Business Commons^™

An Investigation Into The Enoughness Mindset, Ai Nhan Thi Ngo

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of enoughness was an old but forgotten concept in human history. This research reintroduced the concept to our contemporary culture as a means to deal with consumers' endless desires by exploring the enoughness concept. Contemporarily suppressed under the development of modern capitalism, an extensive mythological trace of the enoughness concept showed its existence through more than 25 centuries across cultures with four key components: reining in desires, knowing contentment, knowing when to stop, and consideration of harmony. Building upon theories of desires, this research positioned enoughness as a means to help tame consumers' endless desires that can be …

Consumers' Acceptance To Buy And Dispose Of Recycling Textile Products, Roa Alsayed

Theses and Dissertations

The textile industry is the second most polluting worldwide, following food manufacturing. It is one of the industries that is rarely scrutinized in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This work analyzes the fashion industry from the perspective of consumer attitudes towards the purchase and disposal of clothing, and their behavior with regards to old garments. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two countries that achieved similar results in the fashion industry. The methodology is divided into three phases. First, the manuscript begins with a review of topics such as sustainability, consumer behavior in the …

The Impact Of Medical Device Usability And Accessibility Information On Purchasing Decisions Of People Without Disabilities, Maysam M. Ardehali

Theses and Dissertations

The disparity between people with and without disabilities in timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment is exacerbated by inaccessible medical devices. The industry appears reluctant to address the shortcomings or provide usability and accessibility information to enhance the purchasing decisions of people with disabilities. This reluctance is mainly caused by the lack of market motivation based on perceptions of market size and the profitability of investments in accessibility evaluation and improvement. This study aims to challenge this notion by demonstrating that usability and accessibility information do not solely benefit what may be considered a “niche market,” and the purchasing decisions of …

Factors Affecting Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Towards Recycled Products, Sherine Esmat

Theses and Dissertations

The work executed addresses the status of recycling industry in Egypt and its relation to the current sustainability trends as well as climate change issues. It also identifies the main concerns of consumers when purchasing recycled products. Consequently, identifies the key pillars that need to be applied or communicated with the target consumers to enhance the concept of selling recycled products and increase its market share. Since this industry is significantly broad, the focus of the study was only on recycled PET plastic bottles (rPET), this is to ensure attaining accurate and reliable results.

An interview and a site visit …

Financial Literacy And Consumer Well-Being: Examining The Role Of Gender Role Ideology, Lorena Garcia Ramon

Theses and Dissertations

Financial literacy, or the ability to process economic information and make informed decisions about financial planning, wealth accumulation, debt, and pensions, has been linked to beneficial financial behaviors that support financial well-being. Despite these benefits, consumers tend to underperform in financial literacy tests with women generally faring worse than men. This dissertation draws from gender roles literature and Expectancy-Value Theory to examine how, why, and when traditional attitudes regarding societal gender roles (i.e., gender role ideology) hinder women’s financial literacy and willingness to acquire financial knowledge. Moreover, it examines how financial literacy and willingness to …

Conspicuous Asceticism: Collapsing Consumers' Hungry Ghosts, Ash Zareian

Theses and Dissertations

The author investigates an emerging construct called conspicuous asceticism expositioned from a narcissism-centric view. The understanding of this construct is approached by drawing an idiomatic semantic parallel in opposition to conspicuous consumption and by utilizing its current theoretical framework of narcissism. Moreover, this paper seeks to extend conspicuous consumption’s theoretical framework as synonymous with the construct of compulsive consumption. Furthermore, I illustrate that consumers must transcend narcissism through engaging in treatment modalities requisite to operationalize a pioneering effort in which consumers can engage in marketing campaign efforts to advertise conspicuous ascetic contexts. This dissertation gleans from extant literature in sociology, …

The Examination Of Psychophysiological Effects Of Multisensory Imagery Marketing Strategy. A Triangulation In 3 Studies, Sasawan Heingraj

Theses and Dissertations

Multisensory imagery marketing strategy has been extensively suggested to be one of the advertising strategies that can generate long-term brand awareness, brand image, and authentic experience in a highly competitive market condition. This dissertation explored the psychophysiological effects of multisensory imagery marketing strategy on consumers' attitudes. Results from study 1 suggested that consumers’ masculine-feminine self-concept played an important role when evaluating multisensory imagery marketing messages. Specifically, consumers who exhibited a lower degree of masculine self-concept and those with feminine self-concept were likely to evaluate multisensory imagery marketing messages more positively than their higher masculine self-concept counterparts. We also found that …

Self-Service Technologies That Appear Human Interacting With Customers: Effects On Third-Party Observers, Ross Paul Murray

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effects of viewing and hearing service failure and recovery interactions between self-service technologies (SSTs) and customers on third-party observers. Third-party observers are those that observe the actions of other customers as they interact with a firm in some way. These observations could occur in the present (face-to-face) or past (watching a video or listening to an audio recording). Third-party observers provide a unique perspective as they can provide a more neutral perspective of a failed service transaction and recovery as compared to the involved customer and firm.

This dissertation contributes to the SST literature and to …

Artificial Intelligence Software And Its Implications For Firms, Navid Bahmani

Theses and Dissertations

The Internet of Things (IoT) industry has been described as the third digital revolution, following advances in the traditional Internet and mobile Internet channels. One of the most widely adopted IoT innovations is the smart speaker (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home), which provides users with access to voice assistants (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant). Voice assistants employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to have natural-language voice interaction with users and can perform a variety of tasks such as setting an alarm or timer, playing music, and controlling other smart objects. With the goal of expanding both the quantity and types of …

Paralinguistic And Rhetorical Capabilities Of Emojis In Marketing Communication, Jacob Christopher Almaguer

Theses and Dissertations

Consumers and social media marketers have over 3,000 emojis at their fingertips. Despite the popularity of emojis on social media, marketing research on emojis remains limited. Extant marketing research on emojis that does exist primarily focuses on the emotional and reinforcement capabilities, a remnant of the limitations of the emoticon ancestor, and largely ignores the additional paralinguistic and rhetorical potential of emojis. In this dissertation, emojis as a paralanguage are explored with a particular focus on the creation of meaning on social media (Essay 1), and emojis as a full (Essay 2) and partial (Essay 3) substitute for text in …

The Use Of Virtual Conference Software (Vcs) In The Workplace During Covid-19 In North America: An Empirical Validation Of Innovation Diffusion Theory, Khaleed I. Khasawneh

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers in marketing and technology realized the importance of paying more attention to how and when new technologies or innovations are adopted during crisis, and which factors impact individuals’ successful adoption. Navigating through the different stages of the present COVID-19 crisis, it has become clear that such research focus would be beneficial so that firms can shape customers' decision making process in a way that ensure successful escape of a crisis and its Destructive results on a business or organization; COVID-19 will undoubtedly not be the last global crisis we face. First, a firm understanding of the factors affecting the …

Essays On The Impacts Of The 2020 Pandemic On Consumer Preference, Madhulina Bandyopadhyay

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTESSAYS ON THE IMPACT OF THE 2020 PANDEMIC ON CONSUMER PREFERENCE by Madhulina Bandyopadhyay

The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, 2021Under the Supervision of Professor Sanjoy Ghose

The global pandemic of 2020 triggered by Coronavirus (COVID-19) has revealed many challenges around the world. Although initiated by a major health crisis, the scope and scale of the challenges expanded far beyond the health care sector. This crisis forced the global community to adapt to rapid and major changes in lifestyles and practices. Despite the differences in responses due to sociocultural customs and available resources, some common approaches were evident. For example, …

Essays On Fake Review Detection, Managerial Response, And Consumer Perceptions, Long Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how online reviews and managerial responses jointly affect consumer perceptions. I first examine and compare the outcomes of multiple fake review classifiers using various algorithms, including traditional machine learning methods and recently developed deep learning methods (essay I). Then, based on the findings of the first essay, I examine the interrelationship between fake review detection, managerial response, and hotel ratings and ratings’ growths (essay II).The first essay is a comparative study on the methodology of identifying fake reviews. Although online reviews have attracted much attention from academia and industry for over fifteen years, how to identify fake …

Necessitation Through Growing Entanglements: Why We “Can’T Live Without” Some Products, Jakob Braun

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been concerned with what constitute necessities and how they are related to pertinent concepts, such as needs, wants, desires, and luxuries (Belk, Ger, and Askegaard 2003; Duncan 2002; Fraser 1998, Hoyer and MacInnis 2004; Kerin, Hartley and Rudelius 2004; Sheth and Mittal 2004). Using thing-focused approaches, earlier studies are primarily concerned with classification schemes using dichotomies such as need-want and necessity-luxury. Studies that employ a human-focused perspective challenge these divisions and argue that necessities cannot be studied without considering the social and historical contexts (e.g., Buttle 1989; Firat 1987). Notwithstanding the important contributions that these studies have …

I Buy Less When Others Suggest: Impact Of Personal Relative Deprivation, Temporal Discounting, Social Norms And Store Reputation On Food Over-Acquisition, Swapnil Saravade

Theses and Dissertations

Food over-acquisition has shown to have detrimental consequences such as food over-consumption, food waste, obesity, and greenhouse effects. Extant literature has typically focused on food over-consumption, with little explanation of its precursor, food over-acquisition. The current thesis situates the research in grocery retail and examines why people over-acquire food. Further, which interventions can marketers develop to mitigate food over-acquisition and in which grocery stores would those be effective? The present dissertation approaches this issue by drawing concepts from two disciplines, sociology, and behavioral economics. Through five studies, the current thesis shows that when people feel relatively food-deprived, they tend to …

Impact Of Covid Responses On Brand Performance, Emy Rezkalla

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study is to understand and evaluate whether COVID responses have a significant positive impact on brand performance. Accordingly, the proposed conceptual model focused on the top four COVID-19 responses: donations in cash, donations in kind, customer service, and employers/suppliers and evaluated the impact of each proposed response on brand value, brand growth, and brand ranking in 2020 versus 2019.

The research question of this paper is, Do COVID responses (customer service, employers/suppliers, donations in kind, and donations in cash) have a significant positive impact on brand performance (brand value, brand growth, and brand ranking vs. …

The Power Of Nostalgia In Creating Lovemarks For Brands, Sandy Philip

Theses and Dissertations

Brand loyalty is a destination that most brands exert tedious attempts to achieve. Nostalgia, on another note, is encountered by most people worldwide in different contexts. Despite the vast research on nostalgia, little is known about the effect of nostalgia in creating authentic Lovemarks for historic places. Previous literature granted a clear and detailed understanding of the Lovemarks concept and the different forms and effects of nostalgia in various settings. To investigate the relationship between Lovemarks and Nostalgia, this study discerns the factors of Lovemarks in historical (Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes) HORECA in Egypt to test their relation with Nostalgia …

Understanding The New Wealthy: Ideologies, Consumption Patterns, And Organizational Strategies For A New Generation Of High-Net Worth Individuals, Ana Brant

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the fact that the Ultra High-Net Worth (UHNWI) belong to the wealthiest, most powerful, and influential group of consumers in the society, and nearly 70% created wealth on their own, current marketing approaches fail to consider what drives consumption behavior of this group of consumers and how can brands maximize their socio-economic impact. Across two studies, I develop a model that guides theory and practice regarding this consumer group. The first part of the first study deployed netnography and grounded theory to understand the ideologies of 30 self-made UHNWI derived from self-presentation on 3,393 Instagram posts. To ensure self-made …

How Does Choosing Fitness Labeled Food Affect Consumer’S Intention To Forgo Exercise, Mei Han

Theses and Dissertations

As one of the most widely used marketing techniques, the role and effects of food labels have received significant attention from researchers. Different labels have very different influences and implications. This dissertation focuses on a unique persuasive language label: fitness label. This dissertation starts with a discussion on self-regulation mechanisms and research on goals, and their implications on how choosing fitness labeled food affects subsequent intention to forgo exercise.

This dissertation finds that the existence of response conflict in food choice, as well as the magnitude of the response conflict affect consumer’s reaction mechanisms, which in turn affect consumer’s exercise …

How Youtube Health Vloggers Influence Viewer Compliance: The Interplay Between Vlogger Characteristics, Parasocial Interaction, And Viewer Characteristics, Md Nazmus Sakib

Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on the notion of parasocial interaction (PSI) theory (Horton and Wohl, 1956), this dissertation provides a framework to demonstrate how YouTube health vloggers can influence viewer compliance intention toward a prescribed health behavior (i.e., weight-loss diet to lose weight). Initially, drawing on the discounting principles of attribution theory (Kelly, 1973), physical attractiveness stereotype (Eagly et al., 1991), and the black sheep effect (Marques and Yzerbyt, 1988), the interaction effects of three vlogger characteristics on viewer PSI experience were conceptualized and examined (Study 1). Then by using a scenario-based experiment, viewer PSI experience with the vlogger was manipulated (high vs. …

Memes And Copyright: Article 13, Branding, And Digital Remix Culture, Yasemin Beykont

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of the EU digital copyright directive, Article 13, on memes and internet culture. Due to their transformative nature, it is tricky to fit memes into a traditional copyright framework. Article 13’s filter algorithms will be coded to detect posts that make use of intellectual property, thereby complicating the use of copyrighted images drawn from film and television. This study includes a discourse analysis of news coverage of Article 13 to explore how various groups characterized the value of meme culture and the threats posed by the new directive. It also includes a textual analysis of …

Exploring Customers' Reactions To Enforcement Of Fine Print, Sudipto Sarkar

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of enforcement and/or unenforcement of “Fine Print” on consumers’ reactions. “Fine Print” is defined as both the explicit and implicit conditions under which the product/service contract waives firm responsibility and accountability toward unsuccessful product/service experience, and outcome or lack of customer satisfaction with the same. Study 1 examined the interaction effects between “Fine Print” and “Company Size” on trust, satisfaction, repurchase intention, switching intentions, and word-of-mouth in a retailer context. The results revealed significant interaction effects between “Fine Print” and “Company Size” for satisfaction and repurchase intention, where satisfaction and …

The Effects Of Online Incentivized Reviews On Organic Review Ratings, Yoonsun Jeong

Theses and Dissertations

As online reviews become a major factor in the consumer decision-making process, firms have started seeking ways to create and leverage reviews to help achieve their marketing objectives. One productive strategy to generate reviews is to incentivize or reward customers to write reviews. While such a strategy certainly augments the number of reviews, it naturally raises questions of how unbiased such reviews are, and how such a "bias," if it exists, affects potential customers. Complicating the issue further, such incentives can be provided by either the vendor or the platform, which may affect the nature of "bias."

To understand the …

Production Of Native Advertising In The New Media Economy, Siddhant Dwivedee

Theses and Dissertations

The need to study the production of advertising content from an academic standpoint, particularly advertising content that mimics or is embedded in other editorial content, in some form or the other, is greater than ever. Emerging marketing techniques such as native advertising, content marketing, and sponsored content have disrupted traditional media eco-systems and created a new media economy. While traditional advertising research is skewed in the favor of the consumer experience, researching the production and the lived experiences of journalists involved in the production of native advertising can yield promising results.

This project discusses native ethnographic fieldwork that has been …

"Thanks For The Free Products! #Ad": The Effects Of The Number Of Followers And Sponsorship Disclosures On The Credibility Of Instagram Influencers, Allison Renee Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Instagram influencers regularly promote products for brands. Some influencers follow Federal Trade Commission rules on advertising disclosures, such as putting "ad" or "sponsored" in a visible line of text, whereas others do not. Disclosures alert users that they are viewing an ad. Many social media users view influencers as authentic, trusted information sources, so it is important they are aware when viewing paid ads. How disclosures affect source credibility remains unclear. This study used 2 x 2 factorial design to evaluate the roles of two possible credibility enhancing factors: number of followers and advertising disclosures. Instagram users (N = …

Consumer Response To The Disposal Of Potentially Harmful Products: The Product Life-Cycle, Consumer Activism, And Subjective Well-Being Across Borders, Sergio Enrique Robles-Avila

Theses and Dissertations

This research attempts to uncover the factors that influence protest behaviors, specifically, consumer activism intention and how the factors are different between industrialized and developing countries. This research draws from the Values-Norms, Beliefs (VBN) Theory and the Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) framework to test protest intention between the United States and Mexico regarding the improper disposal of potentially harmful products across borders. Further, this research attempts to extend the VBN-Theory to include trust-in-government, attitude towards the firm, and subjective well-being.

The findings of this research indicate that the VBN Theory is confirmed not only in the United States, but also in Mexico …

Consumers And Augmented Reality In Shopping And Services: Drivers And Consequences, Atieh Poushneh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the effect of augmented reality on user experience and also the mediation effect of user experience in the relationship between augmented reality and the outcome variables including user satisfaction and user’s willingness to buy/user’s willingness to use augmented reality. Three studies were conducted in three different contexts, including buying consumer products, entertainment services and vehicle service use. The results indicate that augmented reality significantly and positively influence user experience, and user experience fully mediates the impact of augmented reality on user satisfaction and user’s willingness to buy/ user’s willingness to use augmented reality. Further, the results showed …

Mapping Consumer Cognition And Emotions: A Neuroscientific Approach, Dongjun Rew

Theses and Dissertations

Although the rival theories for consumer decision making process, cognitive perspective and experiential perspective, have successfully contributed to the marketing discipline, there is an alternative point of view that cognition and emotions work together for a decision or even a behavior. However, the methodological limitation has been a big hurdle that interrupts insightfulness and fruitfulness of marketing research, especially in consumer research. This study thus aims to develop a brain map and functional connectivity of consumer decision making and emotions to show physiological and neurological evidence that emotional behaviors and cognitive behaviors are associated when consumers decide a behavior by …

Three Essays On Sharing Economy, Prashanth Ravula

Theses and Dissertations

Overview

The sharing economy for services like Uber and Airbnb has grown significantly. The growth is driven by technology that “whittled down the barriers to the formation and functioning of sharing markets by lowering or eliminating frictions in the identification, search, match, verification, and exchange” (Narasimhan et al 2017).

Reductions in friction in steps to consummate transactions offer two types of savings to consumers. One, monetary savings, results from lower prices typically offered by sharing economy providers (SEP’s) relative to legacy providers (LP’s). The second type of savings results from reduced effort and/or time that consumers need to search, identify, …

Three Essays On How Marketplace Interpersonal Relationships Affect Persuasion, Yanfen You

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how marketplace interpersonal relationships affect the persuasiveness of marketing messages, specifically how consumer process and respond to marketing messages. I examine interpersonal relationship in the marketplace from three perspectives: consumer-marketer relationship (essay I), consumer-consumer relationship (essay II), and consumer-humanized product relationship (essay III).

In the first essay, I examine how marketers can strategically use appreciation instead of apology after service delay to optimize the effectiveness of symbolic recovery. As an initial recovery effort after service delay, marketers need to decide “what to say” to consumers to restore their satisfaction. Prior work on …