Does Humour Influence Perceptions of the Ethicality of Female-Disparaging Advertising?

This article responds to calls for further research on ethical issues in advertising. The study examines whether advertising strategies which use female-disparaging themes are perceived as ethical, and what effect this has on ad and brand attitudes. It also examines whether or not humour assuages ethical evaluations of female-disparaging ads. The findings from an experimental research design, which included 336 British respondents, show that non-disparaging and non-humorous ads are considered to be the most ethical, while disparaging ads (regardless of the level of humour) are considered the least ethical. Across the board, female-disparaging ads are not perceived as ethical; however, high benevolent sexists appear to favour them most. Finally, an ad’s perceived ethicality mediates the relationship between ad disparagement and ad attitudes; likewise, an ad’s perceived ethicality and ad attitudes mediate the relationship between an ad’s female disparagement and brand attitudes. Female-disparaging ads should be avoided given that they are perceived as less ethical and given the impact that advertising has on behaviour, as well as on societal and moral values. Advertisers should also avoid using female-disparaging advertising themes, even light-hearted ones, since they constitute a risky strategy for the ad and the brand as they can backfire and alienate consumers

The impact of labor unionization on CSR reporting

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting has been theorized as a key communication device and an integral part of a broader stakeholder integration management strategy. This paper aims to examine the relationship between CSR disclosures and organized labor, an important internal stakeholder, whose institutional role in dynamically advancing employee interests creates opportunities and challenges for strategic management and firm sustainability. Design/methodology/approach By using a sample of 2,526 US firm-year observations for the period 2002–2015, the authors demonstrate that managers in unionized contexts are more likely to issue CSR reports than managers in firms, where labor is not organized. Findings The authors demonstrate that managers in unionized contexts are more likely to issue CSR reports than managers in firms where labor is not organized. Considering stakeholder theory, they argue that, in unionized contexts, managers more intensively resort to CSR disclosures to form an alignment of interests, develop collaborative bonds with unions and smoothen relationships with external financial stakeholders. This effect is more prominent in areas where corporate spatial clustering and the prevailing political ideology facilitate the role of unions. Research limitations/implications First, the data refer to USA, which may limit the generalization of the results. Hence, researchers could use cross-country datasets to overcome this limitation. Second, it would be important to know what benefits are enjoyed by the unionized companies that issue CSR reports. Third, they acknowledge that there is useful qualitative information they do not analyze. This analysis could potentially relate specific CSR information to unions’ needs and demands. Further, there are alternative channels through which companies disclose relevant information such as 10-K filings, annual reports, firm websites, media, public announcements, etc. These are not captured by the data. Practical implications Managers could benefit from the empirical analysis, which suggests that through the initiation of CSR reports a dialogue with unions is greatly facilitated. Managers should consider that CSR reports reduce information asymmetries and may attract the interest of investors. Unionists should be aware that CSR reports constitute an opportunity to identify mutual interests and align goals. Business analysts, investors and shareholders should be aware that standalone CSR reports are used by managers to reduce information asymmetries and disparities with unions and to communicate an investment-friendly context. So, market participants should factor such policies by unionized firms into their investment analyses. Social implications The authors offer implications for managers, labor unionists and market participants. Originality/value This paper examines the relationship between CSR disclosures and organized labor, an important internal stakeholder, whose institutional role in dynamically advancing employee interests creates opportunities and challenges for strategic management and firm sustainability

The impact of religiosity and corruption on CSR reporting: The case of U.S. banks

In this paper, we provide insights into CSR disclosure strategies by bringing to the fore the important role played by contextual factors. We examine the impact of religiosity upon the instigation of voluntary CSR disclosures and the way that corruption, a trans-systemic contextual feature, moderates this relationship. We draw upon social norm and institutional theories to illuminate the mechanisms through which contextual elements give rise to management disclosure strategies. Our investigation focuses on the U.S. context, where religiosity is of increasing importance and concentrates on the U.S. banking industry, whose impacts and ramifications are global. We demonstrate that the probability of a bank issuing a standalone CSR report is positively associated with the level of adherence to religious norms, a relationship which weakens in regions characterized by high levels of corruption. The implications of our findings are important for analysts and other market participants

Call centres: the attitudes of the grey market

Service organisations are making increasing use of alternative service delivery channels such as the Internet and call centres. At the same time, developed countries are facing rapidly changing demographic trends with an increasing number of grey citizens who grew up in an age of face to face contact with service suppliers. This paper reports on a programme of UK based qualitative research looking at the grey market's perceptions of the call centre delivery channel. The paper discusses the difficulties faced by the grey market in using the call centres and suggests that more research on the area is urgently required if service organisations are going to address the issues raised and effectively satisfy the needs of this growing market segment

Seniors’ attitudes to voicing complaints: a qualitative study

Demographic trends and developments in the societal distribution of financial resources have resulted in a substantial increase in the purchasing power of the senior market, making this segment of increasing interest to marketers. This qualitative study examined seniors’ knowledge of and attitudes towards voicing complaints to service providers. In-depth interviews and projective techniques were conducted with 60 seniors of varying demographic profiles. The findings support previous research that has found that seniors may avoid expressing dissatisfaction with service organisations directly to the service provider. Interviewees attributed their reluctance to complain to image management concerns, culturally-attributed difficulties, market alienation, emotional and physical costs, and prior disappointing experiences. A model of senior customers’ intentions to voice their complaints to service organisations is proposed and suggestions for further research are provided

Financial service call centres: problems encountered by the grey market

Technological advances have resulted in financial service companies being able to make use of alternative channels such as call centres and the Internet to deliver their services to their customers. At the same time, there has been a major growth throughout Europe in the grey market consisting of people who grew up in an age of face-to-face contact with service suppliers. This paper reports on a programme of qualitative research looking at the grey market's perceptions of the call centre delivery channel. It discusses the difficulties encountered by this market and the negative views that are held. It also highlights the need for further research into this area if financial service organisations are going to address the issues raised and effectively satisfy the needs of this growing market segment