Creating environmental knowledge through ‘green communities’ in the Spanish pharmaceutical industry

Using a knowledge-based perspective, the goal of this article is to demonstrate the relevance of environmental knowledge (EK) in the creation of customer capital (CC) and explore how organizations can create such a type of knowledge via ‘green communities’. We first describe the nature of such communities. We validate the relationships between CC and EK through an empirical investigation of 225 sellers (front-line contact people) in the Spanish pharmaceutical industry. This empirical study also suggests the development of ‘green’ communities, and shows how they can facilitate the emergence, retention, and transfer of the EK via customer relations.     

Strong or invisible hands? – Managerial involvement in the knowledge sharing process of globally dispersed knowledge groups

This paper investigates factors affecting the effectiveness of knowledge sharing in globally dispersed expert groups in a professional service MNC. We specifically focus on possible moderating effects of managerial involvement on the relationships of dispersion and trust with the individual satisfaction with knowledge sharing within such groups. We test our hypotheses in the context of a large multinational software company. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of how knowledge is shared in globally dispersed settings in the MNC and challenges traditional assumptions on the appropriate level of analysis in studies of knowledge flows within MNCs.     

How to inspire users in virtual travel communities: The effect of activity novelty on users’ willingness to co-create

Virtual travel community managers tend to incorporate a degree of novelty within activity design to foster interaction between users. Little is known of how users respond to these novel activities. Based on customer inspiration theory, this research investigated the mechanisms of activity novelty on users' willingness to co-create and the moderating effect of user regulatory focus and activity goal attainability. Results of three scenario-based experiments revealed that activity novelty positively influenced users’ willingness to co-create via user inspiration. Promotion-focused users were more inspired by novel activities and in turn had a higher willingness to co-create than those were prevention-focused. When activity goal attainability was high (vs. low), the positive effect of activity novelty on inspiration was attenuated. We present the theoretical and practical implications of activity design within virtual travel communities.     

Catch me if I fall: Cross-national differences in willingness to take financial risks as a function of social and state ‘cushioning’

Knowledge about the existence and source of national differences in willingness to take risks plays a vital role in ensuring successful communication, collaboration, and understanding across countries, from the personal to the organizational and political/social domain. The current study investigates differences in financial risk-taking willingness between countries as a function of social and state ‘cushioning’, i.e. the extent of a person’s social support network and the state’s social-safety support network. The study compares large-scale household data and self-reports on willingness to take financial risks across three countries differing in their state support networks: Austria, Italy and the United States. Results show that personal social support network size influences risk-taking willingness (social cushioning). Furthermore, and most notably, we find evidence of an interactive relationship between social and state cushioning. High state cushioning renders the influence of social cushioning on financial risk-taking willingness less important. Contributions to management and business practice as well as theory on the influence of personal distance to financial support on risk-taking willingness are discussed.     

Like or want? Gender differences in attitudes toward online shopping in China

While previous studies indicate that female consumers display less trust for online shopping than males do, there is little research to addresses the reasons behind this difference. Our study applies a combination of both self‐report and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to compare the cognitive and affective components of attitudes in men and women toward online shopping in China. Although female participants showed no significant difference from male participants in affective attitudes toward online shopping in the self‐report condition, females associated online shopping more frequently with unpleasant adjectives and off‐line shopping with pleasant adjectives in the indirect IAT condition. The opposite pattern was found for the male group. This finding indicates a wanting but disliking attitude toward online shopping among the female consumers in China, which provides a unique theoretical contribution to consumer behavior theory and helps to enhance e‐marketers’ market targeting and segmentation effectiveness in China.     

A cross-national study of Twitter users’ motivations and continuance intentions

Given the explosive popularity and growth of microblogging worldwide and its potential use in the areas of public policy, civic activism, as well as marketing and advertising, the questions of why and how individuals use these services warrant a comprehensive research. While some studies addressing motivations to join and continue using Twitter have been published, no research to date has investigated these issues in the context of developing economies. This exploratory study seeks to build an understanding of Twitter usage and continuance motivations in Ukraine, and compares them to those of the US users. The findings of the study suggest that participants in both countries use Twitter for professional development, entertainment, status maintenance, and social interaction and exchange. The Ukrainian participants, however, emphasize Twitter use for identity negotiation and self-expression, as well as for news updates and sharing. The study also examines how different motivations of joining Twitter affect current Twitter usage and continuance intentions, and provides implications for public policy and advertising.     

Factors affecting users’ continuance intention of mobile social network service

This study investigates the factors that influence users’ intention to continue using social network service applications (apps) on mobile devices. We drew on the uses and gratifications (U&G) paradigm and innovation diffusion theory; these were augmented with the factors that characterize mobile social network service (MSNS) usage. The proposed framework explained the relationships between these factors and the intention to continue using MSNS apps. A web-based survey was used to collect data for analysis. The results indicated that critical mass, mobility, compatibility, purposive value, and entertainment value were important drivers of users’ intention to continue using MSNS apps. The findings contribute to existing U&G paradigm, innovation diffusion theory, and MSNS usage literature. The paper closes with a discussion of useful insights relevant to researchers and practitioners in terms of developing and implementing MSNS apps that have high retention rates.     

Relevant knowledge and recipient ownership: Chinese MNCS’ knowledge transfer in Africa

This paper examines emerging market multinational corporations’ (EMNCs’) knowledge transfer (KT) in emerging markets using case studies of Chinese MNCs (CMNCs) in Africa. CMNCs are found to transfer “relevant knowledge”, existing knowledge reconfigured so that recipients can apply it more effectively with less effort in the new context. Relevance is ensured through recipients exerting ownership of the KT process, influencing what knowledge is transferred and how it is transferred. We summarise EMNCs’ KT process in a “relevant knowledge recipient ownership model”. The model contributes to KT theory by refining and empirically testing a new type of knowledge – relevant knowledge – and a new transfer model – recipient ownership – associated with EMNCs. It leads to a “relevance-based view” in which EMNCs’ competitive advantage in emerging markets is significantly enhanced by knowledge relevance rather than superiority. This contributes to a better understanding of EMNCs’ competitiveness in emerging markets as created from distinct characteristics of their relevant knowledge (applicability, assimilability, affordability) and recipient-driven transfer (selection, scrutiny and synthesis).     

Sourcing or sharing in MNE networks? National headquarters and foreign subsidiaries as knowledge conduits in SMOPECs

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) act as important conduits of knowledge in advanced, small open economies (SMOPECs). This paper constructs a typology of asymmetric knowledge patterns by comparing net knowledge flows – or differences in sourcing and sharing – in the dual networks of headquarters of national MNEs and subsidiaries of foreign MNEs. We find both act as internal contributors to the MNE, but subsidiaries are more likely to act as external contributors to local partners or dual receivers of net knowledge flows from both networks, and headquarters as dual contributors to both networks. R&D intensity of the subsidiary and of the country are associated with different knowledge patterns of subsidiaries. Inclusion of asymmetric knowledge sourcing and sharing in internal corporate and external business networks contributes to our understanding of knowledge flow directionality via the focal unit, and the roles of national and foreign MNEs as knowledge conduits in SMOPECs.     

Investigating gender differences in consumers’ experience of guilt: A comparative study

The literature of guilt in the context of consumer behavior is notably limited. It is particularly limited with respect to examining gender differences across nations. Existing studies have only evaluated gender differences, in terms of consumer guilt, in the United States. In addition, those studies evaluated gender differences in specific consumption situations such as consumer boycotting and food consumption. Thus, they do not give a comprehensive understanding of gender variations in consumer guilt. Notably, gender differences with regard to consumer guilt were shown to be limited in countries other than the United States. These studies provided contradictory results to established findings in social psychology. In view of this, by using quantitative techniques, numerous consumption settings, and samples from two distinct countries, this study provides a holistic assessment of gender differences in consumer guilt across nations. The findings indicate that gender differences, with respect to consumer guilt, are predominately present in individualistic countries and notably absent in collectivist countries. Hence, marketers should consider gender as an influential variable when devising guilt related strategies in individualistic countries. In contrast, marketers may reconsider allocating resources, with respect to gender related marketing strategies, in collectivist countries.     

Disruptive innovation and the creation of social capital in Indonesia’s urban communities

Abstract

Existing research on social capital has primarily focused on examining the outcomes of social capital, whether these are about individual, organizational or even societal outcomes. However, much research is still needed in terms of examining how social capital is created. We contribute to filling this gap by examining the ways in which social capital is created in urban communities in an emerging economy. Social capital, in this study, is viewed as being created as a consequence of an organization’s disruptive innovation. We analyse the context of Go-Jek, a rather newly established service firm in Indonesia, and examine how the disruptive innovation of Go-Jek’s service provision influences the creation of social capital in terms of social connectedness, trust, and shared understanding, in Indonesia’s urban communities.     

It’s never the same: the role of homogeneity in online services

This research aims to study the differences between services sold on the Internet, based on their degree of homogeneity. While travel services are mostly sold online, other customizable services do not enjoy the same success. We carry out an empirical study based on declared intentions, risk perceptions, and actual purchasing behavior. The main findings show that: the degree of homogeneity is an adequate segmentation variable for online services; homogeneous services seem more suited to e-commerce than non-homogeneous services; a relation exists between perceived risk and intention to buy services online; and the scope of some traditional classification variables needs narrowing.     

The impact of social cues on passengers’ travel experience

Despite the importance of social cues in service experience environments, little is known about the role of other customer perceptions (OCP) in the formation of passengers’ travel experience (PTE) and loyalty in public transportation. This study examines the impact of OCP on PTE and loyalty in public transportation and also investigates the moderating role of face-consciousness between OCP and PTE. Results revealed that all three dimensions of OCP have a positive effect on PTE, which consequently influences loyalty. More importantly, face-consciousness moderated the relationship between suitable behavior and PTE. Transport managers can benefit from these findings by considering the social environment as they design their services.     

The effect of online scheduling on employees’ quality of life

Online employee scheduling has increased in popularity in recent years, especially among hourly workers who have grown up in the information age and the flexibility it provides increases their sense of job autonomy. This article reports on two studies that investigated the impact of work scheduling flexibility on employees’ personal well-being. One study collected data from current users of an online scheduling product and the other study collected information from hospitality management students who are potential future users of online scheduling software. The studies found that online scheduling helps to enhance employees’ personal well-being through satisfaction with schedule flexibility and job autonomy.     

How reviewers’ use of profanity affects perceived usefulness of online reviews

This research explores the effects of profanity on perceptions of online reviews’ usefulness. Based on the prior research that described asymmetric attribution effects, we predict that when consumers see profanity in an online review, their reactions differ depending on the valence of the review. Specifically, when profanity is used in a negative review, it should reduce review usefulness because of decreased perceived reviewer objectivity. Among positive reviews, profanity increases review usefulness through greater perceived reviewer credibility. Through analysis of Yelp data, we show that the effect of profanity on usefulness depends on review valence. Experimentally, we demonstrate the opposing mediating effects of perceived objectivity and credibility on the usefulness of the review.     

Why do online grocery shoppers switch? An empirical investigation of drivers of switching in online grocery

The article sets out to develop a deeper understanding of the drivers of switching behavior in an online grocery context, which is becoming a key area of focus for grocery retailers. Applying the push, pull, and mooring framework (PPM) popularly used in migration and switching literature, we empirically assessed factors that might contribute to online grocery switching. The results highlight that retailer-related push factors (customer service, issues with delivered products, technical issues, and high price perception) and competitor-related pull factors (WOM and alternative attraction) have significant direct effects on switching. Furthermore, the results also show that consumer-related mooring factors (switching cost and prior switching behavior) significantly moderate switching. The findings provide valuable insights to retailers on the drivers of switching behavior in online grocery retailing, which can be used to develop strategies to reduce consumer switching and hence increase consumer retention.     

Consumers’ online responses to the death of a celebrity

Humans have long been fascinated with celebrated persons. Because celebrities are usually protected, fans rely on celebrity-related products to connect to a beloved individual. As symbolic embodiments of celebrities, these related products often become cherished personal possessions. The death of a celebrity appears to strongly elevate a celebrity’s stature and increase the value of the celebrity’s products. This research examined marketplace effects of celebrity deaths using longitudinal data obtained from online auctions. Results indicated that a celebrity's death strongly boosts demand for surviving memorabilia. Marketers were also found to act with incredible speed in offering products to meet this heightened demand. These findings suggest that the effect of death on memorabilia sales varied by product type and death context.     

A space of one’s own: spatial and identity liminality in an online community of mothers

This paper investigates the role of an online community in the life of 11 Taiwanese women living in the UK and considers the implications this empirical case has for theorising about motherhood and the spatial dimensions of online/on-site space. Findings from a nethnographic and ethnographic fieldwork show how online discussions reflect and amplify the liminal identities of the community’s members. In looking at doing mothering at a collective rather than at the individual level, this study highlights how collective practices of consumption perpetuate liminal identities, exacerbating consumers’ sense of being out of place. It shows how online space is at the same time the product of online and on-site liminal identities and liminal social interactions and the re-producer of such interactions.     

Academics’ start-up intentions and knowledge filters: an individual perspective of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship

Previous studies suggest that entrepreneurial activity tends to be greater in contexts where investment in new knowledge is relatively high (e.g., entrepreneurial universities). However, in this specific knowledge context, only a few academics recognize opportunities and act on them through entrepreneurial activities (e.g., spin-offs). A plausible explanation could be the existence of several filters that limit the total conversion of knowledge into economically useful knowledge. The vehicle to knowledge transfer is entrepreneurship. Therefore, the main actor is the academic entrepreneur, but no empirical study has highlighted the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship at the individual level. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of academics’ start-up intentions and knowledge filters on the knowledge transfer process within entrepreneurial university. Adopting the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship and the planned behavior theory, a proposed model was tested with a sample of 207 academics enrolled in entrepreneurial universities in Spain using structural equation modeling. Our findings could provide insights for policy-makers to design policies that bring further benefits to society and educational organizations as well as significant contributions to the literature.     

Chatbots in e-commerce: The effect of chatbot language style on customers’ continuance usage intention and attitude toward brand

The utilization of chatbots has grown in popularity in recent years, leading to an increasing interest among academics and practitioners. This study investigates the effect of chatbot language style on customers' continuance usage intention and attitude toward brand. Two scenario-based experiments were conducted to examine the underlying mechanism. The results show that when chatbots adopt an informal (vs. formal) language style, customers’ continuance usage intention and brand attitude increase through the mediating role of parasocial interaction. Further, this study identifies brand affiliation as a pertinent moderator, such that the effect of chatbot language style is attenuated for people who have no prior relationship with the brand. The findings contribute to the existing chatbot literature and offer practical implications for brand managers to develop optimal language strategies when deploying chatbots in e-commerce.