Does online retail coupons and memberships create favourable psychological disposition?

This study aims to examine the impact of coupons, portal membership and peer-influence on consumer purchase and psychological actions, which is built on the theory of impulsiveness and the theory of dissonance. The study uses 2x2x2 (i.e. coupons, peer influence, complimentary coupons) factorial experimental design to investigate the proposed hypothetical model. The experiment was conducted with 364 participants. The study used a two-step structural equation modelling analysis to validate the proposed hypothetical model. The findings suggest that an increase in coupons can positively enhance the purchase actions and impulsiveness, which can later influence cognitive post purchase dissonance (CPPD) and affective post-purchase dissonance (APPD), as well as customers repurchase intention. It was also found that providing additional complimentary coupons reduces the effect of CPPD but not of the APPD. This study contributes to dissonance theory by adding APPD into the framework; moreover, the results on the coupons, memberships and peer influence will offer further insights to practitioners

Examining consumer behaviour in the UK energy sector through the sentimental and thematic analysis of tweets

Consumer engagement with brands on social media has been empirically proven. However, little is known about consumers' natural behaviour on social media, as literature on this topic is still in an early stage of its evolution. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate and understand the group interactions of consumer behaviour, with a specific focus on tweets within the UK energy sector. Energy is a significant utility in the United Kingdom, and the sector is evolving more rapidly than ever before, with pressure being applied to energy suppliers to meet the demands of consumers. This study draws on social capital theory to investigate how UK consumers engage with their suppliers, as well as the knowledge‐sharing capabilities of the Twitter community. In Study 1, Python was used to conduct tweet mining and sentiment analysis to investigate the polarity in consumer engagement with 82 energy companies in the United Kingdom. Results indicated overall positive sentiments towards the energy suppliers, although the level of engagement varies across the different groups of suppliers. Study 2 followed up with a qualitative insight into the factors shaping consumers' behaviour as they engage with brands on social media. A thematic model emerges in the form of an interrelated conceptual theory comprising three stakeholders, the key relationships between them, and their natural behaviours. This study offers a contemporary, essential, and interconnected understanding of consumer behaviour online with a focus on the energy sector, and further advances research into online consumer behaviour, sentiment analysis, netnography, and social media research

Berbris aristata DC: Pharmacognostical Standardization and Phytochemical Studies of its Leaves

Berberis aristata DC. (Fam: Berberidaceae) commonly known as Daruharidra, Indian Barberry or tree turmeric. Leaves of this plant are traditionally used in the treatment of inflammation, wound healing, skin disease, menorrhagia, diarrhea, jaundice and infection of eyes etc. Micromorphology and physicochemical analysis of the leaves of B.aristata were performed as per WHO and Pharmacopoeial methods. Leaves (4.9cm × 1.8cm) are deep green on dorsal and light green on ventral side. Leaves are in tufts of 5 to 8, phyllotaxy verticillate, simple spiny, lanceolate, toothed, leathery, sessile, acuminate apex and reticulate pinnate venation. Microscopic evaluation of leaves showed biconvex midrib and thick lamina. The epidermal layers of the midrib are thick with small, less conspicuous cells and thick cuticle. The vascular system consists of three large vascular bundles; the median one is small than the two lateral bundles; the bundles are collateral and wedge shaped.  Lamina is made of epidermal layer on the adaxial side with spindle shaped thick walled cells and papillate cuticle. The abaxial epidermis has squarish or rectangular epidermal cells with prominent spiny cuticular outgrowths. Powder microscopy showed the presence of cuticular papillae, anomocytic stomata and spiny outgrowth. Preliminary phytochemical screening of appropriate solvent extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, sterols, tannins, proteins and amino acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponin, carbohydrates and absence of glycosides and volatile and fixed oil. Microscopic analysis and other parameters were informative and provide valuable information in the identification, standardization of B.aristata leaves. Keywords: Berberis aristata, Berberidaceae, leaf, Microscopical evaluation

Pharmacognostical Standardization and Phytochemical Studies on the leaves of Solanum torvum Sw

A genus of plant belongs to the family Solanaceae well distributed in India more than 26 species which are found naturalised in India. Solanum torvum Sw. is a medium sized flowering plant in the Solanaceae family that is found in India, Malaysia. Transverse section of lamina showed the adaxial part has thick, short hump; the midrib and the adaxial hump have thin, angular epidermal cells. The upper part of adaxial hump has a few layers sclerenchyma cells. The inner layer of the adaxial midrib also has few layers of thick walled cells. The ground tissue consists of wide circular thin walled parenchyma cells with narrow inter cellular spaces. The vascular system of the midrib showed bi-collateral structure. Non glandular, profusely branched, thick walled, lignified epidermal trichome occurs as both on the veins and lamina. Physico-chemical standards such as Foreign Matter, Total Ash, Water Soluble Ash, Sulphated Ash, Loss on Drying, Water Soluble Extractive, Alcohol Soluble Extractive and Crude Fiber Content in percentage were estimated. Preliminary phytochemical screening of appropriate solvent extracts showed the presence of Alkaloids, Amino Acids, Carbohydrates, Cellulose, Lignin, Fats & Fixed Oils, Flavonoids, Glycosides, Tannins, Proteins, Starch, Steroids and Triterpenoids and absence of Volatile Oil, Mucilage and Pectin. Microscopic analysis and other parameters were informative and provide valuable information in the identification, standardization of Solanum torvum leaves. Keywords: Solanum torvum, Solanaceae, leaf, Microscopical evaluation

Metaverse marketing: How the metaverse will shape the future of consumer research and practice

The initial hype and fanfare from the Meta Platforms view of how the metaverse could be brought to life has evolved into an ongoing discussion of not only the metaverse\u27s impact on users and organizations but also the societal and cultural implications of widespread usage. The potential of consumer interaction with brands within the metaverse has engendered significant debate within the marketing‐ focused discourse on the key challenges and transformative opportunities for marketers. Drawing on insights from expert contributors, this study examines the marketing implications of the hypothetical widespread adoption of the metaverse. We identify new research directions and propose a new framework offering valuable contributions for academia, practice, and policy makers. Our future research agenda culminates in a checklist for researchers which clarifies how the metaverse can be beneficial to digital marketing and advertising, branding, services, value creation, and consumer wellbeing

“So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy

Transformative artificially intelligent tools, such as ChatGPT, designed to generate sophisticated text indistinguishable from that produced by a human, are applicable across a wide range of contexts. The technology presents opportunities as well as, often ethical and legal, challenges, and has the potential for both positive and negative impacts for organisations, society, and individuals. Offering multi-disciplinary insight into some of these, this article brings together 43 contributions from experts in fields such as computer science, marketing, information systems, education, policy, hospitality and tourism, management, publishing, and nursing. The contributors acknowledge ChatGPT’s capabilities to enhance productivity and suggest that it is likely to offer significant gains in the banking, hospitality and tourism, and information technology industries, and enhance business activities, such as management and marketing. Nevertheless, they also consider its limitations, disruptions to practices, threats to privacy and security, and consequences of biases, misuse, and misinformation. However, opinion is split on whether ChatGPT’s use should be restricted or legislated. Drawing on these contributions, the article identifies questions requiring further research across three thematic areas: knowledge, transparency, and ethics; digital transformation of organisations and societies; and teaching, learning, and scholarly research. The avenues for further research include: identifying skills, resources, and capabilities needed to handle generative AI; examining biases of generative AI attributable to training datasets and processes; exploring business and societal contexts best suited for generative AI implementation; determining optimal combinations of human and generative AI for various tasks; identifying ways to assess accuracy of text produced by generative AI; and uncovering the ethical and legal issues in using generative AI across different contexts

“So what if ChatGPT wrote it?”:Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy

Transformative artificially intelligent tools, such as ChatGPT, designed to generate sophisticated text indistinguishable from that produced by a human, are applicable across a wide range of contexts. The technology presents opportunities as well as, often ethical and legal, challenges, and has the potential for both positive and negative impacts for organisations, society, and individuals. Offering multi-disciplinary insight into some of these, this article brings together 43 contributions from experts in fields such as computer science, marketing, information systems, education, policy, hospitality and tourism, management, publishing, and nursing. The contributors acknowledge ChatGPT’s capabilities to enhance productivity and suggest that it is likely to offer significant gains in the banking, hospitality and tourism, and information technology industries, and enhance business activities, such as management and marketing. Nevertheless, they also consider its limitations, disruptions to practices, threats to privacy and security, and consequences of biases, misuse, and misinformation. However, opinion is split on whether ChatGPT’s use should be restricted or legislated. Drawing on these contributions, the article identifies questions requiring further research across three thematic areas: knowledge, transparency, and ethics; digital transformation of organisations and societies; and teaching, learning, and scholarly research. The avenues for further research include: identifying skills, resources, and capabilities needed to handle generative AI; examining biases of generative AI attributable to training datasets and processes; exploring business and societal contexts best suited for generative AI implementation; determining optimal combinations of human and generative AI for various tasks; identifying ways to assess accuracy of text produced by generative AI; and uncovering the ethical and legal issues in using generative AI across different contexts

Does corporate reputation matter? Role of social media in consumer intention to purchase innovative food product

The exponential growth of the corporate reputation in food industry has resulted in innovations in every link of its supply chain. There have been studies that have characterized innovation in various industries from the perspective of technology, but far fewer in the area of corporate reputation, consumer perception, and intention towards innovations in food products. This research analyses the innovations in the food industry from the perspective of the consumer and provides a conceptual framework of food innovation stages. The study also investigates the relationship between corporate reputation and intention towards food innovation along with the other components of TPB model with an extension of social media engagement. The results from India and US samples confirm that social media engagement have a significant role to play in creating intention to purchase innovative food products. The study compares the US and Indian samples and identifies differences in subjective norms and perceived behavioural control