The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains…
Abstract
The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.
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The Role of the Administrator In looking at the role of the administrator, it is first necessary to look briefly at some of the recent trends in administration, particularly…
Abstract
The Role of the Administrator In looking at the role of the administrator, it is first necessary to look briefly at some of the recent trends in administration, particularly hospital administration. The most significant development affecting the administrative process is the increased size and complexity of the hospital organisation and the bureaucratisation of all sectors of modern industrial society. Related to these developments are such other changes as the advances in science and technology with increased specialisation, extended lines of communication, and new language, related to growth and specialisation. In addition, the presence of unions, the progress in transporting methods, and finally, new discoveries and innovations in science and technology resulting in new material, plus new techniques and equipment to improve functions, have all had their impact on the process.
Durgesh Agnihotri, Pallavi Chaturvedi and Vikas Tripathi
The study aims to investigate the impact of social media influencer information overload (SMIIO) on customer purchase avoidance through mediation of customer confusion along with…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to investigate the impact of social media influencer information overload (SMIIO) on customer purchase avoidance through mediation of customer confusion along with the moderation of prior product knowledge through the stressor-strain-outcome (SSO) framework.
Design/methodology/approach
The data collected from 429 participants (YouTube and Instagram followers) from an online survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings reveal that SMIIO significantly leads towards customer purchase avoidance. Customer confusion mediates between SMIIO and purchase avoidance, while prior product knowledge weakens the impact of SMIIO on confusion through moderation.
Practical implications
The findings provide a wide range of applications for brand managers and social media influencers to adopt clear, concise communication strategies. Reducing information overload and minimizing confusion can enhance consumer decision-making. Tailored messaging based on consumer product knowledge can further optimize marketing efforts and reduce purchase avoidance.
Originality/value
This study uniquely applies the SSO framework to examine the effects of SMIIO on purchase avoidance, highlighting the mediating role of customer confusion and the moderating influence of prior product knowledge, offering a fresh perspective on consumer behavior.
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Durgesh Agnihotri, Pallavi Chaturvedi, Kriti Swarup, Anshul Mathur, Vikas Tripathi and Nripendra Singh
The study investigates the relationship between social presence dimensions and customer brand engagement (CBE) as well as the relation between customer brand engagement and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study investigates the relationship between social presence dimensions and customer brand engagement (CBE) as well as the relation between customer brand engagement and purchase intention (PI) in the fashion retail metaverse with self-efficacy moderating between CBE and PI.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were gathered by conducting an online survey (n = 476) from young adults exposed to fashion retail metaverse platforms. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings discovered that social presence dimensions positively impact CBE, which substantially impacts the PI of young consumers in the fashion retail metaverse. The findings demonstrate that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between CBE and PI.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses cross-sectional data in the fashion retail metaverse for young consumers. Future studies can use longitudinal data in the context of other industries and demographic profiles to assess changing customer behavior.
Practical implications
This study implies that customer experiences can be enriched through social presence dimensions, helping brands adapt their offers to create more engaging and rewarding customer interactions. It offers insights for brand managers aiming to augment the relationship between CBE and PI.
Originality/value
The study uniquely explores the relationship between social presence dimensions and CBE within the fashion retail metaverse. It examines self-efficacy as a moderator between CBE and PI, providing fresh insights into consumer behavior in the fashion retail metaverse.
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Durgesh Agnihotri, Pallavi Chaturvedi, Kushagra Kulshreshtha and Vikas Tripathi
The current study has drawn attention to investigating the impact of social media influencers’ (SMIs) authenticity on followers buying behavior by using followers who have an…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study has drawn attention to investigating the impact of social media influencers’ (SMIs) authenticity on followers buying behavior by using followers who have an ongoing relationship with an influencer and are knowledgeable about the influencer. The study further intends to reveal the mediating effect of parasocial interaction on the relationship between SMI's authenticity and followers' purchase behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has analyzed data from an online survey of 458 participants (Instagram followers) using structured equation modeling (CB-SEM) to investigate the relationship among authenticity attributes, parasocial interaction and followers' purchase behavior.
Findings
CB-SEM results reveal that authenticity attributes positively influence followers' buying behavior. The findings from mediation analysis specify that parasocial interaction mediates the relationship between authenticity attributes (sincerity, truthful endorsement and visibility) and buying behavior excluding expertise, uniqueness attributes.
Practical implications
The findings of the study reinforce the need to use authentic influencers by the marketers for the brand endorsements. Further, the findings of the study can benefit marketers in implementing strategic practice of social media influencer marketing.
Originality/value
The study overcomes the limitations of preceding studies by using Instagram followers who are well-informed about SMIs and have an ongoing relationship with them. This study has uniquely combined the behavioral data from real influencer campaigns with followers' assessment of an influencer's authenticity.
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The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and…
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The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.
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In this chapter I attempt to merge Athens’ conception of domination as a complex interactionist concept with Goffman’s notion of demeanor and deference as lynchpins of…
Abstract
In this chapter I attempt to merge Athens’ conception of domination as a complex interactionist concept with Goffman’s notion of demeanor and deference as lynchpins of dramaturgical analysis. I ground the merger in an analysis of metaphorical duel between a superordinate and subordinate in the TV show Mad Men. The examination of this metaphorical dual also implies a connection between a radical interactionism as defined by Athens and a radical dramaturgy informed by Athens’ conception of domination. In particular, I propose an examination of civil domination within institutionalized settings in which use of shared pasts and concomitant acts of demeanor and deference enhance the construction of domination between superordinates and subordinates. The fictional representation of a metaphorical duel in the television show Mad Men depicts a struggle for control in which the superordinate demands that a willful subordinate sign a contract which will bind the subordinate to a particular place for an extended period of time. The examination of events leading to signing reveals a complex weave of social acts that combines the force of domination with the artistry of demeanor and deference.
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Over the past few decades, mainstream and independent films have increasingly represented kinky sexual behaviors of their characters, in ways that are frequently inaccurate…
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Over the past few decades, mainstream and independent films have increasingly represented kinky sexual behaviors of their characters, in ways that are frequently inaccurate, inappropriately titillating, and intentionally extreme. This chapter examines the representation of kinky sex lives in two groundbreaking (although extremely violent) offerings of exploitation cinema: director William Friedkin's 1980 film, Cruising, one of the first feature-length Hollywood movies to portray the sex lives of gay men in New York City's leather bars and sex clubs; and director Brett Leonard's 2005 film, Feed, one of the first feature-length independent offerings to explicitly explore the phenomena of fat fetishism and feederism. Both works are noteworthy for openly depicting nonnormative sexual activities and ways of being targeted primarily to mainstream audiences, at historical moments when doing so was quite rare. At the same time, this analysis demonstrates how both films, because of their exploitative approaches to their subject matter, ultimately communicate that the individuals and sexual activities they represent are “deviant” ones that must be contained or even eradicated in a civilized society.
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Kanalis A. Ockree, James Martin and Richard A. Moellenberndt
This is an illustrative case analyzing shareholder and accounting outcomes and legal issues resulting from a merger of two major publicly traded companies. In today's business…
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This is an illustrative case analyzing shareholder and accounting outcomes and legal issues resulting from a merger of two major publicly traded companies. In today's business world, the “urge to merge” is tempered by heightened shareholder activism. In response to this activism, boards must proceed with care when negotiating mergers. Challenges to mergers that appear to be in the shareholders' best interest occur often. As is the case here, shareholders and their well funded legal representatives, seek damages for alleged bad decisions. Conoco Oil and Phillips Petroleum announced their intention to merge in November 2001. At that time the cost of gasoline spiraled ever upward and large oil firms put heavy competitive pressure on smaller oil producer/refiners. The merger described as a “merger of equals”, intimated that neither Conoco nor Phillips shareholders would receive a financial advantage (or disadvantage) over other merging shareholders following the completion of the merger. Immediately following the announcement, Michael Iorio, a Conoco shareholder, filed a lawsuit, claiming damages to Conoco shareholders from the merger of the two firms.