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This paper seeks to present final results from an exploratory research project that aimed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of different delivery modes (especially online as opposed to face‐to‐face) when developing leadership skills in established managers.

This study sought to identify whether perceptions of the effectiveness of different delivery modes are statistically related to a variety of independent variables. Data were gathered from three iterations of a quantitative research instrument that was distributed to established managers enrolled on MBA programmes at Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK.

The main findings are that two inter‐related factors appear to determine perceptions of the effectiveness of mediated online learning environments in developing leadership skills, namely whether students are registered on a face‐to‐face or an online mode and their self‐reported general perceptions of online learning. From the research findings, few other variables appeared to have a statistically significant effect on perceptions.

The research is limited by having been conducted in one institution only and addresses self‐reported perceptions only (i.e. the authors have made no attempt to objectively measure actual changes in managers' skills).

The area of interest is fraught both by the contested nature of the conceptual landscape and by the lack of robust previously published empirical data. The findings of the research contradict several previously published sources that had suggested that many variables would have a statistically significant effect on perceptions.

Today, appearance is an integral aspect of a politician's image and personality and therefore his or her brand (Budesheim & DePaola, 1994; Sanghvi & Hodges, 2015; Smith & French, 2009). While appearance is critical to political marketing, most of the research focusing on appearance in politics is experimental in nature (Lenz & Lawson, 2011; Olivola & Todorov, 2010; Todorov et al., 2005). This study investigates the importance of appearance for marketing politicians through a qualitative interpretivist framework that offers implications for theory. Moreover, this chapter offers a specific focus on the importance of appearance for female politicians.

Research shows women face greater scrutiny on their appearance (Carlin & Winfrey, 2009; Sanghvi, 2018). This chapter examines myriad of issues women in politics face based on their appearance. It also examines how women have successfully managed the issue of appearance at local, state and national levels. Thus, this study delivers a multifaceted view of the topic and facilitates the understanding of how appearance management enters into the political marketing process.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how dimensions of body image relate to product involvement among gay men.

A survey consisting of body image and product involvement measures was administered to 147 self-identified gay men. Multiple regression was used to examine the relations of the significant body image variables to each of the consumer behavior outcomes in separate analyses.

The more the men were behaviorally invested in their appearance predicted a higher frequency of shopping each month for apparel and grooming-related products. The stronger the men’s psychological drive to have a lean body and the more they focused on their appearance and invested in their looks, the more likely they were to view apparel as important to them. The more psychologically and behaviorally involved the gay men reported being with their appearance, the more importance they gave to grooming-related products.

The sample was drawn primarily from a college population, limiting findings to this age cohort.

The findings of the current research demonstrate the importance of appearance management products to the gay market, where commodities are often used to enhance or maintain a perceived self-image. Retailers can use this information to establish appropriate service options and effective marketing initiatives.

This study replicated others that have investigated gay men’s involvement in consumer products. However, the current study looked at the relationship between involvement and body image.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the Australian tourist experience at Gallipoli in order to better understand how tourists approach and engage with battlefield sites and how the experience may transform them. Specific attention is paid to the role of interpretation in shaping these experiences.

A qualitative research method was employed, involving in‐depth interviews with Australians who had visited Gallipoli in a range of circumstances.

Australians visit Gallipoli for a variety of reasons, including national sentiment and personal connections. They engage with the site in a range of highly personal ways, with guides playing a crucial role in helping them to connect with the site physically, intellectually and emotionally.

The study relied on the participants recalling their experiences from some years past, although other research suggests that this is a minimal problem in the context of such memorable and moving experiences.

The paper provides valuable insights into how tourists experience battlefield sites of great national significance, and consequently how such sites should be managed sensitively and unobtrusively.

This research provides empirical support to conceptual studies on how tourists engage with battlefield tourism sites, and specifically explores the role of interpretation in shaping the overall experience. It further considers the ongoing effects of such experiences.

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of human model facial presentation (a smiling facial expression vs a neutral facial expression vs no facial presentation) on consumers' approach behavior and to determine the mechanism and boundary conditions behind such effects.

The research consisted of four laboratory experiments.

The results of four studies showed that a smiling facial expression led to the highest score for approach behavior. Pleasure and arousal mediated the effect of facial presentation on approach behavior. In the relationship between facial presentation and approach behavior, the moderating effects of emotional receptivity and the situation were significant. To be specific, for participants with high emotional receptivity, smiling facial expressions led to the highest approach behavior; for participants with low emotional receptivity, neutral expressions led to the highest approach behavior. In a browsing situation, the approach behavior of participants in response to a smiling facial expression was the highest. However, no significant differences were found in approach behavior under the three conditions regarding a purchasing situation.

This study supplements the literature on human model presentation and enriches the study of facial expressions.

Celebrity‐spotters actively pursue celebrities in order to take photographs of them. This often involves extensive travelling, sometimes to remote destinations. The purpose of this paper is to analyse this new type of tourism.

In order to understand this new type of tourism, the authors used a textual analysis of Italian celebrity‐spotting web sites and 31 in‐depth interviews with celebrity‐spotters.

The main characteristics of the celebrity‐spotters can be outlined: they practise a sort of “precision tourism”, characterised by close attention to the news in order to know where to go, flexibility for changing locations at the last moment, and a natural predisposition for new technologies. Celebrity‐spotting is not just an observational tourism, but rather a performing one; they must take photographs, gain access to the right places and ambush their targets.

Knowing the characteristics of celebrity‐spotters can help to better understand this new type of tourism, which has yet to be exploited by the tourism industry.

The paper presents an in‐depth analysis of a rather unknown and unexplored type of tourist.

Model's physical attractiveness plays an important role in online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among model type, consumer's perceived amount of information and consumer's approach behaviour.

Construal level theory and anchoring effect are used to develop hypotheses. The authors conducted an online experiment in China, and 229 females participated in this experiment.

Compared with the professional model, the nonprofessional model triggers consumers' more perceived amount of information and approach behaviour. The latter effect is significantly enhanced in the website retailing context. Moreover, perceived amount of information positively affects approach behaviour.

The findings can help fashion brands understand the roles of model type and the online retailing context in consumer behaviour. It offers guidance on how to improve its marketing strategy scientifically. It can also provide consumers with suggestions for making objective purchasing decisions.

This study is one of the first to examine the effects of two model types (professional model or nonprofessional model) on consumers' perceived amount of information and approach behaviour within two online retailing contexts (website stores or webcast studio).