The Importance of Transparency and Willingness to Share Personal Information

This study investigates the extent to which individuals are willing to share their sensitive personal information with companies. The study examines whether skepticism can influence willingness to share information. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether transparency can moderate the relationship between skepticism and willingness to share and whether 1) companies perceived motives, 2) individual’s prior privacy violations, 3) individuals’ propensity to take risks, and 4) individuals self-efficacy act as antecedents of skepticism. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression is used to examine the relationships between all the factors. The findings indicate that skepticism does have a negative impact on willingness to share personal information and that transparency can reduce skepticis

Web Acceptance and Usage Model: A Comparison between Goal-directed and Experiential Web Users

In this paper we analyse the Web acceptance and usage between goal-directed users and experiential users, incorporating intrinsic motives to improve the particular and explanatory TAM value –traditionally related to extrinsic motives-. A field study was conducted to validate measures used to operationalize model variables and to test the hypothesised network of relationships. The data analysis method used was Partial Least Squares (PLS).The empirical results provided strong support for the hypotheses, highlighting the roles of flow, ease of use and usefulness in determining the actual use of the Web among experiential and goal-directed users. In contrast with previous research that suggests that flow would be more likely to occur during experiential activities than goal-directed activities, we found clear evidence of flow for goal-directed activities. In particular the study findings indicate that flow might play a powerfulrole in determining the attitude towards usage,intention to useand, in turn,actual Web use among experiential and goal-directed users

Vodcast Impact on Students\u27 Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions

Purpose: This paper uses structural equation modeling to assess the effectiveness of Vodcasts (video podcasts) as part of a university’s communication strategy with prospective students. Design/methodology/approach: Three theoretical models were tested using a structural equation model. Findings: We find that perceived informativeness, credibility, and irritation of the advertising are directly related to the value of the Vodcast advertising. However of those three factors, only the informativeness is directly related to the intent to take further action toward enrollment. In addition, while prior work has suggested that perceived entertainment of advertising positively influences its perceived value, we find that for these university Vodcasts, perceived entertainment is not a statistically significant factor. Research limitations/implications: The results suggest that for Vodcasts used for these purposes, less attention should be given to entertainment value, and more attention should be focused on providing useful information in a manner that is credible and not irritating to students. Originality/value: Vodcasts have become part of the Internet multimedia experience and have been integrated into universities’ web-based promotion strategies. While prior work has examined general advertising on the web, few studies have considered the impact of the interactive medium of Vodcasts on attitudes and behavioral intentions

e-Consumer Behaviour

Purpose – The primary purpose of this article is to bring together apparently disparate and yet interconnected strands of research and present an integrated model of e-consumer behaviour. It has a secondary objective of stimulating more research in areas identified as still being underexplored. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is discursive, based on analysis and synthesis of econsumer literature. Findings – Despite a broad spectrum of disciplines that investigate e-consumer behaviour and despite this special issue in the area of marketing, there are still areas open for research into econsumer behaviour in marketing, for example the role of image, trust and e-interactivity. The paper develops a model to explain e-consumer behaviour. Research limitations/implications – As a conceptual paper, this study is limited to literature and prior empirical research. It offers the benefit of new research directions for e-retailers in understanding and satisfying e-consumers. The paper provides researchers with a proposed integrated model of e-consumer behaviour. Originality/value – The value of the paper lies in linking a significant body of literature within a unifying theoretical framework and the identification of under-researched areas of e-consumer behaviour in a marketing context

Ambiance Factors, Emotions, and Web User Behaviour:a Model Integrating and Affective and Symbolical Approach

The present paper addresses the efficiency of manipulating music in a merchant website, and it:- proposes a review of the literature on ambiance factors in advertising & shopping behaviour, capitalizing on it to:- propose a theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of the web-user behaviour in specific ambiance factors such as music, with a specific attention devoted to his loyalty, & affiliation behaviour;- a model of is proposed.Ambiance Factors; Emotions; Fit & Symbolism; On-line Behaviour

Word of Mouth, the Importance of Reviews and Ratings in Tourism Marketing

The Internet and social media have given place to what is commonly known as the democratization of content and this phenomenon is changing the way that consumers and companies interact. Business strategies are shifting from influencing consumers directly and induce sales to mediating the influence that Internet users have on each other. A consumer review is “a mixture of fact and opinion, impression and sentiment, found and unfound tidbits, experiences, and even rumor” (Blackshaw & Nazarro, 2006). Consumers' comments are seen as honest and transparent, but it is their subjective perception what shapes the behavior of other potential consumers. With the emergence of the Internet, tourists search for information and reviews of destinations, hotels or services. Several studies have highlighted the great influence of online reputation through reviews and ratings and how it affects purchasing decisions by others (Schuckert, Liu, & Law, 2015). These reviews are seen as unbiased and trustworthy, and considered to reduce uncertainty and perceived risks (Gretzel & Yoo, 2008; Park & Nicolau, 2015). Before choosing a destination, tourists are likely to spend a significant amount of time searching for information including reviews of other tourists posted on the Internet. The average traveler browses 38 websites prior to purchasing vacation packages (Schaal, 2013), which may include tourism forums, online reviews in booking sites and other generic social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The relationship between motives to read electronic word of mouth (eWom) and online buying and communication behavior

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication such as online hotel reviews is getting serious attention from marketing managers in the hotel industry. Consumers are becoming more comfortable with providing and receiving information online and doing so more frequently. In recent years it has become more common to see consumers seeking advice on restaurants, tourist destinations or hotels on the internet, reflecting the importance of eWOM in the hospitality industry. As a result, eWOM is becoming a major marketing tool for many goods and services in the hospitality industry. The factors that affect customers\u27 involvement in eWOM in the hotel industry were identified and the relevance of these motive factors and their impact on consumer behavior are examined in this study. The results illustrated that consumers read online hotel reviews mainly to obtain benefits by getting buying related information and maximizing product benefits to costs. The findings also indicated that their motives for reading online hotel reviews strongly influence their behavior. By differentiating these individuals based on their motivation for reading eWOM, hotel managers can observe characteristics and behaviors of these different groups and effectively manage the impact of eWOM accordingly

Wissensstandsanalyse zum Verbraucher- und Ernährungsverhalten bei ökologischen Lebensmitteln mit Einbezug der Außer-Haus-Verpflegung

Die vorliegende Studie enthält einen umfassenden Überblick zur nationalen wie internationalen Verbraucherforschung für Öko-Lebensmittel. Insgesamt wurden 562 Publikationen basierend auf 338 wissenschaftlichen Studien aus dem Zeitraum Januar 2000 bis Juni 2011 zu den Themengebieten Determinanten des Verbraucherverhaltens, Verbrauchersegmentierung, Produkt-, Preis-, Kommunikations- und Distributionspolitik sowie Außer-Haus-Verzehr analysiert und hinsichtlich ihrer Datengrundlage und Methodik bewertet. Die Betrachtung der einschlägigen englisch- und deutschsprachigen Literatur lieferte Erkenntnisse zum Wissensstand über die Verbraucherforschung für Öko-Lebensmittel und ermöglichte die Identifizierung relevanter Forschungslücken für Deutschland, die richtungsweisend für die zukünftige Forschung ist. Insgesamt ergab sich eine hohe Publikationsdichte insbesondere in den letzten vier Jahren. Zu den zahlenmäßig am häufigsten behandelten Themengebieten gehören die Determinanten des Verbraucherverhaltens, die Produktpolitik sowie die Preispolitik. Dennoch sind auch hier viele gänzlich unbearbeitete Fragestellungen, bspw. zu den Geschmackspräferenzen unterschiedlicher Verbraucher-gruppen, zu umweltfreundlichen Verpackungen sowie zur Preiskenntnis und Preispsychologie des Konsumenten, zu finden. Darüber hinaus konnten innovative Aspekte der Trendforschung zum Thema Öko-Lebensmittel ausgemacht werden. Andere Themengebiete wie zum Beispiel Kommunikationspolitik und Außer-Haus-Verzehr sind bisher kaum untersucht. Die Status-Quo-Analyse wurde mit den Ergebnissen aus einer Online-Befragung und einem Experten-Workshop ergänzt, um die Relevanz der identifizierten Forschungslücken einzuschätzen und den Forschungsbedarf aus Praktiker- und Expertensicht zu ermitteln. Aus dieser umfassenden Analyse konnten konkret Empfehlungen für zukünftige Forschungsschwerpunkte in Deutschland abgeleitet werden