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This study explores the impact of financial distress on household vulnerability to poverty in Canada. Previous studies primarily focus on assessing financial stress using one or two indicators, such as mortgage and non-mortgage debt. Moreover, there is limited discussion on the association between financial distress and poverty dynamics. Households that are currently non-poor may become poor in the next period and vice versa. Our objective is to explore the presence of financial stress, poverty dynamics and their associations in Canada.

We construct a Financial Distress Index utilizing five important financial indicators and employ Polychoric Principal Component Analysis (PPCA). Our index is rescaled to a bounded range of 0.1–1, where higher numbers reflect more financial stress. Additionally, we develop a vulnerability to poverty matrix based on households' socioeconomic characteristics. We employ both fractional probit and a dichotomous probit model to examine how financial distress and other factors could influence poverty dynamics in Canada.

Our quantitative analysis suggests that among Canadian households, higher financial distress raises the risk of falling into poverty or remaining below the poverty threshold in the future. A one-unit increase in financial distress corresponds to a 17% higher likelihood of vulnerability to poverty. Additionally, age, gender, education, family size, family type, employment, source of income, assets and type of assets are significant predictors of vulnerability to poverty in Canada. Interestingly, the relationship between education and vulnerability to poverty is not linear.

The literature examining the link between financial stress and poverty is scant for developed countries, and Canada is no exception. However, our study uniquely contributes to the literature by developing a Financial Distress Index and measuring its influence on poverty dynamics in Canada.

The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2023-0977.

Both potential immigrants to Canada and policymakers in Canada continually compare and contrast the economic returns of immigrants' language ability and proficiency. They ask which of the two official languages has a higher economic return in terms of employment and earning. This study examines how ability and proficiency in Canada's two official languages, separately and/or jointly, influences immigrants' quick absorption into the labour market.

The study uses all three waves of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) and employs logistic regression on the relationship between employability, language ability/proficiency and various non-linguistic factors.

The study reports that language ability in French is as valuable as language ability in English for immigrants who are aspiring to work, full-time or part-time, when they arrive in Canada. The advantages of language ability and proficiency continue a few years after an immigrant's arrival. Using disaggregated speaking, reading and writing competencies, the authors observe that speaking proficiency in English has a greater impact on employability than reading and writing in English.

There are very few studies looking at the effects of language ability and proficiency on the employability of immigrants in countries with multiple official languages. Most studies are mainly focused on earning and not employability. This study is focused on employability, particularly in the context of Canada. Furthermore, this study specifically disaggregates the impact of speaking, reading and writing competencies in both languages on employment in Canada.

This paper proposes that categorization flexibility, operationalized as the cognitive capacity that cross-categorizes products in multiple situational categories across multiple domains, might favorably influence a consumer’s evaluation of unconventional options.

Experimental research design is used to test the theory. An exploratory study first establishes the effect of categorization flexibility in a non-food domain. Study 1 documents the moderating role of decision domain, showing that the effect works only under low- (vs high-) consequence domain. Studies 2A and 2B further refine the notion by showing that individuals can be primed in a relatively higher categorization flexibility frame of mind. Study 3 demonstrates the interactive effect of categorization flexibility and adventure priming in a high-consequence domain. Study 4 integrates the interactive effects of decisions with low- vs high-consequence, adventure priming and categorization flexibility within a single decision domain of high consequence.

Consumers with higher- (vs lower-) categorization flexibility tend to opt for unconventional choices when the decision domain entails low consequences, whereas such a result does not hold under decision domain of high consequences. The categorization flexibility effects in case of low-consequence decision domain holds true even when consumers are primed to be categorization flexible. Furthermore, with additional adventure priming, consumers show an increased preference for unconventional options even under a decision domain with high consequence.

This study could not examine real purchase behavior as results are based on cross-sectional, behavioral intention data. In addition, it did not examine the underlying reason for presence of cross-domain categorization flexibility index.

The results suggest that stimuli may be tailored to consumers in ways that increase the salience and the perceived attractiveness of unconventional choices. Further, data reinforce the notion of cross-categorical interrelations among different domains, which could be leveraged by marketers.

This study represents the first documentation of the potential ways by which unconventional product choice might be a function of individuals’ categorization flexibility level across different types of decision domains. The findings yield implications that are novel to both categorization and consumer decision-making literature.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among employment, real wage, and output growth in Canada.

Using quarterly data from 1994q2 to 2012q3, this paper employs a vector autoregressive framework while allowing for the derivation of output from its historical maximum over the sample period to affect future output, employment, and real wage growth dynamics.

There are three main findings: output growth is significant in predicting employment growth and vice versa; real wage growth neither Granger causes employment growth nor output growth, but employment growth Granger causes real wage growth; and non-linear dynamics, captured by the current depth regression (CDR) effect term, through the sign as well as the magnitude of output changes, are important in characterizing the evolution of the relationship among output, employment, and real wage growth.

The findings of this research have significant implications for policy makers. Output and employment growth are important in forecasting each other in Canada. In contrast to the mainstream theory, real growth is insignificant in explaining the future dynamics of employment in Canada. Policies need to be formulated to encourage the growth of employment to ensure sustain output growth.

This study examines empirically the real output, real wage, and employment link in Canada. This study uses the most recently revised GDP data arising from the 2012 Historical Revision of the Canadian System of National Accounts. The econometric methodology involves the standard vector autoregression (VAR) model to which the authors introduce non-linear dynamics through a term that controls for the deviation of output from its preceding historical maximum: the CDR effect.

This paper aims to propose the sensory stimulation spillover effect phenomenon, defined as the process by which sensory stimulation in one area generates positive impressions and favorably impacts opinions in other areas. Specifically, this paper demonstrates that the spillover effect of sensory priming via an advertised brand impacts the viewer’s self-brand connections (the mental representation of a brand connected to an individual’s self-concept), brand attitude and brand purchase intention.

Across six experiments, 883 participants considered advertised brands from diverse product categories (food snacks, electronics and detergent). The multisensory prime in Studies 1–3 uses positively valenced sensory imagery and text, whereas the multisensory prime in Studies 4–6 is a sensory imaging task. Studies 1–4 examine the spillover effect of the multisensory prime on consumers’ self-brand connections, as well as downstream brand-related variables. Studies 5 and 6, respectively, examined the moderating roles of advertising appeal, regulatory focus (promotion vs prevention) and cognitive versus affective tone.

Results provide robust evidence of the proposed sensory stimulation spillover effect. Sensory priming strengthens self-brand connections and positively impacts brand attitude and purchase intention; self-brand connections mediate the relationship between a multisensory prime and brand attitude and purchase intention. The sensory stimulation spillover effect is stronger when advertisements have a promotion (vs prevention) focus and particularly for participants with a stronger intrinsic promotion (vs prevention) orientation, as well as for advertisements with an affective (vs a cognitive) tone.

The authors manipulated sensory stimulation using visual images and text as well as using a multisensory-imaging task. Future work can explore the use of actual sensory stimulation, and retail spaces or public venues may provide opportunities for field experiments to study sensory stimulation in situ.

The research focuses on spillover effects in an advertising context with broader implications for consumers’ in-store shopping experiences based on multisensory store architecture and atmospherics, as well as online shopping that is impacted by multisensory information.

This paper introduces the phenomenon of sensory stimulation spillover effect, the process by which sensory stimulation in one area generates positive impressions and favorably impacts opinions in other areas and demonstrates that multisensory priming strengthens self-brand connections and downstream brand-related variables, with self-brand connections as the mediator. The results are robust across multiple product categories and are contingent upon the type of advertising appeal. The research focuses on spillover effects in an advertising context with broader implications for consumers’ in-store shopping experiences based on multisensory store architecture and atmospherics, as well as online shopping which is impacted by multisensory information.

The purpose of this study is to propose that high categorization flexibility’s positive influence on hedonic or affect-laden choice is attenuated by conservation and nutrition mind-sets. Further, categorization flexibility can also promote utilitarian or cognitively superior preference and may have a role in steering customers toward healthier dietary choices.

Two experimental studies document that the pro-utilitarian impact of food categorization flexibility can be facilitated by priming conservation mind-set and nutrition mind-sets.

The results of this study show that conservation and nutrition mind-sets not only mitigate the earlier-demonstrated facilitative influence of food categorization flexibility on hedonic food preference, but also facilitate utilitarian food preference.

The current study provides the first evidence that food categorization flexibility can facilitate both hedonic and utilitarian preferences. The findings contribute to literature streams on categorization flexibility, resource-scarcity and hedonic versus utilitarian consumption. In addition, the findings offer specific prescriptions about encouraging customers to choose utilitarian and relatively more healthful food options, which in turn will improve the general welfare of the society.

While recent academic research on entomophagy has predominantly focused on adults, the purpose of this child-centred research is to obtain a better understanding of young consumer acceptance of insect-based foods.

Two qualitative studies were conducted with a total of 43 French children aged 8–13 years. Study 1 (n = 22), based on semi-directive interviews, and Study 2 (n = 21), based on focus groups, included projective techniques and exposure to different types of insect-based products to help children express their feelings and thoughts.

The evidence shows that in Western children’s minds, insects are considered as culturally non-edible. Children predominantly reject insects as food because of their sensory properties and the disgust they arouse. However, their interest in eating insect-based food is embedded within experiential contexts specific to childhood, in particular the peer group, which makes insect-eating fun and challenging, and the family, which offers a protective and reassuring setting.

The authors advocate changing children’s sensory perception of insect-eating food through sensory and participatory activities. Manufacturers and policymakers should also draw on children’s peer culture to associate insect-eating with positive social experiences and foster peer influence.

Drawing on cognitive psychology theories and the literature in food science on food rejection, the authors contribute to emerging consumer research on alternative food consumption (AFC) focusing on cognitive, emotional and social factors of acceptance or rejection of insect-based foods by children.

This paper aims to examine how, why and when incidental curiosity might have an influence on consumers’ unhealthy eating behaviors in a subsequent, irrelevant context.

Three experiments were conducted. Study 1 tested the basic main effect; Study 2 further tested the proposed process; Study 3 identified an important moderator and offered additional support for the mechanism.

Study 1 demonstrated the basic main effect that incidental curiosity increases consumers’ preference for unhealthy food. Study 2 replicated the effect in a simulated grocery-shopping task and further provided direct process evidence that a reward-approaching orientation underlies the effect of curiosity on unhealthy food choice. Finally, Study 3 identified information nature as an important moderator of the effect. That is, when people are curious about threatening information, they are likely to adopt an avoidance motivation, which prevents them from seeking any unhealthy food.

On the one hand, consumers could benefit from being educated that incidental exposure to curiosity cues might lead to unhealthy eating behaviors. On the other hand, public policymakers and responsible marketers should be mindful that, though widely used in marketing, the tactics that elicit consumers’ curiosity might sometimes backfire and undermine their healthy food choices.

This research contributes to the curiosity literature by demonstrating that incidental curiosity could have motivational impacts in the non-information domain, such as food choice. It also adds to the food decision literature by documenting incidental curiosity as an important situational factor of consumers’ food decisions.

Climate change and global population growth are threatening the sustainability of hospitality food systems. Foodservice organizations are seeking an optimal solution for this problem. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization proposed edible insects as a solution, yet the “yuck” factor discourages consumers from actively endorsing this option. Thus, this study aims to find ways to increase consumer acceptance of edible insects.

A 2 (message framing: hedonic vs utilitarian) × 2 (celebrity endorsement: absence vs presence) × 2 (social support: low vs high) between-subjects factorial design experiment was conducted.

The significant three-way interaction effects show that when celebrity endorsement is absent, there is no difference in restaurant advocacy (RA) and experience satisfaction between utilitarian and hedonic message framing, regardless of low (vs high) social support. However, when celebrity endorsement is present and social support is not lacking, a hedonic (vs a utilitarian) message had more significant effects on dependent variables. Conversely, when celebrity-endorsed messages receive high social support, utilitarian (vs hedonic) messages had a more substantial effect on the outcome variables.

This study contributes to alternative protein and associated consumer psychology and hospitality marketing literature by introducing marketing strategies for edible insects. By demonstrating the three-way interaction effects of message framing, celebrity, endorsement and social support on RA and experience satisfaction, this study could demonstrate some boundary conditions to consider when applying celebrity endorsement strategies (e.g. message framing and social support). Also, by addressing the effects of social support, this study builds upon the lack of hospitality literature on online social support.

The paper aims at re‐examining the notion of low and stable income inequality during the high growth period of Indonesia (1970s‐1990s).

Different approaches are used to reassess the low and stable trend of the overall inequality at the national level such as assets concentration and functional income inequality. Disaggregated inequality at district level is conducted by treating municipalities as growth centres and estimated using the random and fixed effects models as well as the GMM estimation.

Alternative measures of income inequality have indicated that economic inequality in Indonesia was not as low as it was perceived and exhibited an increasing trend during the period associated with the miracle. Furthermore, using the Susenas‐based Gini coefficient, across‐district analysis of inequality indicates the presence of inverted‐U Kuznets curve of income and inequality, which could not be empirically observed when the analysis is based on time series data of aggregate Gini measure at the national level.

The paper challenges the notion of the East Asian economic miracle in the case of Indonesia. It provides some evidence of the Kuznets curve relationship between income and inequality within a country based on cross‐districts exercise.