Self-referencing and consumer evaluations of larger-sized female models: A weight locus of control perspective

In two experiments, we show that the beliefs women have about the controllability of their weight (i.e., weight locus of control) influences their responses to advertisements featuring a larger-sized female model or a slim female model. Further, we examine self-referencing as a mechanism for these effects. Specifically, people who believe they can control their weight (“internals”), respond most favorably to slim models in advertising, and this favorable response is mediated by self-referencing. In contrast, people who feel powerless about their weight (“externals”), self-reference larger-sized models, but only prefer larger-sized models when the advertisement is for a non-fattening product. For fattening products, they exhibit a similar preference for larger-sized models and slim models. Together, these experiments shed light on the effect of model body size and the role of weight locus of control in influencing consumer attitudes.

Compulsive consumption behaviours: investigating relationships among binge eating,compulsive clothing buying and fashion orientation

Compulsive buying and binge eating are examples of compulsive consumption behaviours, and for individuals with these behavioural tendencies, appearance and appearance‐related products seem to be of paramount importance. The purpose of this research was to determine if bulimic behaviours, fashion interest and the importance of being well dressed had a causal relationship with compulsive clothing buying. Subjects completed a compulsive clothing buying scale, the binging/control subscale of the Bulimia Test‐Revised and a fashion orientation scale. A path analysis indicated that binging behaviours and fashion interest significantly predicted compulsive clothing buying, while binging behaviours were not significantly related to fashion interest or the importance of being well dressed. Such findings may suggest that female consumers compulsively buy clothing for different reasons and/or motivations.     

Pro-environmental behaviors for thee but not for me: Green giants,green Gods,and external environmental locus of control

Understanding consumers' allocation of environmental responsibility to external forces (i.e., those perceived to be beyond their direct control) is important yet under-researched. This paper examines how these external attributions affect consumers' pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). A model of external environmental locus of control (i.e., external-ELOC) is tested, consisting of two superordinate dimensions: powerful-others (encapsulating corporate and government responsibility facets) and chance/fate (incorporating God/higher-power and natural earth-cycle facets). The two higher-order factors negatively associate; such that consumers ascribing environmental responsibility to powerful-others engage in PEBs; whereas those attributing environmental change to chance/fate typically do not. The results inform practical and public policy implications; pinpointing ways for corporations and governments to target their pro-environmental efforts and to sway consumers who share in the ecological burden.     

Critical consumer issues in St. Lucia: an examination of consumer challenges and related learning among rural adults according to income levels

Consumer education is a relatively new and growing interest in St. Lucia. Neither the government nor the National Consumer Association has established a consumer education programme to address the growing consumer concerns in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine critical consumer issues, related learning challenges and strategies among rural adults in St. Lucia according to income levels. Rural adult consumers are most disadvantaged in terms of levels of education, income and access to resources, which may help to prevent and mediate consumer concerns. The specific research questions examined were: (1) What is the nature of problems experienced by rural St. Lucian adult consumers in the marketplace? (2) How do rural St. Lucian adult consumers solve the challenges they encounter in the marketplace? (3) What is it like for rural St. Lucian adult consumers as they go about trying to learn to solve the consumer issues they face? and (4) What do rural St. Lucian adult consumers perceive to be the requisites for effective decision making in the marketplace? Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising of 29 questions divided into four sections (problems, strategies, solving consumer problems and making effective decisions) and two biographical questions. A total of 500 rural adult consumers were surveyed verbally through door‐to‐door contact. The findings of this study revealed that middle‐income rural adult consumers experience more problems in the marketplace than those with each lower or higher level of income. Middle‐income rural adult St. Lucian consumers in particular seek more information and are comfortable with using more strategies than the lower‐ and higher‐income rural adult consumers. This research gives us a better understanding of the problems faced by rural adult consumers based on their income. Research results will be useful to the government of St. Lucia and the National Consumer Association when they decide to establish an adult consumer education programme for St. Lucia.     

Locus of Control and the Moral Reasoning of Managers

Rotter’s theory of internal-external locus of control evolved from Carl Jung’s work. In Psychological Types (1923), Jung defined two opposing tendencies in personality introversion and extroversion. While both tendencies are present in all individuals, one tends to dominate the other. The internal–external control construct was conceived as a generalized expectancy to perceive reinforcement either as contingent upon one’s own behaviors (internal control) or as the result of forces beyond one’s control, such as chance, fate, or powerful others (external control) (Lefcourt, 1981, p. 15). Locus of control refers to those causes to which individuals attribute their successes and failures. Individuals are responsive to some external motivators (e.g. better jobs, promotions, higher salaries), but the more powerful are internal pressures (the desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem, and quality of life). Research indicates that an individual’s internal–external locus of control impacts their ethical behavior in an organization. Rotter’s I–E Scale (1966, Psychological Monographics 80(1), 1–28), a 29 item forced choice instrument, is the most widely used instrument to measure the degree of internality versus externality. Each respondent’s score for this scale had a potential range from 0 to 23. As there are six filler items used to mask the intent of the questionnaire a score of 23 being extremely external in nature and a score of zero being extremely internal in nature. The I Scale (Internal Scale) measures the extent to which people believe that they have control over their own lives; the E Scale (External Scale) measures the extent to which people believe that they do not have control over their own lives. This study utilized the I–E Scale. Jones (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation) and Deflumeri (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation) investigated the likelihood of an individual to engage in unethical behavior in an organization. This research suggests that when employees perceive that locus of control resides internally they themselves decide what is appropriate behavior, but with an external locus of control, employees will look at others to decide appropriate behavior. The researcher in this study investigated the relationship between managers’ locus of control and their moral reasoning.     

Ethics,Moral Development,and Accountants-in-Training

This research investigates how ethical stages of development, locus of control, age, and gender separately and jointly affect ethical decision-making. Senior- and graduate-level university accounting students are used to examine the link between moral development and ethical responses. Four accounting-environment vignettes are used in the survey. Two of the vignettes are more closely linked to the Code of Professional Conduct; the other two vignettes describe ethical dilemmas that are less code-driven. The expectation is that moral development, as measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT), will indicate a link to expected responses on the vignette items not specifically covered by the Code.Because an individual's locus of control (LOC) may also be expected to have an impact on ethical decision-making, a LOC variable is examined. Based on a review of the LOC and ethics studies, the expectation is that internal LOC respondents would respond more ethically. Much of the ethical research has also included an examination of gender and age differences. However, the results have indicated conflicting evidence. This research also examines the gender and age issues within the senior-graduate student accounting context.Results indicate that gender is insignificant in the analysis. The LOC variable is significant on one of the vignettes. Additionally, the DIT P score is significant in another of the vignette decisions. Possible reasons for the results are discussed.     

对黑龙江企业集团内部会计控制的建议

企业集团化已在黑龙江省经济发展中显现出了重要力量,是黑龙江省老工业基地调整改造中的重要实施者。从加强企业集团内部会计控制的视角分析,目前,黑龙江省的各企业集团,应结合实际情况强化内部会计控制能力。实行控股公司制度组织结构的集团公司应当更多采用目标控制、组织结构控制、风险控制等方式对子公司的经营和投资决策进行控制;实行事业部制度组织结构的集团公司应采用利润中心、成本中心的集中控制的模式。     

Understanding the vulnerability of blind consumers: adaptation in the marketplace,personal traits and coping strategies

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability perceived by blind consumers in the marketplace. By analysing the narratives of 16 people that have acquired blindness, we develop an understanding of the internal and external factors that affect their degree of vulnerability and identify their coping strategies. Data analysis consisted of content interpretation and a search for the meaning of the particular experiences, events and states reported by the respondents. Results show how emotional well-being, consumption-facilitating social support, acceptance, autonomy and perceptions about marketplace difficulties all relate to coping mechanisms.     

Union steward locus of control,job, union involvement,and grievance behavior

Discretionary behaviors of union stewards are described. The use (or otherwise) of these behaviors may be a critical index of the number of grievances filed in an organization. Utilization of proactive grievance filing behaviors is systematically associated with steward job involvement, union involvement, and locus of control orientations. This hypothesis received empirical support in this research. Implications for organizational theorists and practitioners alike are discussed.     

The role of perceived control and gender in consumer reactions to download delays

An empirical study finds that perceived control strongly mediates the effects of perceived speed of a Web site download on consumers' attitudes and intentions to use the Web site. Moreover, results show that men are more likely to react positively to the perceived speed of a Web site download, whereas women are more likely to base their reactions on perceptions of control in the context of download delays. In contrast to past online research, the gender differences are intrinsic in two ways—they are context independent, and they are not caused by length of Internet experience, extent of Internet usage, or type of Internet connections.     

The Impact of Personality Variables,Prior Experience,and Training on Sales Agents' Internet Utilization and Performance

ABSTRACT

Emerging literature on the impact of the Internet on business-to-business (B2B) marketing has primarily focused on examining this issue from the perspective of manufacturers and buyers. This study focuses on the sales agent, a third prominent actor in B2B markets, and tests a conceptual model that relates a sales agent's personality, demographic, and user-situational constructs to that sales agent's Internet utilization for selling activities. Further, the model tested in this study relates a sales agent's Internet utilization to perceived sales performance. Findings in this study indicate that internal locus of control, learning orientation, and sales related Internet training relate positively to a sales agent's Internet utilization, and that a sales agent's age relates negatively to Internet utilization. Further, the results support a positive relationship between a sales agent's Internet utilization and sales performance. This study emphasizes that the Internet can be a productive tool for sales agents. The implications of the results of this study for sales agents with respect to training and recruitment are discussed and avenues for future research are suggested.     

Ethical Judgment and Whistleblowing Intention: Examining the Moderating Role of Locus of Control

The growing body of whistleblowing literature includes many studies that have attempted to identify the individual level antecedents of whistleblowing behavior. However, cross-cultural differences in perceptions of the ethicality of whistleblowing affect the judgment of whistleblowing intention. This study ascertains how Chinese managers/professionals decide to blow the whistle in terms of their locus of control and subjective judgment regarding the intention of whistleblowing. Hypotheses that are derived from these speculations are tested with data on Chinese managers and professionals (n = 306). Statistical analysis largely supports the hypotheses, which suggests that an individual's locus of control does moderate the relationship between ethical judgment and whistleblowing.     

Effects of physical environment and locus of control on service evaluation: A replication and extension

As a replication and extension, this study empirically tested Bitner's (1990, Journal of Marketing 54, 69–82) model of consumer service evaluation using Singaporean subjects. It investigated the effects of a service failure, physical environment, and attribution on customer evaluation of and satisfaction with the service. The experimental findings showed that consumers engaged in causal inferences when they evaluated the service. Specifically, in cases of service failure, consumers were more dissatisfied when they perceived that the service firm had more control over the cause, and when the failure was recurring vis-à-vis a rare event. Consumers also tended to attribute service failure to a lack of control on the part of the service firm when the failure occurred in a more pleasant environment. The results also showed that satisfaction with the service resulted in perception of higher service quality. Although the physical environment affects perception of service quality, it was mediated by attribution and satisfaction.     

Work Ethic,Locus of Control and Salesforce Task Performance

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between work ethic, locus of control and salesforce task performance. Using data from Uganda retail firms, this study finds that work ethic was a significant positive predictor of salesforce task performance. Further, there was a significant relationship between the different behavioural families of work-related activity work withdrawal behaviours, organizational retaliation behaviours and salesforce task performance. Results from regression analysis indicate that organizational retaliation behaviours and work withdrawal behaviours are important factors for explaining declining performance of salespeople in Uganda retail firms. Managers aiming to improve salesforce task performance should recruit individuals with a strong work ethic. Additionally, retail managers need to reduce work withdrawal and organizational retaliation behaviours so as to increase salesforce task performance.     

公路养护成本计划、控制与核算

养护成本计划、成本控制与成本核算是公路养护成本管理的重要组成部分.成本计划是成本预测的结果,是确定成本目标的具体化;成本控制是对成本计划实施过程进行的监督、调节和限制,以保证成本目标的实现;而成本核算则是对成本目标是否实现的最后检验.要做好养护成本管理工作,降低养护管理成本,养护管理单位首先要选定养护作业施工项目成本核算对象,确定成本计划,在养护作业各个环节、各个工序上实行成本控制,最终完成成本目标.     

Yuan and marketing: The perception of Chinese owner-managers

Entrepreneurship researchers point to the lack of any substantial assessment of the state of research into entrepreneurship in regions other than North America. Thus, to advance entrepreneurship research and build an indigenous model, this paper attempts to explain Yuan or external locus of control [cf. Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80 (Whole No. 609)], in the context of Chinese owner-managers. This paper undertakes a narrative analysis of the interviews conducted with 48 Chinese, 26 Hong Kong and 28 Taiwanese owner-managers and/or chief marketing executives of small and medium enterprises about how Yuan affects their marketing practices. Four dimensions of Yuan (e.g., association, quality, matching and attitude) were identified. A two-dimensional model using the optimal scaling method was applied to determine the interdependence of the four dimensions. Four groups, namely Yuan accepters, anti-Yuan-ers, stuck in the middlers, and dedicated Yuan believers, emerged. The results suggest that Yuan believers tend to exhibit higher company performance.     

辱虐管理对员工建言行为影响:组织自尊和个性控制点的作用

文章通过问卷调查和上下级之间的配对样本,探讨上级的辱虐管理对下级员工建言行为的影响及机制,尤其是研究组织自尊在其中的中介作用及员工个性控制点的调节作用.实证结果表明:辱虐管理对员工抑制性建言行为和促进性建言行为均有显著的负向影响,组织自尊在两者之间起到了完全中介的作用;员工个性控制点对辱虐管理和员工组织自尊之间的关系具有显著的调节作用,也就是说员工个性控制点水平越高(越内控),辱虐管理对组织自尊的负面影响就越小;当员工的个性控制点水平越低(越外控),辱虐管理对组织自尊的负面影响就越大.     

关联交易、控制权收益与盈余质量

Controlling shareholders pursue benefits of control (private benefits and shared benefits) via related party transactions, which result in different levels of earnings quality. Using data from all A-share listed companies in Shenzhen and Shanghai stock markets in the year 2001 and 2002, we found that when the share ratio of controlling shareholder is less than 50%, they prefer pursuing private benefits of control via related party transactions, giving rise to deterioration in earnings quality. By comparison, when the share ratio is more than 50%, controlling shareholders prefer pursing shared benefits of control through related party transactions, which improve earnings quality as a result.      

The Relationships of Customer-Perceived Value,Satisfaction, Loyalty and Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

The concept of Customer-Perceived Value (CPV) has become a matter of increasing concern in marketing literature. However, there are few empirical studies that attempt to examine the notion of it. Filling this gap, this study provides a conceptual as well as empirical investigation of CPV as a formative construct and also offers an insight regarding the role of CPV in influencing, through satisfaction and loyalty, the behavioral intentions of word of mouth, repurchase intention and cross-buying. Furthermore, the potential moderating role of social pressure in the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty is also examined. The results suggest that delivering superior customer value enables a firm to achieve favorably behavioral intentions. Implications for practice, study limitations and future research are discussed.     

The Impact of Normative Influence and Locus of Control on Ethical Judgments and Intentions: a Cross-Cultural Comparison

The study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in a cross-cultural setting, incorporating ethical judgments and locus of control in a comparison of Taiwanese and US businesspersons. A self-administered survey of 698 businesspersons from the US and Taiwan examined several hypothesized differences. Results indicate that while Taiwanese respondents have a more favorable attitude toward a requested bribe than US counterparts, and are less likely to view it as an ethical issue, their higher locus externality causes ethical judgments and behavioral intentions to conform to normative influences of in groups and superiors. In the Taiwanese sample, locus externality effectively functions as a countervailing pressure against the unethical behavior in the scenario. No such effect is found in the US sample. A path model fitted to the data shows that locus internals exhibit more consistency among attitudes, judgments, and behavioral intentions than locus externals. Implications for managers and researchers are discussed, and suggestions and precautions for development of efficacy-enhancement programs are offered.