Sambashiva Rao Kunja, Arvind Kumar and Bramhani Rao
The purpose of this study is to adopt stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory to reveal the impact of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on buying intentions of young consumers in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to adopt stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory to reveal the impact of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on buying intentions of young consumers in the presence of hedonic brand attitude (HBA) and utilitarian brand attitude (UBA) as mediators, among smartphone customers in the context of brand fan pages in Facebook.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a single cross-sectional design to survey a sample of 326 young online customers present in leading smartphone brand fan pages on Facebook in India. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and replies were recorded on a Likert scale (five-point). The data was subjected to structural equation modelling for model and hypotheses testing.
Findings
eWOM has a significantly positive influence on the buying intentions of the young. Both HBA and UBA partially mediate the influence of eWOM on buying intentions.
Research limitations/implications
The study examines only the personal-oriented functions of attitude and does not investigate the role of social dimensions of attitudes. Its scope is confined to smartphones in the consumer electronics segment and only Facebook among social networking sites.
Practical implications
A theoretical contribution to eWOM literature is made by studying it under the lens of S-O-R theory and functional theory of attitudes. Measurement of two different dimensions of attitude, i.e. hedonic and utilitarian, may facilitate managers to comprehend the source of variance in consumers’ decision-making behaviour in the online context.
Originality/value
The only study to explore brand attitude as a mediator in its multi-dimensional form, in the context of social eWOM.
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Bramhani Rao and Sambashiva Rao Kunja
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between two sub-dimensions of a leader’s empathy (perspective-taking and empathic-concern) and successful…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between two sub-dimensions of a leader’s empathy (perspective-taking and empathic-concern) and successful authorization of idiosyncratic deals (developmental, location flexibility and schedule flexibility i-deals).
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was conducted on the cross-sectional data collected from 307 managers working in software development and support companies located in major cities in India.
Findings
While empathic-concern is positively related to successful authorization of both developmental and flexibility i-deals, perspective-taking related positively to authorization of developmental i-deals and showed no significant relationship with flexibility i-deals.
Research limitations/implications
The study reiterates the importance of empathy in modern workplaces and encourages managers to be conscious of their intelligence, as well as emotions, while participating in negotiations at the workplace.
Originality/value
The paper relates i-deals to sub-dimensions of empathy which is a previously unexplored antecedent to i-deals.
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Bramhani Rao and Sambashiva Rao Kunja
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of individualism-collectivism (IC) in determining psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) at individual level, thus attempting to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of individualism-collectivism (IC) in determining psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) at individual level, thus attempting to establish that cultural orientation of each individual may differentially predict the fulfillment of his/her psychological contract.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was conducted on the cross-sectional data collected from 465 IT professionals working at different multi-national software companies.
Findings
Model fit between the dimensions of IC and PCF was found to be good, indicating a significantly positive relationship between within-culture cultural orientation of an individual and his/her perception of PCF. The analyses revealed that collectivist beliefs, values and norms have a significant relationship with the perception of delivery, fairness and trust toward PCF. The relationship between collectivist values and fairness of the deal was found to be insignificant.
Research limitations/implications
A major theoretical implication of the study is its contribution to evidence that people with collectivist orientation have a relatively positive perception toward the fulfillment of a psychological contract between them and the employer. It also clarifies why employees working in the same work environment tend to develop unique psychological contracts owing to their tendency to orient toward a particular cultural state of mind in the form of beliefs, values and norms guiding their day-to-day work-life.
Originality/value
The study is a valuable addition to the current literature in two ways. First, it contributes to the area of personality by examining the individual cultural orientation as an individual difference predictor of PCF. This helps in understanding the role of differences in emotions, cognition and behavior among individuals in predicting the fulfillment of hidden expectations of employees. In the domain of psychological contract, it contributes to evidence that explains why employees in same job conditions and employment relationships experience breach or fulfillment owing to their difference in cultural orientation.
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Sambashiva Rao Kunja and Acharyulu GVRK
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on the value co-creation (VCC) and purchase intentions of consumers in Facebook fan pages…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on the value co-creation (VCC) and purchase intentions of consumers in Facebook fan pages of smartphone brands in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using a structured questionnaire from a sample of 762 members from India present in the selected fan pages of smartphone brands in Facebook, and the data were analyzed through structural equation modeling.
Findings
This empirical study revealed a positive relationship among the three variables and provided new insights after analyzing the collected data. There was clear evidence of VCC being partially mediated by eWOM and purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
The perspective of the study was to validate the proposed conceptual model by considering members’ perception of the product, as put forth on Facebook fan pages. The methods used in this study could be adapted to conduct further studies on other social networking sites like Instagram and Twitter.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the existing literature of eWOM, VCC and consumer behavior in social networking sites, and our findings will help marketers to develop a new method of disseminating product information to and within India through social networking sites.