Psychological Rewards Research Articles

Kinks as Goals: Accelerating Commissions and the Performance of Sales Teams

Piecewise-linear reward schemes are very common in workplaces; by definition, they divide the set of possible performance levels into disjoint intervals that could have psychological value to workers. When these schemes take the form of lump-sum bonuses, any psychological rewards associated with attaining a performance interval are hard to distinguish from material ones because both material and psychological incentives predict bunching at the output needed to earn the bonus. To disentangle these effects, this paper studies a common but understudied class of piecewise-linear pay—accelerators—in which the mechanisms’ predictions conflict. Using the distributions of daily sales in 103 small retail teams, we find that daily sales bunch at accelerators, which is inconsistent with models in which only material rewards matter. Combining simple theoretical models, institutional evidence, and heterogeneity analyses, we argue that this unexpected bunching results from teams’ decisions to use the convenient, salient kink points as shared goals, which yield symbolic utility to their members when the points are attained. This paper was accepted by Lamar Pierce, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.01661 .

Game-theoretic implications for uncovering the effects of virtual tipping in complex user networks

Consumer-generated media (CGM), including social live streaming service (SLSS), often incorporate gamification elements to engage users. Online virtual tips and gifts, such as “bits” in Twitch, exemplify this approach by fostering interactive dynamics between live streamers and their audience. However, issues remain in understanding the impact of (virtual) tips on user behavior and how platform commissions, which are partly collected from the tips provided by other users, influence the platform’s overall revenue and user behavioral strategies. This study considers a CGM/SLSS platform, such as Twitch, as a variation of the public goods game and proposes a game-theoretical model integrated with a platform-mediated tipping system with a certain commission rate. In experiments, the proposed model was applied to artificial and actual SLSS networks, demonstrating that the influence of a tipping system on user behavior is significant, impacting the motivation for live streaming and the effort to improve its quality. Depending on individual preferences for psychological or monetary reward, the commission rate is determined by the platform depending on the users’ network positions, such as the degree of connectivity, which corresponds to the number of followers/followees in SLSS networks. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and management of SLSS platforms and further suggest that there may be an appropriate commission rate to maximize platform revenue.

P-722 What is the state of well-being among professionals working in French Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) centers?

Abstract Study question What is the state of well-being among professionals working in French Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) centers? Summary answer Over 35% of French ART professionals experience job strain, and an additional 21% lack social support, posing risks of stress, burnout, and physical health issues. What is known already The health of professionals is notably impacted by the psychosocial work environment, where stress arises from imbalances between demands and available resources. Job strain, characterized by high psychological demands and low decision latitude, can lead to negative health outcomes, especially when combined with poor social support. Research on the well-being of diverse ART teams is scarce. Previous studies focused on burnout risk among embryologists in the US, Spain, and the UK, leaving other professional categories unexplored. A wider understanding of the psychosocial dynamics within ART centers is crucial for promoting a supportive work environment and limiting stress-related challenges among professionals. Study design, size, duration This cross-sectional study aims at evaluating the state of well-being among professionals working in the 104 French ART centers. An online survey was distributed via email to potential participants from November 2023 to January 2024. The questionnaire was built upon Karasek and Siegrist’s models. It included 26 queries assessing psychological demands, decision latitude, and social support, along with 23 questions evaluating effort, rewards, and perceived control. Additional questions covered personal and professional details. Participants/materials, setting, methods Responses were scored based on predefined points for psychological demand, decision latitude, job support, extrinsic efforts, and rewards. According to Karasek model, job strain combines high psychological demands (score >21) with low decision latitude (score <70). Isostrain, a more severe form of job strain, adds low social support (score <24) to job strain. Siegrist’s model identifies work situations with an imbalance between extrinsic efforts and rewards (ratio effort/reward >1). Main results and the role of chance The study included 464 participants (13% participation rate), including biologists (n = 129, 28%), gynecologists (n = 125, 27%), embryologists (n = 106, 23%), secretaries (n = 51, 11%), midwifes (n = 31, 6%) and other professions (n = 22, 5%). Most professionals were women (81.5%), while the remaining where men (18.1%) mainly biologists and gynecologists, and non-binary individuals (0.4%). Among all professionals, 164 (36%) experience job strain, while others either fell in active (n = 186, 40%), relaxed (n = 68, 15%) or passive (n = 41, 9%) categories. Furthermore, 80 (21%) professionals were in an isostrain situation. A total of 15% of professionals experience an imbalance between their extrinsic efforts and rewards. Multivariate analysis showed that women (OR 2.10 [1.07; 4.11]), public centers (OR 1.86 [1.13; 3.08]), embryologists (OR 9.26 [4.90; 17.50]), and secretaries (OR 5.78 [2.75; 12.17]) exhibited higher job strain risks compared to men, for-profit private centers, and gynecologists. Gender and function also showed significant associations with isostrain risk. Moreover, working 10 hours per day for 5-6 days weekly (OR 4.75 [1.47; 15.37]), along with functions of embryologists (OR 7.58 [2.21; 26.05]) and secretaries (OR 4.41 [1.20; 16.18]), were independently associated with an effort/reward imbalance, compared to a 4-day weekly work schedule and the function of gynecologist, respectively. Limitations, reasons for caution Due to the email distribution method, some professionals might not have received the survey. Sampling or non-response bias may result in the underrepresentation of specific individuals, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Finally, used scales might not fully capture all psycho-emotional aspects, such as burnout levels or quality of life. Wider implications of the findings 35% of French ART professionals face psychosocial imbalance, exceeding the general population’s rate (23.2%, Sumer study, 2003). Job strain may affect care quality (Scheepers et al., 2015), so research is needed to understand its causes and potential impact. Organizational and managerial improvements could constitute preventive approaches to stress and burnout. Trial registration number Not applicable

“We had a lot of fun”: Psychological rewards of white supremacy group membership

“We had a lot of fun”: Psychological rewards of white supremacy group membership

A Delaunay triangulation based dynamic pricing approach to profit‐driven crowdsourced package delivery

AbstractCrowdsourced package delivery (CPD) has gained great interest from the logistics industry and academe due to its signficant economic and environmental impact. A number of progresses have been reported; however, dynamic pricing, as a special and significant part of the uncertain CPD markets, is far less explored. To address the problem, a novel Delaunay Triangulation (DT) based pricing strategy is proposed for dealing with the imbalanced demand and supply in local markets with the aim to maximizing the profit of the CPD platform. To cater to drivers’ wishes further, the hyperbolic temporal discounting function is applied to estimate their psychological rewards in order to increase the possibility of package acceptance. A three‐stage framework consisting of the DT‐based pricing, the matching pruning and the package assigning algorithm is proposed, to figure out the best‐possible package‐driver matching. With the dataset generated by Brinkhoff road network generator in the city of Jinan and Luoyang, China, a series of experiments is conducted to evaluate the proposed approach against several representative baseline approaches. Experimental results show that the approach significantly outperforms the other approaches in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

Effects of liquid nicotine concentration and flavour on the acceptability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among people who smoke participating in a randomised controlled trial to reduce cigarette consumption

BackgroundResearch is needed to understand the acceptability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as a smoking reduction aid. This study examines the acceptability of ENDS by liquid nicotine concentration and...

일반고 학생의 직업위탁교육 경험에 대한 내러티브 분석

The purpose of this study is to understand in-depth the context of the situation and the subjective meaning composition in the selection of vocational consignment education, the life process, and the process of returning to school and adaptation after the interruption, focusing on the experience story that constitutes the personal and social life of students who experience vocational consignment education in general high schools. Therefore, this study examined the selection and life process of vocational consignment education and the process of returning to school and adaptation after the interruption of consignment education by using narrative analysis method for the stories directly dictated by students of vocational consignment education in general high schools. The results of this study are as follows: First, the choice of vocational consignment education for general high schools considers one's aptitude and talent, and the interaction with the surrounding people and the composition of one's meaning play a very important role in the difference of the choice decision. Next, in the career consignment education life of general high schools, it was found that there was a great psychological and emotional reward that strengthened career awareness by having a sense of accomplishment or confidence due to the pride of preparing for the desired job in accordance with the aptitude and talent of the students, the support of the teacher, and the learning success experience coming from the consignment curriculum. However, there was a case where students in the consignment educational institution did not form a sense of identity or belonging properly. In addition, psychological and cultural factors such as the burden and difficulty of acquiring practical training and certification, the sense of heterogeneity felt in the collective culture among the consignment education students, the difficulties in communication and exchanges with the consignment education participants, and the reconsideration of their interests and interests through consignment education and the turning of their career goals to college were the complex factors that determined their return to school after the interruption of consignment education.

Overcoming double positive spillovers: automatic habits and dual environmental cognitions driving pro-environmental behaviors among hotel customers

Promoting customers’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) is crucial for greening the hotel industry. However, customers often hesitate to adopt resource-saving PEBs in public places like hotels due to a "dual positive externality/spillover" problem – extra positive economic spillovers and increased positive environmental spillovers, compared to conducting such behaviors in private households. This study explores habitual PEBs at home and two distinct environmental cognitions associated with key spillover beneficiaries (nature and hotels) to address this challenge and accelerate customers’ PEBs in hotel settings. The rationale is that customers’ habitual PEBs at home can automatically extend to hotels with insensitivity or low sensitivity to positive spillovers; the two beneficiary-linked environmental cognitions (general environmental awareness associated with nature and occasional corporate environmental responsibility attribution [CERA] linked to hotels) can make customers psychologically internalize the positive spillovers of their PEBs at home and hotels to different degrees by changing psychological boundaries between actors and beneficiaries, and/or enable them to realize the intrinsic psychological rewards or incentives (such as a sense of pride or identification) that serve as compensation for the spillovers. Furthermore, this study proposes that habitual PEBs at home mediate between general environmental awareness and PEBs at hotels by bridging the cognition-behavior gap. Moreover, there is a sequential decrease in the effects of habitual PEBs at home, altruistic CERA, and environmental awareness on PEBs at hotels. Empirical evidence from a survey of Chinese hotel guests supports most hypotheses, offering valuable insights for promoting PEBs in the hotel industry.

The impact of reducing formal care benefits on caregivers’ well-being: evidence from Japan

AbstractThis study examines the impact of reducing formal care benefits on the well-being of informal caregivers, contributing to the ongoing discourse about establishing sustainable and adequate levels of formal care. We utilize a reform introduced in Japan’s public long-term care insurance system, which curtailed formal care benefits for a group of recipients with low care needs. Employing a difference-in-difference approach with fixed effects on a nationally representative sample of coresident informal caregivers, we explore both the overall and temporal effects of this reform. Our findings reveal that the reform had an adverse impact on caregivers’ physical well-being, leading to diminished mobility and stability. The impact on caregivers’ mental well-being was less clear, reflecting a competing influence of stress and the psychological rewards associated with caregiving. The decline in physical well-being endured over time, while the effects on mental well-being were transient. Additionally, female caregivers exhibited greater vulnerability compared to their male counterparts, experiencing more significant deterioration in both physical and mental well-being. Alarmingly, the reform also negatively influenced the well-being of care recipients, suggesting that reducing formal care benefits does not yield positive outcomes for either caregivers or recipients. This study underscores the necessity of accounting for caregivers’ well-being when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of reducing formal care benefits and advocates for policies aimed at safeguarding female caregivers from health and financial challenges.

Areas of work-life, psychological capital and emotional intelligence on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among nurses: A cross-sectional study.

To examine the impact of six areas of work-life, emotional intelligence and psychological capital on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among Canadian Registered Nurses and licensed practical nurses. A cross-sectional survey study. A convenience sample of 296 Registered Nurses and 110 licensed practical nurses answered a self-administered questionnaire measuring areas of work-life, psychological capital, emotional intelligence, compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in September 2019. The association between variables were analysed with descriptive and correlational analyses, while the hypothesized models were tested using multiple regression analyses. This study identified several areas of work-life and intrapersonal resources that impacted compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Among Registered Nurses, compassion satisfaction was predicted by psychological capital, rewards, values and workload. Compassion fatigue was predicted by psychological capital, workload, control and community. Among licensed practical nurses, compassion satisfaction was predicted by psychological capital and emotional intelligence. Compassion fatigue was predicted by workload and psychological capital. Study results also revealed significant differences in Registered Nurses' and licensed practical nurses' perceptions of workload, rewards and fairness at work, and both compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Registered Nurses perceived their workload to be more manageable and perceived greater rewards and greater fairness at work than licensed practical nurses. Compassion fatigue was higher for Registered Nurses than licensed practical nurses, while compassion satisfaction was higher for licensed practical nurses than Registered Nurses. Future studies should investigate the nature and span of these differences to suggest relevant strategies to mitigate compassion fatigue and promote compassion satisfaction for each of these nursing roles. The results of this study underscore the need to create nursing work environments that foster a manageable workload and positive social relationships, where nurses have professional autonomy, decision-making capacities and access to adequate resources to do their job effectively. The nursing work environment should also provide recognition of nurses' contributions and an alignment between personal and organizational values. Investments in the development and improvement of nurses' psychological capital and emotional intelligence should be prioritized since they are malleable and impactful intrapersonal resources on compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines. A total of 406 nurses were involved in this study by answering a self-administered study survey.

An assessment of nicotine pharmacokinetics and subjective effects of the pulze heated tobacco system compared with cigarettes

Nicotine delivery and subjective effects are determinants of the ability of potentially less harmful tobacco products such as heated tobacco products (HTPs) to support adult smokers in switching away from cigarettes, and therefore to support tobacco harm reduction. This open-label, randomised, crossover, clinical study in 24 healthy adult smokers study assessed nicotine pharmacokinetics and subjective effects of the Pulze Heated Tobacco System (HTS; Pulze HTP device and three iD stick variants—Intense American Blend, Regular American Blend and Regular Menthol) compared with subjects’ usual brand cigarettes (UBC). Cmax and AUCt were highest for UBC and significantly lower for each Pulze HTS variant. Cmax and AUCt were significantly higher for Intense American Blend compared with Regular American Blend, while AUCt was significantly higher for Intense American Blend compared with Regular Menthol. Median Tmax was lowest (i.e., nicotine delivery was fastest) for subjects’ usual brand cigarettes and similar across the iD stick variants, although no between-product differences were statistically significant. All study products reduced urges to smoke; this effect was greatest for cigarettes although this was not statistically significant. Product evaluation scores for each Pulze HTS variant in the domains of ‘satisfaction’, ‘psychological reward’ and ‘relief’ were similar, and lower than those for UBC. These data demonstrate that the Pulze HTS effectively delivers nicotine and generates positive subjective effects, including satisfaction and reduced urge to smoke. This supports the conclusion that the Pulze HTS may be an acceptable alternative to cigarettes for adult smokers while having a lower abuse liability than cigarettes.

REGARDING REWARDS AND PENALTY PRACTICES IN THE CLASS MANAGEMENT PROCESS TEACHER OPINIONS

In this study, it was aimed to determine the situations of teachers applying reward and punishment in the classroom management process. The study group of this research, which is a qualitative study, consists of 23 teachers from different branches working in secondary education institutions within the body of Antalya Kepez District National Education Directorate. The participants of the research were formed by the maximum diversity method. The data of the research were collected through a semi-structured interview form, which is a qualitative data collection tool. In the semi-structured interview form, which was created by taking expert opinion, the teachers were asked "What are the main undisciplined behaviors of the students in classroom management?", "How and in what way do reward and punishment practices take place in the classroom management process?" have an effect on their behavior?'', ''Which rewards and punishments do you use most in order to regulate the behavior of students in the classroom?'' and ''What alternative practices can be used instead of rewards and punishments in classroom management?'' were asked. Interviews with the participants were recorded on a voice recorder. The data obtained from the interview were analyzed with qualitative data analysis methods and the interview data were defined and interpreted. In the findings obtained as a result of the research, the main undisciplined behaviors of the students are titled as the student's not knowing how to behave in the classroom, being indifferent to the school and lessons, and disrespectful towards his teachers and friends. In the second sub-problem, the most used reward application by the teachers is rewarding with a grade when the student shows positive behavior. Punishment was observed to be in the form of verbal warning when the student exhibits undesirable behavior. In the third sub-problem, the teachers stated that the reward had an effect on the behavior and the punishment had little or no effect on the behavior. In the fourth sub-problem, it was seen that teachers mostly used grades and psychological rewards as rewards, and psychological punishment the most as punishment. In the last sub-problem, it was observed that teachers did not have enough or no knowledge about alternative practices instead of rewards and punishments in classroom management. Teachers should be informed about the measured use of reward and punishment, which is a behavior control mechanism, in the classroom management process, and the possible negativities that may arise as a result of the use of reward and punishment. In classroom management, teachers should undergo in-service training on which alternative practices can be applied instead of rewards and punishments. Finally, for an effective classroom management, it is necessary to enrich the classrooms with materials and improve their physical conditions in order to teach the lesson with student-centered, activity-based methods and techniques.

The mental health rewards of interpersonal strengths: kindness and social intelligence are linked to lower internalizing and externalizing problems in Chinese children with autism spectrum disorders

Past studies show that character strengths matter for well-being outcomes in typically developing students. However, there is scarce evidence on the psychological benefits of these strengths among students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study aims to examine the associations of humanity-oriented character strengths (i.e. social intelligence, love, and kindness) with internalizing and externalizing problems among children with ASD. 304 caregivers of children with ASD (72.7% boys) completed a survey on demographic information, humanity-oriented character strengths, parental awareness of child’s emotions, internalizing and externalizing problems, and repetitive behaviors. Results of structural equation modeling demonstrated that when controlling for the effects of other strengths and covariates (e.g. repetitive behaviors and parental awareness of child’s emotions), social intelligence and kindness negatively predicted internalizing behaviors while social intelligence negatively predicted externalizing problems. This study corroborates existing evidence on the psychological rewards associated with humanity-oriented character strengths among individuals with ASD.

The Role of Reward Satisfaction on Employee’s Turnover Intention: A Study of Banking Sector of Pakistan

Considering the prior research on the importance of financial reward satisfaction, the study highlighted the value of material and psychological rewards in this study. It is hypothesized that these two rewards also have the same effect on employees’ attitudes and behavior. For this purpose, the study collected data from 22 banks in Punjab through a questionnaire from a sample consisting of 336 banking sector employees and applied regression analysis. ANOVA test shows that employees having a salary above 41000 are more satisfied with their financial and material rewards, and this satisfaction with both rewards creates positive behavior in employees, and this positive behavior will cause low turnover intention. Moreover, the turnover intention is significantly higher in those respondents who have Bachelor and Master degrees as compared to Intermediate. It means more educated employees are more conscious about the reward system. So the manager should make reward policies according to the requirement of the employees. Managers can use the results of our study for taking decisions and also regarding employee welfare and human resource planning.

Investigating the Influence of Performance Evaluation on Employee Turnover Intention in a Federal Government Agency in Nigeria

The primary goal of this study is to investigate the influence of performance evaluation on employee turnover intention in the public sector, with the case being a government agency established by an Act of National Assembly in Nigeria. The study design is descriptive, with primary data collected via questionnaire and secondary data collected via articles, conference proceedings, the internet, and a textbook. The quantitative method used total enumeration technique, with the population equaling the sample size (275). To analyze the gathered data, one hypothesis was developed and an inferential statistical tool, Structural Equation Modelling (SmartPLS-SEM) version, was used. The results revealed that performance evaluation significantly influences employee turnover intention in the federal government agency used as a study (Adj R2=0.406; p=0.000, Q2 =0.253). The study concluded that performance evaluation has a significant impact on employee turnover intention; thus, the researcher recommended that the agency's leadership implement a system that combines satisfaction with financial incentives, material rewards, and psychological rewards to reduce employee turnover.

Perception of kindness at university relates to emotion regulation and well-being outcomes among Chinese early childhood pre-service teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT There is growing attention about the psychological rewards associated with kind school climates in primary and secondary school settings. Its mental health benefits, however, remain under-explored in higher education contexts. This study addresses this gap through examining the role of university kindness or perception of kind acts in university settings in emotion regulation, life satisfaction, psychological flourishing, and coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) anxiety among 915 Chinese early childhood pre-service teachers using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. Results demonstrated that university kindness was related to increased life satisfaction and psychological flourishing as well as reduced the COVID-19 anxiety. Bias-corrected bootstrapping analysis showed that university kindness had indirect effects on life satisfaction and psychological flourishing via cognitive reappraisal. This research underscores the mental health advantages associated with promoting kindness-oriented climates in university contexts.

Encouraging physicians' continuous knowledge-sharing in online health communities: A motivational perspective.

Online health communities (OHCs) as an essential means of patient education can significantly improve patients' health literacy and treatment outcomes. However, sustaining these social benefits brought by OHCs establishes the prerequisite that physicians can continuously share their knowledge on OHCs. Although previous studies have explored physicians' knowledge-sharing in OHCs, scholarly knowledge related to the means of motivating physicians to continue sharing their knowledge remains limited. Therefore, this study developed a research model based on motivation theory to explore the influence of practical benefits, psychological rewards, and perceived connectedness with OHCs on physicians' continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors and the contingent role of physicians' online seniority status. The research model and relevant hypotheses were examined using objective data from one of the leading OHCs in China. The empirical results reveal that both practical benefits and psychological rewards positively affect physicians' continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors. However, an unexpected finding is that perceived connectedness is negatively associated with physicians' continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors. In addition, physicians' online seniority status strengthens the relationship between practical benefits and continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors but weaken the role of psychological rewards and perceived connectedness on continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors. This study contributes to the understanding of the motivational mechanisms underlying physicians' continuous knowledge-sharing behaviors in OHCs and provides significant practical implications for practitioners of OHCs.

Rebel Motivations and Repression

How do different types of motivation influence the politics of collective action? We study a model of endogenous rebellion and repression to understand how different types of individual motivation affect participation, state repression, and the mechanisms by which state violence affects political contention. Unlike psychological rewards, material rewards are divided among successful rebels. Thus, in material rewards settings, repression that decreases mobilization and chances of success also increases participants’ share of the rewards, reducing repression’s effect. Consequently, materially rather than psychologically motivated groups are less affected by repression and face less repression, but they are also less able to turn early failures into future successes. Moreover, because repression is more effective and used more when rebels are psychologically motivated, rebel motivations are a confounder in estimates of the relationship between repression and mobilization. This can lead to overestimation of repression’s effect and to more statistically significant results exactly when repression is more effective.

Service innovation in small neighborhood family firms: An advanced approach to enhance employee's performance through social and psychological rewards.

This research study focuses on the employee's job performance of private small firms during the post COVID-19 situation. After the COVID these small family firms try to regain their business, but their efforts are not that much successful. This situation creates a financial crisis in these firms, and they are unable to provide sufficient monetary rewards to their employees. This situation creates unrest among the employees of these small firms. To manage this issue, social rewards and psychological rewards played their role. The study uses a causal research design with a correlational study design in a non-contrived environment. Minimal researcher interference has been assured. AMOS 24 has dealt with the mediation in study design with bootstrap methodology. The study was conducted on 250 employees of different private small family firms across Punjab province using a proportionate stratified sampling technique. A study's finding suggests that top management enhances employee performance in their organizations by introducing the organization's psychological rewards. In contrast, introducing social rewards does not significantly impact employee performance while considering satisfaction and motivation as a mediating variable.

Understanding the Inequality of Web Traffic and Engagement in Online Healthcare Communities.

The online healthcare community (OHC) is a kind of doctor-patient communication platform, in which doctors can share medical knowledge and provide various kinds of counsel for patients. However, if the OHC's web traffic is concentrated on a small number of doctors, or if only a few doctors are actively involved in the OHC's activities, this will not be conducive to the optimal development of the OHC. This study explores this issue of inequality and makes three main innovations. First, based on data on web traffic and engagement extracted from 139,037 doctors' web pages in one popular OHC, we point out how serious the inequality phenomenon is. Second, we confirm that the Matthew effect indeed exists in this context and leads to greater inequality. Third, we demonstrate that the inequality of psychological or material rewards causes the inequality of web traffic or engagement to become worse; hence, an appropriate reward mechanism should be designed to mitigate the Matthew effect rather than enhance it. Finally, we discuss the managerial implications of these results, as well as avenues for future studies.