Tourist Perceptions of Event–Sponsor Brand Fit and Sponsor Brand Attitude

Sponsorships play an increasingly important role in the viability of events, including those targeted at tourists, and sponsors typically seek to build a rapport between their brands and the event attendees. The extent to which the event-related imagery benefits the sponsor brand will depend on the alignment between the sponsor brand and the event. In addressing this issue this study examines the mediating role of event–sponsor fit between visitor event-liking, self-sponsor congruity, and sponsor brand favorability. Interviews were conducted with 1215 attendees at the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exhibition and formed a basis for hypothesis testing. An examination of three sponsor brands over nine surveys concluded that event–sponsor fit consistently mediates the effect of event-liking and self-sponsor congruity on brand favorability. Results confirmed that event organizers and sponsors can benefit from the use of perceived fit as a means of shaping brand attitudes when they sponsor art- and/or social-related events.     

Electronic decision aids: Integration of a consumer perspective

Merchants and manufacturers are rapidly adopting electronic decision aids to help sell a variety of merchandise. These systems provide product information or recommendations based on input from the consumer and affect the way consumers process information. A conceptual framework, based on information processing theory and three strategic consumer difference variables — goal orientation, autonomy, and expertise — is presented. Based on these differences, propositions are derived to guide design of effective electronic decision aids.

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Zusammenfassung Elektronische Entscheidungshilfen: Die Miteinbeziehung der Perspektive des Verbrauchers Händler un Hersteller verwenden in wachsendem Ma\e elektronische Entscheidungshilfen beim Verkauf einer Vielzahl von Waren. Solche Hilfen stellen Produktinformation bereit und liefern Empfehlungen auch aufgrund solcher Dateneingaben, die von der Verbraucherseite kommen, und sie beeinflussen die Art und Weise, wie die Konsumenten Information verarbeiten. Der Beitrag liefert einen begrifflichen Rahmen, der auf der Theorie der Informationsverarbeitung und auf drei Konsumentenvariablen — Zielorientierung, Autonomie und Kompetenz — aufbaut. Auf dieser Grundlage werden Vorschläge für die Gestaltung wirksamer elektronischer Entscheidungshilfen abgeleitet.

     

Book Notices

Books review in this article:
The German Dilemma: An Appraisal of Anti-Semitism, Ultra-Nationalism and Democracy in West Germany.
Diary of a Strike. By Bernard Karsh
A Short History of New York State. By David M. Ellis, James A. Frost, Harold C. Syrett and Harry J. Carman
Dalla puberta alia prostituzione. By Primo Sacripanti
Dictionary of Personnel and Industrial Relations. By Esther L. Becker     

Affective and Cognitive Components of Attitudes in High‐Stakes Decisions: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Hormone Replacement Therapy Use

Consumers are increasingly encouraged to take charge of high‐stakes decisions such as those regarding medical treatments. However, the important inputs into overall evaluations of risky and important behaviors, such as undergoing medical therapy, are not well understood. The purpose of this research is to study the interplay of cognitive and affective factors in determining consumer attitudes and intentions toward high‐stakes decision behaviors. This is done in the context of consumer choices regarding medical treatments, and specifically, the decision to use (or not to use) hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Overall, both affective and cognitive responses are found to be independent significant predictors of attitude toward HRT use. Moreover, the results support an extended version of the theory of planned behavior model that is useful in predicting consumer's intentions to engage in high‐stakes decision behaviors, such as using HRT. These findings have implications for the design of decision support systems and behavioral change interventions.     

Naomi R. Lamoreaux and Kenneth L. Sokoloff, eds. Financing Innovation: In the United States, 1870 to the Present

This edited volume makes a large and welcome contribution toour understanding of the history of entrepreneurial financein the United States. The focus of the volume is on innovationby both corporations and entrepreneurs. It examines all theimportant forms of financing, including wealthy individuals(who we now call angels), venture capital, government financingand debt. Scholars of many disciplines, including economics,finance, entrepreneurship, business history, and organizationalnetworks will find this volume to be of interest and the essayscan be read either selectively or globally. Lamoreaux and Sokoloff's introduction is a significant chapterin itself, providing a rich historical analysis of the riseof the U.S. patenting system. The editors also provide a     

On the importance of systematic risk factors in explaining the cross-section of corporate bond yield spreads

In this paper we examine the importance of systematic equity market factors in explaining the cross-sectional variation in yield spreads on corporate debt. Based on a sample of 1771 corporate bonds over the period from January 1985 to March 1998, we find that once the default-related variables are controlled for, bond betas or sensitivities to aggregate equity market risks have very limited explanatory power. This is in contrast to [Elton, E.J., Gruber, M.J., 2001. Explaining the rate spread on corporate bonds. Journal of Finance 56, 247–277] who find that market factors tied to expected returns are predominantly important, but who do not control for these variables (i.e. the relevant variables from structural models), possibly biasing their estimates. On the other hand, our finding that the systematic factors exhibit some limited explanatory power suggests that the standard contingent claims approach may not fully apply. This finding is consistent with previous research that bond betas are not completely irrelevant once market frictions are introduced. Overall, the evidence provides empirical support for the proposition that structural models capture important elements of corporate bond yield spread determination and equity market systematic factors are by no means predominant.