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The purpose of this paper is to design and test a conceptual model integrating uses and gratifications (UGT), self-image congruity (SIC), and theory of planned behavior (TPB) theories to identify the drivers that lead users to develop intentions to purchase clothing products through social networking sites (SNS).

Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from customers of clothing products who visit the SNS of their preferred clothing brands (n=1,003). Empirical results, using partial least squares regressions, were used to test the conceptual model.

The results supported the model and showed, as the main result, that purchase intention through the use of SNS is positively affected by intentions to use SNS and SNS use. SNS use is influenced by intentions to use SNS and by UGT. Intentions to use SNS are positively affected by UGT, attitude and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Attitude is positively influenced by UGT, SIC, PBC and subjective norm.

These findings reveal that the critical elements in achieving purchase intentions in users through SNS include obtaining their participation by managing the SNS according to users’ self-image and offering useful gratifications.

This paper integrates theories of SIC, UGT and the TPB in a context of technology post-adoption to understand users’ purchase intentions through SNS. By establishing this novel theoretical integration approach, this paper furthers insight into purchase intentions through SNS.

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study has two objectives. First, it sought to explore the mediating role of social exchange reciprocating responses, specifically citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCB-O) and organizational deviance, in the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and quality of care. Second, it aimed to develop a better understanding of the moderating effect of the educational level in the relationships proposed.

A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. The study involved 228 nurses from Argentina and data were collected between May and November 2019. A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. This study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and multi-group analysis (MGA) to examine hypotheses.

The findings indicate that both social exchange reciprocating responses (i.e. OCB-O and organizational deviance) play a mediating role in the relationship between POS and quality of care. Moreover, the mediating role of OCB-O between POS and quality of care is moderated by the educational level of nursing professionals.

Nurse managers should acknowledge and promote nurses' reciprocating responses such as citizenship or deviant behaviors that enhance the quality of care. Furthermore, senior managers and HR departments should design strategies to support nurses in obtaining further education.

This study identifies the mediating role of social exchange reciprocating responses such as OCB-O and organizational deviance in the relationship between POS and quality of care. Furthermore, our research shows that educational level moderates the mediating effect of OCB-O in the relationship between POS and quality of care.

This study aims to examine the impact of the gameful experience on behavioural outcomes. Drawing from stimulus–organism–response theory, it proposes and tests a new model that investigates the relationship between the gameful experience, brand loyalty and intention to use gamified branded applications in the sports context. In addition, it explores the mediating role of customer–brand engagement (CBE) and the moderating role of self-image congruity (SIC).

A sample of 436 active users of sport-related branded gamified applications was used to test the model. Data was collected from online sports forums, brands’ Facebook communities and during sporting events.

Results indicate that the gameful experience positively and directly impacts behavioural intentions but does not directly influence brand loyalty. This relationship becomes partially significant when mediated by CBE. In addition, results show that users with high levels of SIC are more likely to continue using the gamified application, whereas users with low levels are more likely to engage with the brand.

This study expands the gamification literature in the sports sector by revealing the importance of the gameful experience in driving loyalty, behavioural intentions and CBE. It proposes a new model that sheds light on the emotional aspect of the interaction between a user and a gamified system and the importance of exploring the effects of moderators, such as SIC, in these relationships.

This paper aims to investigate how employees’ emotional competences affect customers’ responses in the context of emotional-driven and personalized services. Specifically, it proposes a model to analyze the influence of employees’ emotional competence on rapport, trust and loyalty toward the service employee and the company.

The empirical context to validate the proposed theory is the fitness realm. The sample comprises 296 clients from fitness personal training services. Data collection was carried out by means of personal surveys in three relevant fitness clubs in the city of Barcelona (Spain). The study uses partial least squares to test and validate the proposed theoretical model.

Employee emotional competence (EEC) directly affects personal loyalty, trust toward the service employee and rapport. However, higher levels of emotional skills are not significantly associated with loyalty toward the company. The results also suggest that trust significantly enhances loyalty. Interestingly, high levels of rapport between the service worker and the employee could even damage the level of loyalty toward the company.

Prior research documents that emotional intelligence enhances diverse positive customer outcomes, especially in emotionally charged interactions. Nonetheless, few studies have focused on analyzing how customers’ perceptions about services employees’ emotional skills are determining their attitudes and behavioral intentions. This study provides evidence on employee’s influences on consumer behaviors and outcomes, with a specific focus on EEC. It also sheds light on the unintuitive impact of customer employee rapport on loyalty toward the company.

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of customer brand engagement (CBE) by proposing and empirically testing a model of antecedents and consequences of CBE for user-initiated online brand communities (OBCs).

The model is tested using a sample of 584 participants in two relevant OBCs created and managed by brand fans. Specifically, data were collected from two communities in the photography products category: Nikonistas and Canonistas.

The results indicate that community and brand identification positively and significantly influence CBE. Furthermore, the supporting role of OBCs’ moderators facilitates CBE and moderates the influence of community identification on CBE. Regarding the outcomes of CBE, the results show that higher levels of engagement are positively, directly and significantly associated with favorable intentions towards the brand and the community. These effects are then mediated by brand affective commitment.

The study has been conducted in two Spanish OBCs of two specific high-involvement products category: it is cross-sectional and focuses on a limited number of antecedents and consequences.

Evidence from this research supports and emphasizes the potential that these platforms have for brand management such that firms’ resources could be best allocated on those elements that lead to superior CBE.

The study endorses the role of CBE in fostering brand and community-related favorable outcomes in the context of user-initiated OBCs. It shed lights on the potential that these online platforms have for brands and on the role that brand management should play in digital contexts that are outside the direct control of the company.

The purpose of this study is to empirically develop and validate a practical, consistent and specific scale to assess perceived service quality at the service encounter at quick-service restaurants (QSRs).

Development and validation of the scale involved a five-stage process. Data were collected from 430 customers of a QSR belonging to an international brand located in Barcelona. Surveys were applied immediately after the service encounter, using the face-to-face method. The scale development procedure involved exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

The results suggest a specific and parsimonious measurement scale, whose structure comprises 14 items in four dimensions. In contrast to previous studies, this study identified the appropriateness of splitting the interaction quality dimension into two single dimensions, one focusing on the interaction time and other on staff–customer interaction. Furthermore, these indicate that a speedy service, pleasant treatment and food quality are the most valued attributes in QSR.

This scale is a useful instrument to administer and assure service quality standards within QSR management systems. Its practical approach and short survey length ease data collection, considering that customers spend short amounts of time in this type of restaurant. Furthermore, it could also be used by franchisors and restaurant operators as a tool to monitor continuing compliance with service quality standards.

The resulting scale introduces a novel four-factor structure with high goodness of fit to effectively measure customers' perceived service quality in QSRs, where the ease of use and speed of gathering client responses are a key factor for successful implementation.

This study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption of locally produced food. In particular, it examines an extended model of the theory of planned behavior, with the addition of the perceived risk of becoming infected with the disease, locavorism and internal locus of control.

The study employs data collected from an online panel of consumers from the five largest cities in Spain (n = 1,000). It uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test and validate the proposed theoretical model.

The results indicate that the perceived risk of COVID-19 drives consumers to embrace locavorism more and, although locavorism is a strong predictor of attitude, internal locus of control also has a strong impact on attitude and switching intentions. Subjective norm and attitude are strong predictors of switching intentions and purchase intentions, and switching intentions also have a powerful impact on purchase intentions.

This study extends previous research on locally produced food consumption in that it has proposed and tested a new conceptual model with the inclusion of the perceived risk of COVID-19, locavorism, internal locus of control and switching intentions, which were found to have an influence on purchasing behavior.

Digital natives constitute a substantial part of consumers nowadays. Yet, a theoretical understanding of the factors driving their engagement with new-age digital services is lacking. This study therefore aims to examine digital natives’ continuance usage of the proliferating over-the-top (OTT) services. To address these objectives, the study uses a comprehensive model that primarily integrates perceived value, cognitive absorption and customer brand engagement theories.

Data were collected using an online personal questionnaire targeting active digital natives OTT service users using the online software tool SurveyMonkey. A sample of 1,415 digital natives was analysed using structural equation modelling.

The findings indicated that continuance usage is predicted by all three theories. The results illustrate that cognitive absorption and customer brand engagement are the most critical in enhancing continuance usage. Gender effects on digital natives’ value perceptions were found. The model explains 57% of the variance in users’ continuance usage.

The study adds valuable contributions to the existing literature that are relevant to digital natives’ engagement with new-age digital services. The proposed integrated model and the role of gender in value formations provide managers with novel insights when designing effective strategies to increase continuance usage for the largest consuming generation.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-03-2022-0133

Drawing on social exchange theory and the expectancy–value model, this study has two objectives. First, it sought to explore the mediating role of nurses’ self-concept and affective commitment between perceived organizational support (POS) and three different targets (organization, co-workers and patients) of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Second, it aimed to develop a better understanding of how nurses´ self-concept and affective commitment mediate the influence of POS on OCB directed toward different targets through sequential mediation.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 229 nurses. This sample was representative of the nursing population based on several demographic characteristics. Data analysis was performed using partial least squares analysis.

The study revealed that nurses´ self-concept plays a mediating role between POS and OCB directed toward the organization, co-workers and patients, while affective commitment has a mediating effect between POS and OCB directed toward the organization and co-workers. Finally, the indirect influence of POS on OCB through nurses´ self-concept and affective commitment was significant only at the organizational level.

This study contributes to the extant literature by identifying the mediating role of nurses´ self-concept among social exchange constructs such as POS, affective commitment and OCB directed toward different targets.

Although the challenge of food waste (FW) in the foodservice sector is significant, restaurant managers do not always engage in its reduction. The psychological reasons for this disengagement remain insufficiently understood. This study aims to explore the antecedents of behavioural intention of restaurateurs (not) to reduce FW. The influence of three factors is tested, namely, market orientation; environmental apathy alongside selected neutralization techniques, namely, appeal to higher loyalties; denial of injury and denial of responsibility.

The study uses the method of a large-scale managerial survey (n = 292) administered in the commercial foodservice sector of Spain. The data are analysed via structural equation modelling with partial least squares.

The study finds that market orientation affects managerial intention to reduce FW but not their attitude, while environmental apathy influences managerial attitudes but not their behavioural intention. The study confirms the negative effect of such neutralizers as the appeal to higher loyalties and the denial of injury on suppressing managerial intention to reduce FW. Contrary to initial anticipations, another established neutralizer, the denial of responsibility, exerts no significant effect.

The study elaborates on the interventions necessitated to neutralize the effect of the neutralizers on managerial (un)willingness to reduce FW in the commercial foodservice sector.

This is the first known attempt to understand the drivers of managerial engagement in FW reduction in the commercial foodservice sector through the prism of environmental apathy, market orientation and neutralization theory.