Expatriates on the run: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates’ host country withdrawal intentions

Extant research on expatriation in high-stress environments where stress is caused by ongoing and unexpected natural crises remains limited. Drawing on stress theory, in this study, we develop a model to examine the stress-inducing effects of intra-family concerns and workplace discrimination on the intentions to leave the host country among expatriates in the high-stress environment of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore whether gender and the level of work adjustment moderate the propensity of intra-family health concerns and workplace discrimination to induce psychological stress. Based on our analysis of 381 expatriates living and working in the United Arab Emirates, we find the model to be generally supported. We also reveal an intriguing moderating effect of work adjustment on the relationship between intra-family health concerns and psychological stress. Overall, the analysis is among the first ones to shed light on the role of natural crises’ stressors in defining expatriate outcomes.     

Key influencing factors of green vegetable consumption in Beijing,China

Green-certified vegetables are nutritious, attractive to the senses, and in line with the principles of sustainable development. The objectives of this study are to reveal the mechanism of green-certified vegetable consumption; that is, to explore the key influencing factors behind consumers' purchase intentions, purchase behavior, and willingness to pay for green-certified vegetables. Based on the Theory of Multi-attribute Attitudes and the Theory of Planned Behavior, a research framework of the consumption mechanism oriented to consumers' preferences regarding green-certified vegetable quality was established. By collecting 520 questionnaires from Beijing, China, the model was confirmed by the ordered logistic regression and interval linear regression method. The results showed that consumers have heterogeneous quality preferences, and their purchase intentions and purchase behavior levels are relatively high, with an average willingness to pay (WTP) of 138.58%. The key influencing factors driving consumers' purchase intentions, purchase behavior, and WTP include protein content belief, mineral content belief, vitamin content belief, organic vegetable safety belief, freshness belief, and taste belief. In addition, color belief and packaging quality belief significantly influenced consumers' WTP, while origin reputation belief and brand reputation belief significantly influenced consumers' purchase intention and purchase behavior. The findings of this study can guide the supply side of green-certified vegetables to improve product quality according to consumer demand, so as to promote the sustainable development of green-certified vegetables.     

Perceived corporate social responsibility effects across nations – The role of national institutions

While many multinationals reduce their ecological footprint and signal corporate social responsibility (CSR), consumers’ perceptions of CSR signals have distinct cross-national effects on behavior. However, knowledge of how national institutions influence these effects remains limited. The authors address this gap by analyzing the roles of institutions in perceived CSR effects on consumer purchase intention, via trust and quality, in 43 countries using multilevel modeling. They find a core pathway of CSR among the direct and indirect effects. Importantly, they show for the first time how economic, regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive institutions affect these pathways differently. Key levers are revealed, together with less important institutions. These findings have direct implications for managers and stakeholders interested in cross-national differences in CSR effects.     

Critical factors characterizing consumers’ intentions to use drones for last-mile delivery: Does delivery risk matter?

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, has become popular in military and recreational circles. Although their usage in commerce is relatively low, a continuous rise in commercial use, especially for last-mile delivery, in the future is anticipated. Consequently, there is a necessity for a greater understanding of consumers' readiness to accept the latest technological application to increase knowledge, business, and managerial practice. Specifically, this study aims to investigate consumers’ intentions to deploy drones for last-mile delivery. The study applies the social cognitive theory and the model of goal-directed behaviour. It investigates the effect of outcome expectancy, lifestyle compatibility, perceived self-efficacy, consumer attitude, and the desire of usage for delivery drones among European millennial consumers. Additionally, it examines whether delivery risk moderates the influence of attitude and desire to use delivery drones. The authors discovered that the aforementioned are positively related to consumer attitude. Consumer attitude as such is positively associated with the desire and intention to use this method of delivery. Furthermore, the intention to use drone delivery is positively influenced by the desire for this delivery, outcome expectancy, and lifestyle compatibility. These findings indicate the importance of desire and lifestyle compatibility as predictors. At the theoretical level, the results support the perspective that social cognitive theory, together with the model of goal-directed behaviour, is an adequate framework to account for consumer intentions.     

Influence of endogenous reference points on the selling decisions of retail investors

Using trader-level data, we examine the impact of the stock-specific endogenous reference points, the ‘realized-return’ and the ‘peak-return’ of the prior round on the selling propensity in a subsequent investment round in the same asset. The selling propensity rises significantly near the endogenous reference points. The significance is greater when the holding period is relatively shorter and when the time gap between the consecutive rounds is lower, implying a recency effect. Finally, the impact is more substantial on traders holding fewer stocks. The results imply that traders' prior stock-specific experience plays a significant role in the reference point formation.     

Restaurants’ outdoor signs say more than you think: An enquiry from a linguistic landscape perspective

Building on the linguistic landscape theory and literature on customers' experience with restaurants' authenticity and status, this study investigates whether restaurants' outdoor signs influence customers' perceptions and behavioral intentions. Using an experimental design comprising two studies, supported by data collected from Chinese consumers, we test how display characters and text flow may jointly impact on customers' perceptions of the status and authenticity of ethnic (Japanese and Taiwanese) restaurants, thus influencing their visiting intentions and willingness to pay. We find that display characters influence Chinese customers' perceptions of authenticity and status in both Japanese and Taiwanese restaurants in Mainland China. There is an interaction effect between display characters and text flow on customers' perception of authenticity and status in Japanese restaurants in Mainland China. This study applies the linguistic landscape theory to a restaurant context and examines how such features may influence customers’ perceptions and decisions. The findings have important practical implications on managing customer experiences and perceptions via effective restaurant sign designs.     

An application of protection motivation theory to understand the influence of fear-appeal media on stated donations for coral reef restoration

This study applied a Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) framework and Extended Parallel Process Model to explore respondents’ emotional and behavioral responses to video treatments that messaged varied outcomes for coral reef health and pro-environmental behavioral adaption. Four video treatments manipulating fear-appeal messaging with higher or lower proportions of content focused on threats to coral reefs and reassurance about coral reef restoration were presented to respondents (n = 1636). Messaging with equal proportions of threat and reassurance stimulated higher arousal, which had the greatest impact on stated behavioral intent to donate for coral reef restoration. Negative-affectivity, driven by higher proportions of threat in video messaging, was also related to higher stated donations. Sub-group comparisons revealed respondents who had taken vacations in coral reef destinations were significantly more aroused by the videos and stated higher donations than those who had not. PMT antecedents threat-appraisal, coping-appraisal, and response-costs dynamically influenced emotional responses to fear-appeal videos.     

The role of mobile value and trust as drivers of purchase intentions in m-servicescape

Building on the premises of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this study introduces the concept of mobile servicescape (m-servicescape) and explores the drivers of purchase intentions in the mobile service environment. Data were collected from a sample of 284 service mobile users and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that the dimensions of m-servicescape (i.e., aesthetic appeal, perceived security, and layout and functionality) generate mobile value (i.e., hedonic and utilitarian), which in turn, leads to user purchase intentions. Utilitarian value was found to have a higher effect on purchase intentions than hedonic value and trust was found to enhance this effect. We highlight theoretical contributions and offer managerial insight for mobile marketers and designers on the specificities of consumer behavior in the service mobile environment.