Why do people punish wrongdoers when they are not personally affected? Researchers on costly third-party punishment have long debated whether such behavior reflects strategic self-interest or a moral commitment to fairness and justice. Recent developmental evidence offers important insights into this question. We argue that the origins of costly third-party punishment in early childhood are best explained by nonstrategic moral concerns. Young children selectively punish norm violators, incur personal costs to do so, and intervene even when they stand to gain nothing-often without reputational incentives or expectations of future benefit. Empirical studies indicate that children's punishment is driven by egalitarian norms, retributive motives, and efforts to alleviate victims' distress. In contrast, strategic motivations, such as reputation management and self-protection, appear only later in development. These findings challenge the view that third-party punishment is grounded in self-interest and instead support the idea that a concern for justice underlies the earliest forms of human norm enforcement. We conclude that whereas strategic considerations may shape punishment in adolescence and adulthood, they build upon an early-emerging moral foundation centered on fairness and justice.

This study examines consumer acceptance of AI-powered celebrity surrogate substitution as a scandal management mechanism within convergent VR-AR-AI marketing ecosystems. Using PLS-SEM analysis of 221 Vietnamese consumers screened for awareness of a real-world AI substitution case, the study tests five antecedents of attitude toward the AI surrogate (ATAS) and its effect on viewing intention. Grounded in Image Repair Theory and Schema Incongruity Theory, findings show that residual positive affect toward the scandalized celebrity transferred to surrogate evaluations, while stronger perceived anthropomorphism significantly reduced acceptance reflecting schema-based symbolic contamination. Moral reasoning constructs showed no significant effect. ATAS strongly predicted viewing intention and mediated key upstream paths. The study distinguishes AI surrogates from virtual influencers and digital resurrections and identifies a novel boundary condition: anthropomorphism’s effect reverses from positive to negative in post-scandal contexts. Practitioners should adopt visible AI editing, implement proactive disclosure across platform touchpoints, and pursue parallel reputation management strategies.

Eye cues have been shown to promote prosocial behaviours, yet their impact on social mindfulness and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study conducted two experiments using an adapted Social Mindfulness paradigm to investigate the effects of various eye cues on social mindfulness, focusing on reputation management and norm compliance. Experiment 1 compared the effects of eye cues, flowers, and a no-cue condition on social mindfulness behaviours. Experiment 2 further examined the differential effects of direct gaze, closed eyes, and flowers, while assessing both reputation and norm mechanisms. Results indicated that only direct gaze enhanced social mindfulness, while closed eyes had no effect. Eye cues increased the frequency of social mindfulness choices but did not affect the initial decision to engage in such behaviours. These findings suggested that the 'watching eyes effect' in social mindfulness reinforced rather than initiated such decisions. Additionally, reputation concern may represent a more fragile mechanism underlying the effect of eye cues in social mindfulness, whereas perceived social norms positively correlated with social mindfulness behaviours. This study underscores the role of eye cues in shaping social mindfulness and emphasises the significance of the norm mechanism, providing a theoretical foundation for fostering social mindfulness in interpersonal interactions.

The moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation in the relationship between digital transformation, corporate tax reputation, and tax compliance among SMEs

ABSTRACT Universities face increasing pressure to demonstrate sustainability commitments while remaining competitive in global rankings and cultivating strong reputations. This study develops a sustainability-aligned governance performance framework for private higher education groups that integrates governance, reputation management, and stakeholder communication. Built on Balanced Scorecard theory, the framework was developed through focus group discussions and refined through two rounds of Delphi consultation involving fifteen experts (eight higher education scholars and seven institutional leaders). The resulting system spans 5 dimensions – finance, stakeholder satisfaction, internal processes, learning and growth, and organizational governance – and comprises 16 secondary and 50 tertiary indicators, which were finalized after expert evaluation and refinement through the Delphi consultation process. The Delphi results highlight governance transparency, stakeholder-oriented performance indicators, and sustainability-related metrics as core components of effective governance. A subset of indicators reflects sustainability across governance, finance, and social domains. This multi-stage design, which includes literature review, expert input, Delphi consensus, and indicator weighting, ensures methodological rigor and provides a structured basis for aligning sustainability practices with institutional performance and reputational positioning.

This study analyzes how marketing communication strategies build customer brand loyalty at Berseri Spa Family Massage in Bekasi City. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the owner, public relations officer, social media specialist, and receptionist. The data were managed and analyzed with NVivo through data condensation, coding, categorization, theme development, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that loyalty is formed through the integration of brand messages, digital media, customer interaction, reputation management, and service experience. Berseri Spa communicates values of comfort, safety, cleanliness, quality, and professionalism through Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Reviews, testimonials, educational content, and interpersonal service. Responsive communication and consistent service experiences strengthen customer trust, emotional closeness, satisfaction, repeat visits, positive reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations. The study concludes that customer brand loyalty in family spa services emerges over time from alignment between communicated brand promises and customers' actual service experiences in practice.

Reconciliation action plans (RAPs) are increasingly used by commercial organizations in Australia to demonstrate commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Framed as tools to promote understanding and address historical injustice, these documents also serve organizational interests, particularly in reputation management and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This research critically examined the structure, practices, portfolios, resources, and transparency of high-level RAPs of for-profit organizations operating in the state of Queensland, Australia. Drawing on frame analysis, critical discourse analysis (CDA), and commercial determinants of health frameworks, this study explored how reconciliation and associated commitments are defined, justified, and operationalized within corporate discourse. The analysis showed that resource-rich corporations leveraged their power to manage reconciliation as a corporate asset rather than address structural inequities. Five overlapping frames, 'instrumental reconciliation, performative accountability, symbolic leadership, truth signalling, and substantive recognition', were identified through which reconciliation is positioned within corporate discourse of legitimacy, measurement, and control. While many organizations adopt languages of codesign, self-determination, and cultural safety, translation into demonstrable processes and measurable outcomes remains inconsistent and limited. These findings highlight how RAPs can both provide entry points for engagement while simultaneously reinforcing existing power relations. The research contributes to understanding the commercial determinants influencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing, calling for stronger accountability, transparency, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership within corporate reconciliation agendas.

ABSTRACT This paper offers a critical examination of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, a globally influential framework for assessing universities’ contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It argues that the rankings’ design and implementation encourage symbolic sustainability, wherein institutions prioritize reputation management and procedural compliance over substantive change. Anchored in critical management studies, audit culture, and institutional theory, the study interrogates key methodological and ethical flaws, including overreliance on self-reported data, opaque validation mechanisms, and the reproduction of isomorphic behaviors within global higher education. Extending the Corporate Social Responsibility maturity model, the paper introduces two additional stages – Stage 0 (Idleness) and Stage –1 (Regressive Compliance) – to capture forms of stagnation and regression exacerbated by ranking pressures. Through institutional reflection and practitioner insights, the paper reveals how performance metrics can demotivate internal change agents, mask structural inequalities, and divert institutional resources away from socially or environmentally impactful initiatives. The study contributes to debates in higher education governance and sustainability by offering a novel conceptual lens for examining the unintended consequences of performance-based evaluation frameworks. It invites scholars, policymakers, and university leaders to reconsider how impact is defined, measured, and incentivized in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Although cancel culture is changing the dynamics between consumers and brands, little is known about what motivates Filipino consumers to act this way. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and demographic factors, this study examines factors influencing consumers' intentions to discontinue brand loyalty in the Philippines. Businesses must understand this growing form of social media activism. A quantitative design using PLS-SEM analysed responses from 385 participants across generations and regions. Results show that cancel intentions are strongly influenced by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Notably, age and region, particularly younger consumers and those from Visayas and Mindanao, are strong antecedents. These groups are more susceptible to social influence, have stronger self-efficacy, and express more favourable views of cancelling brands. Recommendations include culturally sensitive reputation management and localized consumer sentiment tracking, with brands needing to align values and respond quickly with corrective actions.

The article explores the theoretical and practical aspects of forming and implementing marketing strategies for enterprises in the food industry under conditions of a dynamic and competitive market environment. Particular attention is given to marketing as a strategic management tool that ensures sustainable competitive advantages and long-term business development. The study defines marketing strategy as a system of coordinated managerial decisions aimed at effective use of resources and adaptation to external changes. Key factors influencing enterprise competitiveness are analyzed, including economic performance, management efficiency, innovation potential, and marketing capabilities. The research highlights the specific features of the food industry, such as short product life cycles, high quality and safety requirements, consumer sensitivity to price and composition, and dependence on logistics and distribution systems. These characteristics necessitate a flexible and adaptive marketing approach. The importance of comprehensive consumer analysis is emphasized, including behavioral and psychological aspects, which form the basis for effective segmentation and positioning. The article also examines the role of product policy, pricing, distribution channels, and marketing communications in creating customer value and strengthening market positions. Special attention is paid to digital technologies, such as CRM systems, data analytics, and e-commerce, which enhance decision-making and improve customer interaction. In addition, the study identifies key marketing tools specific to the food industry, including category management, trade marketing, packaging, and reputation management. Their integrated use contributes to increasing sales efficiency, optimizing costs, and reducing risks. The article concludes that marketing strategy in the food industry is a comprehensive mechanism for managing competitiveness, ensuring business stability, and achieving sustainable development in a changing market environment.

Smart vehicles integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) provide rich data for traffic management, safety, and liability services; however, existing blockchain-enabled vehicular architectures still struggle with consensus scalability, heavy centralized validation, limited interaction-based corroboration, incomplete attack coverage, and rapid ledger growth. In particular, many schemes either optimize single-layer consensus or embed detailed reputation information into every transaction, while pushing most validation to central servers. This leads to bottlenecks under dense traffic and leaves replay, Sybil-assisted 51% attacks on roadside units (RSUs), and man-in-the-middle tampering only partially addressed. In this context, this paper proposes a novel hierarchical blockchain for vehicular IoT (HBV-IoT) model to address the above challenges. An independent transaction for periodic vehicle status reporting and an interaction-based transaction for corroborating data between vehicles in proximity are presented. Three smart contracts are designed to automate the validation and processing of transactions, and to identify compromised or malicious vehicles within the HBV-IoT network. Algorithms for distributed consensus to accept transactions into the blockchain and for vehicle reputation management to enforce edge-level filtering and down-weighting of malicious nodes are implemented. Simulation results demonstrate significant improvements compared to conventional vehicular blockchain approaches, with performance gains validated by 95% confidence intervals. The model supports practical applications, including real-time traffic monitoring, automated e-challan issuance, intelligent insurance claim processing, and blockchain-based vehicle registration.

Abstract Individuals who have done good deeds sometimes try to conceal them. However, it has been understudied what factors shape individuals' concealment of prosociality. We address this question by adopting a socio‐ecological perspective to investigate what societal factors may facilitate or hinder concealment of prosociality. We hypothesize that lower relational mobility, or less freedom of relational choice in society, will be associated with less positive and more negative expected reputations when one's prosociality is publicized, which, in turn, will predict a higher tendency among individuals to conceal prosociality. Across a cross‐sectional survey (Study 1) and an experiment (Study 2) ( N = 531), although the total effect of relational mobility was not significant, mediation analyses consistently showed that lower relational mobility was associated with a more negative expected reputation and, in turn, a higher likelihood of concealing prosociality. These findings underscore the significant role of social ecology in shaping individuals' decisions to actively hide their prosocial acts via the expected cost of its publicity, offering insights into the complexities of reputation management and human behaviour.

ABSTRACT This study examines China’s quasi-mediation diplomacy in the Middle East as a limited form of conflict management. Rather than viewing mediation as dispute resolution, quasi-mediation is framed as a strategy for China to engage regionally while minimizing political and reputational risk. Through cases such as the 2023 Saudi-Iran rapprochement and China’s involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict, the article argues that quasi-mediation allows China to signal responsible power, manage regional instability, and expand its diplomatic visibility, without taking on coercive leverage or implementation. The analysis reveals that China’s efforts are more about reputational signaling and risk management than conflict resolution. Ultimately, quasi-mediation reflects China’s global ambitions and the constraints of its non-interference policy in a multipolar world.

The article is devoted to the study of the transformation of the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications under the influence of digitalization. The concept of Integrated Marketing Communications is defined as a strategic approach that coordinates and unites all channels and sources of marketing communications of the company to provide clear, consistent and convincing information about the organization and its products or services. The features of key promotion tools (IMC mix) in the context of digitalization are substantiated. Based on the analysis of the dynamics of global spending on digital advertising during 2020–2025, it is proved that companies are increasingly investing in digital channels; the developed forecast for 2026–2030 showed the growth of the global digital advertising market from 798.7 in 2025 to 1127.5 billion US dollars in 2031 with an average annual growth rate of 8.2%. The structure of digital advertising by type is studied and their features are revealed. Thus, video ads occupy 32% of the market, Search Ads – 29%, banner ads – 8%, social media ads – 15%, native ads – 4%, and other ads-2%. Personal digital sales components for improving customer engagement and sales are revealed: CRM, Social Media, Email Marketing, SEO and SEM, data analytics and analysis, mobile optimization, e-commerce, video conferencing, and virtual sales meetings. The features of PR strategies in the digital age are identified: a new approach to reputation management, social networks for PR specialists, marketing with the participation of influencers, integration of content marketing and PR. Digital sales promotion technologies are shown: lightning-fast sales and limited offers, digital coupons and vouchers, influence marketing, gamification and interactive content, free trials and samples. It was found that with the advent of digital technologies, direct marketing has evolved significantly and includes traditional methods such as direct mail and telemarketing, as well as modern ones: QR codes and augmented reality (AR), email marketing and text messages. Direct marketing strategies use a multi-channel approach, integrating various forms of direct marketing to reinforce messages and increase points of contact with potential customers.

The article examines the role of social measures as a key tool for shaping the image of hotel and restaurant enterprises. The main functions of digital platforms are followed, including the creation and expansion of visual content (photos, videos, live broadcasts), communication with the audience, and reputation management through robots. advertising, as well as targeted advertising and collaboration with influencers. We pay special attention to the analysis of warehouse branding strategies in social media, the importance of the effectiveness of various digital platforms in the B2B and B2C segments, as well as the need for an integrated and systematic approach to management An image to ensure the competitiveness of businesses in the digital era.

• Advocates a broad definition of webcare moving beyond responses to consumer posts • Provides new insights into webcare practice based on corporate posts and responses • Showcases the importance of industry-specific differences in webcare practice • Uncovers the webcare goals of three industries through corpus linguistic analyses • Illustrates the impact of duplicate webcare tweets on keyword analyses Businesses regularly engage in digital business communication by addressing stakeholders and responding to their feedback online. While previous research has explored these interactions from diverse perspectives, industry-specific differences have not been studied extensively to date. This article addresses this gap in research by studying the digital interactions of US companies from three different industries (airlines, food and beverage, streaming services) to uncover their approach to communicating with stakeholders online, also known as webcare. The study is based on the US Corporate Twitter Corpus, which includes 4.4m English tweets posted by and addressed to US companies, such as American Airlines, Burger King and HBO, between September 2021 and February 2023. By carrying out a keyword analysis, it investigates differences in the digital communication of the industries studied and links them to the organizational goals of webcare, including customer care, marketing, and reputation and relationship management. The findings of the corpus linguistic analysis show that the three industries engage in webcare to different ends. While airlines have a clear focus on customer care, streaming services and food and beverage use webcare primarily for marketing and relationship management purposes, highlighting the role of user engagement in online interactions. These findings underline the importance of taking the industry into account when engaging in webcare research and interpreting its results, which may not be generalizable across industries. At the same time, they give insight into industry-specific practice by revealing differences in the organizational strategy and goal pursued when interacting with stakeholders online.

The article analyzes investor relations (IR) as an element of corporate social responsibility (CSR). While differing in goals and scope, both approaches share several common features, such as transparency, reputation management, and promoting sustainable development. Investor relations focus on communication with investors and financial transparency, while CSR encompasses a broader range of social and environmental activities aimed at sustainable development. The article highlights the integration of both approaches as a method to create value for the enterprise, stakeholders, and society.

Purpose This study aims to present a framework for applying natural language processing techniques to analyze and classify hotel customer reviews. Design/methodology/approach Using a data set of over 500,000 hotel reviews, a supervised machine learning model is developed to predict whether a review is good or bad based on its textual content. The approach involved a comprehensive data preprocessing pipeline, including tokenization, stop-word removal and lemmatization. For feature engineering, a combination of sentiment analysis scores (using valence-aware dictionary and sentiment reasoner), basic text metrics and advanced text vectorization techniques is integrated such as Doc2Vec and TF-IDF. Findings Given the significant class imbalance in the data set, with a very low percentage of negative reviews, the model performance is rigorously evaluated using the precision–recall curve and the average precision (AP) metric, which are better suited for such scenarios than the traditional receiver operating characteristic curve. The final model, a random forest classifier, achieved an AP of 0.37, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying the minority class of negative reviews. The results indicate that sentiment analysis features are the most influential in predicting reviewer satisfaction. Practical implications The framework created allows recognizing negative reviews in time to take action to facilitate immediate service recovery and proactive reputation management. The model can be applicable on a strategic level to uncover recurring operational issues, track customer satisfaction trends and derive marketing insights used in the reviews. Originality/value This paper provides a foundation for developing automated systems that enable hotels to better understand and respond to customer feedback in real time.

The digitalization of the tourism market requiresagritourism farms to develop contemporary marketingstrategies to enhance competitiveness and ensuresustainable performance. This study examines therelationship between digital marketing strategy andcompetitiveness based on a sample of 123 agritourismfarms in Serbia. Correlation analysis indicates moderateto strong positive associations between digital strategyand all competitiveness dimensions. Multiple regressionresults show that social media activity, online reputationmanagement, direct digital communication with guests,and the integration of digital strategy have a statisticallysignificant and positive impact on overall competitiveness,whereas basic web presence and platform presence donot demonstrate an independent effect. Cluster analysisidentifies three distinct groups of farms, with thosecharacterized by a highly integrated digital strategyachieving higher market visibility, capacity utilization,revenue, and guest loyalty. The findings confirm thatcompetitive advantage primarily stems from a strategicand integrated digital approach.

The article discusses modern scientific and practical approaches to personal brand audit in a digital context. Based on an analysis of the literature on marketing communications, brand and reputation management, and digital media research, the article offers a conceptual framework for understanding personal brand auditing as a systematic diagnostic process. The author’s understanding of personal brand audit is proposed, a set of structural components of personal brands subject to audit is defined, and modern measurement methodologies are characterized. The authors propose approaches to auditing the following components of a personal brand: the communicated architecture of personal identity, brand consistency, the topography of the digital footprint of the brand carrier, the architecture of interaction with the audience, perception by stakeholders, and representation in search engines.