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Influencer marketing is a significant element in modern marketing. Both influencer marketing and college athletics are billion-dollar industries. As the two collide in the wake of college name, image or likeness (NIL) regulations, allowing for NIL athletes to monetize themselves and their personal brands, it is important to evaluate the implications of NIL influencers. This paper specifically examines whether sports-themed posts differ from lifestyle posts in terms of consumer perceptions.

Experimental design was used to explore the impact that NIL influencer source attributes have on audiences’ consumer attitudes. Participants (N = 222) viewed Instagram posts of four of the top NIL-earning athletes (two men and two women athletes) from 2023. Perceptions of the posts were examined under two collapsed conditions: sports-themed posts focusing on athletic pursuits and lifestyle posts that focused on lifestyle. Participants answered questions concerning credibility, wishful identification, homophily and behavioral intention.

Sports-themed content was regarded as more credible and linked to greater behavioral intentions, including intent to engage on social media and intent to purchase an endorsed product when compared with more traditional lifestyle posts. Both homophily and wishful identification play an important mediating role in the processing of influencer content.

Given the recency of NIL regulations, this research focuses on the underexplored topic of college athletes as endorsers. Understanding the type of posts that elicit greater behavioral intentions has marketing implications for a wide variety of organizations interested in partnership opportunities with NIL athletes.

The concept of distributed leadership (DL) has been widely advocated within higher education (HE). Yet, there have been few empirical investigations and little theory development outside Western contexts to date. This study presents a unique conceptualisation of DL and tests it empirically in India.

This study tests a moderated-mediation model by exploring the antecedents and consequences of DL in HE. Standardised questionnaires were drawn from literature and completed by a sample of 269 respondents from six top-ranked (elite) Indian higher education institutions (HEIs). Structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-group analysis techniques were used to analyse the data.

Results demonstrated that empowering power structure (EPS) is positively related to DL, whilst participation in decision-making (PDM) strengthened this relationship. Further, it is also noted that DL mediates the relationship between EPS and behavioural outcomes of employee voice and silence.

The findings suggest that a DL approach can be effective at enhancing employee voice and reducing employee silence within HEIs in (and perhaps beyond) India. The research also suggests that where institutions implement EPS alongside opportunities for PDM, this can help foster and sustain DL.

By exploring antecedents (EPS and PDM) and consequences (voice and silence), this paper presents a novel approach to studying DL. The focus on Indian HE offers a more nuanced empirical understanding of DL in a non-Western context.

This study is based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) and attempts to shed light on what influences restaurant consumers’ intentions to eat locally sourced meals.

Data from 698 respondents were gathered through a web-based survey employing a quantitative methodology.

The findings indicated that several motivating factors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control positively influence respondents’ attitudes toward dining at restaurants serving meals that are obtained locally. Also, attitudes significantly predicted intentions and mediated the relationship between the motivating factors and intention to consume local meals. Furthermore, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control moderated the relationship between attitude and intention.

The study offers implications for both theory and practice. In the context of Egypt in particular, this study advocates for sustainable food production and consumption in restaurants. The study focused only on consumers; it suggests that subsequent research should examine the restaurant operators’ perspective.

To draw in and please more locavores, restaurant management can use buzzwords like “safe food,” “fresh food” and “environmental labels.” They should also provide their consumers with the backstory of menu items, including where food comes from, how it’s made and how it gets transported.

This study tests an adapted model built on TPB and advocates for sustainable production and consumption in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.