Jennifer L. Stevens, Carol L. Esmark Jones and Mike Breazeale
Consumers are increasingly using review sites to exchange product information, whereas companies attempt to maintain control of brand-related communications. One method marketers…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers are increasingly using review sites to exchange product information, whereas companies attempt to maintain control of brand-related communications. One method marketers may take to retain control is to remove negative opinions about the brand. This paper aims to examine the impact on consumer’s brand perceptions when negative reviews are censored.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experimental studies were conducted to assess whether censorship of a negative online review, in the form of removal by the company, weakens brand relationship quality (BRQ) dimensions.
Findings
The results show that censoring negative online reviews has a damaging effect on BRQ. Additionally, the findings indicate that a brand may not be able to increase BRQ when a negative review has been posted, however strategic measures can be taken to diminish the potentially harmful impact.
Originality/value
As many brands still do not adequately understand how to handle negative online reviews, this research offers valuable implications in furthering the examination of negative electronic word-of-mouth and ways to diminish its harmful effects. Additionally, while substantial research focuses on the positive consequences of brand relationships, this research answers calls to examine the negative impacts to BRQ.
Details
Keywords
Tyler Hancock, Stacie F. Waites, Catherine M. Johnson and Jennifer L. Stevens
This study aims to identify the impact that Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy tendencies have on avoidance and revenge-seeking after a service failure. The research…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the impact that Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy tendencies have on avoidance and revenge-seeking after a service failure. The research examines the role that negative affect and desire for revenge play in aggressive behaviors by consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a survey research methodology. The measurement model is validated using CFA, and hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling. The mediated and serially mediated relationships are calculated using the bootstrap method by creating estimands to test the effects.
Findings
Machiavellianism is less likely to drive avoidance and negative affect, reducing desire for revenge, negative word of mouth and vindictive complaining. Those with narcissism tendencies are likely to develop a negative affect and a corresponding desire for revenge after the failure only if negative affect is developed. Consumers who exhibit psychopathy tendencies are likely to seek out revenge directly.
Practical implications
Each Dark Triad tendency influences consumer avoidance and revenge-seeking in different ways when a consumer’s goals are impeded. Companies can focus on service recoveries differently based on the types of tendencies of consumers engaging in avoidance and revenge-seeking.
Originality/value
The individual paths from Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy tendencies to avoidance and revenge-seeking are developed and analyzed. Further distinctions between each Dark Triad tendency aids service providers in addressing and preparing for these consumer behaviors.
Details
Keywords
Alexander Davidson, Mark R. Gleim, Catherine M. Johnson and Jennifer L. Stevens
The unique employment status of gig workers as independent contractors and their impact on consumers provide an important opportunity for the current research to understand gig…
Abstract
Purpose
The unique employment status of gig workers as independent contractors and their impact on consumers provide an important opportunity for the current research to understand gig workers' perceptions of their employment and how that affects job performance outcomes. These gig workers serve as the frontline service providers for platforms like Airbnb hosts, Lyft drivers and Wag walkers performing customer-facing services. However, their status as gig workers, not traditional employees, presents challenges to platforms. The purpose of this research is to gain insights into the profiles of gig workers, examine the challenges platforms have in retaining high-performing workers and provide a research agenda on this important group of frontline service providers.
Design/methodology/approach
Incorporating variables deemed important in examining self-determination theory, a large-scale data collection via an online survey was administered, yielding 447 completed surveys. A two-step cluster analysis procedure was conducted to categorize sample respondents into four distinct groups.
Findings
Four groups emerged from the cluster analysis, labeled “Ambivalent Outsider,” “Competent Cog,” “Independent Insider” and “Committed Comrade.” The results suggest that there are significant differences across all variables and groups based on gig worker responses and self-reported customer satisfaction scores. The gig worker profiles developed are then utilized to formulate research propositions that are the basis for the research agenda presented.
Practical implications
The goal of many collaborative consumption platforms may be to hire Independent Insiders or Committed Comrades; however, that is difficult to attain with every hire. Thus, the segmentation results provide insights for companies seeking to hire, retain, and successfully motivate their workforce.
Originality/value
Given the freedom and flexibility afforded to gig workers, and the importance they have on the service experience for customers, understanding their own perceptions of employment and performance is critical to ensuring a positive experience for all parties. Research on collaborative consumption has largely focused on consumers or the management of freelance workers with only tangential applicability to gig work. This paper offers a comprehensive research agenda for gig worker management based on the typology of gig workers created.
Details
Keywords
Mark R. Gleim, Jennifer L. Stevens and Catherine M. Johnson
This research paper aims to provide conceptual clarity for marketplaces within the lateral exchange market framework. The advances in digital technologies have been critical to…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper aims to provide conceptual clarity for marketplaces within the lateral exchange market framework. The advances in digital technologies have been critical to the growth of new marketplaces and forms of exchange. While there are many different names and manifestations of these marketplaces, the common thread is they all require digital platform intermediation. These marketplaces are referred to by a variety of names and characteristics, and a clear consensus has yet to be achieved.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a conceptual approach rooted in the marketing literature.
Findings
This study differentiates and defines the sharing economy, collaborative consumption and access-based consumption, as well as introduces the concept of liquid ownership – all under the LEM framework. Defining characteristics for each marketplace are noted to present a consistent classification of the focal concepts for the advancement of research and theory.
Research limitations/implications
As the number and types of lateral exchange marketplaces continue to grow, researchers need to have a clear delineation of the concepts. This research seeks to provide clarity on the disparate literature streams and introduces the concept of liquid ownership to allow for the advancement of research and theory surrounding these forms of consumption.
Practical implications
Understanding existing marketplaces is vital for online platforms as they develop new offerings and differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Additionally, opportunities for traditional businesses abound as they pursue new market opportunities and adapt to changing technologies. Thus, research questions concerning consumers and platform managers are presented.
Originality/value
This research contributes conceptual clarity on elements commonly associated with the sharing economy while expanding it to include elements found in LEMs. The concept of liquid ownership is also presented to reflect the evolving consumption landscape. Research opportunities and questions are provided to guide future scholarly work.
Details
Keywords
Jennifer L. Stevens, Mark R. Gleim and Stacie F. Waites
This paper aims to examine the transformative role of experience identification in connecting online communities to offline experiences. This study also aims to understand if…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the transformative role of experience identification in connecting online communities to offline experiences. This study also aims to understand if consumers in the pre-experience stage can identify with an experience and how this influences their subsequent evaluations, focusing on the impact of online community participation.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model, based on social identity theory, is tested using a two-study approach. Study 1 involves first-time cruisers in an online cruise community. Study 2 extends the findings to a broader range of travel experiences, including both first-time and repeat travelers.
Findings
Results suggest that experiential consumers can identify with an experience in the pre-experience stage through two key community participation variables – experience imagination and emotional significance. Experience identification directly influences loyalty, which subsequently impacts word-of-mouth and satisfaction post-experience.
Practical implications
Service providers should leverage forums, brand communities and social media platforms to enhance interactivity between experienced and first-time customers. Strategies are presented to foster user interaction and interconnectedness, boosting consumer satisfaction and loyalty and providing a competitive advantage from the outset of the customer journey.
Originality/value
Despite the recognized importance of experiential consumption, the marketing literature has largely focused on the actual consumption experience, overlooking the pre-experience stage. This research highlights the critical role of the pre-experience stage, showing that the value of an experience begins before the service encounter and continues after it ends.
Details
Keywords
Alisa G. Brink, Jennifer C. Coats and Frederick W. Rankin
Participative budgeting can benefita firm by incorporating subordinates’ private information into financing and operating decisions. In the managerial accounting literature…
Abstract
Participative budgeting can benefita firm by incorporating subordinates’ private information into financing and operating decisions. In the managerial accounting literature, studies of participative budgeting posit superiors that range from passively committed to highly active participants, some of whom are permitted to communicate, choose compensation schemes, negotiate with subordinates, and reject budgets. This paper synthesizes and analyzes experimental research in participative budgeting with a focus on the role of the superior defined in the research design, and on how that role affects budget outcomes, subordinate behavior, and in some cases superior behavior. We demonstrate how superior type influences economic and behavioral predictions, and likewise affects budgeting outcomes and the interpretation of the results. This paper is intended to further our understanding of how superior type affects behavior in participative budgeting studies, and to facilitate the choice of superior type in future research designs.
Details
Keywords
With increasing acceptance of followership as a counterpart of leadership, the study of followership within graduate-level leadership and business curricula should be equally…
Abstract
With increasing acceptance of followership as a counterpart of leadership, the study of followership within graduate-level leadership and business curricula should be equally considered. Further, an understanding of andragogy, or adult education theory, is of benefit with the inclusion of creativity within a followership curriculum. By developing creative capacity within followership education, graduate students are better equipped to influence the business world with innovative thinking skills that enhance problem solving in an increasingly competitive work environment.
Details
Keywords
Jennifer Trivedi and Megan Stevens
People with chronic conditions faced a type of double jeopardy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their pre-existing health conditions made them more likely to become severely ill �…
Abstract
People with chronic conditions faced a type of double jeopardy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their pre-existing health conditions made them more likely to become severely ill – and more likely to be admitted to intensive care, intubated, and die – if infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. At the same time, access to needed screening, testing, and treatment was often limited due to the cancelation of primary care services by healthcare providers and systems overwhelmed by the need to treat patients with COVID-19. Patients with chronic conditions feared being exposed to COVID-19 while receiving care. The resulting stress, fear, and anxiety made the management of chronic diseases even more difficult. Several subsets of patients with certain medical conditions, including immunodeficiencies and disabilities, were particularly impacted. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the response to it, also impacted support and services available to caregivers and heightened stress, particularly among parents and caregivers.
Details
Keywords
Matthew A. Lapierre, Anjali Ashtaputre and Jennifer Stevens Aubrey
Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts…
Abstract
Purpose
Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts targeting boys or girls, in addition to differences for shirts that were higher in cost.
Design/methodology/approach
This content analysis of children’s t-shirts included 866 child-targeted shirts taken from the online retail portals from 11 clothing retailers in the USA. Shirts were coded for gendered themes on the front torso part of the shirt and included traditional boy themes (e.g. aggression, instrumentality) and girl themes (e.g. compassion, passivity). In addition, the retail prices for each shirt were recorded at the time of data collection.
Findings
The results demonstrated that children’s graphic t-shirts starkly differentiate between femininity and masculinity based on their target. Boys’ shirts were significantly more likely to feature active themes, whereas girls’ shirts were more likely to focus on social belonging and interpersonal connection. Boys’ shirts were also more likely to display themes linked to dominance/aggression but not compassion. Girls’ shirts were more likely to tout both shyness and attention seeking. Finally, results generally showed that higher priced t-shirts were less likely to feature gender stereotypes than lower-priced t-shirts.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study that has looked at the marketing of children’s clothes in retail environments with a specific focus on gender and gender stereotyping.
Details
Keywords
Nancy T. Walker, Jennifer Wimmer and Thomas Bean
This article considers the current state of teacher discourse and reflection, situated in daily practice, craft knowledge, multiliteracies and new literacies. Based on studies of…
Abstract
This article considers the current state of teacher discourse and reflection, situated in daily practice, craft knowledge, multiliteracies and new literacies. Based on studies of content area teachers' use of multiple texts in social studies fields like economics, the authors profile Kenneth, an experienced teacher whose practice is grounded in craft knowledge and ideas about principled practices. In addition, Kenneth is an active proponent of new and digital literacy practices in his classroom simulations. The case example of Kenneth is then used to suggest how the process of practical argument might offer other content area teachers a useful framework for teacher reflection based on teachers’ craft knowledge and principled practices.