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This paper aims to the intricate relationship between digital influencers (DIs) and their followers, aiming to develop a comprehensive framework that explains how influence works in the digital world. It focuses on understanding the cultural aspects that shape these relationships in today’s global and digital marketplace.

This study employs a holistic methodology, intertwining historical, cultural and theoretical insights to decode the DI phenomenon. Applying a Grounded Theory approach, this paper coded articles into categories, developed abstract concepts and refined them through cycles of literature collection and analysis that allowed identifing gaps in the Influencer Marketing field. This comprehensive review and inductive analysis of globalization, mediated communication and digital interactions aim to unravel the intricacies of digital and virtual influence. This paper’s theoretical development advances propositions that dissect the facets influencing digital adoption, usage, interest and value perception, leading to a detailed model of digital influence grounded in both theory and real-world examples.

This research uncovers the significant impact DIs have, driven by global connections and the way we communicate in the digital age. Historical context situates DIs within the broader narrative of mediated persuasive communication. A preliminary typology of DIs and influence contexts forms the foundation for further exploration.

This study enhances the discussion around DIs by considering the influence of technology and culture together. It draws from the thoughts of leading thinkers on how technology connects us, providing a strong foundation for future studies.

As digital influence and the surrounding technology continue to change, it’s important to think critically about these trends. This research offers valuable insights for businesses looking to navigate the digital landscape effectively, helping them make better strategic decisions about their online presence.

This study breaks new ground by offering a detailed categorization of DIs and proposing a fresh way to understand their role. It links important ideas from the past about persuasion through media to the current state of digital influence, offering insights into how digital trends might affect communication strategies.

This article delves into a theoretical framework evaluating the outcomes of justice perception (JP) on post-complaint behaviors. In addition, this article intends to facilitate service strategists to tailor service recovery efforts to attain a competitive gain.

We explored the complex relationships between JP and positive word-of-mouth (PWOM), evaluating the role of recovery disconfirmation (RD) as a mediator and also exploring factors that work as moderators. Data were collected in three different studies (Study 1: survey in banking service, Study 2a: experiment in hotel service and Study 2b: experiment in banking service) and were evaluated through the regression-based analysis.

Findings show that the link between JP and PWOM is mediated by RD. Moreover, the attitude toward complaining, failure severity and cognitive reappraisal function as moderators in affecting the behavioral consequences of JP.

In contrast to existing research discussing similar topics, in this article, exclusive focus is given on the moderation and mediation impacts for hypotheses evaluation. Thus, the outcomes from our studies provide a strategic outline for managing service failures by enhancing customer interactions, creating opportunities for competitive gain.

This paper aims to describe the development and validation of the Prison Fellowship Well-being index (PF-WBI), a new quantitative tool for assessing prisoner and staff well-being within prison cultures.

The PF-WBI was developed through an iterative process of item creation, administration alongside established well-being measures and a series of data analyses. Data was collected from both staff and prisoners (n = 989) across four North Dakota prisons.

Analysis supported a four-factor structure for the PF-WBI measuring motivation/self-esteem, relationships/community functioning, hope/mood and stress-related detriments. The PF-WBI demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability, convergent validity with established well-being measures and criterion-related validity for both staff and prisoners. Measurement invariance across staff and prisoners was also confirmed.

The PF-WBI offers a new and versatile tool for researchers and practitioners to assess staff and prisoner well-being in correctional settings. It can be used to evaluate prison cultures and the effectiveness of culture improvement efforts.

This study aims to examine the relationship between supportive design (SD) and residential mobility of students with disabilities (SWD) in off-campus student hostels in Ghana.

Quantitative research techniques were adopted. A sample of 243 SWD living in 190 University Student Housing were selected. Based on the SD indicators, the partial least square structural equation model was used to explore its effects on residential mobility in SWD living in university housing.

Findings indicate that a sense of control and positive distraction significantly influence residential mobility to a greater extent than social support design. While the sense of control emerged as a primary predictor of residential mobility, no direct relationships were observed between the sense of control, positive distraction and social support. Although social support did not exhibit significant direct effects, its potential relevance to residential mobility cannot be dismissed.

The enhancement and compliance of a sense of control and positive distraction SD in the common areas in student housing will reduce SWD residential mobility and increase investors’ profitability. Positive social support designs are critical to predicting percentage change in residential mobility in off-campus student housing in Ghana.

SD is a theory largely used in health-care buildings. The observation of no relationship between a sense of control and positive distraction, and social support aspects of SD in university housing in this study significantly differs from the inverse relationship that exists between SD in hospitals, especially in the developing world, is a theoretical contribution.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze how a change towards product orientation based on an agile approach challenges, contrasts and/or coexists with other principles of organization and grouping, such as development projects, the existing hierarchical line structure and process management.

This is a case study of one organization, based on an explorative appoach.

Taking the competing dimension of coordination and principles of grouping as the starting point, this study identify, describe and analyze the tensions that result from the introduction of product organization. The product initiative has met many obstacles and tensions along four dimensions: Process, line, information technology units and development projects. For each of these dimensions a number of challenges have been identified, that contribute to increased complexity in the organization.

A limitation of the study is that the findings cannot be generalized to other organizations.

A practical implication of the study is that product organization triggers tensions with other principles of organizations and grouping.

This study mainly contributes to the knowledge of agile management and agile organization, identifying and theorizing challenges that have been neglected and/or poorly understood both in the popular literature and in organizational research. This is particularly the case in the public sector. This study is also relevant to the domain of multidimensional structures, adding an understanding of the novel opportunities and challenges of product- and agile-based grouping of activities in an organization.

In marketing and consumer research, the study of Indigenous ideas and rituals remains limited. The authors present an Indigenous-informed study of consumption rituals co-produced with members of the Shipibo–Konibo Indigenous group of the Peruvian Amazon. Specifically, the authors worked with the Comando Matico, a group of Shipibos from Pucallpa, Peru. This study aims to investigate how Indigenous spiritual beliefs shape health-related consumption rituals by focusing on the experience of the Shipibos and their response to COVID-19.

Drawing upon the principles of Indigenous research, the authors co-produced this study with the Comando Matico. The authors collaboratively discussed the research project’s design, analysed and interpreted data and co-authored this study with members of the Comando Matico. This study uses discourse analyses. The corpus of discourse is speech and text produced by the Comando Matico in webinars and online interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full and active participation of the Comando Matico informed the discourse analysis by ensuring Indigenous knowledge, and worldviews were infused throughout the process.

The authors foreground how Indigenous spiritual beliefs act as a force that imbues the knowledge and practice of health, wellbeing and illness, and this process shapes the performance of rituals. In Indigenous contexts, multiple spirits coexist with consumers, who adhere to specific rituals to respond to and relate to these spirits. Indigenous consumption rituals involve the participation of non-human beings (called rao, ibo, yoshin and chaikoni by the Shipibos) and this aspect challenges the traditional notion of rituals and ritual elements in marketing.

The authors demonstrate how Indigenous spiritual beliefs shape consumption rituals in the context of health and draw attention to how the acknowledgement of alternative ontologies and epistemologies can help address dominant hierarchies of knowledge in marketing theory.

A “state-driven” approach suggests that colonists use census categories to rule. However, a “society-driven” approach suggests that this state-driven perspective confers too much power upon states. A third approach views census-taking and official categorization as a product of state–society interaction that depends upon: (a) the population's lay categories, (b) information intellectuals' ability to take up and transform these lay categories, and (c) the balance of power between social and state actors. We evaluate the above positions by analyzing official records, key texts, travelogues, and statistical memoirs from three key periods in India: Indus Valley civilization through classical Gupta rule (ca. 3300 BCE–700 CE), the “medieval” period (ca. 700–1700 CE), and East India Company (EIC) rule (1757–1857 CE), using historical narrative. We show that information gathering early in the first period was society driven; however, over time, a strong interactive pattern emerged. Scribes (information intellectuals) increased their social status and power (thus, shifting the balance of power) by drawing on caste categories (lay categories) and incorporating them into official information gathering. This intensification of interactive information gathering allowed the Mughals, the EIC, and finally British direct rule officials to collect large quantities of information. Our evidence thus suggests that the intensification of state–society interactions over time laid the groundwork for the success of the direct rule British censuses. It also suggests that any transformative effect of these censuses lay in this interactive pattern, not in the strength of the British colonial state.

In 2020, mining activity by Rio Tinto destroyed rock caves in Western Australia's Juukan Gorge that are considered sacred sites by the First Nation Peoples of that area, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Peoples. This paper examines the public response to the damage caused at this culturally sensitive site and identifies cultural heritage protection strategies that emerged in the aftermath of this catastrophic event.

This research applies a qualitative case study method and analysis of open-sourced official policy documents, media reports and published institutional statements.

The research identified specific cultural heritage protection strategies, including stakeholder-driven advocacy and shared values approach to business practices to help foster a greater appreciation of the connections between people, objects and lands. Whilst the mining activities were considered lawful, significant gaps in the legislation to protect heritage sites were also exposed.

Using a recent case that occurred in 2020, this paper unpacks how the motivations for accessing minerals can override cultural sensibilities and legal/ethical frameworks established to protect cultural heritage. This paper brings to light the liabilities associated with the mining industry when operating in a culturally significant environment where appropriate due diligence to manage cultural heritage is not thoroughly applied. The paper highlights the role the community can play in demanding improved corporate social responsibility which can, in turn, act as a strategy for cultural heritage protection.