Saving a dog's life over a refugee- the charity marketing flaw

There is a reported decrease in public interest and engagement in charity work, with many academics blaming the use of charity appeals that use the emotions guilt and pity to drive donations. Even though the approach is heavily criticized, this technique is still prominent in advertisements. With UK citizens being statistically more likely to donate to save a dog's life over a refugee’s life, understanding how emotions may impact charitable giving may help non-profits in their marketing appeals for this important social issue. Consequently, this study examines the underlying motivations of individuals to engage in public service motivated acts through public service motivation theory (PSM) in order to impact charitable donations. Furthermore, we draws upon emotions of hope and happiness to see if it will influence the relation. Using a vignette survey based on Stanford’s 1997 public good game experiment, 328 respondents had the option to spend money on a dog rescue charity, a Syrian refugee charity and then decide amongst the two which to donate to. The study found a positive relation between PSM and monetary giving. However, the relations differed with individual PSM dimensions were taken into account across the two beneficiaries. Furthermore, when emotions were included in the moderation tests, results were contrary to what was expected. These findings suggest non-profit marketers target audiences with high levels of PSM, but that hope and happiness may not be effective emotions to generate donations

Quality versus Quantity: An Investigation into Electronic Word of Mouth’s Influence on Consumer Buying Intention

Online consumer reviews play an increasingly crucial role in shaping purchasing intention. With the wide-spread reviews available around the world on sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp, companies’ reputation and hence survival are potentially at risk. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on the individual’s attitudes towards the quantity and quality of online store reviews and consider how it impacts their behavior. We incorporate brand trust as a mediator in the relationship between eWOM and purchase intention. Using a vignette survey experiment centered on coffee shop reviews in Hanoi, Vietnam, we test our hypothesis with 223 respondents. Results showed that the number and quality of review does significantly affect purchase intention. Findings also show that brand trust has a mediating effect on the relationship between online reviews and buying intention. This study assists practitioners to develop user-oriented information review format in order to manage online consumer reviews properly and effectively

Enterprise Social Media Impact on Human Resource Practices

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individual attitudes towards using enterprise social media (ESM) impacts trust, explicit and tacit knowledge sharing as well as work performance in emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use data from a survey of 293 employed individuals in Lagos, Nigeria that work at organizations that have ESM systems. Findings: The authors find enterprise social media usage are significantly associated with trust. However, ESM use does not impact explicit or tactic knowledge transfer. Practical implications: The paper provides empirical evidence that individuals who perceive high levels of performance expectancy will engage in ESM usage which in turn increases trust amongst colleagues. Human resource managers can argue that by adopting ESM, they can facilitate improved trust and collaboration through online engagement amongst employees. This is important for multinational organizations wanting to expand into emerging economies where the organization and local workforce need to foster trust in knowledge sharing. Originality/value: There has been little evidence regarding HRM use of ESM in emerging economies. By understanding individual attitudes towards ESM and how the use impacts knowledge sharing, the academic discussions concerning use of technology to enhance knowledge sharing can continue to evolve

The Impact Of Public Service Motivation On Fundraising- The Emotional Charity Marketing Flaw.

Many academics criticize charity appeals that focus on negative emotions to drive donations. With UK citizens being statistically more likely to donate to save a dog's life over a refugee’s life, understanding how emotions impact charitable giving may help non-profits match their marketing appeals to motivations of the donor. Consequently, this study examines the underlying motivations of individuals through public service motivation theory and investigates if it leads to donations when beneficiaries are dogs or refugees. Furthermore, we draw upon positive emotions to see if they influence the relation between motivation and donations. Using a vignette web-based survey, 328 respondents had the option to spend money on a dog rescue charity, a Syrian refugee charity or decide to withhold donations entirely. The study found a positive relation between public service motivation and monetary giving. However, the relations differed when individual public service motivation dimensions were taken into account across the two beneficiaries. When positive emotions were included in the moderation tests, results were contrary to what was expected. These findings suggest non-profit marketers target audiences with high levels of public service motivation, but that positive emotions may not be effective in generating donations

The public service-motivated volunteer devoting time or effort: a review and research agenda

The purpose of this conceptual article is to further our understanding of how evolving volunteer trends impact on volunteering intensity. The aim is to provide clarity by applying to the volunteer literature a theoretical framework that can be adapted to different ways in which people volunteer and thus may inform subsequent empirical work. First, we address academic debates concerning the measurement of volunteer effort. Second, we propose using public service motivation (PSM) theory as a means to understand the motivation of volunteers across sectors. We suggest that different PSM dimensions may be more dominant in certain volunteer settings than others and incorporate person–organisation fit as a means to understand the relationship between PSM and volunteering intensity. Finally, this article proposes directions for future research

Does coerced volunteering undermine the public service motivation of volunteers? A moderated mediation model

There has been an the increase within the past 20 years of mandatory volunteering programs within many school systems and in the past year in the UK’s Community Work Placement program. Consequently, there is the potential problem for volunteer coordinators who are managing individuals who have been coerced into volunteering. This coercion may undermine the motivation of volunteers and result in decreased performance. This study addresses the issue by examining the public service motivation (PSM) of 416 volunteers in southwestern UK. We use a moderated mediation model to test if coerced individuals have a poor person-organization fit (P-O fit) and thus a lower level of effort exerted. We found that those individuals who were coerced, but had low levels of PSM reported greater volunteer intensity then their non-coerced volunteers who also had low PSM levels. Whereas, when obligated, it strengthened the relationship between PSM and P-O fit. Consequently, this gives non-profit managers a clearer understanding of how to overcome the challenges coerced volunteers may present

Effects of Disorganization on Team problem solving and motivation – An agent-based modeling approach

This paper aims at simulating how “disorganization” affects team problem solving and motivation. The prime objective is to determine how team problem solving varies between an organized and disorganized environment. Using agent-based modeling, we use a real world data set from 226 volunteers at five different types of non-profit organizations in Southwest England in order to define some attributes of the agents. We introduce the concepts of natural, structural and functional disorganization while operationalizing natural and functional disorganization. The simulations show that “disorganization” is more conducive for problem solving efficiency than “organization” given enough flexibility (range) to search and acquire resources. Our findings further demonstrate that teams with resources above their hierarchical level (access to better quality resources) tend to perform better than teams that have only limited access to resources. Our nuanced categories of “(dis-)organization” allow us to compare between various structural limitations, thus generating insights for improving the way managers’ structure teams for better problem-solving. Keywords: agent-based modeling, disorganization, team performance, public service motivatio

Public service motivation and volunteering.

This thesis is a collection of essays that addresses the challenge of understanding the relationship between public service motivation and volunteering. Set in the backdrop of increased corporate and public sector social responsibility, I first examine the theoretical rationale behind public service motivation (PSM). I address the debate of how it affects volunteer behavior through the concept of volunteering intensity. As individuals often have preconceived notions as to how their values match with an organization, I integrate the theory of Person- Organization fit (P-O Fit). The model is quantitatively tested in four studies using data sets of individuals who have a history of volunteering in the Southwest region of UK and Italy. In the first study, I confirm that individuals with high levels of PSM report exerting greater volunteering intensity or effort. The second study examines how PSM differs across homogenous and heterogeneous samples of Millennials. In the third study, I find limited support for the presumption that individuals who are coerced into volunteering exert less effort then their non-coerced counterparts. In the final study, I explore if PSM has different outcomes in relation to time, frequency and volunteering intensity. Together, this collection of papers are interwoven around the discussions concerning using PSM as a motivator to volunteer. These studies have implications that can impact policies such as the UK Work Program, mandated volunteering in school and organizational social responsibility programs. The findings also have practical implications for HR managers that are highlighting social responsibility as part of their employer branding process. Additionally, volunteer coordination managers across sectors can benefit from how these studies improve our understanding of PSM and P-O fit in the volunteering context. Finally, from an academic viewpoint, I contribute to debates surrounding the third wave of PSM research

Team Problem Solving and Motivation under Disorganization – An agent-based modeling approach.

Purpose This paper aims at simulating on how “disorganization” affects team problem solving. The prime objective is to determine how team problem solving varies between an organized and disorganized environment also considering motivational aspects. Design/methodology/approach Using agent-based modeling, the authors use a real-world data set from 226 volunteers at five different types of non-profit organizations in Southwest England to define some attributes of the agents. The authors introduce the concepts of natural, structural and functional disorganization while operationalizing natural and functional disorganization. Findings The simulations show that “disorganization” is more conducive for problem solving efficiency than “organization” given enough flexibility (range) to search and acquire resources. The findings further demonstrate that teams with resources above their hierarchical level (access to better quality resources) tend to perform better than teams that have only limited access to resources. Originality/value The nuanced categories of “(dis-)organization” allow us to compare between various structural limitations, thus generating insights for improving the way managers structure teams for better problem solving