I am attracted to my Cool Smart Assistant! Analyzing attachment-aversion in AI-human relationships

The conversation between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled intelligent voice assistants (IVA) can create bonds that go beyond a mere utilitarian purpose. The emotional cues in a Human-AI conversation can lead consumers to feel connected with the AI-agents and even consider such a relationship as cool. Although brand coolness is known to affect consumer behavior, little is known about how consumers perceive a close relationship with IVAs and what the drivers of their use or avoidance are. Therefore, the current paper adds to the literature by analyzing how AI-enabled voice assistant experience affects IVA coolness and customer-brand relationships using the attachment-aversion (A-A) theory. A total of 308 consumers showed that affective, behavioral, and intellectual experiences with the intelligent voice assistant affect IVA coolness. IVA coolness was also found to affect A-A relationships positively, influencing consumers’ motivational strength to adopt, maintain and enhance the relationship in the future.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impacto econômico de pesquisa da Embrapa no bioma caatinga com variedade de mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz) resistente à bacteriose.

Neste artigo é analisada a viabilidade econômica de investimento em pesquisa pública da Embrapa para o desenvolvimento de variedades de mandioca resistentes à bacteriose e adaptadas ao bioma caatinga. A bacteriose é a principal doença da mandiocultura na microrregião de Guanambi, no Estado da Bahia, e o estresse hídrico um dos grandes desafios ao incremento do rendimento e da produção na região Nordeste. Com base nesse conhecimento e com o objetivo de evitar o avanço da bacteriose e simultaneamente revitalizar a mandiocultura da microrregião de Guanambi, a Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura (CNPMF), com a colaboração da Embrapa Cerrados (CPAC) e agricultores familiares da microrregião, uniram esforços num programa participativo de seleção de variedades de mandioca resistentes à bacteriose e adaptadas às condições locais. O programa teve início em 1997; ano em que a doença foi identificada na microrregião por uma equipe de pesquisadores da Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura. Desse esforço conjunto foi selecionada a variedade de mandioca de nome BRS Formosa; que atualmente está sendo utilizada em escala comercial por agricultores familiares da microrregião de Guanambi

Aceptacion de la publicidad a través de altavoces inteligentes

Purpose: The influence of technology on marketing communications is rising in both applications and value created. Artificial intelligence (AI) and, as a result, smart speakers are benefiting both brands and customers at many levels. In particular, AI opens up the possibility to establish human-like dialogs with customers and to advertise brands in a new and engaging way. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand why and how consumers would accept receiving advertising (ad) via AI-enabled devices such as smart speakers. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 326 individuals participated in a study that explored the factors influencing ad acceptance in smart devices. A partial least squares-structural equation model technique was used to validate the results. Findings: The findings show that customer acceptance of ads via smart assistants is influenced by smart assistant usefulness and hedonic motivations. However, privacy risk moderates the relationship between smart speaker ease of use and smart speaker usefulness. Originality/value: This paper explores the main drivers of ad acceptance via smart speakers and goes beyond the existing knowledge of smart speaker acceptance to further explore how this can become an important channel for brands to communicate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mental imagery, product involvement and presence at virtual reality supermarket

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that creates fully immersive and virtual experiences and have been used to create virtual supermarkets and explore consumer behaviour on such alternate reality. The current study uses a VR scenario to analyse the effects of mental imagery, product involvement and presence on customer’s emotions and on the customers purchase intention, during a virtual shopping experience. The proposed model was tested with 108 participants in the laundry detergent category on a VR scenario. Findings reveal that on a virtual setting, mental imagery has the most significant impact on emotions, whereas presence has a strong influence on the purchase decision. Yet product involvement has any effect only on emotions. Moreover, the obsession for laundry products highly decreased the effect of product involvement on purchase intention.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Virtual supermarket setting: Exploring antecedents of emotions and purchase intentions

Virtual Reality is based on three key characteristics: immersion, interactivity (Boyd & Koles, 2018). Firstly, when exposed to a virtual environment, the individual experiences the sense of immersion or presence within that environment. The user feels like being there and escaping or becoming isolated from the real world. Beside immersion, VR provides a very dynamic environment (Loureiro et al., 2019), which is important to create consumer involvement. Hence, the current study explores antecedents of emotions and purchase intention in virtual supermarket setting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of mental imagery as driver to purchase intentions in a virtual supermarket

This study aims to explore the role of mental imagery, product involvement and presence on emotions and purchase intentions. A quasi-experimental between-subjects design was implemented to test the proposed model. The quasi-experimental manipulation comprised a virtual grocery store, using VR. A quantitative approach was followed using a questionnaire to get data to test the model. The questionnaire was fulfilled after the 108 participants visualize the scenario through VR. The results reveal that all hypotheses are supported, expect H4. Product involvement is not associated to emotions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Adolescents who stay, parents who migrate: gender inequalities, resilience and coping strategies in Tajikistan

Studies on the consequences of migration often ignore the perspectives of children and adolescents who remain in the origin country while their migrant parents are absent. This is the case in Tajikistan, one of the poorest and most remittance-dependent countries in the world. Using a qualitative methodology, microethnography, we interviewed eight teenagers aged between 12 and 18, in the city of Khorugh, Tajikistan, to explore the impact of migration from their perspective. Findings reveal that these adolescents ‘understand’ the reasons for their parents’ migration in a way that both gives coherence to this migration and invests young people with resilience and coping strategies. As a result, all the young people naturalised having to live with sadness, reflecting the ‘normalisation’ of this social cost in wider Tajik society. However, the experiences and coping strategies of those interviewed are gendered; boys were more likely to ‘rationalise’ their experience and be aloof; girls more likely to express emotional upset. In practical terms, boys also received more benefits from remittances while girls reported feeling overwhelmed by domestic chores expected of them. Through this study, we contribute to the recent literature on the lived experiences and agency of non-migrant teenagers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Past, present, and future of pro-environmental behavior in tourism and hospitality: a text-mining approach

Scholars have been interested in examining what drives pro-environmental behavior. However, only a few scientific studies have been devoted to analyzing and understanding the pro-environmental behavior of those that are on vacation. Therefore, the current paper contributes to the existing literature by employing a text-mining approach to conduct a full-text analysis of 210 articles and (1) describes pro-environmental conceptualization, (2) presents the important topics and studies that have emerged from the literature, and (3) suggests directions for future research. The eight core topics that were uncovered contributed to discussion of the content of publications, related theories, core constructs, methodologies, main authors, and journals. The paper shows that the literature on pro-environmental behavior uses more quantitative than qualitative approaches and uses structural equations or regression analysis to explore the data. The findings also show that researchers tend to employ well-known theories arising from psychology, sociology, and biology.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Understanding the role of visual attention on wines’ purchase intention: an eye-tracking study

Purpose: Wine bottles compete for consumers’ attention in the shelf during the decisive moment of choice. This study aims to explore the role that visual attention to wine labels has on the purchase decision and the mediating role of quality perceptions and desire on such purchase behaviours. Wine awards and consumption situation are used as moderators. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted in Portugal and 36 individuals participated in a 2 × 2 within subjects design (awarded/not awarded × self-consumption/social-consumption). For each scenario, individuals’ attention, perceptions of quality, desire and purchase intentions were recorded. Findings: Data from eye-tracking shows that, during the purchase process, the amount of attention given to a bottle is determinant of individuals’ purchase intentions, a relationship that increases in significance for bottles with awards and for when consumers are buying wine for a consumption situation involving a social environment. In addition, both quality perceptions and desire are confirmed to positively influence wines’ purchase intentions. Originality/value: By using an eye monitoring method, this paper brings new insights into the wine industry by highlighting the impact that wines’ labels and different consumption situations have on individuals’ attention and purchase intention. Wine producers and retailers may benefit from the insights provided by the current study to refine their communication strategies by either highlighting product characteristics and pictorial elements, as it is the case of the awards, or communicating about their products for different consumption situations.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Fashion brands communicating and interacting in Instagram: a netnography approach

The study aims to analyze and compare how fashion brands of different categorization communicate in Instagram. Six global brands (Zara, H&M, Prada, Gucci, Nike, and Adidas) are chosen to be analyzed due to their different type/category of brands and their worldwide recognition. Netnography concept and method is used to conduct the data collection and data analyze during a period of time of six mouth. The results show that overall fast fashion brands (Zara and H&M) emerge to be more effective than other fashion categories in online communication. The Haute-de-couture brands (Prada and Gucci) reveal to be very similar in the way they communicate, demonstrating a good level of interactivity with consumers. The Sports brand (Nike and Adidas) have a low level of communication with the consumers and low number of photos and videos uploaded, which results in an average online communication of the brands in Instagram. This research highlights that to be successful in the online communication, fashion brands must be always updating photos and videos, they need to interact with consumers and make them feel a part of the brand, use celebrities to give more notoriety to the brand and be always present in the latest trends.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio