The Impact of Impression Management on Purchase Intentions in Online Auctions: The Moderating Effects of Relationship Norms

The IT-mediated nature of e-commerce creates the uncertainty in online buyer-seller relationships where online buyers are difficult to personally scrutinize sellers, leading to many challenges for online sellers to win buyers’ trust. In order to overcome this problem, according to impression management theory and relationship theory, this research proposes a research framework for understanding how impression management tactics can be used by sellers to create a positive impression in the minds of buyers, affect buyers’ trust in the sellers, and subsequently purchase from them. This research further examines the moderating role of relationship norms on the relationship between impression management tactics and trust. A Web-based survey is then conducted in Yahoo! Taiwan auction to validate our proposed framework. Our research is expected to contribute to the theories by first examining the impression management theory and relationship theory in the context of online auctions. We also expect to contribute to the practice by illustrating that sellers should adjust their impression management tactics to suit buyers’ relationship norms. Specifically, self-focused tactics are more useful for buyers in an exchange relationship; other-focused tactics are more effective for buyers in a communal relationship

THE SELF-EXPRESSIVENESS OF FOOTPRINTS: UNDERSTANDING THE DRIVERS OF CHECK-IN

Drawing from the Dramaturgical theory (Goffman, 1959), present study contributes to propose a conceptual model that illuminate the underlying psychological mechanism which faciliate individual’s check-in behavior. Goffman (1959) posits that “impression management” impacts the self presentation of individuals, indicating that individuals adopt deliberate decisions to reveal particular aspects of the self. Past studies emphasize on the privacy issue that impacts location sharing (Barkhuus et al., 2008), while present study highlights that socially driven factors portrays a more comprehensive story that disclose the antecedenting drivers of check-in.This contributes in providing a framework to the previous sporadic studies concerning social motives in check-in literatures. Specifically, the findings support the view that individual’s public self-consciousness and peer influence, compelled by desirable self-presentation leads to involvment in check-in. This finding extends past researches in identifying two dimensions that drive check-in involvement. Furthermore, the results of this study confirm that driven by psychological proximity, a positive relationship is created between check-in involvement and place attachment, which in turn faciliates continual check-in behavioral intentions and the advocation of check-in

Drivers of Online Brand Community Value Creation: The Role of Psychological Empowerment

There is an upsurge of consumer empowerment driven by the rise of the Internet and online communities. However, the effect of psychological empowerment that may be experienced in contributing knowledge and experiences in the process of participation in online brand community has seldom been investigated. This study aims to examine the role of psychological empowerment in online brand community and its impact on value co-creation behaviors. By using PLS-SEM, the result indicate that perceived responsiveness, validation, status seeking, perceived network size, and information quality, facilitates the establishment of psychological empowerment, which in turn promotes consumers’ value co-creation behaviors. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed

Predicting customer lifetime value for hypermarket private label products

This study develops a model to predict customer lifetime value for hypermarket private label products. It examines the relationships among store awareness, store image variables (i.e., service quality, price/value, convenience, and product quality), private label image, repurchase intention, and customer lifetime value and investigates the moderating role of image fit. The originality of this study lies in filling the gap of previous research on antecedents of private label customers’ behavior by considering store awareness, image fit, and customer lifetime value. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. The results indicate the following. Store image variables (except product quality) and store awareness affect repurchase intention directly or indirectly through private label image. Image fit moderates the relationships between store image variables (except product quality) and private label image. Private label image facilitates customer lifetime value. This study provides several theoretical and practical implications for hypermarket private label product developments

The Effects of Emoticons and Text-Messaging on Social Interaction: Playfulness in Mobile Instant Messaging

Mobile instant messaging is the communication technology revolution that is changing the way people communicate. The adoption rate is surging and the massive growth is experienced worldwide. Prior studies in instant messaging has been primarily concerned with its task relevant or functional aspects, with less attention on social interaction aspects. Drawing from media richness theory, present research highlights that social interaction factors can be facilitated by the enriched communication channel to build closer interpersonal social relationship. Specifically, the findings illustrate that combined effect of text messaging and the use of emoticon, builds information richness which leads to perceived playfulness in mobile instant messaging. Furthermore, the perceived playfulness fostered in the instant messaging process, plays a driving role in facilitating social connectedness, identity expressiveness between the users and the advocacy of mobile instant messaging usage

BUILDING BUYERS’ LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE B2B E-MARKETPLACE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL

The popularity of the Internet has created the growth of B2B e-marketplaces. In spite of the many advantages of B2B e-marketplaces, a majority of buyers are still reluctant to maintain a long-term relationship with B2B e-marketplaces. In order to overcome this problem, we apply social capital theory to propose a research framework for understanding how virtual community play an important role in generation of social capital and formation of sense of virtual community, which in turn drives buyers continuing to use B2B e-marketplaces. A Web-based survey is then conducted in Alibaba’s virtual community to validate our proposed framework. Our research is expected to contribute to the theory by testing social capital theory in the context of the B2B e-marketplace usage. We also expect to contribute to the practice by providing new insights for the B2B e-marketplace providers to understand the value of integrating online community into the B2B e-marketplace

THE IMPACT OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT ON PURCHASE INTENTIONS IN ONLINE AUCTIONS: THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF RELATIONSHIP NORMS

Abstract The IT-mediate

TRANSFORMING SMARTPHONE OWNERS INTO PARTIAL EMPLOYEES: THE EFFECT OF VALUE CREATION AND INNOVATIVENESS ON CONSUMER COPRODUCTION BEHAVIOUR

In recent years new research studies have appeared that tackle the issue of smartphone adoption and acceptance, little is known about the consumer coproduction behaviour of smart phones. Many consumers dedicate to provide feedback to companies, help other consumers in solving problems, advocate and recommend of the product to other consumers; consequently, they are regarded as value co-producers. A better understanding of how the underlying mechanism facilitate consumer coproduction behaviour could be worthwhile to mobile marketing strategies. Our main goal is to understand what the driving factors in deterring consumer coproduction behaviours. This study proposes hedonic and symbolic value of smartphone drive consumer coproduction behaviours. Also, consumers with high innovativeness are more likely to engage in consumer coproduction behaviours. By using structural equation modelling (SEM), the result of this study shows that both symbolic and hedonic value of smartphone give rise to consumer coproduction behaviours through device attachment. The findings of this study also have implications to both marketers and researchers