictive validity of the mall image measure. Managerial implications of the mall image measure are also discussed.     

An examination of consumer embarrassment and repatronage intentions in the context of emotional service encounters

Using an experimental repeated-measures design (n=240), this study examines the level of felt embarrassment and repatronage intentions in relation to 13 embarrassing service encounters. The manipulation of two independent variables, i.e. embarrassment source (i.e., service provider, others present and consumer) and embarrassment stimuli (violations of privacy, awkward acts, forgetfulness/error, image appropriateness and criticism) are represented by 13 hypothetical scenarios included in a self-report survey. The findings have relevance for theory and practice and provide direction for future research in this area.     

Effect of self-congruity with sponsorship on brand loyalty

The purpose of the paper is to extend self-image congruence research into the corporate sponsorship literature in marketing communications. We do this by developing a conceptual model showing how self-congruity with a sponsorship event affects brand loyalty. The model posits that self-congruity with a sponsorship event has a positive influence on brand loyalty, especially under two conditions: (1) when customers are aware of the firm sponsoring the event, and (2) when customers are involved with the event. The model was tested using data collected from five different surveys (total N = 1588) involving Nextel mobile communications services (brand) in relation to NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (the sponsorship event). The results provide some degree of support for the model.