A discourse analysis of pilgrimage reviews

ABSTRACT

This article is the first to provide an account of the discursive features of online consumer reviews of pilgrimage sites. Drawing from pilgrimage studies and narrativity theory in consumer research, the authors explore how consumers communicate the spiritual and material aspects of pilgrimage experiences by examining a corpus of 833 consumer reviews on TripAdvisor of the most sacred pilgrimage sites of the world’s major five faith groups. Pilgrims include analytical discursive features to communicate the material aspect of their consumption experience. They reserve narration for spiritual transformation and the experience of strong emotions. Moreover, review ratings are only reflective of the spiritual aspect of their consumption experience. As such, this research complements previous studies by highlighting the material, physical aspect of this extraordinary consumption experience.     

Consumer spirituality

ABSTRACT

Consumers increasingly turn to the marketplace in search of spiritual well-being. In this introduction to the special issue, we unpack the concept of consumer spirituality. We define consumer spirituality as the interrelated practices and processes engaged in when consuming market offerings (products, services, places) that yield 'spiritual utility'. The market offerings are purposely designed to quench consumers’ thirst for meaningful encounters with one’s inner self or a higher external power. We identify three vehicles – materiality, embodiment, and technology – that consumers engage with to access consumer spirituality. By unpacking the concept of consumer spirituality along three themes - (1) shaping markets for consumer spirituality, (2) the means for accessing consumer spirituality, and (3) making sense of and researching consumer spirituality - we provide a future research agenda to advance scholarly explorations of consumer spirituality and to facilitate a systematic development of this nascent body of literature in marketing and consumer research.     

Spiritual myths of consumption: puritanism,transcendentalism and the consubstantiation of the American consumer

ABSTRACT

Contemporary consumer trends in America are profoundly influenced by the enduring religious values of Puritanism and the more secular spiritual values of Transcendentalism. Both belief systems have deeply penetrated American collective memory. While they share common historical roots, the tensions that emerge from their differences describe a typology of three enduring collective myths of American culture – the Myth of the American Dream, the Myth of the American Adam and the Myth of American Exceptionalism. These myths, in turn, define three contemporary consumer movements – Voluntary Simplicity, Transformational Consumption and Radical Consumption.     

Selling the invisible to create an authentic experience: imagination at work at Cézanne’s studio

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this exploratory research is to understand how visiting a particular heritage-based attraction, Cézanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence – an almost empty place in which Cézanne painted his major works – becomes an authentic experience through consumer’s imaginative processes. Thirty-three semi-directive in-depth interviews were conducted at Cézanne’s studio at the end of attendees’ visits. Content analysis led to identifying key themes that describe how imagination at work during the visit creates an authentic experience. More specifically, results show that material dimensions (e.g. the studio setting, familiar objects, and guides) mixed with immaterial dimensions (e.g. Cézanne’s aura, stories, and atmosphere) facilitate consumers’ imagination through immersion, embodiment, and narrative transportation. The paradox of creating authenticity from nothing – the invisible – through imagination is then developed.     

Consumers’ brand heritage experience: between acceptance and resistance

ABSTRACT

The literature dedicated to heritage experience and brand heritage defends the idea that it is a source of significant value creation for consumers and brands. By contrast, the aim of this article is to propose a more complete view of the consequences of the heritage strategy for brands and consumers by exploring how consumers perceive a brand heritage experience and by identifying potential resistances that may emerge during their visits. In consequence, this research examines the features of a brand heritage experience through extended case studies in two brand museums with narratives of 47 visitors. By unpacking a brand heritage experience, the study highlights its acceptance by a majority of visitors as a real heritage experience since they give scientific, authentic and aesthetic values to the industrial and commercial features of the brand. However, some visitors do not accept – partially or totally – the brand as part of the heritage corpus insofar as they exhibit scepticism or even reject the experience.     

From caterpillar to butterfly: experiencing spirituality via body transformation

ABSTRACT

Consumers increasingly seek out the spiritual to enlighten their inner emptiness and find their inner selves. We add a physiological, embodied perspective, which has been commonly overlooked in extant research as a valuable opportunity for individual consumer spirituality. Interpretative investigation of body-transforming consumers uncovers a powerful reincarnation process that eventually leads to the self-renewal and reunion of body and mind. We find that the consumption of body-transforming substances initiates a mindful, spiritual consumer journey allowing consumers to actively develop and experience their inner spirituality through recurring cycles of reduction, reflection and release. These findings allow us to develop implications for a broader understanding of consumer spirituality where the active consumer seeks unity in the self and beyond.     

Spiritual Climate of Business Organizations and Its Impact on Customers’ Experience

This study examines the notion of ‹spirituality’ as a dimension of human self, and its relevance and role in management. Major thesis of this research is that spirituality of employees is reflected in work climate. This may in turn affect the employees’ service to the customers. In the first part of the study a Spiritual Climate Inventory is developed and validated with the data from manufacturing and service sector employees. In the later part, hypothesis of positive impact of spiritual climate on customers’ experience of employees’ service is examined and found to be substantiated empirically.

Two-step Influence Tactics: Exploring How Coercive Power is Exercised in Channel Triads

ABSTRACT

Purpose – Most research on the power issue has taken a dyadic view, implicitly assuming that power is employed directly and successfully on one target via a single route without stakeholders. When such a direct approach is unsuccessful or impractical, however, power holders may influence their targets via third parties. This study, from a triadic point of view, details how the coercive power is exercised through two-step maneuvers, and what differences are between power exercise in the dyads and that in the triads. Methodology/Approach – In-depth interviews were conducted with four suppliers in different industry settings.

Findings – Four types of two-step influence tactics are identified on the basis of strategic nature (covert/overt) and the pathways of influence (single/multiple). Differing from the power usage in a dyad without stakeholders, the power usage with the stakeholders in a triad was found to (1) reduce the levels of dependence on the target firm; (2) alleviate the conflicts and retaliation; (3) alter the power direction and influence strength; and (4) add more rooms for the power holder to manipulate the influence tactics. Research implications – The findings of this study expand the understanding of an under-researched dimension of coercive power usage and leverage by connecting the different stakeholders in the channel triads. The four coercive power tactics and their drivers show how the shift of power source from a dyad to a triad impacts on the target firm’s behavior and overall network performance. Practical implications – The findings also provide some guidance for practitioners, so that they may use the two-step coercive influence tactics more appropriately based on the different strategic nature and pathways of influence in the marketing channels. Originality/Value – This study contributes to the literature by providing a conceptual framework and variables for analyzing the two-step power tactics in the channel triads.     

React to the future: political visualization,emotional reactions and political behavior

Abstract

This study explores the mediating role political visualization – the process of imagining future political scenarios – plays in determining how political advertising affects voting behaviour. Specifically, we theorize that when partisans are exposed to political ads that are narrative (compared to non-narrative) in nature, they will engage in more political visualization. Partisans will then experience emotional reactions to these imagined futures – specifically, enthusiasm for the in-group candidate and anger towards the out-group candidate. These emotional reactions, in turn, will make a partisan more likely to vote for the in-group candidate and less likely to vote for the out-group candidate. We test this model by employing an experimental design where American partisans were presented a political ad (in the form of an email) that is either narrative or non-narrative. Results provide support for most of our expectations and suggest that visualization may play an important role in determining the influence of a political ad.     

The influence of hospitable design and service on patient responses

ABSTRACT

A study of 216 respondents examined a medical center environment’s influence on patient responses. A stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model was adapted to the theory that more hospitable healthcare servicescape elements will affect patients’ overall satisfaction with healthcare experience, loyalty intentions, and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. Servicescape elements included atmospherics of the healthcare environment, service delivery by healthcare staff, physical design of the healthcare environment, and wayfinding. Results of structural equation modeling confirmed that the four servicescape elements – had a significant impact on patients’ overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience. Furthermore, overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience predicted patients’ loyalty intentions and willingness to pay out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare services. The study makes a significant contribution to the empirical modeling of patients’ behavioral responses to hospitable healthcare environments.     

Spilling the social capital beans: a comparative case study of coffee service enterprises within Asia-Pacific

Abstract

Despite the importance of social capital to organizational performance, there is scant insight within service contexts. Accordingly, this research explores social capital in two Asia-Pacific service enterprise cases – a Thai coffee franchise and a Coffee Roasters Guild in Australia. In the Thai case, social capital in the service experience emerged from norms common in Thai society and manifested via social enterprise initiatives. Findings from Australia indicate social capital helps form a strong organizational identity leading to better economic and social outcomes and an enhanced service experience, benefiting numerous stakeholders. The study demonstrates varying patterns of social capital in Asia-Pacific service enterprises, contributing to theory and practice.     

Value co-destruction and its effects on value appropriation

ABSTRACT

The importance of the fair appropriation of co-created value in business relationships has been widely emphasised in the literature. However, in business relationships, value can be both co-created and co-destructed, but what happens to value appropriation when value is co-destructed? Previous studies have focused on what causes value co-destruction, rather than its effects. The question posed is relevant because some actors experience higher diminutions in value appropriation, generating perceptions of inequities, dissatisfaction, and tensions. By analysing data from 39 qualitative interviews with companies that have experienced value co-destruction, this paper attempts to identify the reasons for the unbalanced relationship between value co-destruction and value appropriation. Two higher-level dimensions – awareness of value and awareness of context – are identified and used to generate four clusters of reasons for disproportionate value co-destruction effects. The paper also pinpoints specific actions for managing unfairness from value co-destruction.     

Back to basics in the marketing of place: the impact of litter upon place attitudes

Abstract

Attempts to apply marketing theory and principles to place have become a legitimate area of academic and ‘real world’ practice. However, place marketing does not typically incorporate all elements of the traditional 7 Ps, focusing far too often on just one of these – promotion. Besides this rather myopic approach, place marketing suffers from an overly strategic view of the world that ignores the meaning and lived experience of places to individuals, especially residents. The purpose of this article is twofold – first, we investigate the impact of litter on place attitudes. Litter is a common, but negative, element of place, which is intimately connected to the lived experience of a place but typically far removed from the positive promotional activity favoured by place marketing efforts and the study thereof. In this sense, the article reframes place marketing from a strategic to a micro-marketing endeavour. We found that exposing respondents to litter significantly lowers their place attitudes. Our second contribution is to demonstrate the relevance of classic marketing research approaches, such as attitudinal measures, to investigate litter and its impact on place evaluations, through quasi-experimental design (with 662 respondents). Through this, we extend the range of theory and method applied in place marketing – away from controllable promotional endeavours investigated through case-studies to a more holistic and robust interpretation of place marketing, which has a measurable impact upon the places where people live and visit.     

中国文化情景下组织内创造力的多层面精神性动力机制研究

精神性的觉醒和焕发往往带来创造力的迸发，但其动力机制尚待探索。整合变革应对理论、精神性理论和创造力理论提出包含中国传统精神性的多层面变革应对框架，在此框架下研究组织内创造力的多层面精神性动力机制。具体包括四个子研究：一是探讨员工创造力的精神性动力因素及其动力机制；二是探讨团队创造力的精神性动力因素及其动力机制；三是探讨组织创造力的精神性动力因素及其动力机制；四是探讨组织内创造力的精神性动力的纵向传导机制，即企业创始人精神型领导的垂滴效应。本研究揭示了组织内创造力激发的多层面精神性源泉及其动力机理，拓宽了组织内创造力多层面产生的理论基础和研究视角，为基于精神性激活组织内创造力提供了理论借鉴。     

‘Jesus,take the wheel’: the appeal of spiritual products in satiating concerns about randomness

ABSTRACT

Why are consumers drawn to spiritual products? Leveraging theorising regarding the psychological need to perceive the world as orderly and non-random, we posit that products imbued with religious/spiritual significance help manage concerns about randomness and uncontrollability (e.g. when a product is unreliable or exposes the consumer to random uncontrollable processes). When randomness concerns were salient, religious consumers showed increased desire to attach religious significance to secular objects (e.g. having item blessed, physically attaching a religious symbol). For spiritual consumers, spiritual products (vs. non-spiritual physically equivalent products) were seen as having (i) non-material efficacy (i.e. efficacy not bound to the purely material world) and (ii) unfalsifiable efficacy (i.e. efficacy that is immune to contrary evidence). Evidence is found across a variety of religious and spiritual contexts.     

Promotion and Prevention Contracts in Distributor–Supplier Relationship Using Matched Dyadic Data

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This article aims to introduce and distinguish two features of contract design – prevention and promotion contracts – and compares their effects on opportunism within the distributor–supplier relationship. It also examines the moderating role of ex post contract enforcement strategies.

Methodology/approach: The authors test the proposed theoretical model by collecting matched data from distributors and suppliers in China. Moreover, partial least squares regression is used to analyze the data and test the hypothesis model.

Findings: The results show that a prevention contract leads the distributor to vigilantly avoid mistakes and punishments, thereby deterring him from behaving opportunistically. Alternatively, a promotion contract motivates the distributor to make an effort to attain potential long-run payoffs instead of short-term profits, subsequently restraining his opportunism. Overall, the promotion contract is more effective in curbing distributor opportunism than the prevention contract. In addition, the inhibitory effect of a prevention contract on opportunism is reinforced along with a severe contract enforcement strategy. By contrast, a promotion contract effectively mitigates opportunism with a swift contract enforcement strategy.

Originality/value/contribution: This study untangles two distinctive features of contract design – prevention-framed and promotion-framed contracts – and compares their effects on opportunism management. This study also provides a profound understanding of contract effectiveness by revealing the interaction effect between ex ante contract design and ex post contract enforcement.

Research implications: Researchers are encouraged to explore contract effectiveness from a framing perspective. In particular, ex post contract enforcement strategies should be included in research frameworks related to contract governance. Suggestions for further research on the effects of prevention and promotion contracts on different forms of opportunism are also proposed.

Practical implications: This article provides several insightful implications for managers in designing and enforcing contract in business-to-business marketing. Managers can strategically achieve control and motivation effects by consciously making framing decisions in the contract design, further curbing opportunistic behaviors. Moreover, managers can select a contract enforcement strategy in accordance with the contract type to maximize the effects of the specific contract.     

Schadenfreude and product failures: the role of product deservingness and product status

ABSTRACT

This article examines the influence of product considerations on the experience of schadenfreude – taking pleasure in the suffering of another consumer. We examine how schadenfreude is affected by the extent to which the person suffering a product failure deserves to own the product and the status of the failed product. This work also explicitly considers how these factors interact with those of the person observing the misfortune. These ideas are tested across three experiments. The results show that high product status increases schadenfreude via its exacerbating effects on envy and that a lack of perceived product deservingness increases schadenfreude via both envy and deservingness. These effects differ based on the corresponding factors of the observer where the observer’s own deservingness and lack of product status are found to exacerbate schadenfreude via envy.     

Identification incubators: reflexivity in consumer book clubs

ABSTRACT

We examine how consumers engage in reflexivity related to their ongoing process of identification within book clubs. The ongoing nature of identification processes, coupled with the conditions associated with liquid modernity, results in a cycle of self-reflexive doubt where consumers grapple with existential questions as they reflect on their lives. Through an examination of book clubs, we show that consumers engage in reflexive practices within the day-to-day setting of a book club. To do this, consumers engineer their clubs into identification incubators – controlled environments in which consumers engage in reflexivity related to their identification processes. We show that by turning book clubs into incubators, consumers are able to capitalize on two reflexive resources – books and other club members – to thoughtfully reflect on their lives. We note, however, that maintaining the incubator is often stressful for consumers and can lead to tensions between club members.     

Role of the stadium in the value enhancement process of a rugby union match

Abstract

The role of place value in the value-enhancement process of an experience has been widely debated in the retailing and services sectors. Yet, the role a stadium plays in the overall experience process of a sport event has not received a similar attention. This article aims at filling this academic gap. Through a dyadic qualitative study involving nine professional experts (four club executives and five senior professionals of the sports industry) and seven sports spectators, and its subsequent confirmatory quantitative study (n = 1,429), the authors show that both the value of the match and the value of the stadium have an impact on the perceived global value of a sport event. If match value has a direct influence on global perceived value, stadium value has both a direct and an indirect effect on global perceived value – the latter is mediated by match value. Besides, the results of the structural equation modelling (AMOS 24) show that perceived proximity is an antecedent to both stadium value and match value.