Goal Framing Research Articles

Which Sustainable Development Goals Favor Crowdfunding Success?

This study examines the impact of the framing of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in crowdfunding campaign descriptions on fundraising success. We compile a dataset of 25,799 Indiegogo campaigns and quantify their relative focus on the 17 United Nation's SDGs. We find that the amount raised and the number of backers increase by 17.3% and 8.3%, respectively, if the number of SDG-related sentences in the campaign description increases by one standard deviation. Additionally, focusing more on issues related to climate, energy, sustainable societies, and responsible consumption promotes whereas focusing on ending poverty or innovation, industry, and infrastructure reduces fundraising success.

Carbon offset payment intentions in aviation industry: Altruism vs. Egoism and airline sustainability

Purpose The issue of excessive carbon emissions continues to be a critical global challenge. As a prominent mode of transportation for long-distance travel, aircraft is widely acknowledged as a significant source of these emissions. Carbon offset initiatives function as ecological measures, helping to reduce the negative environmental impact. This study aims to explore how benefit appeals (BA) within the aviation industry impact tourists’ carbon offset payment intentions (COPIt). Design/methodology/approach In Studies 1 and 2, scenario-based experiments were conducted to explore how goal framing (GF) and (BA) interact to influence COPIt. Study 2 further investigated the mediating roles of moral responsibility and trust in airlines within this interaction. Study 3 used real-world surveys to examine the moderating influence of moral elevation, thereby supporting the interactive effects and mediation mechanisms identified in the earlier studies. Findings Across three studies, the authors consistently identified pivotal factors shaping COPIt in the context of air travel. Study 1 revealed that the combination of BA and GF significantly impacts COPIt, with egoistic appeals linked to loss framing and altruistic appeals connected to gain framing being particularly effective in encouraging COPIt. Study 2 extended these insights by showing that moral responsibility and trust in airlines serve as mediators between BA, GF and COPIt. In Study 3, moral elevation was found to moderate the influence of BA and GF on both moral responsibility and COPIt, deepening the understanding of these dynamics. Originality/value This study expands the range of factors affecting COPIt and delves into the underlying mechanisms through which BA and GF shape COPIt. Additionally, it advances current understanding by revealing the intricate processes influenced by moral elevation. The findings not only contribute to the existing knowledge on COPIt determinants but also offer practical guidance for the aviation industry and related sectors in promoting tourists’ participation in carbon offset programs.

Analysis of MZ Generation's Participation Motives in Rural Experience Tourism Programs through Goal Framing Theory

Analysis of MZ Generation's Participation Motives in Rural Experience Tourism Programs through Goal Framing Theory

Impact of a Ball Regulation Change on Game Performance and Shooting Play in Japanese U-15 Girls' Handball.

We aimed to investigate how a ball regulation change, implemented in U15 girls' handball games, now affects game performance and shooting plays. Over 14 matches (28 observations), we included all the attacks (n = 813) and shooting plays (n = 589) with the conventional ball and all the attacks (n = 821) and shooting plays (n = 618) with the new ball performed by both teams. We used notational analysis to compare the game performance and shooting plays in these two conditions. Our main results were as follows: (i) the attack efficacy was higher with the new ball (41.9%) than with the conventional ball (36.1%); and (ii) the prevalence of the three-line defensive system was higher with the new ball (10.5%) than with the conventional ball (2.7%). It can be inferred that the new ball enabled backcourt players to execute more powerful middle- and long-range shots, leading to their adoption of deeper defensive tactics that were effective in halting advancing backcourt players. Moreover, implementing new ball regulations resulted in a significantly higher frequency of shots targeted at the upper third of the goal frame (44.4%) compared to those observed with the conventional ball (35.8%). This implies that the introduction of the new ball enhanced precision control over shot placements, resulting in an increased player preference for targeting the upper course. Lastly, goalkeepers' saving rates decreased under the new ball, highlighting the need for technical and tactical coaching, tailored to goalkeepers. In summary, implementing the new ball regulations had a positive impact on Japanese U15 girls' handball performance.

The effect of goal frame and risk perception on digital flood prevention tool acceptability.

To cope with catastrophic floods, people need to be better prepared. In this context, a self-assessment digital tool for habitat vulnerability was developed. To improve its take-up rate, we are looking at the motivations associated with the social acceptability of this tool. The motivations (hedonic-gain-normative), derived from goal-frame theory, as well as elements relating to risk perception, are tested. One, 688 participants (aged between 18 and 87) first read a scenario presenting the application (reflecting either one of the motivations of the Goal Framing Theory or a control scenario with no motivation). After reading one of the scenarios, they completed an online questionnaire, measuring the acceptability of the tool using three measures: a direct one (items from the Technological Acceptability Model: ease of use, perceived usefulness and social influence), an indirect measure (by asking the percentage of neighbours interested in the tool) and a social measure (judgement of a person using the tool). The last part of the questionnaire was about subjects' risk perception. The analyses show that, of all the scenarios, the one involving hedonic motivation leads to the lowest social acceptance of the tool. We also observe that a better risk perception predicts better tool acceptability. Finally, we observe interaction effects between risk perception and motivations, showing that normative motivation is better when risk perception increases and that the control condition is better when risk perception decreases. Goal framing theory is usually used for ecological behaviors. It also appears here as relevant in the field of risk prevention. Although risk perception remains the best predictor of acceptability, these results lead us to conclude that hedonic motivation is not appropriate for the acceptability of a flood risk prevention tool. It is preferable to focus on normative and gain motivations.

CSR communication in hospitality: Fostering hotel guests’ climate (change) engagement

This study aimed to explore effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies to increase hotel guests’ engagement in climate change initiatives. Utilizing regulatory fit theory and construal level theory, three scenario-based experimental designs were devised. These designs empirically analyzed the responses of 1500 hotel guests to 12 different types of CSR communication messages. Framed along goal framing (either gain or loss) and temporal/spatial/social distance (either far or close), these messages allowed guests to articulate their attitudes and behaviors concerning climate change engagement. All three experiments revealed that CSR communication became more persuasive with regulatory fit, leading to increased intentions for green word-of-mouth (green WOM) and a willingness to pay a green premium (green WTPP). To further validate the findings, the study also investigated the moderating effect of temporal/spatial/social distance on message framing. We found that temporal distance amplified the congruence between goal framing and regulatory focus, resulting in heightened green WOM intentions. Social distance also increased this alignment, resulting in heightened green WOM intentions and green WTPP. This study contributes to the literature on hotel guest climate (change) engagement by examining the concept through CSR communication strategies. It offers a valuable perspective on the nexus of guest engagement, CSR, and sustainability, contributing uniquely to theory and practice in these interconnected fields.

Optimizing positive goal framing in advertising: differential consumer responses to new product categories

PurposeThis research delves into the nuanced effects of positive goal framing quantity in advertising on consumer reactions towards new products, categorizing them into incrementally new products (INPs) and really new products (RNPs). It moves beyond the traditional binary evaluation of advertising effectiveness, offering a more intricate analysis of consumer engagement based on product novelty.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a comprehensive dataset encompassing 461 digital video advertisements from six leading technology-centric firms, this study employs content analysis alongside hierarchical polynomial regression to dissect the dynamics between the volume of positive goal framings and consumer engagements. This examination is contextualized within the spectrum of product innovation, offering insights into the differential consumer behaviors elicited by INPs and RNPs.FindingsThe investigation uncovers a non-linear, inverted U-shaped correlation between the volume of positive goal framings and consumer responses. This relationship exhibits variability in its intensity between INPs and RNPs, with INPs demonstrating a more pronounced response variability around a higher inflection point on the curve. This pattern underscores the complex interplay between goal framing and product novelty in shaping consumer perceptions and actions.Originality/valueThis study pioneers the exploration of goal framing within the realm of product advertising, shifting the analytical lens from its traditional roots in health and medicine to the intricacies of consumer behavior in response to advertising. By introducing a distinctive classification of product newness through INPs and RNPs, the research augments current understanding of effective advertising strategies, delivering profound insights for marketers and advertisers in tailoring their campaigns to align with consumer expectations and product characteristics.

Fostering pro-environmental behavior of university students through goal framing theory: the mediating role of environmental knowledge

Purpose This study aims to examine the associations between the three goals (hedonic, gain and normative) and university students’ proenvironmental behavior. After that, the authors investigate how environmental knowledge acts as a mediator between three goals (hedonic, gain and normative) and proenvironmental behavior. Design/methodology/approach The study used the quantitative approach adopting the goal framing theory (GFT) as the theoretical framework, for analyzing behavior of university students toward environment including both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The data was gathered through the distribution of a structured questionnaire to private universities in Chattogram and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings Hedonic and gain goals have positive effects on students’ proenvironmental behavior while the normative goal has insignificant association. In addition, all the three goals are significantly linked with students’ environmental knowledge. Besides, environmental knowledge significantly mediates the association between three goals and proenvironmental behavior. Practical implications The findings can provide valuable insights for integrating sustainability and environmental education into the formulation and planning of curricular and extra-curricular activities, with an emphasis on students’ intrinsic motivation. Originality/value The mediating role of environmental knowledge between three goals and proenvironmental behavior is the unique contribution of this study.

How to Drive Tourists’ Pro-Environmental Behavior: Interactive Effect of Benefit Appeals and Goal Framing

The drive to foster tourists’ pro-environmental behavior (TPEB) is a current research hotspot amidst the deteriorating ecological environment. However, existing studies have yet to reach definitive conclusions on how tourist destinations influence TPEB through different benefit appeals and goal framing. This paper investigates the interactive effects of these factors on TPEB, reporting on two experiments. Study 1 confirmed significant interactive effects of benefit appeals and goal framing on TPEB, wherein altruistic appeals and gain framing, as well as appeals to self-interest and loss framing, demonstrates matching effects. Furthermore, environmental awareness mediated these interactions. Study 2 established that tourists’ environmental knowledge moderates the interactive effects of goal framing and benefit appeals on TPEB. The moderating effect of high-level environmental knowledge is more pronounced, and tourists with higher environmental knowledge are more inclined to engage in TPEB compared with those with lower levels of environmental knowledge. The conclusions of this study not only enrich the research on influencing factors and mechanisms of TPEB but also offer practical insights for environmental management in tourist destinations.

Cause-related marketing in tourism: how goal framing promotes consumer prosocial behaviours

Cause-related marketing is commonly regarded as an effective tool for tourism enterprises to bolster their commitment to sustainable practices, fostering environmental and social responsibility within their operations and offerings. However, despite this, there is limited research into the implementation of cause-related social marketing to achieve the sustainability goals of tourism enterprises. Consequently, this research leverages construal level theory to examine how goal framing in cause-related tourism marketing communications nudges consumers towards engaging in prosocial behaviours, with an explicit emphasis on the boundary conditions in which desired effects diminish. Results across two pilot studies and four scenario-based experiments demonstrate that the specific (vs. abstract) goal framing elicits a higher degree of prosocial behaviours through the critical role of empathy. Two moderating variables demonstrate the enhancement effect of specific goal framing is attenuated for consumers already high (vs. low) on the agreeableness trait and those who are primed with a cyclical (vs. linear) temporal perspective. Additional analyses and controls, including ruling out three alternative explanations, reinforce the reliability and validity of the results. This research provides evidence-based insights critical to amplify the effectiveness of cause-related corporate social responsibility initiatives in tourism, unveiling the specific mechanisms which underpin consumer responses to corporate social responsibility messages and communication framing. Future research should examine the critical role of goal framing in the social repositioning of tourism enterprises.

The physical environment matters: room effects on online purchase decisions.

People as individual consumers are regularly targeted in sustainability campaigns or communications with the hope of enhancing sustainable behavior at an individual level, with subsequent sustainability transformation at a larger societal scale. However, psychological motivation is complex and campaigns need to be based on an understanding for what individual, and contextual, factors support or hinder sustainable behavioral choices. In a discrete choice experiment, participants made hypothetical online purchases in each of three rooms designed to evoke associations to hedonic, gain, and normative goal frames. Participants were shown a campaign message intended to prime sustainable textile consumption prior to the purchase. For each product (t-shirt or bananas) hedonic (comfort/look), gain (price), and normative (organic/ fairtrade) attributes were varied in an online choice experiment. Preferences for the normative attribute of t-shirts increased in the normative room compared to the room with gain associations. No effect of the rooms with hedonic or gain priming was observed on the choice. The study supports the hypothesis that the physical room can enhance goal frame activation and behavioral choice but concludes that such priming effect is sensitive to specificity of the prime.

Explore or Exploit Innovation to Survive Uncertain Times? A Theoretical Outlook Based on The Advancement of Employee Creativity Utilizing Promotion and Prevention Goal Framing

There has been considerable research in the relationship of exploration and exploitation activities with promotion and prevention focus, especially regarding their impact on innovation and creativity respectively. However, there is a lack of research in this dynamic during times of crisis where innovation and creativity is especially crucial for both firms to thrive and survive. This paper draws upon the regulatory focus theory and its effect on creativity, in order to supplement our theoretical perspective on a firm’s exploratory exploitative innovation strategies during times of crisis, particularly by conceptually linking employee’s creativity to innovation. The results of this study, based on a survey of 218 British students and creativity coding by our researchers, indicate that prevention focus positively affects creativity in individuals at a higher level compared to promotion focus. This study provides an alternate theoretical perspective regarding exploratory and exploitative innovation strategies, based on the development of employees’ creative abilities, through goal framing and increases our practical understanding of the role of creativity during times of crisis within an innovation management framework.

Consumer Shift from Fast Fashion to Thrift Fashion: An Application of Goal Framing Theory

Thrift fashion represents the fastest-growing trend on Instagram. Although consumers are still skeptical about thrift, its increasing popularity among young Indian consumers remains under-researched. Thus, this article analyzes the responsible factors shaping consumers’ purchase intention toward Instagram thrift stores. Responses from 206 Instagram thrift store followers were received using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling in SPSS AMOS 21 tests the proposed research model. Six factors influencing consumers’ purchase intention were identified after reviewing relevant literature on the topic. Results indicate that the gain goal frame (economic value), hedonic goal frame (perceived concern and hedonic value), and electronic word-of-mouth significantly influence consumers’ purchase decisions. However, the impact of the normative goal frame (environmental concern) and fashion consciousness was insignificant. The findings of this study could help Instagram thrift store owners plan their communication strategies by identifying the motivating and demotivating factors of conscious consumers’ purchase intention. It is the first empirical article to understand the factors influencing the purchase intention of Indian consumers while purchasing from Instagram thrift fashion stores.

When do gossip receivers assess negative gossip as justifiable? A goal framing approach

Negative gossip is a double-edged sword, which can harm group members but also protect them from harmful others. Current theory proposes that gossip receivers assess gossipers' selfish and prosocial intentions based on different social cues, to determine whether the negative gossip behavior is morally justifiable. However, assessing gossipers' moral intentions does not fully clarify when and how justifiability of negative gossip is assessed by receivers. Using goal framing theory, I propose a parsimonious way of understanding when gossip receivers will be interested in determining whether sharing the negative gossip was justifiable, and how they assess justifiability. In line with predictions, results of two scenario experiments showed that in a hedonic and gain goal frame gossip justifiability was similar to a baseline level, suggesting that receivers had no particular concerns regarding gossip justifiability. However, in a normative frame receivers assessed negative gossip to be less justifiable when social cues indicated that the gossiper was motivated to harm others for self-interest compared to when such cues were absent (Study 1). In Study 2, gossip was more justified when social cues indicated that that the target broke the salient social norm and signaled that the gossiper has low motivation to harm. Moreover, in a normative frame, participants were more interested in further establishing gossip truthfulness compared to participants in a gain, hedonic, or control condition in Study 1, and in a hedonic condition in Study 2. These results show that individuals' goal frame determine their interest in gossip justifiability and how they assess it. This may help solve the paradox of negative gossip by drawing from goal framing theory to understand individuals can be avid gossip consumers, while holding widely disapproving attitudes towards this behavior.

Worrying with Children and Water in ECEC: Exploring the Pedagogical framing Effects of Actions for Climate Change

AbstractBased on Sustainable Development Goals, a recent flurry of activity has begun concerning the responsibilities of teachers to support young children in recognising and responding to aspects of climate change. Less, however, is understood about the emotional impact of these interventions on children themselves, or the extent to which the way they are framed can impact on the actions that follow. The extent to which children are encouraged to worry about water and their responsibilities concerning its sustainability is of relevance to the children of Aotearoa New Zealand and orients the focus of this paper. Walking with 3–4-year-old children over several days across three early childhood education and care sites located near waterways in the South Island, researchers share examples of worrying that took place for these children as we walked together with water. Utilising Bilandzic et al. (Sci Commun 39:466–491, 2017) goal frames to analyse their significance, the ways children worried are explored in a series of narratives that identify as series of positive and negative frames and their consequences. The paper concludes by highlighting the considerable effects of worrying and their consequences for activating children towards climate action. Teachers are invited to take a nuanced view that ameliorates the counter-productive outcomes of negative frames that can immobilise action, in contemplation of positive frames with water as a relational encounter with potential for empowerment and change. As such, a shift from emphasising activities for climate change to the framings that orient their significance through children’s worrying encounters with and about water.

Investigating the influence mechanism of goal‐framing theory on urban residents' green travel behavior

AbstractThis study aims to explore the influence mechanism of goal‐framing theory on green travel behavior (GTB), thereby supporting the promotion of sustainable transportation modes to mitigate environmental degradation and resource waste, in alignment with the “dual carbon” targets. Based on the GTB data of 334 Chinese residents, we use goal‐framing theory to analyze residents' subjective environmental concerns and the external media's driving mechanism on their choice of green travel through a structural equation modeling (SEM). At the same time, the mediating effect of goal frames is tested through mediation testing. The results show that: 1. indirectly encouraged by media persuasion influencing their normative and hedonic goals; 2. encouraged by normative and hedonic goals partially mediating the relationship between environmental concerns and GTB; and 3. surprisingly, not very affected by influencing their gain goals. The implications of this research provide actionable insights for interventions, messaging strategies, transportation industry practices, environmental policy development, and theoretical advancements. For future research, it is essential to delve into regional variations and to more thoroughly account for the influence of external factors on GTB.

How to make busy individuals donate more? The matching effect of charitable appeals and busyness on willingness to donate

Busyness is one of the most common states of the modern consumer. Previous studies have mainly distinguished busyness from the perspective of time pressure, but have not clearly categorized it. This study classifies busyness into two types: proactive busyness and forced busyness, based on the difference in the subject of work task assignment. This study proposes and tests a conceptual model based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to reveal how to increase the willingness to donate of individuals with different types of busyness. Four studies were conducted in this research. The results showed that rational appeals increase the willingness to donate of proactively busy individuals by stimulating cognitive empathy. In contrast, emotional appeals increase the willingness to donate of forcedly busy individuals by activating affective empathy. This study also revealed that the potential boundary condition of this influence mechanism is the goal frame.

A Theoretical Framework for Tracking Farmers’ Intention for Adoption of Organic Agriculture

This paper reviews the theories employed to explain factors behind farmers’ adoption of organic agriculture and synthesises a theoretical framework for future research. The results suggest that organic agriculture adoption is affected by a multitude of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While the theories of reasoned action, planned behaviour, goal framing, and resilience captured the role of intrinsic factors, the theories of social capital, embeddedness, agglomeration, transaction cost, systems, rent and institutional theory try to capture the role of such extrinsic factors. However, no single theory suffices to capture all the factors. Thus, a holistic framework to study the intrinsic and extrinsic factors behind organic farming adoption, in totality, is provided. This theoretical framework can further be invoked to build a conceptual framework that may be tested in various country and regional contexts to establish the relative significance of all the factors. Such an exercise may be an important input in policy formulation for promoting organic farming. The policymakers can deploy this framework to commission research studies to look into the appropriateness and effectiveness of policy instruments in particular situations.

Impact of Leader’s Goal Framing on Followership Behavior: The Role of Work Meaning and Power Dependence

While there is growing interest in leader–follower relationships in the leadership literature, little is known about how a leader’s framing effect triggers employees’ proactive behaviors. This research aims to extend previous knowledge about the effects of leaders’ goal framing and uncover their potential impacts on followership behaviors. Drawing on social information processing theory, this study proposes that both types of goal framing (gaining and losing) indirectly influence employees’ followership behaviors by mobilizing their sense of work meaning, especially when they have a power dependence on their leaders, using the method of questionnaire measurement, CFA analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and the bootstrap tested hypotheses. The results show that gain framing indirectly contributes to employees’ followership behaviors by enhancing work meaning. Furthermore, this positive indirect relationship is stronger for employees with high power dependence. Yet another finding reveals that loss framing negatively impacts followership behavior by reducing employees’ sense of work meaning, which is unaffected by power dependence. From the perspective of the framing effect, this study verifies the influence of goal framing on employees’ behaviors and illustrates the effect of work meaning as a mechanism of goal framing on followership behavior.

Motivated with joy or anxiety: Does approach-avoidance goal framing elicit differential reward-network activation in the brain?

Psychological research on human motivation repeatedly observed that approach goals (i.e., goals to attain success) increase task enjoyment and intrinsic motivation more strongly than avoidance goals (i.e., goals to avoid failure). The present study sought to address how the reward network in the brain—including the striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex—is involved when individuals engage in the same task with a focus on approach or avoidance goals. Participants reported stronger positive emotions when they focused on approach goals, but stronger anxiety and disappointment when they focused on avoidance goals. The fMRI analyses revealed that the reward network in the brain showed similar levels of activity to cues predictive of approach and avoidance goals. In contrast, the two goal states were associated with different patterns of activity in the visual cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum during success and failure outcomes. Representation similarity analysis further revealed shared and different representations within the striatum and vmPFC between the approach and avoidance goal states, suggesting both the similarity and uniqueness of the mechanisms behind the two goal states. In addition, the distinct patterns of activation in the striatum were associated with distinct subjective experiences participants reported between the approach and the avoidance conditions. These results suggest the importance of examining the pattern of striatal activity in understanding the mechanisms behind different motivational states in humans.