Compromise and Attraction Effects under Interdependent and Independent Self-Construal

When a new alternative introduces to a choice set, the preferences for the original alternatives will be effected (Mourali, Böckenholt and Laroche 2007). Consumers often feel uncertainty about the true values of options when they want to purchase products (Simonson 1989). Huber, Payne, and Puto (1982) defined the attraction effect as “when adding an alternative that is inferior to another alternative in the choice set increases the share of the relatively superior alternative.” Compromise effect is defined as “when adding an extreme option to the choice set shifts the choice preferences in favor of the compromise option” (Simonson 1989). The size of compromise effect and attraction effect may differ based on self-construal. Independent self-construal has attributes that make them separate from others (Markus and Kitayama 1991). They emphasize on positive information and try to make achievements (Lee, Aaker and Gardner 2000). In contrast, Interdependent self-construal focus being a member of a group (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) and attempt to avoid mistakes (Lee, Aaker and Gardner 2000). Therefore, we expect that independent consumers are more sensitive to attraction effect and interdependent consumers are more sensitive to compromise effect and self-regulatory mediates this relationship. Consequently, the current research first shows the relationship between self-construal and context effects. Then, introduces self-regulatory as mediator to explain how distinct self-construal behave through context effects

CUSTOMERS CAN LOVE FIRMS AGAIN AFTER SPREADING NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES ON SOCIAL MEDIA: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL IMPACT THEORY ON ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPENSATION

The number of people who spread their negative experiences after a service failure on online platforms such as social media has been increasing. In this situation, firms need to restore customers’ economic and social losses by offering appropriate service recoveries in order to make customers happy and be forgiven. As the service recoveries are offered online, the influence of virtual presence has to be considered in offering service recoveries. Social impact theory (SIT) explains how the presence of others affects an individual’s behavior through three social forces: source strength, immediacy, and size. This study suggests virtual observers’ expertise, online immediacy, and virtual audience size as the three social forces on social media platforms. Social impact is high due to an increase of any social forces. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of psychological and economic compensation on customers’ delight in social media contexts based on the three social forces of SIT. The current study seeks to investigate the mechanism through which customers forgive the firm to ultimately become loyal customers again. The results suggest that economic and psychological compensation are positively related to customers’ delight. In addition, the results show that economic compensation has a greater impact on customers’ delight when the social impact is low versus high. Also, psychological compensation has a greater impact on customers’ delight when the social impact is high versus low. The results also indicate that perceived reciprocity partially mediates the relationship between customers’ delight and forgiveness. Higher levels of customer delight lead to higher levels of perceived reciprocity, and ultimately higher levels of customer forgiveness. The results demonstrate that relationship strength does not moderate the mediation effect of perceived reciprocity on customer delight-forgiveness relationship. Finally, the results show that forgiveness is positively related to repurchase intention. The findings help managers to offer effective service recoveries on social media and understand the effectiveness of economic and psychological compensation even when customers are reluctant to engage in reparatory behaviors after experiencing a service failure

Role of brand attachment in customers’ evaluation of service failure

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: This paper aims to examine the role of brand attachment as a relevant construct in customers’ evaluation after they face a service failure which impacts future consumer behaviors. It mainly answers the research question: does brand attachment cushion or amplify the effect of service failure on customers’ negative emotions? Design/methodology/approach: A 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design was conducted. Data analysis was performed with ANOVA and moderated mediation. Findings: Customer’s feelings toward a brand (brand attachment) that existed before a service failure occurred can regulate customer’s negative emotions especially when consumer attribute service failure to a controllable cause. This process minimizes the effect of service failure in customer’s satisfaction and consequently increase customer behaviors like word of mouth and loyalty intentions. Research limitations/implications: Adding perceived intentionality as a service failure’s attribution could provide another layer of explanation of customer behavior. Also, an expanded study using a sector characterized by higher cost of change and permanent consumption could provide result’s generalizability. Practical implications: Brand attachment should be included in the customer service strategy. In a service failure situation, brand attachment becomes part of the “service customer policy” helping customers to regulate their negative emotions. Originality/value: This study fills the knowledge gap regarding the role of customers’ positive emotions toward brands when a service failure occurs. The current study extends branding literature by differentiating brand attachment role from coping tactics

The journey from customer participation in service failure to co-creation in service recovery

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Customer participation is growing into a widespread phenomenon in the service context. Despite the inherent significance of customer expectations to service failures in the high-participation service context, scant research exists on studying the links among customer participation, customer expectation of service recovery, and service outcomes (e.g., word-of-mouth or WOM). Even more pressing is the lack of research on the type of service recovery that can countervail the inflated customer expectation of service recovery and restore service outcomes. This research demonstrates that high contribution of customers in the beginning of service provision procedure leads to high recovery expectations and low satisfaction. The results also support that co-created service recovery (CCS-R), as contrasted to firm and customer recoveries, has a greater positive effect on satisfaction. Further, the contrasting impacts of each service recovery type on positive and negative WOM are presented. An experiment was conducted using service failure and recovery scenarios. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The current research has some important implications for scholars and managers who wish to effectively recover failed high-participation service encounters

Evaluation of the Seismic Behavior Based on the Performance of Special Steel Moment Frames by Modified Energy Method and Force Design Method

Although conventional methods in seismic design consider such parameters as force, displacement, and ductility, the behavior of a significant number of structures that have been designed and experienced earthquakes shows that the existing criteria are insufficient and more comprehensive ones should be used. In this regard, the energy-based design method may be considered one of the suitable solutions. This method is based on creating a balance between the input and output energy of structures. It is possible to have a more appropriate estimate of the energy input as well as dissipated energy by the structure and use it in the design of the structure. In the modified energy method that has been used in this study, control of items such as the creation of a soft story, establishment of the Strong-Column Weak-Beam concept, the uniform distribution of loads in the members, the nonconcentration of force and local damage, and simultaneous drift control of the structure with the optimal distribution of plastic hinges have been considered. Also, modifications have been made to the energy balance equation. In this paper, 8-, 16-, and 24-story frames with lateral force resisting system of special steel moment frame have been modified by energy method and compared by the design force method of AISC code. Performance level criteria of the ASCE41-17 code have been applied in the design, and the P−Δ effects have also been considered in the nonlinear analysis. The results show that, for the frame which is designed by the energy method, the plastic hinges are created in the upper stories and beams; however, in the frame designed by the LRFD method, several plastic hinges are formed in the columns of the upper stories, and a local mechanism is created. Also, in 8- and 16-story structures, the weight of the structure which is designed by the energy method is less than that obtained by the LRFD method. The results also showed that, in contrast to the energy method, the relationships presented in the codes regarding the Strong-Column Weak-Beam rule cannot prevent local and undesirable mechanisms in severe earthquakes

Customer-brand disidentification : conceptualization, scale development and validation

Research suggests that customer-brand disidentification is a pertinent source for the breakdown of consumer-brand relationships and a reason why consumers turn against brands. However, practical and theoretical interest in the study of customer-brand disidentification has been hindered by the absence of a reliable scale with confirmed predictive validity. As a result, the purpose of this study is to develop, operationalize, and test a measure of customer-brand disidentification based on a theoretically valid definition. Drawing on data from six samples, as well as a thorough literature review, the authors develop and validate a scale for measuring customer-brand disidentification. Furthermore, via the application of a nomological net, the authors reveal that customer-brand disidentification is predicated on negative customer emotions after being violated by a brand in a contract breach. Various consumer-based outcomes including patronage reduction and negative word of mouth are found to be consequences of customer-brand disidentification.Southern Illinois University Carbondale College of Business and Analytics Summer Faculty Research Grant program.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres2024-05-07hj2022Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

<b>Supplemental Material - Constructive Resistance in the Frontlines: How Frontline Employees’ Resistance to Customer Incivility Affects Customer Observers</b>

Supplemental Material for Constructive Resistance in the Frontlines: How Frontline Employees’ Resistance to Customer Incivility Affects Customer Observers by Omid Kamran-Disfani, Ramin Bagherzadeh, Ashok Bhattarai, Maryam Farhang, and Lisa K. Scheer. Martin in Journal of Service Research</p

Effect of diabetes on BMD and TBS values as determinants of bone health in the elderly: Bushehr Elderly Health program

Background: Considering the aging population associated with higher osteoporotic fracture risk, high prevalence of diabetes and its effect on bone health along with lack of information on bone quality using common methods (BMD) the aim of present study was to determine the association between trabecular bone score (TBS) and diabetes in an elderly population participating in Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on data collected during the BEH Program, stage II. Anthropometric indices were measured based on NHANES III protocol. Diabetes and pre-diabetes were defined according to ADA Guideline 2018. Bone density was measured using DXA method (DXA, Discovery WI, Hologic Inc., USA). A software installed on the same device (TBS iNsight® software) was applied to assess TBS values. Variables related to bone health were compared based on their glycemic status (participants with diabetes, participants with prediabetes, and normoglycemic) using analysis of variance. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to determine the association between TBS values and bone density in different glycemic states. Results: The data of 2263 participant aged 60 years and over were analyzed. Mean TBS values were significantly different between participants with diabetes, participants with prediabetes, and normoglycemic groups (P = 0.004;, however, P trend was not significant (0.400)). Mean BMD values at femoral neck and lumbar spine were significantly higher in diabetics compared with those diagnosed with pre-diabetes; the latter also had higher bone density compared with normoglycemic individuals (both P ANOVA test and P trends for means were < 0.01]. In univariate linear regression model, TBS values were negatively associated with pre-diabetes (β = −0.070; P < 0.001) but not with diabetes (β = −0.002, P = 0.915). This significant relationship disappeared when the results were adjusted for BMI. In fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression models, odds ratio linking pre-diabetes and diabetes with spinal osteoporosis was 0.861 (CI 95% 0.670–1.105) and 0.525 (CI 95% 0.392–0.701), respectively. As for femoral osteoporosis, odds ratio was 0.615 (CI 95% 0.407–0.928) and 0.968 (CI 95% 0.629–1.489), correspondingly. Moreover, for cumulative osteoporosis, the odds were 0.843 (CI 95% 0.676–1.106) and 0.551 (CI 95% 0.415–0.732), respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that subjects with pre-diabetes and diabetes have higher bone mineral density than normoglycemic subjects; the quality of bone, however, was not different between them. The discordance between BMD and TBS values in participants with diabetes suggest that although these patients have higher BMD values, their quality of bone microarchitecture may not be better than normoglycemic subjects

Bone characteristics and metabolic phenotypes of obesity in an Iranian Elderly population: Bushehr Elderly Health Program (BEHP)

Introduction Obesity and osteoporosis are health problems with high impact on the morbidity and mortality rate. While the association between BMI and bone density is known, the combined effects of obesity and metabolic components on bone health have not yet been revealed. The objectives of this study were to determine the association between bone health and different phenotypes of obesity in an elderly population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on the data collected in the Bushehr Elderly Health Program (BEHP). The participants were classified in four groups based on the metabolic phenotypes of obesity (metabolic healthy obese (MHO), metabolic non-healthy non-obese (MNHNO), metabolic non-healthy obese (MNHO), and metabolic healthy non-obese (MHNO)). The association between osteoporosis and TBS and the metabolic phenotypes of obesity were assessed using multiple variable logistic regression models. Results Totally, 2378 people (1227 women) were considered for analyses. The prevalence of MHNO, MHO, MNHNO, and MNHO were 902 (39.9%), 138 (6.1%), 758 (33.5%), and 464 (20.5%), respectively. In the multivariate logistic regression models, those with MHO (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.12–0.36), MNHNO (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.4–0.66), and MNHO phenotypes (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.16–0.3) had a significantly lower risk of osteoporosis. Likewise, those having MHO (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.51–3.76), MNHNO (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.11–2), and MNHO (OR 2.50; 95% CI 1.82–3.42) phenotypes were found to had higher risk of low bone quality as confirmed by TBS. Conclusions The obese subjects have lower bone quality, regardless of their obesity phenotype