Search results

The key research issue addressed in this paper is whether individuals perceive advertisements featuring themes from their own religion more positively, and advertisements featuring religious themes from other religions less positively, than neutral ads. In the process, this paper aims to test whether the in-group bias theory (IGBT) and the polarized appraisal theory (PAT) apply in a religious context.

Respondents in a large Indian University were shown advertisements featuring Hindu and Muslim themes as well as a neutral advertisement in the context of pet adoption. Cognitive and affective response measures were used for evaluation.

Respondents did not evaluate advertisements with their own religion’s symbols any more positively than neutral advertisements but did evaluate advertisements with themes from other religions more negatively than neutral ads. In sum, religious advertisements did not have any positive effect on in-group respondents, but rather worked in antagonizing out-group respondents.

Both IGBT and PAT did not work as predicted when tested on in-group respondents but worked as expected on out-group respondents.

In the Indian market, using religious themes has largely negative consequences in terms of alienating out-group members, with no commensurate advantage on in-group members. Firms are better off not using religious advertising, and this decision would likely have a positive impact on a firm’s bottom line.

Though, the general topic of religious advertising has been much researched, but this paper deals with the role of religious symbols in advertising in the Indian context, which is done for the first time in a multi-religious context. Further, the applicability of IGBT and PAT is also tested for the first time in religious advertisement context.

This study examines the environmental effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and economic growth by revisiting the pollution haven and EKC hypotheses in the context of Africa.

The underlying relationships are unravelled with the help of quantile regressions for a panel of 46 African countries over the 1996–2022 period.

The results show that FDI inflows significantly increase CO2 emissions, supporting the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) in Africa. There is also evidence of the N-shaped EKC hypothesis. When analysing different income groups, PHH and EKC remain consistent, except in low-income countries where only PHH is observed. However, the environmental impact of FDI inflows and economic growth decreases at higher quantiles. These findings suggest that policymakers in Africa should strengthen environmental regulations and adopt common environmental standards that encourage green technologies.

This study fills an empirical research gap by comprehensively examining the relationship between FDI, economic growth, and environmental degradation in African countries. Unlike previous studies focused on the inverted U-shaped EKC, our research reveals the existence of an N-shaped EKC in Africa.