Shuliang Li, Ke Gong, Bo Zeng, Wenhao Zhou, Zhouyi Zhang, Aixing Li and Li Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to overcome the weakness of the traditional model, in which the grey action quantity is a real number and thus leads to a “unique solution” and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to overcome the weakness of the traditional model, in which the grey action quantity is a real number and thus leads to a “unique solution” and to build the model with a trapezoidal possibility degree function.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the system input and output block diagram of the model, the interval grey action quantity is restored under the condition of insufficient system influencing factors, and the trapezoidal possibility degree function is formed. Based on that, a new model able to output non-unique solutions is constructed.
Findings
The model satisfies the non-unique solution principle of the grey theory under the condition of insufficient information. The model is compatible with the traditional model in structure and modelling results. The validity and practicability of the new model are verified by applying it in simulating the ecological environment water consumption in the Yangtze River basin.
Practical implications
In this study, the interval grey number form of grey action quantity is restored under the condition of insufficient system influencing factors, and the unique solution to the problem of the traditional model is solved. It is of great value in enriching the theoretical system of grey prediction models.
Social implications
Taking power consumption as an example, the accurate prediction of the future power consumption level is related to the utilization efficiency of the power infrastructure investment. If the prediction of the power consumption level is too low, it will lead to the insufficient construction of the power infrastructure and the frequent occurrence of “power shortage” in the power industry. If the prediction is too high, it will lead to excessive investment in the power infrastructure. As a result, the overall surplus of power supply will lead to relatively low operation efficiency. Therefore, building an appropriate model for the correct interval prediction is a better way to solve such problems. The model proposed in this study is an effective one to solve such problems.
Originality/value
A new grey prediction model with its interval grey action quantity based on the trapezoidal possibility degree function is proposed for the first time.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which Chinese classical virtues act as a restraint on consumerist hedonic values and the associated priority on profit…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which Chinese classical virtues act as a restraint on consumerist hedonic values and the associated priority on profit maximisation by managers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a literature review and adopts a reflective approach to the topic.
Findings
The paper considers how Chinese classical virtues are related to contemporary relational or indigenous values and how a social tension is created between these values and the hedonic values now present in Chinese urban society. Implications for management and management education are reviewed in the light of this tension.
Practical implications
The social unrest created by the privatisation of SOEs can be mitigated by the promotion of management education sensitised to the cultural norms and expectations of the Chinese people in relation to the role and responsibilities of managers. The Junzi (gentleman‐leader) archetype and the virtues of ren‐yi‐li are offered as exemplary features of a management seeking to balance social responsibility with profitability.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the social turbulence created by the advent of market economics in China and the concomitant rise of consumerism and the privatisation of state‐owned enterprises.
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Rohail Ashraf and Dwight Merunka
Customer‐company identification (CCI) refers to a social relationship between a company and its customers. Prior research highlights the positive consequences of CCI but does not…
Abstract
Purpose
Customer‐company identification (CCI) refers to a social relationship between a company and its customers. Prior research highlights the positive consequences of CCI but does not study the process by which CCI shapes both positive and negative consumer reactions to new company initiatives. This study aims to elaborate this process by modelling the mediating consequences of CCI (commitment to the company and feeling of belonging to an in‐group) on consumers’ responses to brand extensions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 291 respondents, spanning two companies and four brand extension scenarios. The model parameters were estimated through partial least squares path modelling.
Findings
CCI leads to commitment to the company and to a related group, through identification processes. Both forms of commitment influence consumer reactions to new corporate initiatives. The effect of company commitment is stable; in‐group commitment is more influential in forming consumer responses but varies depending on the severity of the situation.
Originality/value
This research elaborates the mechanisms of identity‐based commitment and its effect on consumer responses to new company initiatives. The two‐tiered, identification‐based commitment model highlights how identified customers relate to both the company and in‐groups of consumers, as a result of CCI. It explains both positive and negative consumer reactions, an insight missing from prior studies.
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Ling Jiang and Juan Shan
Despite the growing research regarding consumer luxury value perception and their influence on luxury consumption behavior in different cultural contexts, there is little research…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the growing research regarding consumer luxury value perception and their influence on luxury consumption behavior in different cultural contexts, there is little research investigating the cultural variation toward luxury within different generations in a given society. The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationships among Confucian propriety, luxury value perception, and purchase intention of luxury brands, and especially how these relationships differ between young and older consumers in a Chinese context.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a questionnaire survey in China. A multi-group structural equation model was used to test the conceptual model and research hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that the effects of functional value and social value on purchase intention of luxury brands are stronger for older generations than younger ones, while the effects of self-identity and hedonic value on purchase intention are stronger for younger generations than older ones. The Confucian propriety relates positively to the functional value and social value; however, these effects are more salient for older consumers.
Originality/value
The results of this study reveal the evolution of luxury consumption values and behaviors of Chinese consumers, suggesting that marketers should no longer label Chinese luxury consumers with common behaviors. It is also recommended that marketers of luxury brands in China should adapt this shifting attitude and respond actively to the expectations of different generations.
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Richard Huaman-Ramirez and Dwight Merunka
The purpose of this study is to examine how brand attachment is related to brand experience. The model tests the partial mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how brand attachment is related to brand experience. The model tests the partial mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of age and income.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 334 participants consuming brands with an experiential offering completed an online questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. The data were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and advanced methods such as the heterotrait–monotrait ratio and the Henseler’s multigroup analysis were used.
Findings
Brand experience is positively related to brand attachment, more so for younger consumers. This relationship holds for both hedonic and utilitarian brands. Results demonstrate the partial mediation of brand trust in this relationship, especially for utilitarian brands, and with a weaker indirect relationship for high-income consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The research was conducted in one country (Peru). Generalizability of results should be established by carrying out additional studies in other settings or countries.
Practical implications
Experiential marketing both as a positioning strategy and through marketing operations may help brands to increase consumer attachment. This may be managed both through the direct effect of favoring positive experiences and through the enhancement of brand trust. This is particularly the case for target markets composed of young and low-to-medium-income consumers.
Originality/value
Results confirm the impact of brand experience on brand attachment for both utilitarian and hedonic brands, and establish both the mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of age and income. These are new insights on the process itself and on boundary conditions of an important established relationship.
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Subhan Shahid and Emmanuelle Reynaud
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived attributes of the green market mediate the relationship between individuals' sustainability orientation and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived attributes of the green market mediate the relationship between individuals' sustainability orientation and entrepreneurial intentions and to what extent field of study (business vs non-business) moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 314 students in French universities and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the moderated mediation mechanism.
Findings
The results reveal that the adverse effects of the field of study on the relationship between sustainability orientation and entrepreneurial intentions through the mediating paths of green design and green supply chain. The authors found that these adverse effects were stronger for business students than for non-business students.
Practical implications
The authors recommend that government and academia collaborate to make crucial management decisions that encourage a sustainable entrepreneurship culture, such as revising the academic curriculum and supporting the inclusion of public–private sector initiatives.
Originality/value
This study contributes to and extends previous findings on the positive nexus between an individual's sustainability orientation and entrepreneurial intentions by theorizing the perceived attributes of the green market as a mediating process for translating sustainability beliefs into entrepreneurial intentions. Additionally, the adverse moderating effect of the field of study adds nuance to previous knowledge on the role of education in determining entrepreneurial intentions.
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Yasir Mansoor Kundi, Shakir Sardar and Kamal Badar
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of threat and challenge appraisals in the relationship between performance pressure and employees' work engagement…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of threat and challenge appraisals in the relationship between performance pressure and employees' work engagement, as well as the buffering role of emotional stability, as a personal characteristic, in this process.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a three-wave research design. Hypotheses were examined with a sample of 247 white-collar employees from French organizations.
Findings
Performance pressure is appraised as either threat or challenge. Challenge appraisal positively mediated the performance pressure and work engagement relationship, whereas threat appraisal negatively mediated the performance pressure and work engagement relationship. Emotional stability moderated these effects, suggesting performance pressure was appraised as a challenge rather than a threat, which then enhanced employee work engagement.
Practical implications
This study has shown that employees with high emotional stability who perceived performance pressure as a challenge achieved stronger employee work engagement.
Originality/value
Building on Lazare's theory of stress and Mitchell et al. 's theorization, this research demonstrates mediating and moderating mechanisms driving the role of performance pressure on employee work engagement relationships.
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Gul Afshan and Carolina Serrano-Archimi
Drawing on the self-consistency theory and temporal comparison theory, this study hypothesize that relative perceived supervisor support may positively affect voice behaviour and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the self-consistency theory and temporal comparison theory, this study hypothesize that relative perceived supervisor support may positively affect voice behaviour and negatively affect relationship conflict with a supervisor. This relationship happens through the underlying process of supervisor-based self-esteem acts as an underlying mechanism. But, such a relationship would be constrained by the value of temporal perceived supervisor support with high temporal perceived supervisor support strengthen this relationship as compared to low temporal perceived supervisor support.
Design/methodology/approach
Dyad data from 338 samples of employees nested within 50 supervisor workgroups from non-profit firms operating in three different cities in Sindh Pakistan were taken.
Findings
Data analysis showed that employees with a high perception of relative perceived supervisor support engaged in voice behaviour and restrain themselves from the relationship conflict. The supervisor-based self-esteem derived from supervisor support played the role of mediating this relationship. Moreover, temporal perceived supervisor support not only moderated the path between relative perceived supervisor support and supervisor-based self-esteem also the mediational strength of supervisor-based self-esteem in relative perceived supervisor support and voice behaviour and relationship conflict.
Practical implications
It is crucial to integrate social comparison in organizational support theory to view the supervisor–subordinate relationship beyond dyad. Managers should understand social comparison processes in which employees engage in to know how it affects various work attitudes and behaviours.
Originality/value
Given the importance of supervisor–subordinate relationships, the authors extend and build on the concept of social and temporal organizational support to supervisor support. The study is novel in studying such relationship and contribute to the supervisory support relationship literature beyond dyadic level.
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Shuaib Ahmed Soomro, Olivier Roques, Thomas Garavan and Akhtiar Ali
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee sensitivity to terrorism (STT), employee psychological well-being (EPW) and the mediating role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee sensitivity to terrorism (STT), employee psychological well-being (EPW) and the mediating role of employee psychological resilience (EPR) for both male and female employees in an environment characterized by discontinuous terrorist incidents.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses data collected from a sample of 432 university employees working in geographic areas impacted by discontinuous terrorist incidents. The study is cross-sectional.
Findings
Study findings reveal a significant relationship between employee STT and EPW. EPR mediated the impact of STT on EPW. Multigroup analysis highlighted significant causal order differences in STT between male and female employees. Females scored higher on STT.
Practical implications
Findings highlight important implications for organizational practitioners. Because STT leads to EPW and differs for males and females, practitioners should consider group differences when selecting interventions to enhance psychological resilience. Organizations should use customized training programs and development interventions to enhance psychological well-being.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is one of the few studies to investigate the relationship between STT and EPW and compare male and female employees. The study generates new insights into the experiences of male and female employees working in terrorist-ridden areas.