Consumer engagement with social media platforms: a study of the influence of attitudinal components on cutting edge technology adaptation behaviour

Despite pervasive use of digital devices, the influence of simultaneous and combined attitudinal components on consumers’ social media adaptation behaviours remains understudied. This research aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the influence of combined attitudinal components on consumers’ continuous interaction with social media platforms. An online survey was conducted to obtain robust quantitative data on consumers’ interaction and engagement with cutting edge technology such as social media. The findings indicate that consumers’ combined cognitive (perceived opportunity, perceived social influence and perceived control) and affective (enjoyment, self-enhancement, trust and fear) attitudinal components are the antecedents to consumers’ positive and negative adaptation behaviours of social media platforms. Consumers continuously engage with cutting edge social media platforms, either in positive adaptation behaviour (exploration to maximise or exploitation to satisfice social media led benefits) or negative adaptation behaviour (explore to revert from or avoid social media platforms) influenced by combined cognitive and affective attitudinal attributes. The study enriches and advances existing literature by identifying and analysing the influence of both cognitive and affective attitudinal attributes influencing consumers’ positive and negative adaptation behaviours of cutting edge digital technology such as social media platforms. The study helps marketers and IS managers in profiling consumers and understanding consumption patterns while interacting with cutting edge social medial platforms

Guest editors' introduction: the state of the art on corporate reputation: a special section

This article provides an overview of our special issue on corporate reputation. Our aim is to present state-of-the-art research in the management and organization context that focuses on corporate reputation of organizations. We propose that researchers must adopt a more branding oriented mindset and emphasize more systematically the corporate reputation concept as part of the broader management efforts. The special issue contains five articles from renowned scholars and it is hoped that these articles will encourage further debate in this interesting research field of corporate reputation. We thank International Studies of Management and Organization for providing us with this platform

Explicating industrial brand equity: integrating brand trust, brand performance and industrial brand image

Purpose (mandatory) The research explores brand equity from multiple perspectives (tangible and intangible) and their joint consequences, namely, on industrial buyers’ brand loyalty and their long-term commitment. The aim is to provide a more comprehensive framework of the buyer’s behavioral response in the business to business context by integrating both trust elements and industrial brand attributes (brand performance and industrial brand image). In addition, the study explores the mediation effects of trust and brand attributes on industrial buyers’ responses such as loyalty and long-term commitment. Design/methodology/approach (mandatory) Using a survey approach, the study includes respondents working in the HVAC industry in Malaysia, and data are collected in the industrial air conditioning segment. The research model was tested with SEM. Findings (mandatory) Findings show that brand performance and industrial brand image directly affect brand trust but with different effects on buyers’ commitment and loyalty. Interestingly, industrial brand image only mediates the responses via brand trust, while brand performance has a direct effect. Thus, both brand performance and industrial brand image build buyer trust. But in this context, it is brand performance rather than industrial brand image that influences long-term commitment and loyalty. The study concludes that in the HVAC industry, brand performance, industrial brand image, buyer trust, industrial loyalty, and commitment build brand equity. Originality/value (mandatory) Significant research reveals that, in business-to-business contexts, brand equity depends on the supplier’s brand trust and attributes of the brand such as brand image and brand performance. While useful in guiding a supplier’s or industry’s brand strategy, the study of both brand trust and brand attributes has led to only a partial explanation of the supplier’s or industry’s brand equity. The present research explores industrial brand equity, focusing on tangible assets (performance) and intangible assets (brand image), and their joint consequences

h3 gourmet: great to go upmarket, but are people willing to pay for the difference?

This case study addresses the pitfalls of internationalization and entrepreneurial decision-making in the creation of relevant differentiation for a gourmet fast-food concept, whose foundations lay in good old fashioned fast food rules dressed in a gourmet experience. In standardizing their market offer and having engaged in a frantic expansion program, h3, the organization under scrutiny here (and that illustrates business and management research methods in practice) has had to face serious strategic challenges and concerns. Initially limited to the confines of their home nation, Portugal, with subsequent expansion to Poland, Spain and Brazil, the chosen strategy of geographical diversification cannot be said to have been an indisputable success, as the organization is currently witnessing serious divestment decisions away from the Polish and Spanish markets. The Brazilian market on the other hand appears to be thriving. Their concept is that of gourmet burgers with a fast food logistics and service culture underpinning it. Competition has been tough as several competitors have flocked into the market with pretty much the same idea. The company has sought to establish an emotional difference in what is increasingly a saturated market, although the h3 brand is quickly becoming synonymous with a novel association that has been emerging in the minds of consumers, gourmet and fast food coupled together in one food business concept. However, some service elements and customization characteristics (co-creation possibilities) may give the business a unique angle for relevant market differentiation. Whilst there is no profound emotional difference that would otherwise have been present via the association with a well-recognized and established brand, h3 appears on the surface to have an even more worrying problem, in that they are apparently stuck in the middle in terms of their strategic outlook into the future, as on the one hand their cost structure is not fast food like and on the other, their ethos and potential basis for differentiation, gourmet meals is susceptible to imitation by any middle of the road competitor with serious intentions of coming into a profitable market. In addition to possibly not having enough differentiation they are also not “branded” sufficiently…how best to tackle the future is then their plight

Differential induction of apaptosis in human breast cancer cell lines by phenethyl isothiocyanate, a glutathione depleting agent

Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is a naturally occurring electrophile which depletes intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels and triggers accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). PEITC is of considerable interest as a potential chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic agent, and in this work, we have investigated the effects of PEITC on human breast cancer cell lines. Whereas PEITC readily induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells (associated with rapid activation of caspases 9 and 3, and decreased expression of BAX), MCF7 cells were relatively resistant to the apoptosis promoting effects of PEITC. The relative resistance of MCF7 cells was associated with high basal expression of NRF2, a transcription factor that coordinates cellular protective responses to oxidants and electrophiles and raised intracellular levels of GSH. This raised basal expression of NRF2 appeared to be a response to on-going production of ROS, since treatment with the antioxidant and GSH precursor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduced NRF2 expression. Moreover, pre-treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with NAC rendered these cells relatively resistant to PEITC-induced apoptosis. In summary, our data confirm that PEITC may be an effective chemopreventive/therapeutic agents for breast cancer. However, differences in the basal expression of NRF2 and resultant changes in GSH levels may be an important determinant of sensitivity to PEITC-induced apoptosis

An interpretive enquiry into CEO personal branding on social media

Social media has altered the corporate communication environment. Organisations have put their CEOs on social media to build corporate brand image whilst creating a strong personal brand. However, creating a personal brand online is complicated and problematic, especially when the personal brand serves various stakeholders. While CEOs become recognised as a brand, there has been limited insight into how a CEO personal brand can be crafted and how it impacts stakeholders. Furthermore, CEOs are regarded as a core presentation of the corporate brand. Thus, it is important to understand how CEO personal brand affects the corporate brand. To address these questions, this study adopted a multi-method research, combining qualitative in-depth interviews with netnography, in an attempt to gain understanding of CEO personal brand from both CEOs’ and stakeholders’ perspectives. The findings indicate key CEO characteristics and employee involvement as pre-requisite to developing a CEO personal brand. Also, by bridging corporate branding and online personal branding literature, this study illustrates how a CEO personal brand influences corporate brand image, employee advocacy and consumer loyalty

Consumer Engagement with Social Media Platforms: A Study of the Influence of Attitudinal Components on Cutting Edge Technology Adaptation Behaviour

Despite pervasive use of digital devices, the influence of simultaneous and combined attitudinal components on consumers’ social media adaptation behaviours remains understudied. This research aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the influence of combined attitudinal components on consumers’ continuous interaction with social media platforms. An online survey was conducted to obtain robust quantitative data on consumers’ interaction and engagement with cutting edge technology such as social media. The findings indicate that consumers’ combined cognitive (perceived opportunity, perceived social influence and perceived control) and affective (enjoyment, self-enhancement, trust and fear) attitudinal components are the antecedents to consumers’ positive and negative adaptation behaviours of social media platforms. Consumers continuously engage with cutting edge social media platforms, either in positive adaptation behaviour (exploration to maximise or exploitation to satisfice social media led benefits) or negative adaptation behaviour (explore to revert from or avoid social media platforms) influenced by combined cognitive and affective attitudinal attributes. The study enriches and advances existing literature by identifying and analysing the influence of both cognitive and affective attitudinal attributes influencing consumers’ positive and negative adaptation behaviours of cutting edge digital technology such as social media platforms. The study helps marketers and IS managers in profiling consumers and understanding consumption patterns while interacting with cutting edge social medial platforms

Thyroid Associated Ophthalmopathy: A Review

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy is an autoimmune disorder affecting the orbital and periorbital tissues. Hyperthyroidism is commonly associated with thyroid associated ophthalmopathy, however in 5% to 10% of cases it is euthyroid. Genetic, environmental and endogenous factors play a role in the initiation of the thyroid ophthalmopathy. Smoking has been identified as the strongest risk factor for the development of the disorder. The pathogenesis involves activation of both humoral and cell mediated immunity with subsequent production of gycoaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid resulting in oedema formation, increase extraocular mass and adipogenesis in the orbit. The natural history of the disease progresses from active to inactive fibrotic stage over a period of years. Diagnosis is mainly clinical and almost all patients with ophthalmopathy exhibit some form of thyroid abnormality on further testing. Treatment is based on the clinical severity of the disease. Non-severe cases are managed by supportive measures to reduce the symptomatology and severe cases are treated by either medical or surgical decompression. Rehabilitative surgery is done for quiescent disease to reduce diplopia and improve cosmesis