When consumers struggle: Action crisis and its effects on problematic goal pursuit

When pursuing goals, consumers often face setbacks that force them to reevaluate their goals. Yet, current goal theory offers limited explanations for how people respond to recurring challenges and disengage from their goals. Through five experiments investigating three primary theoretical aims, this research extends the field's understanding of action crisis, a possible goal pursuit stage marked by internal conflict over whether or not to continue, and investigates it in consumption contexts such as patient–physician relationships, weight loss diets, and environmentally friendly purchasing. Experiments 1A–1C show that consumer action crisis encourages more disengagement‐related and less continuation‐supportive cost–benefit thinking than nonproblematic action phase. Experiment 2 replicates this cognitive shift, and connects action crisis to diminished goal‐related evaluations and weakened commitment. Experiment 3 further clarifies action crisis’ influence on consumer goal pursuit by revealing decreased cognitive and behavioral engagement that does not involve a shift in construal level when compared to action phase consumers. Extending understanding of action crisis as a possible mindset and action phase, these five experiments advance goal disengagement theory by connecting changes in cognition, motivation, and behavior to action crisis.     

The effectiveness of the destination logo: Congruity effect between logo typeface and destination stereotypes

A well-designed logo can assist destination marketers in the development of destination identity and image, and yet the factors that contribute to an effective destination logo are poorly understood. Thus, this study aims to explore how typefaces influence the effectiveness of logos of destinations with differing stereotypes. By conducting four scenario-based experiments with different experimental stimuli, this study has revealed a congruity effect between logo typeface and destination stereotypes. Specifically, linking logos with handwritten typefaces with warm destinations, and machine-written typefaces with competent destinations can elicit more favorable attitudes and stronger travel intentions toward those destinations (Study 1). The results further showed that the congruity effect on tourists’ travel intentions is sequentially mediated by processing fluency and attitude (Studies 2a, 2b) and is attenuated for tourists with high needs for cognition (Study 3). This research also offers practical suggestions for destination marketers around the design of effective logos.     

Check-in at the Robo-desk: Effects of automated social presence on social cognition and service implications

The rise of humanoid robots in hospitality services accelerates the need to understand related consumer reactions. Four scenario-based experiments, building on social presence and social cognition theories, examine how humanoid robots (vs. self-service machines) shape consumer service perceptions vis-à-vis concurrent presence/absence of human staff. The influence of consumers' need for human interaction and technology readiness is also examined. We find that anthropomorphizing service robots positively affects expected service quality, first-visit intention, willingness to pay, as well as increasing warmth/competence inferences. However, these effects are contingent on the absence of human frontline staff, explained by viewing anthropomorphism as a relative concept. Humanoid robots increase psychological risk, but this poses no threat to expected service quality when consumers' need for human interaction is controlled for. Additionally, we show that a humanoid robot's effect on expected service quality is positive for all but low technology readiness levels. Further implications for theory/practice are discussed.     

何种程度的失败才是成功之母?——并购失败程度对后续并购绩效的影响

并购是企业获得快速成长的重要途径,但实践中半数以上甚至三分之二左右的并购交易都是以失败告终。本文基于失败学习理论和社会认知理论,以我国A股上市公司2003—2017年间有连续并购且首次并购失败的590家企业样本,研究并购失败程度对后续并购绩效的影响。研究发现:与首次并购失败程度较大的企业相比,首次并购失败程度较小的企业进行后续并购取得的并购绩效相对要好。进一步考察社会认知因素对失败并购经验的学习行为的调节效应发现,如果高管团队教育水平越高,或者企业受儒家文化影响越强,首次并购失败程度对后续并购绩效的负向影响越弱。上述研究结果表明,不同程度的并购失败经验会产生学习行为和效果的差异,进而对后续并购绩效产生不同影响,并且这种影响还会因管理者认知因素的不同而存在差异。本文将失败学习理论与社会认知理论结合起来考察企业连续并购中的学习行为,不仅对并购失败经验的研究提供了新的理论视角,也对实践中遴选高管团队成员提供有益的启示。     

基于眼动实验的网页分类信息优化设计研究

旨在探究网页界面中的分类信息设计对用户认知效果的影响规律，进而为分类信息的优化设计提供工效学建议和设计指导。基于分类信息两个设计特征，即整体的视觉复杂度和有无图标辅助展示类别信息，设计四个分类信息设计形式作为实验材料，使用眼动仪对目标搜索任务下用户的认知效果进行实验研究。结果显示：复杂度对用户认知有显著影响；图标差异仅对反映用户认知的感知易用性指标有显著影响。采用简洁的设计，辅以形象化图标对类别信息进行展示，可以提高分类信息设计水平。     

Getting From ‘Me’ to ‘We’: Role Clarity,Team Process,and the Transition From Individual Knowledge to Shared Mental Models in Employee Dyads

Shared mental models are crucial for team functioning; however, little research to date has focussed on uncovering the predictors of shared mental models. The present study investigates the effect of role clarity on shared mental models by means of its indirect effects via team process. Two hundred and two undergraduate students participated in a dyadic firefighting simulation in which their role clarity, team process, and mental model similarity were measured. Analyses conducted at the dyadic level suggest that role clarity predicts mental model similarity via its effects on team process. Copyright © 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Procedural Rationality and Institutions: The Production of Norms by Means of Norms

This paper deals with a cognitivist approach to the problem of how social and economic institutions are formed. The economic framework I use is Simon's model of procedural rationality, integrating a cognitivist approach into a game structure. In game theory norms are seen as conventions, but not all institutions can be explained by game theory models. In cognition-based approaches, the creation and maintenance of institutions is the outcome of a search for satisficing norms. According to Simon and Newell (1972), agents faced with problems to solve visualise a problem as an area of potential situations to examine in order to establish analogical problem structures. In my approach, a norm can be defined within a system of norms that form in a historical-evolutionary dimension, suggesting a path in norm-forming processes.     

An Exercise in Moral Philosophy: Seeking to Understand “nobody”

The late Hannah Arendt proposed that many, perhaps most monstrous deeds are not committed by moral monsters but by individuals who do not think. However, understanding the significance of activity of thinking as such requires a moral philosophy that transcends rational actor assumptions and instrumental reason centering, instead, on the conditions of self-knowledge. The ubiquitous and often lethal phenomenon of information distortions provides a vehicle for expanding our understandings of individual moral response-abilities in our modern times.     

Elections and selection: The role of political ideology in selection decisions

Political ideology is a central belief that drives individuals' behavior not just in the voting booth but also in other aspects of life. As political divisiveness in society has increased, the ramifications of this shift may permeate organizations ultimately affecting how individuals interact with one another. Through the lens of social cognition and person-organization fit, this paper considers the effect of political ideology of job applicants in selection decisions by discussing 1) the definition of political ideology and subsequent stereotyping, 2) the increasing divisiveness rooted in political ideology, 3) the implication in selection decisions influenced by political ideology, and 4) the consequences for firm level diversity. Further, a model is provided to illustrate the relationship of political ideology to various phases of the selection process. Propositions to foster further study of these phenomena are provided within.