Service-driven social community and its relation to well-being

This study aims to develop a conceptual framework pertaining to a service-driven social community and its relation to customer well-being. This paper draws on motivations and self-determination theory to expand an existing empowerment framework for a better understanding of how a service provider, which aims at transforming its service offerings to achieve business sustainability, supports for his/her customers’ needs in value co-creation in the beginning and over the course of time, which subsequently drive their active engagement in co-creation. The framework reinforces the transformative role of a service to establish a social community to satisfy customers’ psychological needs for competence, autonomy and a sense of relatedness. The satisfaction will drive the community to form a collective commitment to shared goals and intercustomer support, which subsequently perpetuates community members’ positive experiences of living well. This is accomplished through a case study drawn from the cTaipei platform, where service providers interact with their networks and customers to co-create values in developing a creative Taipei city. This paper contributes to this practice by providing a roadmap for services and customers to be benefited from the proposed service-driven social community framework.     

Corporate Giving Behavior and Decision-Maker Social Consciousness

This paper investigates why some companies give to charity and others do not. The study uncovers a strong relationship between the personal attitudes of the charitable decision maker and the firm's giving behavior. This relationship indicates that the human element of personal attitudes may interact and play a very important role in a firm's decision to become involved with philanthropic activities. The study also shows that firms who have a history of giving to charity cite altruistic motives for their behavior. On the other hand, firms that do not give to charity tend to use business reasons to explain their non-involvement.     

Encouraging Charitable Donations via Charity Gift Cards: A Self-Determination Theoretical Account

Charities seeking to increase donations are now offering charity gift cards (CGCs), which allow recipients to select how their gift card is allocated across various charitable projects. Supporting a model derived from self-determination theory, an experiment shows that U.S. consumers are more satisfied and more likely to donate to the card-sponsoring charity after using a CGC than after learning a donation has been made in their name, because CGCs enhance consumers’ felt autonomy, competence, and relationship with the charity and its projects, which predict a more charitable self-concept and satisfaction with the gift. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Identity motives in charitable giving: Explanations for charity preferences from a global donor survey

Millions of charities compete for donor dollars, yet why people prefer to give to particular charities remains poorly understood. Informed by the social identity approach, and using mixed methods, we analyzed open-ended responses from a global donor survey (N = 1,849 from 117 countries) to understand why participants see their favorite charity as important, and how identities influence charity preferences. Nine subthemes were generated under two overarching themes: Self and Other. Theme prevalence and charity category were not independent: donors were more likely to explain giving to religious and research charities in relation to the self, but to explain giving to social service, animal, or international charities in relation to the other. We also present an inventory of the identities that consumers use to inform their giving. Together, findings show the importance of identities in charitable giving and demonstrate how consumer motives depend on the cause or beneficiary.     

The role of socially rich photos in generating favorable donation behavior on charity websites

While online retail sites succeed in reinforcing perceptions of human warmth on their websites thanks to more and more interactive technologies, the charitable sector cannot, for lack of human, technical and financial resources, make use of such technologies. This research paper demonstrates the potential of a simple tool: the socially rich photo. Although the literature has extensively documented how photos impact visitor behavior in online environments, research in the context of donations through charity websites is rare and has provided contradictory results. By focusing more closely on the role of the individual represented in such photos (the recipient of a donation versus the donor), our studies, conducted in France, offer additional insights on the subject as well as managerial advice for organizations.     

Opposites attract: Impact of background color on effectiveness of emotional charity appeals

The present work utilizes research on context effects and color psychology to investigate how background color can enhance the effectiveness of positive and negative charity appeals. Five experiments measuring both actual donations and donation intention examine the hypothesis that a negative charity appeal against an orange (vs. blue) background and a positive charity appeal against a blue (vs. orange) background will increase donations. We propose that this is because blue and orange colors are incongruous with positive and negative charity appeals, respectively, due to the affective valences of the appeals and the perceptions of warmth and coldness cued by the background colors. This incongruity enhances the attention people pay to the charity appeals, thereby strengthening their emotional response to the appeals, which increases charitable donations. When attention is manipulated, people who pay a high (vs. low) level of attention to the charity appeal are more likely to donate regardless of the color and valence of the appeal, suggesting attention is an important antecedent to the intensity of the emotional response and subsequent donation behavior. We also identify affect diagnosticity as a boundary condition for the effect – when people are informed that color affects their emotions, the contextual effect of color disappears.     

How companies use typeface design to engage consumers in charitable activities

This research examines how the typeface design in a charitable appeal affects consumers' evaluations of the ad and, in turn, their willingness to engage in the advertised charitable activities. We propose that the typeface's simulation of a handwritten note creates a sense of connectedness to the information sender (e.g., organization, brand), which subsequently increases consumers' willingness to engage in the advertised charitable activities. Six experiments, including laboratory and field studies, provide support for the typeface effect and further support the underlying process by (1) directly examining connectedness, and (2) manipulating brand attachment, showing that a handwritten typeface creates a more positive effect when the viewer is not strongly connected to the brand (vs. having a strong brand attachment). Our findings provide useful guidelines for brand managers, social marketers and charity fundraisers regarding how and when to use a handwritten typeface design.     

The factors influencing STD through SOR theory

Smart Tourist Destinations (STDs) are revolutionising the tourism landscape by leveraging technology to enhance tourism experiences. Nonetheless, this study shows that little attention has been paid to how tourists' perceptions impact the use of tourism applications within STDs. To address this gap, the study introduces a unique conceptual framework based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model. This approach considers various aspects, such as social, cultural, physical and environmental stimuli, while also considering satisfaction and perceived value as internal responses and loyalty as the ultimate response. A quantitative study of 554 tourists visiting the STD of Cáceres was conducted to validate this framework. The findings provide insights into the relationships among stimuli, mobile apps and loyalty, offering transformative potential for shaping tourists' attitudes and behaviours. Overall, this study sheds light on the transformative potential of technological solutions in STDs and presents practical implications for destination management and the development of effective strategies to improve tourism experiences.     

Charitable investments: A strategy for improving the business environment

Firms are beginning to evaluate requests for donations as they would investments. Critics argue that a strategy of charitable investing is conceptually inconsistent, disguised self-interest, and violates the dignity of those who receive charity. This paper argues that charity and investment are consistent (and even complementary in some cases), can preserve the virtue and the dignity of the giver and receiver, and may result in a wider distribution of charitable funds. The paper also discusses how a policy of charitable investing could be implemented within a firm so as to avoid it being used merely as a public relations tool. Finally, it is suggested that charitable investments can help maintain the conditions necessary for a free market economy. John W. Dienhart is Professor of Philosophy at St. Cloud State University. He is the author of A Cognitive Approach to the Ethics of Counseling Psychology, University Press of America, 1982.     

Charity retailing in the UK: a typology

Recent unprecedented growth in the UK charity retail sector has seen charities becoming increasingly strategic in managing their retail operations. This paper reviews the present state of the charity retail sector through a three-fold typology and uses this typology to critically analyse the range of strategic approaches within the sector. Review and analysis of these strategies suggest that ironically the most profitable charity retailers are not necessarily the most strategic ones. Independent, localised charities which maintain close links within their communities are often more profitable than their more professional national counterparts. The paper closes by exploring the fundamental tension for these retailers, between generating the highest possible profits, and maintaining a charitable and caring image and questioning the future for this distinctive retail sector.     

Gender and Perceived Fundamental Moral Orientations: An Empirical Study of the Turkish Hotel Industry

Recent history is replete with scandalous acts and charitable acts within the business community. Unfortunately, scandalous acts seem to occur with greater frequency than charitable acts – at least as reported in the broadcast and print media. An interesting corollary to the incidence of scandalous and charitable acts is the apparent differential involvement of men and women, particularly in scandals. This article explores a possible explanation for the apparent gender differential in involvement in scandals and acts of charity. Drawing on a conceptual framework of three Fundamental Moral Orientations (FMOs) – selfishness, self-fullness, and selflessness – and relevant literature on gender effects, this article explores whether men and women are perceived as differing fundamentally in how they approach moral dilemmas. This phenomenon is examined with a sample of personnel (n = 682) from the hotel industry in Turkey. Results of the study indicate that gender has some effect on the perceived adoption of FMOs, and that these gender effects are generally consistent across age, educational level, and organizational rank categories. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Building the Charity Brand Community

The current article extends the concept of brand community to the charity sector. While the charity sector has begun to embrace the relationship marketing paradigm, brand communities represent a unique form of relationship marketing that can have a significant impact on nonprofits. A conceptual model of brand community development in the charity sector is proposed, and two unique mechanisms by which charity brand communities might develop — the cognitive and experiential‐learning mechanisms — are proposed. Not only do these mechanisms offer unique insights into how brand communities might develop, but they also explain how “sense of community” becomes a dominant influence on supporter loyalty. Research propositions concerning the influence of specific markers of brand community upon charity support behavior, are also presented.     

Intra-organizational Volunteerism: Good Soldiers, Good Deeds and Good Politics

Despite the millions of hours donated to charity each year by employees on behalf of their employers there has been relatively little research into the motives for such pro-social behavior. The current paper extends Peterson’s (2004, Journal of Business Ethics 49, 371) study by exploring a unique form of employee volunteerism identified as intra-organizational, or employer-sanctioned volunteerism, and uniting the heretofore distinct charity support and organizational citizenship behavior literatures. Results of a preliminary study revealed that employee participation in such intra-organizational volunteer programs is motivated by charity, firm, and personal benefits. Managerial and research implications are presented.     

我国慈善事业发展态势及其法律体系建构研究

近些年来,我国慈善事业发展态势良好,但也存在一些不和谐因素。分析其中原因。除了传统低层面的慈善意识影响以外,慈善法律制度体系的缺失恐是主要原因。具体表现在我国慈善事业中专门的慈善组织法律规范、慈善行为法律激励机制、慈善活动法律监管制度和可操作的法律规定的缺乏。为促进慈善事业的发展,可采用集中立法模式,建立以《慈善法》为基础的慈善事业法律体系。具体就是要进一步制定和完善关于慈善组织设立、慈善行为实施、慈善信用法律保障、慈善活动国家激励、慈善行为责任担当等内容的法律体系。     

How donor's regulatory focus changes the effectiveness of a sadness-evoking charity appeal

Past research offers conflicting findings on whether sadness-evoking charity appeals help solicit a donation. To reconcile these findings, we introduce prospective donors' regulatory focus as a moderator for understanding when and why sadness appeals motivate or demotivate giving. Specifically, we propose that the sense of helplessness or loss of control associated with sadness appeals increases donors' sensitivity to advertiser's manipulative persuasion tactics, as those tactics can threaten donors' control over their donation decision. As a result, sadness appeals are more likely to activate persuasion knowledge among prevention- (vs. promotion-) oriented donors who tend to be vigilant against manipulative persuasion attempts. Across six main studies and two supplementary studies, we find that a prevention (vs. promotion) focus discourages charitable giving when it is solicited using a sadness appeal, whereas regulatory focus does not affect the giving when other emotion appeals (e.g., happiness appeal or guilt appeal) are used. We find that a prevention (vs. promotion) focus demotivates donation solicited by a sadness appeal because it activates persuasion knowledge that evaluates solicitor's motive behind the sadness appeal, resulting in increased skepticism, dampened feelings of sympathy, and consequently, reduced charitable giving. However, when persuasion knowledge is deactivated (e.g., when donors' cognitive capacity is constrained or the soliciting charity has a reliable reputation), regulatory focus no longer affects donor skepticism, sympathy, and charitable giving, even when a sadness appeal is used to call for donation.     

Bidder motives in cause-related auctions

We study cause-related auctions where a percentage of the dynamically determined purchase price of an item is donated to charity. Little is known about the effectiveness of such auctions. Bidders who value donations to charity have an incentive to bid more aggressively in such auctions. Regardless of whether they win or not, these bidders can significantly affect prices. The purpose of this paper is to study bidders' willingness to pay a premium in charity auctions and the drivers that affect the charity premium. We use a carefully designed field experiment involving simultaneous pairs of auctions that are identical in all respects but percentage of the proceeds donated to charity. This design gives us the ability to look at bidder choice among auctions based on charitable considerations. We use a mixture model approach to allow for different types of individual preferences. We find that individuals fall into three segments: two altruistic segments and a selfish segment. The altruistic segments, which drive up the charity premium, can be classified as warm glow bidders who derive pleasure from the act of giving and other-regarding bidders who give for selfless reasons. Results show that the difference in donation percentages is the major factor influencing the charitable premium. However, bidders differ considerably in their responses to donation percentages. While other-regarding bidders tend to seek auctions where a greater percentage of revenue is donated to charity, warm glow bidders only contribute when the charity premium is sufficiently low. Thus, managers should focus their marketing efforts on appealing to these different segments, depending on the percentage donated to charity.     

Young Adult Volunteers: Recruitment Appeals and Other Marketing Considerations

The long‐term survival of nonprofit charitable organizations depends on the recruitment and retention of today's young adults. A segmentation strategy proposed for retirees which was consistent with previous research on volunteer motivation was found to also be relevant for the young adult market, especially if implemented with consideration of this segment's unique interests and characteristics. In addition, young adults were found to be most inclined to volunteer for organizations that were either local and personal or nationally renowned. Organizations benefiting children were also highly regarded. The higher a college student's grade point average (GPA), the more likely they were to indicate an intention of volunteering in the future. Those most likely to volunteer in the future also exhibited higher teamwork and mentoring trait scores. The young adult market was found to be multidimensional and best approached with a variety of appeals.     

Does perception matter?: an empirical analysis of donor behaviour

This article provides the first empirically based marketing model of the perceptions of givers and the resulting impact on donations. Within nonprofit marketing there is a considerable amount of extant research to support the view that both extrinsic and intrinsic variables can be used to separate givers and non-givers to charities. However, they are less useful in explaining how individuals select between the charitable alternatives and in understanding how people determine and apportion support. Perceptual factors offer more utility in this regard. Structural equations models are presented based on a survey of over 2,300 active and lapsed donors that link a series of perceptual determinants to four relevant charity performance measures: the total amount given to charity, the number of gifts given, the giving lifetime between the individual and the charity, and the amount given yearly. Marketing management implications are identified.     

Transformative service research and service design: synergistic effects in healthcare

ABSTRACT

This conceptual paper answers the question: How do we design service experiences in whole to increase the well-being of all participants in the healthcare system – patients, families, and caregivers? In order to do so, we position service design as an essential tool and even a mindset needed for transformative service research success. We discuss the transformative role service design plays in improving service and consumer entities’ well-being with a focus on how this approach can lead to improved healthcare service outcomes. We also add to the conversation surrounding service and consumer entities’ well-being by broadening the concept and application of service design to consider social, existential, psychological, and physical well-being. We particularly explore how healthcare services can benefit from further consumer engagement and collaborative patient–provider relationships, two key factors essential for redesigning the industry.     

Charitable organizations' storytelling influence on donors' emotions and intentions

The stories told by charitable organizations are typically designed to take the consumer through different emotional stages. This research probes the view that following exposure to the inciting incident or problem statement in the appeal for a particular charity, the consumer feels negative emotions. These feelings convert into anticipated positive emotions when the consumer is given the opportunity to help the person in need through a donation. Feedback that donors receive from the charitable organization will help to strengthen the emotional pay-off and enhances future donation intentions. The research utilizes an experimental design and data from 319 undergraduate students in a large U.S. university to confirm these hypotheses. Theoretical and managerial implications are then presented.