Student perceptions of ‘job politics’ as practised by those climbing the corporate career ladder

This study assessed the extent to which college students, tomorrow's executives, agreed with various commonly heard assertions regarding the tactics of those climbing the corporate career ladder. The study used essentially the same data collection instrument as that used in a recent study of business executives. The results indicate a highly significant relationship of the opinions to church affiliation, citizenship, and race of the subjects. Moderate levels of significant opinion differences related to the subjects' school, age, social class, and gender. The subjects' opinions were not significantly related to their academic department, gradepoint average, or work experience.     

Television Commercial Evaluation in the Context of Program Induced Mood: Congruency versus Consistency Effects

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the mood induced by television program content on subjects' evaluations of commercials. Specifically, happy or sad commercials are viewed in the context of a television program designed to induce these respective moods. The competing predictions of Mood Congruence Theory versus the Consistency Effect are examined to interpret the results. For all dependent measures considered, findings were in accordance with a Consistency Effect interpretation of the results. For two such measures (i.e., liking for the commercial and purchase intention) the Consistency Effect was statistically supported. Hence for these measures, it was found that a happy commercial viewed in the context of a happy program was evaluated more favorably than the same commercial viewed after exposure to a sad program. For the sad commercial, the reverse effects for these measures were evident as this commercial performed more favorably in the context of a sad program relative to a happy one. The dominance of a Consistency Effect interpretation of the results over that of Mood Congruence are interpreted in the context of advertising strategy.     

Country-of-origin effect in apparel choices: A conjoint analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine Canadian consumers' beliefs about, and preferences for apparel products made in Canada, China and some other low-cost nations. The importance of the country-of-origin of garments relative to other apparel attributes in consumers' purchase decisions was also examined. Information integration theory provided the theoretical foundation for a conjoint analysis of product ratings. A simulated purchase of fleece sweatshirts was designed to conduct the conjoint analysis experiment. Consumers' beliefs regarding various attributes of apparel products made in Canada, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea were also measured. Significant differences were found in consumers' beliefs about garments made in different countries regarding quality, price, style and fit. Canadian clothing was perceived to be superior in quality, style and fit, but the most expensive. Results of the conjoint analysis indicated that Canada was the most preferred country-of-origin. The effect of country-of-origin on subjects' evaluations of sweatshirts, however, was less important than that of either quality or price. Beliefs about quality, price, style and fit of garments made in Canada, China and South Korea were found to be significantly related to subjects' utilities for sweatshirts made in such countries. Differences in beliefs and utilities were found among respondents differing in awareness of country-of-origin, ethnic background, age and education, but not among those who held different opinions about supporting domestic industries.     

An experimental method for studying unconscious perception in a marketing context

This article provides in‐depth discussion of a recently developed method designed to foster the elicitation and detection of unconscious perception. Prior findings coupled with additional studies and analyses support the value of this method as a tool for studying unconscious perception in a marketing context. The method can both divert subjects' conscious attention away from experimental stimuli and provide a separate indicator of where subjects' attentive resources are being allocated during exposure. Moreover, it is easy to use and flexibly applied in an experimental setting. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mood management through metaverse enhancing life satisfaction

This study aims to explore a social metaverse's positive effects as mood management on consumers' life satisfaction and usage intentions. A total of 304 survey responses from active users of a popular social metaverse platform, Zepeto, were collected with help from an online survey firm. Structural equation modeling analysis was conducted using AMOS 25.0. The direct paths from social metaverse consumption as positive mood enhancement and negative mood alleviation to consumers' life satisfaction were significant, which led to greater usage intentions. Positive mood enhancement influenced usage intentions both directly and indirectly through increased life satisfaction; however, the effect of negative mood alleviation on usage intentions was fully mediated by life satisfaction. Interestingly, for the players who spend money in the social metaverse, only the path from negative mood alleviation to usage intentions mediated by life satisfaction was significant.     

The influence of consumer mood state as a contextual factor on imagery-inducing advertisements and brand attitude

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of consumer preexisting mood as a contextual factor on consumers' response to imagery-inducing advertisements. The results showed that positive mood seemed to be the most productive context for an imagery ad. Positive mood increased consumers' positive affective state and increased their subsequent brand attitudes. In addition, the results showed that consumers' mood state can also affect the processing mode consumers actually adopt while viewing an ad, and thus indirectly affect brand attitude. Positive mood state was shown to facilitate the induction of mental imagery processing, and at the same time distract detail-oriented analytical processing. As a result, evaluation of the ad was enhanced. On the other hand, negative mood was shown to reduce the intended mental imagery processing, but it appeared to encourage a detail-oriented analytical processing. As a result, consumers remembered more accurately the specific ad claims, but were not affected as much by the imagery-inducing appeals.     

The effect of experimenter bias in a cola taste test

In a simulated cola taste test, experimenters' nonverbal behaviors influenced subjects' cola choices, although subjects expressed no awareness of the experimenters' impact. Nonverbal intimacy behaviors may make subjects feel comfortable in same-sex pairs and uncomfortable in mixed-sex pairs, resulting in an association of these internal states with cola preferences.     

The impact of interpersonal anxiety on consumer information processing

Effects of interpersonal anxiety on consumer information processing were investigated from a psychoanalytic perspective. Findings indicate that increases in the number and importance of others in subjects' decision environments heighten experienced levels of anxiety. In addition, the relationship of anxiety to information processing was found to be curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) as indicated by the total amount of information and the processing mode selected by subjects during a decision task. Implications for marketers and future research directions are provided.     

Situational effects on brand preferences for image products

The purpose of the study was to provide evidence for the influence of situational variables on consumer preferences toward the image product of men's fragrances, and to illustrate how these situational variables can be used to create positioning strategies. In a 3 × 3 experimental design, male and female subjects provided purchasing preference ratings for, and rated each cologne on, a number of scales related to price, brand image and packaging, scent, and inferred characteristics of the typical consumer. ANOVAs and a constrained unfolding analysis using GENFOLD2 were used to analyze the data. The analyses revealed that subjects' preferences were influenced by the purchasing target (self or others), and suggested that people's preferences may be mediated by person prototypes and situation prototypes. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Self-concept and advertising effectiveness: The influence of congruency,conspicuousness, and response mode

It was hypothesized in this study that advertising appeals congruent with viewers' self-concept would be superior to incongruent appeals in terms of enhancing advertising effectiveness. Advertising effectiveness was operationalized as: brand memory, brand attitude, and purchase intentions. The sample consisted of 165 subjects who were exposed to four test stimuli (ads), two for automobiles and two for shampoos. One ad within a product class used an introvert appeal, and the other used an extrovert appeal. Congruence between self-concept and the brand image was determined by subjects' evaluations of themselves and the advertised brand. Ad-related tasks included remembering brand names and indicating preference and buying intention for each brand. The study results indicate that brand memory is not mediated by the extent to which advertising expressions are congruent with viewers' self-concept. However, brand preference and purchase intention were shown to be influenced by the self-congruency of an ad. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A study of the believability of the forms of puffery

This study tested consumers' perceptions of the believability of puffery in advertising. Forms of puffery have been ranked for their potential ability to deceive consumers. Subjects were asked to rate how believable they found examples of each of the six forms of puffery. The study compared the believability of the claims with the subjects' familiarity and experiences with the products about which the claims were made. The results of a one-way analysis of variance showed little difference between consumers' levels of believability across five of the six levels of puffery. Overall, most consumers did not feel strongly one way or another about the believability of the puffed claims. That both familiarity and experience with the products significantly influenced the believability of the claims made in the study was indicated by χ²-tests. Recommendations are made concerning marketers' use of puffery. Topics for future research in the area are also suggested.     

Gender Differences in Ethical Frameworks and Evaluation of Others' Choices in Ethical Dilemmas

This paper examines the relationship between gender and ethical decision models employed by managers. Subjects completed a survey that measured the extent to which they focused on actions or the outcomes of those actions in determining whether a behavior was ethical or not. The study also examined subjects' reactions to other managers' responses to ethical dilemmas. Results suggest that men and women do not differ in their underlying ethical models, that they do differ in the way in which they evaluate others in ethical situations, and that ethical predispositions play an important role in those evaluations.     

Do promotion and prevention focus influence impulse buying: The role of mood regulation,shopping values,and impulse buying tendency

Earlier researchers have observed that an individual consumer's mood plays a significant role in increasing the impulsiveness, which leads to impulsive buying. The literature on shoppers' motivational traits has profoundly acknowledged the impact of these traits and mood regulation constructs on individual shopping values. The present study is a pioneer attempt proposing a comprehensive model, which incorporates three main antecedents (motivation, mood and value) of buying behaviour that influence the consumer purchasing decision. The paper empirically explores the liaison between the regulatory focus (promotion-focused and prevention-focused motivations), mood regulation (mood monitoring, mood clarity and mood repair), shopping values (hedonic and utilitarian), and impulsive buying behaviour. The outcomes suggest that two regulatory focus motives influence mood clarity. Mood repairing and mood monitoring impact hedonic shopping values, which has a substantial impact on consumers' impulsive buying tendency. The paper closes with theoretical and practical inferences, limitations, and discussion on the potential scope for future research.     

Can advertising influence experience?

A study is reported in which exposure to advertising has no immediate effect on subjects' beliefs, but subsequently influences the beliefs of those subjects who have had experience with the topic of the advertised claim. The study supports a model of advertising as an influence on the interpretation of experience.     

Advertising montage: Two theoretical perspectives

Building upon structuralist and phenomenological theories, this article explores the effects of video montage—camera cuts in particular—on the appeal and persuasiveness of television advertisements. The article proposes a structuralist method for objectively describing ad form and tests well‐known theories propounding that responses to a stimulus are a function of boredom and confusion. Camera cuts, boredom, and confusion were all found to affect subjects' attitude toward the ad. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The role of affect in consumers' temporal judgments

The role of time and mood as consumer behavior constructs has seen increasing independent attention over the past several years. Two studies on the impact of transient affective states on consumers' temporal judgments are reported. In accordance with the research hypotheses, both studies demonstrated strong mood effects on subject's time perception and orientation. The findings were validated across two different mood-inducing manipulations and supported the general theoretical foundation of the mediating roles of affective states on consumers' temporal judgments. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Creating Online Brand Personality: The Role of Personal Difference

This study explores the concept of online brand personality, creation of online brand personality, and the role of personal difference in terms of advertising effectiveness – memory and attitude. The primary research question is whether individual's matching personality to online brand creates different responses toward online brand in terms of advertising effectiveness, such as memory, attitude and behavior. The results found that: first, website structure is an important factor on subjects' attitude toward the website; second, individual's personality is an important moderator on the effects of website structure; and third, individual's personality and brand personality have a significant interaction effect on attitude and behavioral intention.     

Beliefs,attitudes and behaviour towards Web advertising

To examine Web users' beliefs, attitudes and behaviour towards Web advertising, Pollay and Mittal's (1993) belief model is tested via structural equation modelling. The results suggest the model is a robust Web advertising effectiveness measurement tool. Underlying the study are the hypotheses that Web users' attitudes towards Web advertising are a function of several belief factors and influence users' behavioural intention. Results indicate the belief factors—product information, hedonic pleasure, and social role and image—related positively to subjects' attitudes towards Web advertising. Web users' beliefs about materialism, falsity/no sense and value corruption related negatively to their attitudes towards Web advertising. Web advertising attitudes impacted on reported behaviour towards Web advertising such that the more positive Web users' attitudes were towards Web advertising, the greater the likelihood that they would respond favourably to Web ads. In addition, the higher the respondents' income and education, the more negative their reported behaviour towards Web advertising.