Positive Attitudinal Responses Research Articles

A Smart Ad Display System

This paper proposes a smart ad display system to provide personalized delivery of video ads. The proposed system records consumers’ facial expression and eye gaze stream data as they watch an ad and analyzes data at the frame level. The recognized facial expression and detected eye gaze are matched to the corresponding frame of the video ad, thereby linking facial expressions to specific visual objects appearing in the ad. By tracking a consumer’s facial expressions in response to various visual objects in real time, the system learns the consumer’s individual preferences toward different ads, searches the ad pool, and selects and subsequently displays a new ad that is most likely to elicit positive attitudinal and behavioral responses. We demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system with two empirical studies. The results show that by tracking a consumer’s facial responses to only one ad or even part of an ad, our proposed system is able to make reasonably accurate inferences about a consumer’s ad preferences, with or without using information about other consumers. These inferences are used to make personalized recommendations that help enhance consumers’ ad viewing experiences and elicit favorable responses.

The Effect of Leader–Follower Interpersonal Relations on Employees’ Attitude during Change Implementation

There are numerous guides on the “how” of strategy development, but an insignificant number of resources on the associated implementation that results in leaders assuming employees know what to do at the execution stage. In contrast, employees require positive interpersonal relations with leaders to influence positive attitudinal responses. Leaders in organisations play a pivotal role in the change process as change agents who must be well versed with what exactly is required and how it will be achieved for the benefit of the organisation, employees and other stakeholders. In this study, we explore and illuminate the effect of leader–follower interpersonal relations on employees’ attitude during change implementation. In the study, we used a qualitative phenomenological design whereby the data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 17 participants. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to identify the participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The main findings indicated a shift in employees’ attitudes from positive to negative owing to poor interpersonal relations, lack of trust and voiceless leadership during the implementation process. This article enriches the change implementation process by providing insights into the importance of positive work relationships in influencing employee attitudinal support for change. The study indicated that change implementation necessitates the leader’s enthusiasm, skill, knowledge and a collaborative mindset to harness the employees’ positive attitudes. The success of change implementation is premised on the leader’s mastery of the art of change at a personal and organisational level.

How substantive corporate social responsibility attributions promote employee work engagement: A triple mediation model

Increasing evidences suggest that employees exhibit positive attitudinal and behavioral responses when they attribute their company’s demonstrations of corporate social responsibility as substantive. However, there has been insufficient investigation into the underlying psychological processes through which substantive corporate social responsibility attributions are associated with work engagement. Based on the model of psychological conditions for engagement, we proposed that attributions of substantive CSR are positively related to work engagement via work meaningfulness, psychological safety, and organization-based self-esteem. We collected two-wave time-lagged questionnaire data from 503 fulltime employees in mainland China. Hierarchical regression was conducted to test hypothesized model using SPSS Process macro. Results indicated that substantive corporate social responsibility attributions positively predicted work engagement; work meaningfulness, psychological safety and organization-based self-esteem parallel mediated this relationship. The findings contribute to the literature of well-being related outcomes of corporate social responsibility attributions and help a thorough understanding of antecedents of work engagement. It expands our knowledge of the new mechanisms in the relationship between corporate social responsibility attributions and work engagement. Our findings also could shed lights on the management for employees’ work engagement.

The Role of Humor in Management Response to Positive Consumer Reviews

Marketing managers increasingly monitor their company's online reputation and respond to online consumer reviews on various digital platforms. The current literature provides valuable insights into effectively initiating management response (MR) to negative reviews. However, research on how companies should respond to positive reviews is limited, despite their prevalence in MR practice. In this study, we postulate that using humor in MR for positive reviews can be an effective response strategy to enhance positive attitudinal and behavioral responses. Drawing on parasocial interaction theory, we conducted a field investigation and two experimental studies to demonstrate that humorous ( vs. humorless) MRs to positive reviews fostered perceived parasocial interaction between prospective consumers and brands, which enhanced brand attitude and purchase intention. Furthermore, the proposed effects were stronger for consumers with communal norms than for those with exchange norms. This research advances the emerging literature on MR to consumer reviews of different valences and suggests important guidelines for effective MRs.

Robotic service quality – Scale development and validation

Viewing robots as service agents that provide services to customers for value exchange, the study developed a scale to measure robotic service quality. The scale underwent several stages of development including item generation, domain specification, scale refinement, and validity testing, including internal and external cross validation. A range of methods were used in this process. Data were collected from Australia, China, and Vietnam to test external validity. Four dimensions were identified to represent robotic service quality. Development of this scale has implications for artificial intelligence and service research. The scale can be used by practitioners to enhance customer experience and generate positive attitudinal and behavioural responses from customers.

Aligning Calculus with Life Sciences Disciplines: The Argument for Integrating Statistical Reasoning

Governmental and educational organizations have pointed out that students coming into the biological sciences require stronger skills in statistics and data modeling that are not usually addressed in typical engineering-based calculus courses. Our work here documents how faculty in biology and mathematics addressed this issue at a large urban university in the southwestern USA. The Calculus for Life Sciences course was redesigned to integrate data analysis and engage students in activities connecting the foundational and practical aspects of statistics-based calculus for professionals in life sciences. The goal was to obtain a better-prepared cohort of students with a positive perception of the use of mathematics and statistics in their careers. Over the course of four semesters, the course doubled the average enrollment of students, the failure rate reduced by more than 50%, and students reported positive attitudinal responses regarding the application of math to biological studies. The perception of mastery reported by students throughout the semester, however, did not correlate with the mastery of skills demonstrated on graded activities. This article provides a case study of the successes and pitfalls that we encountered as we attempted to shift all aspects of the course, including pedagogy, grading, and curriculum.

Meaningfulness of work and supervisory‐rated job performance: A moderated‐mediation model

AbstractMeaningfulness of work has been heralded as one of the most important drivers of individual and organizational outcomes. However, the extent to which this critical psychological state manifests itself in the workplace and contributes to positive job performance is not yet fully understood. In this article, we draw from broaden‐and‐build theory to suggest that meaningfulness enhances employees' promotive voice behaviors, which in turn are positively related to job performance ratings by their leaders. We also suggest that leader–member relationships strengthen this mediational process. An analysis of survey data of 249 employees with matched lagged performance appraisal data supported our hypotheses. This study is important because it demonstrates that meaningfulness is not only associated with positive attitudinal responses and individual well‐being, but also holds value for organizations in that it fosters desirable workplace behaviors such as job performance.

Sexual minority prevalence and attitudes within the British horseracing industry

This article utilises the theories of Inclusive Masculinity and Organisational Cultural Lag to provide the first comprehensive exploration of sexual minority inclusion in the British horseracing industry. The study employs a quantitative approach, involving a survey distributed to two mixed-gender populations within the sport: jockeys ( n = 149) and non-athlete stakeholders ( n = 308). Results indicate that approximately one fifth of jockeys selected a response other than ‘straight’, while less than 4% of the population of jockeys and stakeholders would view a sexual minority colleague ‘very negatively’. However, despite the relatively high proportion of sexual minority individuals working within the industry, and the positive attitudinal responses towards having a sexual minority colleague, only one of the 149 jockeys surveyed identified as a sexual minority and were publicly ‘out’.

Free Smiles Are Worth a Lot for Social Media Influencers: The Mediating Roles of Warmth, Competence, and Admiration

This research examines how visual representation of social media influencers affects perceptions and attitudes toward influencers and their persuasive messages. Using the theoretical frameworks of the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and the Behaviors from Interpersonal Affect and Stereotypes (BIAS) Map, Study 1 demonstrated that influencers with broad smiles were perceived as warmer and more competent and evaluated more positively than those with closed smiles. Study 2 revealed that warmth and competence judgments led to admiration toward the smiling influencers, which in turn resulted in positive attitudinal and behavioral responses to their persuasive messages. By investigating the mediating effects of judgments and emotional responses toward influencers, this study reveals social cognitive mechanisms underlying psychological processing of influencer messaging.

A Moderated Mediation Model Linking perceived Organizational Support to Volunteer Outcomes

Volunteers play a crucial role in tackling grand challenges such as climate change, the refugee crisis, and inequalities. However, little is known about the organizational practices that can be implemented to influence volunteers’ involvement in their role. In the present study, we fill this gap by exploring how and when volunteers’ perception of organizational support is associated with volunteer engagement and intention to leave. Data from 1,542 volunteers of a German environmental nonprofit organization revealed that the relationship between perceived organizational support and the volunteer outcomes is mediated by organizational identification, and that the relationship between perceived organizational support and organizational identification is moderated by organizational vision acceptance. We extend existing research on volunteer management by using an identity-based perspective to highlight the identification mechanism underpinning the relationship between perceived organizational support and positive attitudinal responses in the volunteering context. These findings have practical implications for a professional management of volunteers, as NPOs should provide volunteers with support, as well as facilitate their understanding and approval of collective goals and aspirations.

Signaling trust: Cues from Instagram posts

Abstract Integrating the psychological theories of 'cue utilization' and 'trust online', this study identifies the cues in Instagram posts that build trust, in turn mediating consumers' positive attitudinal responses toward the branded products. The survey data from 260 Instagram users support the hypotheses that the 'popularity' and 'quality of the argument' of posts positively influence consumer trust toward a post, which builds positive attitudinal responses toward the branded products. The study supports the conclusion that consumers rely on the cues of popularity and quality of the argument of a post when they make use of cues for reducing uncertainty in purchasing apparel online. Two theoretical orientations are useful for explicating consumer attitudinal behaviors toward Instagram posts. Practical implications for enhancing the quality of Instagram posts by means of cues that create trust in posts are discussed.

The YouTube Marketing Communication Effect on Cognitive, Affective and Behavioural Attitudes among Generation Z Consumers

YouTube (YT) is the largest online video digital channel with more than 2 billion users, and over a billion hours of YT videos are viewed every day, particularly among young consumers. YT has become a massive marketing communication platform, which serves as a medium to target the lucrative Generation Z cohort (first born in the late 1990s), and influence this generation’s infamously unpredictable purchase decision process. The main aim of this paper was to consider the effect of YouTube marketing communication (YMC) on the traditional and non-traditional attitudinal associations of response hierarchy models. A multi-stage sample technique was used and 3750 high school and college learners (aged 13–18 years old) were surveyed via self-administered questionnaires in South Africa. Structural equation modelling was utilised to consider the hypothesised attitudinal associations. The research determined that YMC had a positive influence on the hypothesised attitudinal associations, and young consumers who used YT for fewer years, logged on more frequently, spent shorter time periods on the platform, viewed higher numbers of commercials, aged 13–14 years old, and from the White population group exhibited the most positive attitudinal responses. Hence, organisations should review their strategies in order to develop more sustainable YMC owing to the heterogeneity evident among young African consumers.

What makes materialistic consumers more ethical? Self-benefit vs. other-benefit appeals

Materialism is known to be negatively related to consumers’ ethical behaviors, and prior research has often assumed that highly materialistic consumers do not behave ethically. This study challenges such conventional wisdom and investigated ways to motivate highly materialistic consumers to engage in ethical consumption behaviors by examining the moderating role of the appeal type across two studies. The results indicated that highly materialistic consumers showed more positive attitudinal and behavioral responses to ethical products and campaigns when self-benefit (vs. other-benefit) appeals are implemented; however, less materialistic consumers’ responses did not depend on the appeal type. The two egoistic motivations, protective and enhancement motivations, were found to mediate the positive effect of self-benefit appeals among highly materialistic consumers. These findings suggest that materialistic and ethical values do not represent opposite ends of a single dimension, but rather indicate two independent dimensions in the same individual. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.

Transformational leadership, organizational justice and organizational outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational commitment (OC) with the mediating role of organizational justice (OJ) in the higher education (HE) sector in Syria.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 502 employees from six HE institutions. Two measures of organizational outcomes were selected for this study, namely, job satisfaction (JS) and OC. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), the authors tested four alternative models to indicate the relationship between leadership and organizational outcomes.FindingsTL has both direct and indirect effects on OC through interactional justice (IJ). TL has an impact on JS through procedural justice (PJ) and IJ as intermediate variables, while transactional leadership (TrL) has an impact on JS through distributive justice (DJ). The three types of OJ have an impact on OC through JS. The authors found that the national culture may not influence the impact of the leader in the current globalization context, as the results were similar to the Western studies.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide managers of the HE sector with insights into the formations of employees’ fairness perceptions, and with some guidelines for managing employees by documenting OJ to draw positive attitudinal and behavioral responses from employees.Originality/valueWhile most previous research has focused on exploring the relationship between leadership and OJ or between OJ and JS in the business sector, the study, however, seeks in addition, to pinpoint the effect of OJ as a mediate variable between the leadership and JS and OC in HE.

Remember Me? Exposure to Unfamiliar Food Brands in Television Advertising and Online Advergames Drives Children’s Brand Recognition, Attitudes, and Desire to Eat Foods: A Secondary Analysis from a Crossover Experimental-Control Study with Randomization at the Group Level

BackgroundLimitations in current Australian regulatory provisions may be identified by demonstrating the effect of different marketing methods on children’s recognition and attitudes toward unhealthy food brands. ObjectiveTo investigate how exposure to different marketing techniques from television (TV) and online food advertising affects children’s brand recall, recognition, and attitudinal responses toward brands and brand consumers and children’s desire to eat the advertised products. DesignSecondary analysis of data from a crossover experimental-control study. Participants/settingIn all, 154 children (7 to 12 years) completed the study, conducted at four 6-day holiday camps from April 2016 to January 2017 in New South Wales, Australia. Children were assigned to a single-media (n=76) or multiple-media (n=78) condition. InterventionAll children viewed 10 TV food advertisements in a cartoon on three occasions. For one of the brands, one set of children additionally played online “advergames” featuring the brand. Main outcome measuresChildren’s recognition and attitudes toward brands and brand consumers and children’s desire to eat the product were reported via a brand recognition and attitude survey pre- and postintervention. Marketing techniques were categorized. Statistical analysisPre- and postintervention brand recognition and relationships between brand recognition and attitudes by media condition and desire to eat the product were examined using generalized linear mixed models and linear mixed models. ResultsThere was a significant increase in the number of brands recognized postexposure by children in both media groups (mean difference=3.8, P<0.0001). The majority of brands appealed to children. Children who reported wanting to eat the advertised products rated brands more positively than children who did not express a desire to eat the products. A larger proportion of children who played the advergames (36%) rated brand consumers as “cool” than children who viewed the TV advertisements only (19%) (P<0.001). Anti-adult themes, fun and humor, and parent pleasing were techniques unique to some of the most recognized and favored advertisements. ConclusionsThe marketing communications increased children’s brand recognition and elicited positive attitudinal responses. These findings indicate a need for policy makers to consider additional regulations to protect children from the persuasive influence of unhealthy food advertising.

Time for change: an experimental investigation of chronic pain patients' emotional and attitudinal responses to simulated opioid-tapering advice.

Clinicians report reluctance to deliver opioid-tapering advice to patients with chronic pain, in part due to concerns that patients will be angry and dissatisfied. An experiment was conducted to examine chronic pain patients' emotional and attitudinal responses to simulated opioid-tapering advice. Patients scheduled for an initial assessment at a tertiary pain clinic and currently taking opioid medications for pain (N = 196) were randomly assigned to view video footage of a standardized patient receiving 1 of 3 forms of treatment advice: (1) stay on current medication (2) change to a different pain medication, or (3) taper off pain medications and participate in a CBT-based pain self-management program. Participants reported how positive/enthusiastic, anxious/worried, and angry/irritable they felt in response to the simulated treatment advice, and how satisfied with and willing they would be to accept and follow the advice. Participants expressed more positive emotional and attitudinal responses to simulated opioid-tapering advice than to simulated opioid-maintenance advice. Furthermore, participants' responses to simulated opioid-tapering and opioid-change advice were not significantly different, suggesting that participants responded positively to the prospect of change in treatment strategy. Additional analyses revealed that participants with a longer history of chronic pain and opioid use responded less positively to simulated opioid-tapering advice. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of factors that may shape chronic pain patients' responses to opioid-tapering advice and suggest that patients may respond more positively to opioid-tapering advice if it is presented together with an alternative treatment approach.

Attitudes vs. Purchase Behaviors as Experienced Dissonance: The Roles of Knowledge and Consumer Orientations in Organic Market.

This research focuses on the incongruity between positive attitudinal responses but a lack of purchase behavior in organic markets. According to cognitive dissonance theory, consumer orientations toward the benefits attributed to organic products (environmental protection, health, hedonic) relieve the dissonance that results from this attitude–behavior incongruity. Knowledge also functions as a transmitter, from positive attitudes to purchase behaviors, thereby reducing the incongruity. Using quota sampling in a survey study, this paper tests the hypotheses from linear regression models. The results show that orientations and knowledge improve the congruity between attitudes and purchase behaviors toward organic products. Moreover, interaction effects arise between the environmental protection orientation and knowledge and between the hedonic orientation and knowledge. Increasing knowledge mitigates the difference between attitudes and purchase behaviors, especially for consumers with environmental protection or hedonic orientations. These findings have several important implications for research and practice.

Exploring the effective restaurant CrM ad

Purpose This experimental study aims to examine the effectiveness of cause-related marketing messages that incorporate both text and visuals, as compared to messages comprised solely of text, on the attitudes and behavioral intentions of restaurant customers, and to see if the impact varies across four categories of social causes (health, animal welfare, human services and the environment). Design/methodology/approach This experimental study uses a 2 (type of message) × 4 (cause category) between-subjects design. Findings Restaurant messages that combine text and visuals are more effective than restaurant messages with only text in engendering positive attitudinal and behavioral responses. This paper also found interaction effects between advertisement type and cause category on individuals’ responses (i.e. attitudes and behavioral intentions). Practical implications The messaging strategies suggested by this research will allow the restaurant industry to capitalize on the value of cause-related marketing initiatives. Originality/value This research contributes to the hospitality literature by expanding the realm of research on effective cause-related marketing initiatives.

A Double-Edged Sword? Predicting Consumers’ Attitudes Toward and Sharing Intention of Native Advertising on Social Media

Despite the increasing popularity and advantage of native advertising on social media, advertisers are concerned about the possibility of native ads misleading consumers, resulting in boomerang effects. This study attempts to address this concern by comparing the predictive role of native ad nonintrusiveness with that of native ad manipulativeness in consumers’ attitude toward and sharing intention of native advertising. Findings from an online survey of 550 U.S. adult consumers showed that native ad nonintrusiveness was positively related to attitude toward and sharing intention of native advertising, whereas native ad manipulativeness was not. Consumers’ ad skepticism and persuasion knowledge were negatively related to attitude toward and sharing intention of native advertising; but persuasion knowledge became nonsignificant when native ad nonintrusiveness and manipulativeness were included in regression models. Additionally, those with stronger information-seeking motivation showed more positive attitudinal and behavioral responses. This study advances the knowledge of native advertising by examining the possibility of its being a double-edged sword. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Why are there cross-national differences in response to comparative advertising?: some mediators

ABSTRACTThis study conducted a lab experiment in the US and South Korea to test cross-national differences in response to comparative versus non-comparative Facebook advertising messages. Consistent with prior research, this study found that comparative ads resulted in more positive attitudinal responses among Americans, whereas non-comparative ads resulted in more positive attitudinal responses among Koreans. Results of multiple mediation tests showed that Americans showed more positive responses to a comparative ad message because the message was perceived to be more assertive than a non-comparative ad message, whereas Koreans showed more negative responses to a comparative ad message because the message was perceived to be less considerate than a comparative ad message. This study has important theoretical implications by testing multiple mediators for comparative ad effects; and also has practical implications for cultural adaptation marketing strategies.