Attitudinal Reactions Research Articles

SMS advertising: How message relevance is linked to the attitude toward the brand?

Due to recent technological developments and widespread adoption of mobile handsets, the mobile medium has been transformed into an effective channel for brand communication. Short message service (SMS) advertising is the most primitive and widely used version of mobile marketing, yet the relevant literature still lacks consensus on how SMS ads influence consumer attitudes, and how this influence is generated. The present research aims to investigate how message relevance, the most important success factor of SMS advertising, is transformed into attitudinal reactions toward the advertised brand by introducing perceived intrusiveness and attitude toward the message as mediating variables into the relationship. Implications and future research avenues are discussed.

Children's Attitudinal Reactions to TV Advertisements: The African Experience

This paper is aimed at exploring African children's attitudinal reactions to television advertisements. A total of 65 children from four African countries - Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda - participated in 12 focus group discussions on the subject matter. Findings suggest that they like television advertising in relation to its entertainment features - especially when the messages feature children characters, cartoons, music, celebrities and humour - and those promoting foods. They also derive excitement from advertising messages that are presented in Pidgin language and/or humorously integrated with local languages. However, they have an aversion to messages that terrify them and those they consider boring. This paper supplements the existing literature on the attitudes of children to advertising, but from Africa as a different contextual platform. It also suggests directions for the effective use of marketing communications strategies in relation to television advertising for marketers and other bodies with special roles in communicating with children such as government agencies and NGOs.

The joint effects of compensation frames and price levels on service recovery of online pricing error

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the joint effect of compensation frames and product‐price levels on consumer attitudinal reactions and behavioral intentions after a service failure involving online pricing error.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (compensation frames: dollar off versus percentage off) x 2 (product‐price levels: high‐price versus low‐price) between‐subjects factorial design was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that consumers perceive a price reduction for compensation framed in dollar terms as more (less) fair than the same price reduction framed in percentage terms for high‐price product (low‐price product). The higher consumer perceptions of compensation fairness are, the more likely consumers are to have positive post‐recovery satisfaction and trust. Consequently, consumers who are satisfied with the compensation effort are more likely to trust the service firm, engage in positive eWOM behavior, and purchase the item.Practical implicationsWhen online retailers decide to honor their erroneous pricing on their web sites by compensating consumers with price reduction, they must learn the product‐price conditions in which the effectiveness of compensation frames can reach a higher level.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have examined the joint effect of compensation frames and product‐price levels on consumers' attitudinal reactions and behavioral intentions involving service recovery of online pricing errors.

Identity and attitudinal reactions to perceptions of inter‐group interactions among ethnic migrants: A longitudinal study

This 1-year follow-up study investigated the direct and indirect effects of past, anticipated, and actual experiences of inter-group interactions on the development of national identity and attitudes towards the national majority among ethnic re-migrants (N= 141) from Russia to Finland. According to the results, the quality of past inter-group contact in the pre-migration stage (T(1)) did not directly affect national identification and out-group attitudes in the post-migration stage (T(2)). Instead, the effect of contact quality at T(1) on national identification and out-group attitudes at T(2) was indirect via perceived discrimination and out-group rejection at T(2). In addition, there were two indirect pathways from out-group attitudes at T(1) to national identification and out-group attitudes at T(2), via pleasant contact experiences (further associated with positive out-group attitudes) and via perceived discrimination (further associated with negative attitudes and lower national identification) in the post-migration stage. Anticipated discrimination only had a direct effect on out-group attitudes in the post-migration stage. The results highlight the role of past and anticipated inter-group relations in the formation of post-migration inter-group interactions, which, in turn, are decisive for the formation of national identification and out-group attitudes of re-migrants.

Fairness perceptions and satisfaction with components of pay satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to integrate two streams of research and investigate the associations of different forms of justice perceptions on attitudinal reactions to four components of compensation: pay level, pay raises, benefits, and structure and administration In doing so, it responds to calls for more primary studies linking interactional justice perceptions to pay satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 151 technology professionals employed at an international consulting company were surveyed to investigate hypotheses. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model.FindingsAs hypothesized, distributive justice was related to satisfaction with pay level, procedural justice to satisfaction with benefits, raises and pay structure and administration, and informational justice to pay level and structure and administration.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitations of this research are the cross‐sectional research design and a single source of survey data.Practical implicationsSince pay dissatisfaction is significantly related to numerous employee outcomes and attitudes toward pay meditate the relationship between compensation and work outcomes, understanding the role of perceived justice may facilitate managers' ability to influence pay satisfaction. HR policies and managers' behaviors can influence pay satisfaction as much or more than actual pay (distributive justice). For example, results for informational justice suggest pay satisfaction can be increased by clearly and candidly explaining and communicating the organization's procedures and processes.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to examine associations between the four‐factor justice model and components of pay satisfaction and demonstrate that informational justice adds additional explained variance for pay level, raises, and structure and administration.

An Empirical Analysis of Attitudinal and Behavioral Reactions Toward the Abandonment of Unprofitable Customer Relationships

The management of unprofitable customer relationships and in particular their abandonment is a topic that has received increasing interest in both managerial decision making and academic research. However, little is known about the attitudinal and behavioral reactions that companies should expect from current and potential customers in response to such strategies. Based on an online study of 773 customers, we show that the majority of current/potential customers react with affective or cognitive responses toward unprofitable customer abandonment, whereas salient behavioral attitude components are less frequent. In addition, we show that different attitude components lead to different consequences for the abandoning firm and that the salience of behavioral attitude components tends to be associated with more negative reactions. Finally, we show that the potential negative consequences of unprofitable customer abandonment for current customers can be compensated for by improvements in core service quality.

The Implicit Association Test as a Class Assignment: Student Affective and Attitudinal Reactions

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a popular means of examining “hidden” biases. However, some express concerns about classroom use of the IAT, citing students' potentially negative affective reactions to taking the IAT and discovering their implicit biases. To investigate the validity of this criticism, 35 social psychology students completed affect measures after taking and discussing the Race IAT. Students reported more positive than negative affect both immediately after taking the IAT and 1 week later. They also reported greater awareness of their own and others' implicit racial biases, knowledge of implicit processes, and perceived value of the IAT demonstration.

Social axioms and achievement across cultures: The influence of reward for application and fate control

The present research examined the relationships between two social axiom dimensions, reward for application and fate control, with various achievement-related indexes across a wide range of cultures. Results showed that there was no relationship between reward for application and academic achievement or economic competitiveness, but reward for application was positively related to effort exertion and favorable attitudinal reactions to striving. In contrast, fate control was positively related to academic achievement and economic competitiveness, but not to effort exertion and attitudes toward striving. A number of speculations are provided to account for these intriguing findings.

Conscientiousness and reactions to psychological contract breach: A longitudinal field study.

The authors examined the role of employee conscientiousness as a moderator of the relationships between psychological contract breach and employee behavioral and attitudinal reactions to the breach. They collected data from 106 newly hired employees within the 1st month of employment (Time 1), 3 months later (Time 2), and 8 months after Time 1 (Time 3) to observe the progression through contract development, breach, and reaction. Results suggest that conscientiousness is a significant moderator for 4 of the 5 contract breach-employee reaction relationships examined (turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, job satisfaction, and 1 of 2 facets of job performance). Specifically, employees who were lower in conscientiousness had more negative reactions to perceived breach with respect to turnover intentions, organizational loyalty, and job satisfaction. In contrast, employees who were higher in conscientiousness reduced their job performance to a greater degree in response to contract breach. Future research directions are discussed.

The Drama of Media Coverage of Terrorism: Emotional and Attitudinal Impact on the Audience

The symbiotic relationship between terrorism and its media coverage is explored from the perspective of audience reactions. In an empirical study, effects of television broadcasts of terrorism on viewers’ emotional and attitudinal reactions are examined. Participants were 300 Israeli adults randomly allocated to terrorism or violent nonterrorism broadcasts. Anxiety, anger, stereotypes, and enemy perception were measured prior and subsequent to media exposure. Findings revealed higher levels of both emotional and attitudinal measures consequent to the terrorism versus nonterrorism media exposure. These findings reflect the significant emotional and attitudinal impact on the audience of terrorism's mechanism of self-empowerment via the media.

Employee Reactions to Internet Monitoring: The Moderating Role of Ethical Orientation

Research has demonstrated that employee reactions to monitoring systems depend on both the characteristics of the monitoring system and how it is implemented. However, little is known about the role individual differences may play in this process. This study proposes that individuals have generalized attitudes toward organizational control and monitoring activities. We examined this argument by assessing the relationship between employees’ baseline attitudes toward a set of monitoring and control techniques that span the employment relationship. We further explore the effects of employees’ generalized attitudes toward monitoring and their individual ethical orientations on their attitudinal reactions to an Internet monitoring system implemented in their workplace. Results of a longitudinal study indicate that as expected, prior beliefs and ethical orientation interact to affect employees’ reactions to monitoring systems. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Cross‐national differences in consumer response to the framing of advertising messages

PurposeThe purpose of this research was to examine how consumers in four Central European countries respond to positively and negatively framed message appeals in advertising.Design/methodology/approachEmotional, cognitive and attitudinal reactions to four advertisements for food products were collected from matched homogeneous student samples in Croatia, The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. In addition to analysis of variance, a comprehensive structural equation model was tested separately for each country.FindingsThe findings not only indicate different emotional, cognitive and attitudinal responses across countries, but additionally reveal differences in how positively versus negatively framed advertisements are being processed by consumers.Research limitations/implicationsAcross countries, the intertwined roles of emotions and cognitions in affecting consumer attitudinal response were generally confirmed, suggesting cross‐cultural robustness of the underlying advertising‐processing framework. Future studies should employ larger consumer samples to verify the descriptive findings.Practical implicationsAdvertisers and their clientele need to recognize that an advertisement that has been designed for an international audience featuring a specific frame may elicit a variety of emotional and attitudinal responses due to national differences between consumers. Neglecting even subtle national differences can lead to consumer misperceptions and may result in serious damage to the brand imageOriginality/valueNew insights and evidence have been generated showing that using one advertising campaign is questionable, if not potentially damaging to advertisers' efforts. The identification of differences in how consumers in selected countries respond to a perceived appeal also helps clarifying the general direction of future research, which should focus on the underlying mechanism responsible for differences in how appeals affect consumer emotional response in different countries.

Language-in-Education Planning in Algeria: Historical Development and Current Issues

The paper presents the language policy (arabisation) pursued in Algeria since independence in 1962. The first section of the paper focuses on the recent changes in government language policy (return to Arabic–French bilingualism in schools) and reactions to them following the recommendations made by the National Commission for the Reform of the Educational System in March 2001. The second part gives a historical background to post-independent language-in-education planning. The third section looks at the unplanned developments resulting from the hegemonic nature of linguistic arabisation. The fourth section explores secondary school students’ attitudinal reactions towards Algeria’s linguistic pluralism. Finally, the paper argues that the Algerian leadership’s refusal to recognise linguistic pluralism considered beneficial by the majority of the population represents one of the major obstacles to the nation-building process.

Treating Preschool Children Who Stutter: Description and Preliminary Evaluation of a Family-Focused Treatment Approach

The purpose of this article is to present a detailed description of a family-focused treatment for preschool children who stutter that addresses communication behaviors and attitudinal reactions that children and their parents may exhibit in reaction to stuttering, as well as a preliminary evaluation of the outcomes of that treatment. The study involved assessment of the children's speech fluency and a client satisfaction questionnaire that sought parents' opinions about which aspects of the treatment were beneficial. Participants were 17 children who stutter, ages 31 to 62 months, and their families. Responses to the questionnaire indicated that treatment helped families learn about stuttering and about strategies that facilitate children's fluency. Evaluation of the children's fluency revealed that all participants achieved improved fluency at the conclusion of treatment and at long-term follow-up. Findings suggest that this treatment approach may be useful for helping children achieve improved speech fluency, effective communication skills, and healthy communication attitudes.

The case for fair budgetary procedures

PurposeTo summarize the findings of empirical studies the authors have conducted regarding budgetary procedures fairness and to discuss key implications of these findings.Design/methodology/approachSummary and synthesis of the authors' empirical research.FindingsIdentifies criteria for, and types of attitudinal and behavioral reactions that managers have toward, formal budgetary procedures fairness and budgetary procedures implementation fairness. Provides information regarding how the two forms of budgetary procedures fairness work together to influence managers' attitudes and behaviors, and how they reduce managers' negative reactions to unfavorable budgets. Presents reasons that fair budgetary procedures are important to managers.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors' studies used questionnaire data where all variables were measured at a single point in time, which provides little control over unmeasured variables and direction of causality. Future research should seek to expand the sets of criteria for and reactions toward budgetary procedures fairness, as well as to further detail the processes by which budgetary procedures fairness works. Also, relationships involving budgetary procedures fairness should be examined by means of laboratory experiments.Practical implicationsUnderscores the importance of promoting formal budgetary procedures fairness and budgetary procedures implementation fairness in organizational budgetary systems, and provides concrete guidance in this regard.Originality/valueProvides useful information to accounting and audit staff, budget committee members, supervisors, and other employees involved in designing and implementing organizational budgetary systems and to budgeting researchers.

The customer concept in welfare administration: front‐line views in Jobcentre Plus

PurposeAims to analyse the reactions of front‐line staff to the use of the “customer” label in Jobcentre Plus, the new agency charged with structural and cultural reform of benefit administration in the UK and to highlight some key challenges and possibilities faced by “new public management” reformers in attempts to re‐present recipients of public services as customers.Design/methodology/approachData are drawn from semi‐structured interviews with 39 front‐line workers in 14 public offices, conducted as part of the second phase of a study on staff perceptions of the Jobcentre Plus reform.FindingsThe majority of those interviewed reported awareness of and agreement with the customer label. More substantive views point to the ambiguous and shifting meanings applied by public sector workers to the customer roleper se, and to its complex and multifaceted application to the Jobcentre Plus context.Research limitations/implicationsProvides a systematic account of front‐line workers' attitudinal reactions to the incursion of the customer concept. However, the impact on users of the system is a question for further research.Practical implicationsIdentifies a set of possibilities and challenges inherent in attempts to manage relevant cultural change amongst the front‐line of public service provision.Originality/valueProvides a systematic account of the views of front‐line workers to the customerisation of public service provision, an issue of interest both to researchers and to practitioners.

Understanding attitudes toward affirmative action programs in employment: Summary and meta-analysis of 35 years of research.

Affirmative action programs (AAPs) are controversial employment policies in the United States and elsewhere. A large body of evidence about attitudinal reactions to AAPs in employment has accumulated over 35 years: at least 126 independent samples involving 29,000 people. However, findings are not firmly established or integrated. In the current article, the authors summarize and meta-analytically estimate relationships of AAP attitudes with (a) structural features of such programs, (b) perceiver demographic and psychological characteristics, (c) interactions of structural features with perceiver characteristics, and (d) presentation of AAP details to perceivers, including justification of the AAP. Results are generally consistent with predictions derived from self-interest considerations, organizational justice theory, and racism theories. They also suggest practical ways in which AAPs might be designed and communicated to employees to reduce attitudinal resistance.

A comparison of African American and white college students’ affective and attitudinal reactions to lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: An exploratory study

African American (n = 70) university students were compared with White students (n = 140) on their affective (homophobia) and attitudinal (homonegativity) reactions to lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. The results initially suggested that African Americans had modestly higher homophobia and homonegativity scores than Whites. However, those ethnic differences vanished after controlling for frequency of church attendance, religious commitment, and socioeconomic status. For both ethnic groups, gender and religiosity variables significantly predicted homophobia and homonegativity. Men in both ethnic groups had significantly higher homophobia and homonegativity scores than their female counterparts. Lastly, additional regression analyses revealed that one aspect of African American culture—family practices—significantly predicted homophobia, but not homonegativity, above the predictive ability of religiosity. Implications of the results are discussed.

Attitudes and perceptions of registered nurses during and shortly after acute care restructuring in Newfoundland and Labrador

To monitor changes in registered nurses' perceptions of the impact of seven years of health care restructuring in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and to measure the attitudinal and behavioural reactions over four years comparing the St John's region, where hospital aggregation occurred, to other regions of the province. Data were collected on acute care nurses' personal characteristics and perceptions of the importance of reform and its impact on workplace conditions and health care quality in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2002. Nurses' attitudes and intentions were monitored across three time periods (i.e. 1999, 2000 and 2002). Perceived workplace conditions and health care quality, as well as attitudes and behaviours were generally negative. However, there was some improvement over time. The temporal sequence of scores suggests that restructuring had an adverse impact on nurses' attitudes. Few significant regional differences were observed. Although health services restructuring had an adverse impact on nurses' attitudes, aggregation of hospitals in St John's region was achieved without further deterioration. Provincial wide initiatives are needed to promote more positive work environments and increase the organizational effectiveness.

Measuring message framing effects across Europe

This study examines consumer response to positively versus negatively framed advertising messages across seven Central and Western European countries. The frames elicited significantly different emotional, cognitive and attitudinal reactions. Groups of nations where consumers responded more homogeneously to the frames were different from the groups plotted according to cultural context. In addition, the results present a new perspective for international marketing. While advertising content and imagery has often been designed to account for known or assumed differences across nations, the findings of this study show that neglecting even subtle national differences can be misleading and can result in adverse consequences. The study has shown that consumers in similar countries, such as Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary, respond quite differently to positively or negatively framed advertisements. This suggests that even advertising campaigns that are designed for relatively narrow international audiences may not be effective when featuring an inappropriate message frame.