Psychological antecedents of consumer trust in CRM campaigns and donation intentions: The moderating role of creativity

Cause-related marketing (CRM) refers to charitable donation contingent on consumer purchase of a product by supporting a specific cause that is linked to a non-profit organization (NPO). The present research examines the influence of consumer psychographic traits on trust in CRM campaign and its resulting impact on intention to donate money to NPO. The results indicate that collectivism and hedonism have positive effect on trust in CRM campaign, but individualism and utilitarianism have negative effect on trust in CRM campaign. Moreover, the result shows that trust in the CRM campaign had significant positive effect on donation intentions. We further have investigated the role of cognitive process and demonstrated the moderating effect of creativity on the impact of trust in CRM campaign and donation intentions, such that the higher level of creativity led to higher level of donation intentions, if consumers have trust in CRM campaign. This research offers marketers and advertising professionals’ practical insights to design effective CRM campaigns. Additionally, it assists NPO managers to understand the crucial role of trust and creativity in CRM campaigns and its positive impact on donation intentions. Academic and managerial implications of this research study along with future directions are discussed.     

The 2008 Food Summit: A political response to the food price crisis in Gauteng province,South Africa

In responding to food price riots and other unrest in 2008, Gauteng province in South Africa hosted a two-day Food Summit attended by 4000 delegates. Summit invitees expected to be consulted on issues of concern about food prices, but the government instead responded with the message that the poor must be self-sufficient and grow their own food (via the Ilima/Letsema campaign launch), an impractical suggestion in a crisis. The timing of the 2008 Summit in relation to major changes within the African National Congress and the looming 2009 national election in South Africa leads to a conclusion that the Summit was a political event designed to build political capital ahead of the elections, rather than a genuine stakeholder consultation event linked to food security. Findings of this study indicated that food security planning in Gauteng is exclusionary through its rural bias and excludes, for example, urban dwellers and foreign migrants. Also, at that time, Gauteng would have been underprepared for a genuine food emergency as there was no working provincial strategy to deal with urban food security or a severe food crisis.     

Gender diversity and financial statement fraud

This study investigates the role of gender diversity in fraud commission and detection with a view to identifying whether companies with more female corporate leaders are less likely to be involved in financial statement fraud. Using a bivariate probit model, the role of female corporate leaders in financial statement fraud commission and detection is examined for Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2018. The representation of female corporate leaders increases the likelihood of fraud detection, thus reducing firms’ propensity to engage in fraud. The finding confirms that women are risk averse and more committed to ethical practices than men in corporate leadership positions. Moreover, this impact of gender diversity is contingent upon the nature of ultimate controllers of listed companies: more female representation in top leadership roles can mitigate fraud commission or detect fraud effectively in non-state-owned enterprises, but not in state-owned enterprises. In addition, the recent anti-corruption campaign initiated by Chinese President Jinping Xi is a powerful form of public governance. Female corporate leaders play a more positive role in mitigating fraud commission and detecting fraud commission in the post-campaign period than in the pre-campaign period.     

Do house prices affect campaign contributions?

Individual campaign contributions are the largest source of financing for U.S. presidential and congressional candidates, though the body of research examining why people give remains small. To help understand these decisions, we estimate the causal impact of house prices on donations across campaigns and parties using an instrumental variables strategy. Our results indicate that an increase in house prices increases ZIP code-level donations to Democratic presidential and congressional candidates, with minuscule or no effect for Republican candidates. The effects in areas with a greater proportion of renters are larger than areas with more homeowners. Since this population is likely to experience higher rents as a result of house price increases, this suggests that pleas for policy may inspire giving. Further, areas with the highest fraction of college educated residents also see the largest effects, when compared to less-educated areas, suggesting a wealth effect exists as well.     

Corporate Political Activities and the SEC's Oversight Role in the IPO Process

We study how a regulator (Securities and Exchanges Commission; SEC) responds to IPOs that have a higher political profile. We find that IPOs with issuers (intermediaries) that actively pursue political strategies receive more (less) SEC comment letters than IPOs without such actors. Cross-sectional analysis reveals that the IPO's political environment moderates the relationship between social pressure for more corporate transparency and SEC scrutiny. Additional tests indicate that the political activities of issuers (intermediaries) contribute to a less (more) efficient IPO process. Overall, our findings suggest that politically active intermediaries have stronger incentives to accurately portray the IPO financial reporting environment than politically active issuers because they have greater reputational and political capital at stake; quite simply, the former have more to lose. We draw out the implications for theory, in terms of agency and reputation.     

An Alternative to the Impasse

Abstract

The volume of violence portrayed in American mass media has caused concern for decades, but media self-interests, weak governmental policies, and the First Amendment protection for freedom of expression have stymied efforts to improve media content. Grassroots endeavors to alert parents to possible negative effects may be a more effective approach. “Pulling the Plug on Media Violence,” a campaign aimed at escalating consumer awareness, has been implemented by a volunteer group in North Carolina. This study, using the results of a statewide poll, evaluates the campaign's effectiveness and provides useful findings for future efforts devoted to similar issues. The survey shows that although awareness of the campaign was high, the level of concern about media effects was not influenced directly. Religiosity, gender and parenthood were found to be the most important factors linked to higher levels of concern about media violence. Future efforts to mobilize an anti-violence effort may want to target messages to parents (especially mothers) and work with churches in order to increase active involvement.     

Promoting Public Health or Underlying Business Interests? The Effectiveness (or Ineffectiveness) of Responsible Drinking Social Causes by the Alcohol Industry Versus Non-Profits

This study examined differences in the effectiveness of responsible drinking campaigns in promoting public health or facilitating underlying interests between the alcohol industry and non-profit organizations. We examined college students' perception of advertisers' motives and evaluation of sponsors' credibility and explored the effects of this perception on multiple strategic goals established by alcohol responsibility campaigns. The results showed that participants perceived industry-sponsored campaigns as self-serving, and this affected sponsor credibility, which influenced attitudes toward sponsors and campaign messages in both sponsor types. These attitudes were significantly associated with intention. The effects of sponsor credibility on attitudes toward drinking differed according to sponsor types. Positive perception of sponsor credibility following exposure to an industry-sponsored campaign enhanced positive attitudes toward drinking, which strengthened intention to drink. When exposed to a non-profit organization's message, positive perception of credibility led to negative attitudes toward drinking and weaker intention to drink.     

Business strategy and the management of digital marketing

The internet brought disruptive change to the business landscape through the creation of a whole host of digital marketing tactics. But with these new tactical options has come the need for marketing managers to (1) prioritize what they wish to accomplish and (2) determine which digital marketing tactics to invest in. We consider these issues from the perspective of four business strategies: prospectors, analyzers, low-cost defenders, and differentiated defenders. In this article, we provide marketing managers with insights into how businesses pursuing various strategies approach these digital marketing issues, with the ultimate goal being to assist managers in the efficient and effective implementation of their firm’s adopted strategy.     

中国视角下的WTO总干事竞选

WTO总干事竞选,成为WTO及各成员2013年的重点关注。本次竞选候选人之多,选任程序之复杂,为历届之最。尤其是新兴发展中国家,积极参与竞选。对于GATT/WTO历年总干事的梳理以及竞选规则、总干事职责的详细分析,有助于全面认识这一选任过程。尽管入世以来,中国尚未提名自己的候选人,但是却可以积极争取副总干事的人选,并进一步增强中国在WTO事务中的参与能力,积极参与全球治理。     

Electronic Advertising

Abstract

With the increasing popularity of the internet and online sales as a viable way of doing business, many merchandisers have attempted to do much of their marketing by creating advertising campaigns directed at online customers. However, just as in the physical marketplaces of the real world, there are complexities to promoting online businesses. Although the ideas of prospecting, promotion, and push-pull marketing are the same, the manners in which they are approached are quite different, and different systems have begun to develop to address each of these needs. Several different campaign types have been developed. Branding campaigns, click-through campaigns, and sell-through campaigns are the ones that will be discussed here, as well as basic electronic prospecting and final advertising hosting of the campaign. The purpose of this study is to provide the managers with a systematic method for examining a more comprehensive understanding of electronic advertising, as developing the actual campaign. The implications of such examinations will be addressed, in regards to a few important issues. Costs associated with these systems will be touched on, not only monetary but also in terms of times and opportunity, and specific strategies for maintaining such a system will be discussed. Such information should be helpful in developing and maintaining a successful online advertising strategy, one that will stand the test of time.