The effects of message framing in CSR advertising on consumers’ emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions
While recent research on sustainability communication demonstrates the relevance of message framing, research on the effects of message framing on consumers' emotions is scant. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (5-0-R) framework, this paper examines the impact of environmental advertisements (stimuli) on two discrete emotions - hope and guilt - (organism) and how these emotions influence consumers' behavioral intentions (responses). Relying on the prospect theory, this study focuses on positive (gain) and negative (loss) frames. Study 1 shows that, in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a gain message elicits hope while a loss-message triggers guilt. Study 2 shows that …
The impact of cyberostracism on online complaint handling
Purpose – This research aims to examine how consumers react to being ignored by a company once they have complained about an online service failure. The authors seek to propose that automatic reply e-mails to customer complaints are considered a form of cyberostracism, thus having equally harmful effects on customer perceptions as a mere no reply. Design/methodology/approach – The authors first conducted a qualitative study to ensure that consumers feel ignored when companies fail to respond to their e-mails. This was followed by an experimental study that tested the research propositions. The experimental design was a 3 (ostracism) × 2 (severity of failure) factorial between-subjects desi…
An analysis of e-business adoption and its impact on relational quality in travel agency–supplier relationships
Abstract This study analyzes how managers of retail travel agencies perceive the antecedents and consequences of adopting e-business in their supplier relationships. A comprehensive model integrating its antecedents and relational effects is developed and empirically tested using SEM. The study surveyed 101 travel agents in Spain. Research findings indicate that customer pressure has a strong influence on e-communication practices. E-communication with the travel agency's supplier and the pressure exerted by the sector are the main antecedents for e-procurement. Effects of e-business on relational quality are contradictory. E-procurement influences negatively on trust. Conversely, e-communi…
Effects of message appeal and service type in CSR communication strategies
Abstract Studies highlight the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for companies' stakeholders. Consumers, however, are often unaware of such initiatives. Understanding how to effectively communicate socially responsible initiatives is an important challenge for both researchers and managers, who invest considerable resources in CSR initiatives. This study examines consumers' responses to two types of CSR initiatives (environment-related and employee-based) using two types of message appeals (emotional and rational) across two service types (hedonic and utilitarian). Responses provide data on consumers' awareness of CSR initiatives, attitudes toward the company, perceived co…
The impact of experiential consumption cognitions and emotions on behavioral intentions
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine cognitive and affective antecedents and consequences of satisfaction in the context of hedonic services.Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted using hedonic services. The study sample was composed of 400 visitors to two types of leisure and tourism services (interactive museum, and theme park).Findings – The results indicate that the impact of satisfaction is not limited to loyalty; rather its effects extend to other behavioral responses such as consumers' willingness to pay more for the service. Moreover, exceeding pre‐purchase expectations amplifies consumers' on‐the‐spot behaviors such as souvenir purchases. The study fi…
IMPLEMENTING SERVICES IN PRICING DECISIONS TO ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP — A FRAMEWORK FOR PRICE SETTING
AbstractThis study develops a pricing framework that focuses on relationship-building — a factor that has been largely ignored in the pricing literature. First, a case-study method has been employed to better understand how a production-oriented company sets prices for its products. Then a framework has been developed which incorporates the service component in the pricing equation. The results of this research suggest that factoring in the price for services offered can enhance relationship management, thus having a positive impact on the company's business performance.
Effects of Message Appeal when Communicating CSR Initiatives
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be defined as those business activities which take into account the public consequences of company decisions over and above the simple compliance with government regulations (Menguc and Ozanne, 2005; Sharma, 2000). Thus, the management of a company should go beyond the economic concerns, considering both the social and environmental issues as relevant (Clarkson, 1991). Previous research highlights the importance of CSR for firms’ stakeholders, yet researchers find low consumer awareness of socially responsible initiatives (Beckmann, 2007; Du et al., 2007; Pomering and Dolnicar, 2009). How to communicate socially responsible initiatives is an importa…