Search results

This paper aims to examine how content relevancy influences consumers’ preference to receive and share fake news. Further, it investigates how these receivers perceive the social image of the people who share fake news. Finally, this study examines how brand strength and valence and credibility of fake content influence consumer’s word-of-mouth recommendations, purchase intentions and attitude toward the brand.

Three experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. The data was analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance and PROCESS techniques.

Findings indicate that people prefer to receive and share relevant content, even if it is fake. Sharing fake news conveys the sender’s sociability but also creates a negative perception of narcissism. Individuals are more likely to recommend a brand if the fake news is perceived as credible and positive (vs negative). Finally, brand-strength can help brands to negate the harmful effects of fake news.

Future research can explore the role of group dynamics, tie-strength and media richness (text, image and videos) in the dispersion of fake news and its impact on brands.

Marketers should communicate and educate consumers that sharing fake content can harm their social image, which can reduce information dispersion. Marketers should also improve brand-strength that can protect the brand against the adverse impact of fake news.

This study contributes to the emerging literature on fake news by studying the impact of fake news on consumer intentions and attitudes toward the brand, which are critical for the success of any brand.

This research aims to examine the impact of consumers’ anxiety on the three types of consumption activities (sharing, hoarding and regular buying) during the coronavirus pandemic. Further, it aims to investigate the moderating role of materialism on anxiety and how attitude toward the pandemic affects consumers’ consumption behavior.

An online survey was conducted to test the proposed research model. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS and PROCESS tools.

Higher levels of anxiety lead to less sharing and more hoarding of resources but do not impact consumers’ regular buying intentions. A positive attitude toward an external event such as lockdown and intrinsic materialism can help individuals to cope with the anxiety successfully. Furthermore, consumers are more likely to share and less likely to hoard when they develop a positive attitude toward pandemic.

Future research can explore the role of health-efficacy and attitude toward health as coping strategy toward pandemic. A longitudinal research can explore the gradual changes in consumers’ attitudes and consumption behavior.

Governments, marketers and policymakers should focus on reducing consumers’ anxiety and to build a positive attitude toward pandemic to avoid the issues of hoarding and enable sharing of resources with others.

This study contributes to the literature on terror management theory and crisis management during a pandemic using a consumption context.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of parents (via family communication patterns) on teenagers’ electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions, via a serial mediation by internet usage and self-esteem, along with the moderating effect of online impression.

A conceptual model was developed based on the nature vs nurture perspective and theory of consumer socialization. Structural equation modeling was applied to investigate the interplay among proposed variables, using a sample of 797 teenage respondents in India.

The findings indicate that family communication, internet usage, and self-esteem are significant antecedents to eWOM intents of teenagers. Also, online impression is a strong moderator which influences whether teenagers would engage in eWOM activities or not.

This study presents actionable items for marketers interested in teenage consumers in an emerging economy. Marketers can benefit by tailoring their online communication to influence parent’s attitude toward the internet and to enhance online impression of teenagers to substantially increase eWOM dispersion.

This study provides original insights about how parents and individual characteristics act as antecedents and impact teenagers’ eWOM intentions including the moderating effect of online impression.

This study aims to investigate the effects of type of message (information/buy), the moderating effects of fit (high/low) and salience (brand vs cause) and the mediating effects of attributions of partner motives in cause marketing advertisements.

Two experiments, one with students and the second with a more representative sample of the population were used to investigate the effects. ANOVA and structural equation modeling were used to test the relationships.

Fit and salience were found to be key moderators on the effect of type of message on consumer responses. While brands can use a buy message when they are salient, this benefits them only when fit is high. For informational messages, cause salience leads to positive outcomes, especially when fit is low. Further, consumer attributions of partner motives mediate responses to the advertisement.

Type of message is an important variable that needs to be selected with care. However, the moderating effects of fit and salience and the mediating effects of consumer attributions of partner motives may be able to overcome type of message.

Initial partner selection is critical for the brand. A second key factor is inferences due to the specific message, fit and salience. Nonprofit firms have less to worry about fit compared to brands as attitude and behavioral intentions are high under both fit conditions.

Cause marketing can be used successfully to benefit both brand and cause simultaneously.

This study examines the effects for both brands and causes and suggests ways in which both can benefit, leading to a win–win situation. This is an important contribution to the cause marketing field.

Retailer brand communities exist between a franchisor brand and individual retailers, with retailer‐based brand equity and brand‐building activities being key drivers of their success. This paper aims to introduce retailer‐based brand equity and examine its relationship with brand‐building activities and retailer brand community.

Individual stores in a variable format franchise from the retail hardware industry were studied at annual conventions in two North American cities. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and regression.

Results show that retailer‐based brand equity mediates the relationship between brand‐building activities and brand community identification and demonstrates the importance of branding in retailing contexts. The franchisee's continuation as part of the retailer brand community is influenced by the retailer‐based brand equity, with increased identification leading to increased purchase and higher performance.

The practical demands of the field study constrained the ability to examine other issues relevant to this research. There is also need to develop and refine further the items that measure the relationships.

Increased brand‐building activities do not automatically translate into higher commitment by franchisees, and franchisors need to increase the value of the brand. Engaging the franchisee as a member of the brand community has important outcomes for both parties. While franchisor brands benefit through increased sales, franchisees benefit through increased profit.

This is the first paper that has applied brand community principles to understand the franchisor‐franchisee relationship. The results from a field study have important implications for both brand building and franchising areas.

This study examines the relationship between the flexibility of working from anywhere and employees' psychological well-being (PWB) and safety. This study also investigates the moderating role of human resource (HR) leadership teams on HR policy (HRP), firm infrastructure (FRI) and remote work flexibility.

With the help of the literature review and flexible firm theory (FFT) and dynamic capability view (DCV) theory, a model has been developed conceptually. Later, the conceptual model is validated using partial least squares – structural equation modelling technique considering 471 useable respondents from different Asian and European firms to understand cross-country implications. This research study uses convenience and purposeful sampling techniques.

This study shows that there is a significant and positive moderating role of HR leadership support (HLS) towards developing flexible HRP and appropriate FRI to enable employees to work from anywhere. The results also indicate that there is a significant and positive impact of work from anywhere flexibility (WAF) and employee PWB and psychological safety (PSS), which in turn positively and significantly impact employee satisfaction (EMS) resulting in better firm performance (FP).

This study provides valuable input to HR management teams for developing effective HR policies to enable a work from anywhere option. The study also provides food for thought to practitioners, researchers and academicians regarding the need for more research on the relationship between work flexibility, PWB and FP. Finally, this study develops a unique model which could be used by any firm towards framing an effective HRP enabling WAF.

This research adds value to the overall body of knowledge of HR management. There is no study which investigated the impact of WAF on employee PWB and PSS. Thus, this study is considered a unique study. Moreover, the proposed model in this research study is also a unique model with explanative power of 71%.