The Impact of Consumer Compliments versus Complaints: A Functional Neuro-Imaging Exploration of the Effects of Electronic Word of Mouth

Social media represent one of the fastest growing marketing channels in the world. Consequently, both researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in the effects of social media marketing efforts on the likelihood of consumers to engage with and subsequently purchase from a brand. However, hitherto, little research has explored how social media users process the information they encounter on social media and how this information affects the nature and level of brain activity that occurs. In the proposed study, we will use functional neuroimaging (fMRI) tools to complement psychometric measures to specifically explore the neural activity that occurs in response to comments or electronic word-of-mouth; i.e., consumers’ responses to posts from brands on social media. The selection of comments focuses on two dimensions of theoretical interest, namely the nature of the comment—compliment versus complaint—as well as the nature of the brand the comment is targeting—low versus high involvement. The theoretical and practical significance of this study are discussed

Understanding Twitter’s adoption and use continuance: the Synergy between Uses and Gratifications and Diffusion of Innovations

This study explored the explanatory power of Uses and Gratifications (UG) and the Diffusion of Innovation theory (IDT) in describing Twitter phenomenon. Effects of mobile access and perceived outcomes of using Twitter were also examined and comparison of active and inactive users revealed which needs are likely to result in Twitter’s discontinuance if unmet. Online survey and data analysis with Partial Least Squares (PLS) revealed that the needs for Entertainment, Relaxation, the service’s Visibility and Compatibility were strong predictors of Twitter’s usage. ANOVA highlighted that the same dimensions were significantly lower among inactive ‘tweeters’, suggesting that the same factors may be responsible for both adoption and continuance. Mobile access of Twitter was found to be a catalyst for continued use. There is a need for the combined use of UG and IDT in describing Twitter’s adoption, with personal needs and the service’s characteristics being the use drivers by different audiences

Antecedents and Consequents of Information Usefulness in User-generated Online Reviews: A Multi-group Moderation Analysis of Review Valence

Online reviews have become a critical component of consumers’ Web-based search queries and help them minimize uncertainty and risk associated with purchase decisions. Not only do customers perceive online reviews to be more “real”, but also online reviews enable opportunities for interactivity between consumers, which makes them a popular source of information when consumers make (online) purchase decisions. In this study, we examine the impact of online reviews on consumers’ beliefs, brand attitudes, and purchase intention by theoretically extending the information adoption model (IAM) with constructs from consumer research. To do so, we used data from a scenario- based online experiment and manipulated three review characteristics (currency, accuracy, and credibility) using carefully selected TripAdvisor reviews. Using a partial-least squares approach (PLS) to structural equation model (SEM), we found strong empirical support for our hypotheses that review quality and reviewer credibility drive information usefulness and that information usefulness, in turn, drives consumers’ attitudes toward and their intention to purchase from a brand. Using PLS multi-group analysis, we further explored the moderating role of review valence—positive versus negative—and found significant differences in the importance of the drivers of information usefulness and its consequents. We discuss our study’s implications for theory and practice

Disentangling Twitter’s Adoption and Use (Dis)Continuance: A Theoretical and Empirical Amalgamation of Uses and Gratifications and Diffusion of Innovations

Drawing on Uses and Gratifications (UG) Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT), this study aimed to augment an exploration of individual user needs based on UG constructs with an analysis of the material characteristics of the innovation based on DIT constructs to provide a comprehensive explanation of people‘s motivations underlying various Twitter usage levels and frequencies. Whereas previous literature on Social Network Sites (SNS) have explored individuals‘ motivations underlying initial adoption, the equally interesting and relevant question of use (dis-) continuance has so far been largely overlooked. To fill this void in the literature, this study compares active users that have continued to use Twitter and inactive users that initially adopted, yet discontinued usage of Twitter. This study provides insights into different usage levels and frequencies through an investigation of 1) users‘ perceptions of the medium, 2) users‘ expected outcomes associated with the medium‘s use, and 3) the role and effect of mobile access. An analysis of 130 surveys with Partial Least Squares (PLS) and R2 partitioning revealed that an understanding of adoption and use (dis-) continuance of Twitter requires us to account for both user-related motivations (UG) and perceived characteristics of the medium (DIT), as combining UG and DIT increased explanatory power (R2) for the overall sample. Furthermore, our findings showed that inactive users‘ initial adoption and subsequent discontinuance was solely impacted by user-related needs, (i.e. UG constructs), whereas active users‘ continued use was largely motivated by technology characteristics, (i.e. DIT constructs). Finally, our study revealed significant differences between active and inactive users in terms of the devices and platform used for accessing Twitter, with active users reporting a significantly higher use of mobile devices. Based on these findings, we discuss contributions and implications for future research and practice

Public-sector Digitization: An Analytical Cost-effective Framework

It is an enduring request to reform and advance the quality of governmental systems according to the needs of society and economy. Some of the most critical tools for this purpose are the information and communication technologies (ICT). Electronic government, among other things, has been documented to increase efficiency of government operations and to provide better and more customized services to citizens and businesses. However, a review of the recent literature has uncovered both an inability to quantify the value creation of ICT implementation in public domains and a lack of an analytical cost-effectiveness framework to evaluate the monetary impacts of digitization on governance structures. This study offers an analytical method to quantify the gains from public services’ digitization and fo-cuses on electronic justice (e-justice), a sector with huge challenges ahead for public governance. We provide specific cashable financial gains for administrations that might originate from the digitization of judi-cial systems. The proposed method can make up a framework for setting digital priorities and helping governments seize the opportunities that digitization offers

The Influence of Task Types on User Experience after a Web Interface Update

Using cognitive script and cognitive lock-in theories, this paper presents the results of a user experience experiment that tested the user’s emotional and cognitive states when presented with a major redesign of a service provider’s website. A within-subject design involved 57 participants, who engaged in both informational and transactional tasks during four consecutive visits to a financial institution’s website, generating a total of 772 observations. Psychophysiological data were collected as measures of cognitive load, emotional valence, and emotional arousal during users’ website visits. Results suggest that repeat visits to an updated website lead to decreased cognitive load and increased arousal. They also offered support for the moderating role of task type on the relationship between task repetition and the users’ emotional and cognitive responses. Specifically, transactional tasks were associated with a greater cognitive cost and lower emotional valence than informational tasks during the initial visits to an updated site

Using Digital Nudges on Analytics Dashboards to Reduce Anchoring Bias

This study investigates the effectiveness of digital nudging on reducing the anchoring bias observed in the use of supply chain management (SCM) software. A between-subjects experiment with 61 participants was conducted comparing a control group with two types of digital nudges implemented on an SCM analytics dashboard. Findings show that digital nudging can help mitigate an anchoring bias in several use conditions. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed, which include that in addition to individual-level outcomes, digital nudging can also be applied in business environments to improve organizational-level performance