Recover from a service failure : The differential effects of brand betrayal and brand disappointment on an exclusive brand offering

Brand managers inevitably have to face service failures and respond to them. Undertaking brand recovery is essential as customers might desire to take revenge or spread negative word-of-mouth if they feel betrayed or disappointed by the brand following the service failure. Thus, it is necessary to understand customer responses to brand recovery, which depend on whether they feel betrayed or disappointed (while related, this paper distinguishes these feelings). This research challenges the conventional wisdom by demonstrating that, after presenting customers with an exclusive brand offering during the brand recovery, brand betrayal predicts a positive brand attitude and brand disappointment predicts a negative brand attitude with the service failure. Further, the brand attitude mediates the positive relationship between brand betrayal, positive word-of-mouth, and the likelihood of recommending the brand to others. Thus, the quick recovery that follows an exclusive brand offering positively impacts on the brand relationship among betrayed customers.Peer reviewe

Dust and Metal Column Densities in Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies

In this paper we present the results from the analysis of a sample of 28 gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow spectral energy distributions, spanning the X-ray through to near-infrared wavelengths. This is the largest sample of GRB afterglow spectral energy distributions thus far studied, providing a strong handle on the optical depth distribution of soft X-ray absorption and dust-extinction systems in GRB host galaxies. We detect an absorption system within the GRB host galaxy in 79% of the sample, and an extinction system in 71% of the sample, and find the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) extinction law to provide an acceptable fit to the host galaxy extinction profile for the majority of cases, consistent with previous findings. The range in the soft X-ray absorption to dust-extinction ratio, N_{H,X}/Av, in GRB host galaxies spans almost two orders of magnitude, and the typical ratios are significantly larger than those of the Magellanic Clouds or Milky Way. Although dust destruction could be a cause, at least in part, for the large N_{H,X}/Av ratios, the good fit provided by the SMC extinction law for the majority of our sample suggests that there is an abundance of small dust grains in the GRB environment, which we would expect to have been destroyed if dust destruction were responsible for the large N_{H,X}/Av ratios. Instead, our analysis suggests that the distribution of N_{H,X}/Av in GRB host galaxies may be mostly intrinsic to these galaxies, and this is further substantiated by evidence for a strong negative correlation between N_{H,X}/Av and metallicity for a subsample of GRB hosts with known metallicity. Furthermore, we find the N_{H,X}/Av ratio and metallicity for this subsample of GRBs to be comparable to the relation found in other more metal-rich galaxies.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Playfulness in online marketing:challenges and opportunities

Abstract This article explores different challenges and opportunities of using humour and playfulness in online marketing. Humour has been investigated intensively in marketing, especially in advertising, yet there is little knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in online marketing faced by practitioners. This study analyses key studies conducted in the context of a unique case: a Finnish research project exploring humour as a strategic tool for companies. These studies can provide emerging insights of humour in online marketing which are relevant for practitioners: humour as a transformational appeal, individual differences related to humour appreciation, role of storytelling and playfulness in blogging and challenges related to use of humour such as credibility

Group reflection paths:a case study on entrepreneurs’ peer-to peer meetings. Method description

Abstract This paper describes the development process and the pilot use of an ethnography-inspired analysis method to investigate group reflection in group discussions. Reflection is the process of thinking, acting, experiencing, evaluating and analyzing alone or together tied to the surrounding social reality or context. Social relationships are an inherent feature of a group; these relationships refer to group dynamics, i.e. interpersonal processes in and between groups over time. The method is piloted on three lightly moderated microentrepreneur network meetings in Finland. The meetings provide microentrepreneurs with a forum where they get into social interaction with other entrepreneurs. Each meeting provides a single case with a different starting topic. The method development was an inductive and data-driven process. We adapted the double stimulation tool by Vygotsky to the situated event of this study by adding two further steps: analysis of the group reflection and finally the symbolic visualization of the group reflection path. Each case discussions provided a unique road related visualization that symbolizes the discussion flow, directions and process. The main finding of this study is that each case meeting formed a unique group reflection path. The analysis of what, how and why entrepreneurs are talking about topics related to business creates an understanding of how they construct the meaning of entrepreneurship and related factors as part of their culture

Young consumers’ views on humorous BELFcommunication

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain understanding of how young consumers with varying cultural and linguistic backgrounds experience and perceive humorous Business English lingua franca (BELF) mediated communication used in transit contexts. Design/methodology/approach: For the collection of qualitative data, the present study relies on focus group discussions in three European countries. The data were analyzed by the authors by applying the phenomenographic approach as a method. Findings: Young European consumers expressed a preference for humor and playfulness in BELF-mediated communication, yet they can be a challenging group to be informed and entertained with humorous BELF communication, as they differ in their taste of humor due to varying language- and culture-based identities. However, BELF as a communication tool was seen as functional and unproblematic by the informants. These informants perceive the role of resonant — wit type of humor in BELF — messages with noncultural references as fulfilling some of the aims of the messages. Yet, the role of comic — wit humor in BELF — messages with cultural references is more challenging to interpret. Originality/value: The present results bring original viewpoints on the use of humor in cross-cultural corporate communication via a unique perspective of how young consumers’ perceive and value humor in BELF-mediated communication

Linking concepts of playfulness and well-being at work in retail sector

Abstract This conceptual article discusses the roles of playfulness and well-being at work in the retail sector with a specific emphasis on service encounters. The aim is to create a new conceptual framework to enhance research on how the element of playfulness can be part of an employee’s working environment in the retail sector, and to discuss how playfulness could enhance employee’s well-being at work. The framework identifies various interactive relationships characteristic to the retail environment. Furthermore, the application of playfulness in these relationships is discussed from the viewpoint of well-being at work. The framework provides a solid basis for further research to produce results with practical implications

Research agenda with empirical results of using humour strategically in business

Abstract The aim of this project was to create a preliminary theoretical framework of how to utilize humour strategically in organizations with the aim of creating new business opportunities. The present multidisciplinary discussion paper will identify research gaps and combine viewpoints of international business management, international business communication, marketing and education in a novel way. It appears that in previous literature on humour in a business context, discussions have taken place in different ‘silos’ and as a result, the connections between different research fields have been scarce. Consequently, a more comprehensive understanding of the significance of humour in business innovations is necessary. Firstly, we are proposing a framework and a research agenda for exploring different strategic ways of using humour in companies. Secondly, in the Hurmos-project we have already collected empirical evidence based on this framework, and some preliminary results are also presented. Hence, the potential, as well as the limits and risks of humour in business have been examined in terms of both internal and external corporate communication. We have focused on such research aspects as corporate storytelling, corporate and employer branding, and work engagement. Peer group mentoring has been used as one tool for collecting relevant narratives from companies. Additionally, we have explored innovation communication, in particular how humour can be applied as a strategic tool in new business development both in facilitating creative Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) work environments, and in incorporating humour into product and service innovation in practice. Our empirical results will provide a much needed more comprehensive view of the role of humour as a strategic tool in corporate communication and business innovation. The results also provide a point of departure for further research. Besides academia, results and generated know-how will be of interest to managers of large corporations as well as start-up companies

The afterglows of swift-era gamma-ray bursts. I. Comparing pre-swift and swift-era long/soft (type II) GRB optical afterglows

We have gathered optical photometry data from the literature on a large sample of Swift-era gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows including GRBs up to 2009 September, for a total of 76 GRBs, and present an additional three pre-Swift GRBs not included in an earlier sample. Furthermore, we publish 840 additional new photometry data points on a total of 42 GRB afterglows, including large data sets for GRBs 050319, 050408, 050802, 050820A, 050922C, 060418, 080413A, and 080810. We analyzed the light curves of all GRBs in the sample and derived spectral energy distributions for the sample with the best data quality, allowing us to estimate the host-galaxy extinction. We transformed the afterglow light curves into an extinction-corrected z = 1 system and compared their luminosities with a sample of pre-Swift afterglows. The results of a former study, which showed that GRB afterglows clustered and exhibited a bimodal distribution in luminosity space, are weakened by the larger sample. We found that the luminosity distribution of the two afterglow samples (Swift-era and pre-Swift) is very similar, and that a subsample for which we were not able to estimate the extinction, which is fainter than the main sample, can be explained by assuming a moderate amount of line-of-sight host extinction. We derived bolometric isotropic energies for all GRBs in our sample, and found only a tentative correlation between the prompt energy release and the optical afterglow luminosity at 1 day after the GRB in the z = 1 system. A comparative study of the optical luminosities of GRB afterglows with echelle spectra (which show a high number of foreground absorbing systems) and those without, reveals no indication that the former are statistically significantly more luminous. Furthermore, we propose the existence of an upper ceiling on afterglow luminosities and study the luminosity distribution at early times, which was not accessible before the advent of the Swift satellite. Most GRBs feature afterglows that are dominated by the forward shock from early times on. Finally, we present the first indications of a class of long GRBs, which form a bridge between the typical high-luminosity, high-redshift events and nearby low-luminosity events (which are also associated with spectroscopic supernovae) in terms of energetics and observed redshift distribution, indicating a continuous distribution overall