Perceptions Of Authenticity Research Articles

Impact of Authenticity Perception on Experiential Value and Customer Satisfaction under Contactless Services

The global economy has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This impact is particularly evident in the restaurant industry, where restaurant traffic has dropped significantly, leading to a decline in revenue. In response to the impact of the pandemic, non-contact services, such as overseas delivery and door-to-door delivery, have been implemented to reduce interpersonal contact and minimize the spread of the virus. Contactless service not only provides consumers with more choices and convenience but is also an important means of livelihood for restaurant service staff during the pandemic. This study takes the Taiwanese chain restaurant Kura Sushi as an example to explore the impact of service contacts on authenticity consumption and experience value in the context of non-contact services. A total of 318 valid responses to a questionnaire were collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS 25.0 and IBM AMOS 25.0 software. This study made the following findings: (1) service staff performance has a significant positive impact on authenticity perception; (2) the physical restaurant environment has a positive impact on consumers’ perceptions of authenticity; (3) active interactions with other customers significantly enhance the sense of reality; (4) experience values significantly promote real consumption; and (5) experience values also significantly affect consumer satisfaction.

Piloting Test Scales to Measure Perceptions of “Liveness” Regarding ICT-Enhanced Performances at Music Festivals

Music festivals are increasingly utilizing ICT to augment live music performances. This research project proposes and trials three liveness scales to measure attendee???s perceptions of authenticity regarding liveness across a broad spectrum of formats for, and viewpoints of, live performances at, or emanating from, music festivals. The research addresses the thesis that: It may be possible to develop liveness scales to measure attendee perceptions of liveness regarding ICT-enhanced performances at music festivals. Following item development processes, pretest liveness Likert scales were developed, and two iterations of primary research were carried out to collect and interpret empirical evidence from 164 respondents. Formats and viewpoints generating the greatest acceptance or resistance were identified. Significant differentiation in responses was tested for by gender regarding audience viewpoints and by occupation regarding audience size. Potential to further develop/simplify the liveness scales, and for future research into ICT-enhanced experiences at music festivals, was ascertained.

Tackling International Markets: Bicultural Brand Positioning of Sport Leagues in Foreign Countries

As sport league brands have increasingly extended their marketing activities into foreign countries, international brand positioning has become a relevant research topic. In this research, we introduce and examine the concept of bicultural brand positioning, an approach that combines a sport league’s connection to its home country with target-country associations. We integrate bicultural identity theory with the literature on brand benefits to propose two types of bicultural brand positioning: functional versus symbolic. Three experiments, using the National Football League and German satellite fans as the empirical context, provide evidence that bicultural brand positioning incorporating functional (vs. symbolic) benefits for the satellite fans increases bicultural brand image integration, defined as the perceived compatibility of combining the two country cultures, and has positive indirect effects on intentions to use the brand and positive word of mouth. These effects are driven by increased perceptions of cultural authenticity of the brand and brand convenience.

Analysis of Investment Intention Factors by Multiple Subjects to Crowdfunding Types

Purpose - The type of crowdfunding varies depending on the rewards provided to investors. Even though there may be differences in investment attraction strategies depending on type, crowdfunding is often viewed singularly, or only analyzed by factor of investment intention for one type. This paper analyzed whether the factors affecting investment intentions leading to project performance differ depending on the type of crowdfunding, compensation standards, and equity standards.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - This study conducted an online survey of 343 respondents in Korea from May 6th to 13th, 2023, to investigate how the main factors of the UTAUT model, trust, and authenticity perception affect each investment intention depending on the type of crowdfunding platform. After coding the collected data, factor analysis, goodness of fit, convergence and discrimination validity, and regression analysis were conducted with SPSS 26 and Stata 17.
 Findings - According to the results, social influence, performance expectancy, and authenticity perception were factors influencing intention to invest in reward-based crowdfunding. Factors affecting intention to use equity-based crowdfunding were social influence and performance expectancy.
 Research Implications - Through this study, it is expected that a more appropriate strategy can be established in consideration of factors that affect different investment willingness depending on the type to increase crowdfunding performance, and it is anticipated that potential investor intention to participate in crowdfunding projects will increase.

The perceived authenticity in food among sociological generations: the case of cheeses in Mexico

PurposeThe study aims to identify the perceived authenticity of cheeses by consumers of different sociological generations in Mexico.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire was applied to 1,204 consumers. A Free Word Association (FWA) tool was used to determine the perceived authenticity of cheeses creating categories and dimensions. The sample was segmented into sociological generations. A chi-square test and a correspondence analysis were used to identify differences in the perception between generations. The information was complemented with word clouds of the cheeses mentioned and consumer testimonials about cheese consumption.FindingsA total of 29 categories and ten dimensions revealed consumers' perception of cheese authenticity, most important of which were hedonic, rurality and new consumption. Authenticity is a mix of the pleasure of consuming the product, the link to rural life and new consumer values. Perceived authenticity is different in each sociological generation according to the dimensions of raw material, identity, market, new consumption and distrust, since it is related to the experiences of each generation. The results made it possible to contextualise another vision of the reality of the cheeses in the search for a quality seal.Practical implicationsThe information contributes to the typification and promotion of cheeses in the process of patrimonialisation, by creating differentiated marketing tools that allow their valorisation.Originality/valueThis work contributes to the knowledge of the perceived authenticity of cheeses in the sociological generations, due to their differentiation by age, sociocultural, ethical, political and consumer aspects. It enables the knowledge of the consumer's perspective on these products.

Supplemental Material for Lost in Digitization: The Physical Format of Creative Work Affects Authenticity Perceptions

Supplemental Material for Lost in Digitization: The Physical Format of Creative Work Affects Authenticity Perceptions

Lost in digitization: The physical format of creative work affects authenticity perceptions.

Lost in digitization: The physical format of creative work affects authenticity perceptions.

Consumers' perceptions of partnering brands: The roles of perceived sustainable development goals and partnership authenticity in a cross‐national context

AbstractThis paper explores the ways in which consumers' perceptions of brands' sustainable development goals (SDGs) may influence perceptions of partnership authenticity and consumer loyalty toward partnering brands. Data collected from American, French, Turkish, Chinese, and Taiwanese respondents (n = 1241) were used to study the relationships among a Mega Sport Event Organizer – the International Olympic Committee, one of its sponsors, Airbnb, and their consumers. Findings reveal that both the salience of the partners' SDGs and the degree to which their SDGs align significantly impact the partnership authenticity which, in turn, fosters brand loyalty. Salience of brands' SDGs yields stronger predictions of partnership authenticity compared to SDG‐congruity. Additionally, while collectivism strengthens the effect of partnership authenticity, its impact on sustainable development is comparatively limited. From a conceptual standpoint, the research's contributions to categorization theory are discussed. Practical implications are presented for marketers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their sustainable development strategy.

Should luxury brands display their logos prominently? Implications for brand authenticity, coolness and behavioral intentions

PurposeExtant research captures the signaling and attitudinal effects of luxury brand prominence strategy; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that drive this effect. This study aims to uncover brand authenticity and brand coolness as parallel mediators driving the effects of brand prominence on luxury purchase intentions and explores the moderating role of consumers’ self-brand connection.Design/methodology/approachThe research consisted of three experiments. Study 1 (n = 121) explored the direct effects of brand prominence among Chinese consumers. Using a sample of Turkish consumers (n = 115), Study 2, measured the mediation effects of brand authenticity and brand coolness. Study 3 (n = 211) examined how self-brand connection moderated the mediation effects among British customers.FindingsA luxury brand prominence strategy leads to negative perceptions of coolness and authenticity and, in turn, reduces purchase intentions. The negative effect of brand prominence is even more pronounced among consumers with high self-brand connection.Research limitations/implicationsThe study elaborates on how brand prominence informs consumers’ perceptions of authenticity and coolness. In examining the role of self-brand connection, the study reveals a theoretically and managerially relevant boundary condition of this focal effect.Practical implicationsThe research highlights how luxury brands can use differing brand prominence strategies. This research informs brand managers on how to enhance brand authenticity and coolness while managing self-brand connection.Originality/valueThe study extends the luxury branding literature by explaining the brand prominence effect through the parallel mediators of brand authenticity and brand coolness. In contrast to extant research, the findings show that the negative effect of brand prominence is particularly strong among consumers with high self-brand connection.

Exploring relations among authentic tourism experience, experience quality, and tourist behaviours in phygital heritage with experimental design

Mixed reality (MR) in museums has become increasingly prevalent because of the rapid progress of digitalisation. However, there is a dearth of research examining the impact of MR on visitors' perceptions of authenticity and behaviour, particularly in relation to the role of tour guides. This paper describes a field experiment designed to compare the effects of three distinct service categories (MR only, tour guide only, and mixed service) on the experiences and behaviours of museum visitors. Based on the primary results, visitors who received mixed service or only guide service had a higher perception of objective authenticity than those who received only MR service. This higher perception of authenticity enhanced visitors’ overall experience quality, values, attitudes, and behaviours. Moreover, visitors who received mixed services perceived existential authenticity at the highest level, resulting in a higher level of experience quality. Research sheds light on the dynamic interactions among MR, guided tours, authenticity, and visitor experiences in promoting cultural heritage artefacts.

An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Brand Story Themes on Brand Attitude in the Context of B2C E-Commerce Platforms for Organic Agricultural Products

Against the background of B2C e-commerce platforms, ecological agricultural enterprises often overlook the issues of quality and safety, as well as product image shaping, during their operations, thereby affecting consumers’ purchase decisions. This study adopted authoritative scales and utilized data from 201 questionnaires to empirically investigate the influence of brand images on brand attitudes. Firstly, variables of consumers’ perception and brand attitude were measured through questionnaires. Secondly, regression models were used to discuss the impacts of different brand storytelling themes on brand attitudes. Finally, models of the mediating and moderating effects were employed to empirically study the mechanisms of consumers’ perception and regional familiarity. The research results indicate that brand storytelling themes of ecological agricultural products have a significant positive impact on consumers’ brand attitudes. Consumers’ perception of authenticity plays a mediating role, while regional familiarity acts as a moderator. The research conclusions enrich brand evaluation systems, deepen the related research on brand storytelling themes of agricultural products, reveal the inherent mechanism of the influence of brand storytelling themes of ecological agricultural products on consumers’ brand attitudes, and provide a reference for the practice of regional brand narratives of agricultural products.

Help yourself before helping others: When corporate social responsibility does not make a company more attractive to job seekers

AbstractThis paper explores the conditions under which job seekers may not respond positively to a potential employer's corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. We propose that the relationship between an organization's externally‐directed CSR activities and job seekers’ perceptions of the organization's attractiveness is moderated by whether the organization is also engaging in internally‐directed high‐investment human resource systems (HIHRS). Results from a combination of three studies—an archival study of Fortune 500 companies (Study 1), a survey study (Study 2), and an experiment (Study 3)—provide support for our hypotheses. When an organization has lower levels of internally‐directed HIHRS, the positive influence of externally‐directed CSR on attraction to an organization diminishes (Study 3) or disappears (Studies 1 and 2). Importantly, we identify perceptions of organizational authenticity as one key mechanism driving these effects (Studies 2 and 3).

Perceiving the self as authentic on social media precedes fewer mental health symptoms: A longitudinal approach

People who perceive themselves as authentic experience fewer mental health symptoms (e.g., depression). With social media, people now have great control over whether they express themselves authentically. Prior research has observed links between perceived authenticity on social media and mental health but did not test this relationship in reference to how authentic people perceive themselves offline. Here we show through a preregistered longitudinal study of American college students (NT1 = 197) that perceived authenticity on social media precedes fewer mental health symptoms two months later (NT2 = 105). Only perceptions of authenticity on social media (not offline) predicted some aspects of later mental health (i.e., stress symptoms) independently of perceived authenticity in the other context. Perceived authenticity preceded fewer mental health symptoms more so for those who construed themselves as connected to and dependent on others (rather than psychologically independent) for perceptions of social media but not offline authenticity. The findings suggest that the outcomes of authenticity on social media for young people may deviate from outcomes of authenticity in the offline world.

Building Authentic Science Experiences: Students' Perceptions of Sequential Course-Based Undergraduate Research.

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are attractive solutions for scaling undergraduate research experiences at primarily undergraduate teaching institutions, where resources for faculty research activities can be limited. The Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success (SIRIUS) project is a unique program that integrates CUREs, coordinated around a local real-world problem, throughout a biology department's curricula. The CUREs are scaffolded to provide all biology majors with multiple opportunities to engage in scientific investigations as they advance through introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses. In this mixed methods, cross-sectional study, we explore students' perceptions of the authenticity of their experiences as they progress through the SIRIUS CUREs. Triangulated data collected from two instruments indicated that students in advanced courses recognized more involvement in research activities and perceived greater authenticity in the science they were performing compared with introductory and intermediate students. Intermediate and advanced students perceived more opportunities for independence; however, experiences with failure and the influence these experiences had on the perceptions of authenticity was primarily observed with advanced students. This study contributes to the growing literature on CUREs with a focus on students from a primarily undergraduate institution with multiple minority-serving designations.

Blindness influences emotional authenticity perception in voices: Behavioral and ERP evidence

The ability to distinguish spontaneous from volitional emotional expressions is an important social skill. How do blind individuals perceive emotional authenticity? Unlike sighted individuals, they cannot rely on facial and body language cues, relying instead on vocal cues alone. Here, we combined behavioral and ERP measures to investigate authenticity perception in laughter and crying in individuals with early- or late-blindness onset. Early-blind, late-blind, and sighted control participants (n = 17 per group, N = 51) completed authenticity and emotion discrimination tasks while EEG data were recorded. The stimuli consisted of laughs and cries that were either spontaneous or volitional. The ERP analysis focused on the N1, P2, and late positive potential (LPP). Behaviorally, early-blind participants showed intact authenticity perception, but late-blind participants performed worse than controls. There were no group differences in the emotion discrimination task. In brain responses, all groups were sensitive to laughter authenticity at the P2 stage, and to crying authenticity at the early LPP stage. Nevertheless, only early-blind participants were sensitive to crying authenticity at the N1 and middle LPP stages, and to laughter authenticity at the early LPP stage. Furthermore, early-blind and sighted participants were more sensitive than late-blind ones to crying authenticity at the P2 and late LPP stages.Altogether, these findings suggest that early blindness relates to facilitated brain processing of authenticity in voices, both at early sensory and late cognitive-evaluative stages. Late-onset blindness, in contrast, relates to decreased sensitivity to authenticity at behavioral and brain levels.

Unexpected legacies

Abstract William J. Woodhouse was honorary curator of the Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, from 1904 until 1937. During his curatorship he undertook a significant acquisition of plaster casts to enhance the representation of Greek and Italian sculpture alongside the existing ceramics collection. At its height the collection included well over 250 plaster casts and reproductions. Today the majority of the cast collection has been deaccessioned and, instead, his personal collections of ceramic sherds and photography, donated after her father’s death by his daughter Liska Woodhouse, have become Woodhouse’s curatorial legacy. This paper introduces Woodhouse’s role as curator, and examines each of his unique collections to analyse how Woodhouse himself conceived of his legacy and the reality represented in the Nicholson collection today. Central to this paper is an exploration of how collecting priorities and the perception of authenticity and narrative value changed in museums of antiquities during the twentieth century.

The Perception of Cultural Authenticity, Destination Attachment, and Support for Cultural Heritage Tourism Development by Local People: The Moderator Role of Cultural Sustainability

This study was prepared to examine the effects of cultural authenticity perception by local people on destination attachment and intention to support cultural heritage tourism. The study also investigated the moderator role of cultural sustainability perception. It was conducted in Manavgat, one of the most popular touristic destinations in Turkey. According to the study results, a positive effect was detected between the perception of cultural authenticity, destination attachment, and the intention to support cultural heritage tourism. In addition, the results indicate the existence of a moderator role of cultural sustainability perception in the relationship between destination loyalty and intention to support cultural heritage tourism. As a consequence of the findings obtained, a number of theoretical and practical suggestions have been presented to sector representatives, destination management organizations, and academics working in the literature.

A closer look at geographical indicators: how food labels influence product values, authenticity and willingness to pay premium prices

PurposeThe effects of country-of-origin (COO) cues on product evaluations are well documented. However, research on the relative effects of COO compared to other geographical indicators, such as region-of-origin (ROO), on food purchases is still limited. This study investigates how geographical origin labels influence consumers' perceptions of product value and authenticity of foreign food, as well as subsequent purchase intention (PI) and willingness to pay premium prices (WTPPP). The moderating role of health consciousness on these relationships is also examined due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a between-subjects experimental design conducted with 300 middle- and high-income Chinese consumers aged between 25 and 50 years. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.FindingsWhilst under both COO and ROO cues, all five product values positively influenced consumers' WTPPP, only functional, economic and novelty values influenced PI. The ROO cue performed significantly better than the COO cue in eliciting functional, economic and novelty value perceptions, which triggered stronger PI and willingness to pay a premium price. These relationships were mediated by product authenticity (PA) and moderated by consumers' health consciousness (HC).Practical implicationsBecause food labels provide salient product information that facilitates consumers' evaluation of products, marketers should assess which product value perceptions they wish to enhance and then choose the appropriate geographical indicators for their labelling strategies.Originality/valueThis study identifies the effects of COO and ROO cues on product values, authenticity, PI and WTPPP. It also provides valuable insights into the role of HC on consumers' purchase decisions, which also aids in understanding the impact of global crises on food purchases.

Are the effects of servant leadership only spurious? The state of research on the causal effects of servant leadership, recommendations, and an illustrative experiment

Causality is essential in informing science and policy. In the present study, we investigate the current state of research regarding causality in the field of servant (and authentic) leadership and provide recommendations on how causally identified studies can be conducted. After explaining the methodological problems that potentially prevent causal inferences (i.e., endogeneity bias and issues in experimental design), we provide two systematic literature reviews of servant and authentic leadership showing that these problems remain very prevalent. We then discuss two solutions on how causal effects of servant leadership or perceptions thereof can be established: randomized experiments and instrumental variable regression. To illustrate our recommendations, we report an experiment on the effect of a combination of two servant leadership dimensions (i.e., stewardship and authenticity) on follower performance and also investigate the effect of combined stewardship and authenticity perceptions using instrumental variable regression. The results do not indicate that combined stewardship and authenticity behavior or perceptions affect follower performance. Our study can serve as a roadmap, especially for servant leadership researchers, to address potential endogeneity and conduct causally identified research.

Negotiating Authenticity and Social Identity: Rural Women's Engagement With Müge Anlı ile Tatlı Sert

This study examines the perceptions of authenticity among rural women in the village of Büyükkarabag, located in western Türkiye, in their engagement with the popular Turkish television program Müge Anlı ile Tatlı Sert (commonly known as the Müge Anlı Show). Drawing on social identity theory, the paper explores the concept of authenticity and its connection to local values and beliefs, including class, gender roles, honour, and family values. Ethnographic methods such as informal conversations, structured and unstructured interviews, and participant observations were employed to gain insights into the experiences of 40 adult women villagers during the summer and autumn of 2022. The findings of this study reveal that rural women, spanning different generations, perceive authenticity in their engagement with the Müge Anlı Show through the lens of their local values and beliefs. The show and its host are regarded as providing a voice to the voiceless, and upholding conservative Turkish values, with acts such as crime, adultery, and other illicit behavior seen as indicators of moral decay. However, there are notable generational differences in how authenticity is interpreted. Younger women view the show as challenging societal norms and addressing broader social issues, while older women emphasize the show's role in exposing societal wrongs and reinforcing traditional gender roles.