eWOM: the effects of online consumer reviews on purchasing decision of electronic goods

Internet has become the primary source of information for a large number of consumers and it has dramatically changed the consumer behaviour. One of the main changes in modern consumer behaviour has been the transition from a passive to an active and informed consumer. Internet enables customers to share their opinions on, and experiences with, goods and services with a multitude of other consumers. Online consumer reviews are used by prospective buyers of related products who are interested in obtaining more information from people who have purchased and used a product of interest. Word-of-mouth (WOM) is one of the most important information sources when a consumer is making a purchase decision. The arrival and expansion of the Internet has extended consumers' options for gathering product information by including other consumers' comments, posted on the Internet, and has provided consumers opportunities to offer their own consumption-related advice by engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). eWOM can be defined as all informal communications directed at consumers through Internet-based technology related to the usage or characteristics of particular goods and services, or their sellers. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of, one type of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), the online consumer review, on purchasing decision of electronic products. This empirical study also focuses on the relationship between reviews and purchasing behaviour. An instrument was prepared to measure the proposed constructs, with questionnaire items taken from prior studies but adapted to fit the context of e-commerce. The survey was applied to academicians in Turkey through internet. The data was analyzed using the SPSS package. The results show that consumer reviews have a causal impact on consumer purchasing behaviour and they have an effect on choosing the products by consumer. Finally, the results and their implications are discussed

Understanding the effects of doctors’ online profile pictures on patients’ decision-making

The effect of doctors’ profile pictures in online healthcare platforms has been investigated in prior research. However, little attention has focused on professional signals conveyed by doctors’ online profile pictures. To address the above-mentioned gap, this study examines the roles of doctors’ profile pictures in patients’ online decision-making based on cue utilization theory and impression management theory. Our research finds that a picture indicating professional information (e.g., professional attire and professional background) matters in attracting patients’ interest and their decision-making. However, the impacts of professional information change according to patients’ illness severity. Specifically, patients with low-severity illnesses care more about professional attire in the stage of glancing physicians, while patients with high-severity illnesses care more about professional attire in the stage of decision making. These findings contribute to the domain knowledge of online service design and delivery, especially in the arena of online health services

Examining the influence of corporate website favorability on corporate image and corporate reputation: findings from fsQCA

This study uses the attribution and signaling theory perspective to scrutinize the key impacts of the determinants of corporate website favorability. In addition, this paper examines the main influences of satisfaction and attractiveness on corporate image and reputation, observes the role that the demographics of consumers (gender and age) play in such relationships, and proposes a research model along with research tenets. To examine these tenets, the conceptual framework was empirically evaluated through the perceptions of 563 consumers toward the financial setting in Russia (563). This study employs complexity theory, which integrates the principle of equifinality. To examine the data, this research employs fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Additionally, this study makes a managerial contribution to the understanding of marketing and communication managers and website designers regarding the associations among corporate website favorability, its antecedents, and its consequences

The Impact of Impression Management on Purchase Intentions in Online Auctions: The Moderating Effects of Relationship Norms

The IT-mediated nature of e-commerce creates the uncertainty in online buyer-seller relationships where online buyers are difficult to personally scrutinize sellers, leading to many challenges for online sellers to win buyers’ trust. In order to overcome this problem, according to impression management theory and relationship theory, this research proposes a research framework for understanding how impression management tactics can be used by sellers to create a positive impression in the minds of buyers, affect buyers’ trust in the sellers, and subsequently purchase from them. This research further examines the moderating role of relationship norms on the relationship between impression management tactics and trust. A Web-based survey is then conducted in Yahoo! Taiwan auction to validate our proposed framework. Our research is expected to contribute to the theories by first examining the impression management theory and relationship theory in the context of online auctions. We also expect to contribute to the practice by illustrating that sellers should adjust their impression management tactics to suit buyers’ relationship norms. Specifically, self-focused tactics are more useful for buyers in an exchange relationship; other-focused tactics are more effective for buyers in a communal relationship

Can neuroscience construct a literate gendered culture?

The construction of boys as a gendered culture is not usually associated with neuroscience. Exceptions are publications and presentations by consultants on boys’ education who adopt a “brain-based” perspective. From a neuroscience perspective, my analysis indicates the selective use of primary neuroscience research to construct and perpetuate generalisations and stereotypic representations of boys as a gendered culture. In this article I draw on data obtained over 12 months from a boys’ school that engaged a consultant on boys’ education. The consultant selectively used neuroscience to construct a hegemonic discourse that constructed boys as a gendered culture. I analyse the consultant’s professional learning sessions, question the veracity of populist claims presented to teachers and indicate the degree to which this discourse about boys’ literacy ability and behaviour influenced the school as they revised their language policy and made commercial decisions. My observations suggest that, over the course of a year, the school uncritically accepted sufficient popular interpretations of primary neuroscience research to fulfil their intention of building a marketable, gendered school culture. I further note the existence of a parallel cognitive discourse around principles of learning that influenced teacher pedagogy. These two discourses allowed the school to meet its aims of i) building a gendered educational culture at a school for boys, ii) placing the school in a competitive education market (both primarily based on the discourse of neuroscience) and iii) meeting the educational needs of their students (based primarily on the discourse of cognitive psychology)

What Drives Students' Loyalty-Formation in Social Media Learning Within a Personal Learning Environment Approach? The Moderating Role of Need for Cognition

Our study analyzes an educational experience based on the integrated use of social media within a higher education course under a personal learning environment approach and investigates the factors that determine students' loyalty to social media learning. We examined the moderating role of need for cognition (NFC) in students' formation of attitudes, satisfaction, and loyalty toward this learning experience. The results indicate that NFC has an influence on these variables, significantly moderating how loyalty toward social media learning is formed. For high-NFC students, satisfaction with the learning experience is the most important variable to explain loyalty; whereas for low-NFC students, attitudes have a stronger effect. Different strategies are suggested, according to the learners' NFC levels, for increasing the use of social media in personal learning environments. Practical implications for improving the integration of such informal resources into formal education are discussed.Junta de Andalucía – Programa Andaluz de I + D P12 SEJ 259