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PurposeThis paper aims to examine how, why and when incidental curiosity might have an influence on consumers’ unhealthy eating behaviors in a subsequent, irrelevant context.Design/methodology/approachThree experiments were conducted. Study 1 tested the basic main effect; Study 2 further tested the proposed process; Study 3 identified an important moderator and offered additional support for the mechanism.FindingsStudy 1 demonstrated the basic main effect that incidental curiosity increases consumers’ preference for unhealthy food. Study 2 replicated the effect in a simulated grocery-shopping task and further provided direct process evidence that a reward-approaching orientation underlies the effect of curiosity on unhealthy food choice. Finally, Study 3 identified information nature as an important moderator of the effect. That is, when people are curious about threatening information, they are likely to adopt an avoidance motivation, which prevents them from seeking any unhealthy food.Practical implicationsOn the one hand, consumers could benefit from being educated that incidental exposure to curiosity cues might lead to unhealthy eating behaviors. On the other hand, public policymakers and responsible marketers should be mindful that, though widely used in marketing, the tactics that elicit consumers’ curiosity might sometimes backfire and undermine their healthy food choices.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the curiosity literature by demonstrating that incidental curiosity could have motivational impacts in the non-information domain, such as food choice. It also adds to the food decision literature by documenting incidental curiosity as an important situational factor of consumers’ food decisions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to promote a wider understanding of the importance of distinguishing between presenteeism behavior and its motivation and between the avoidance and approach dimensions of motivation, and to rectify the neglect of presenteeism’s antecedents (in particular, situational ones). It develops a theoretical model that explains how situational antecedents affect presenteeism – conventionally defined as attending work while ill. Design/methodology/approach An ordinary least-squares regression-based path analysis is employed to analyze the findings of a sample of 277 employees in service organizations in southwestern China. Findings Findings demonstrate that the situational factor, leader–member exchange (LMX), is positively related to the approach dimension of presenteeism motivation and that of workload moderates the positive link between presenteeism motivation and behavior, such that employees who experience higher workload more frequently display presenteeism behavior. Practical implications Findings suggest that managers should be prudent when developing relationships with their subordinates and consider the ways in which they may most effectively encourage employees to support their organization. Originality/value This is the first study to consider LMX and workload as situational antecedents of presenteeism motivation and behavior.

PurposePast research on brand extensions has been searching for conditions for successful brand extensions. Two contradictory response patterns between fit levels and extension evaluation have been observed in past studies. This study attempts to synthesize these seemingly contradicting past findings by considering a situational factor (i.e. situational involvement) and a consumer personality factor (i.e. consumer innovativeness) as moderating factors for the effect of extension similarity on evaluation of brand extensions.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design with three factors (i.e. extension similarity, consumer innovativeness, and situational involvement) is used to test the hypotheses.FindingsIt was found that, under the high involvement condition, innovative subjects show a pattern suggested by the inverted U‐shaped hypothesis in their extension evaluations. Subjects in other conditions, on the other hand, show a pattern suggested by the fit hypothesis.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study provide useful implications to marketers who are considering brand extensions. Marketers may need different strategies depending on the degree of extension similarity and the characteristics of their target customers.Originality/valueBy identifying boundary conditions for successful brand extension, the findings of the study contribute to increase understanding in the brand extension literature.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of product involvement in predicting the effects of self‐concept and consumption situation on consumers' situational decision making.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was conducted based on a two (self‐concept) × two (consumption situation) between group design. Participants' product involvement was treated as a covariate in repeated measures test to analyze the relationships between product involvement, self‐concept and consumption situation.FindingsResults suggested that, for consumers who were highly involved with the product, self‐concept and consumption situation were both determinant factors in a situational brand choice. For consumers who were not highly involved with the product, however, their situational brand choice was based solely on the situational factor, not their self‐concept.Research limitation/implicationsParticipants' pre‐existing attitude towards the brands might have influenced their answers. Only a single product category was used. The findings of this study can help us understand the underlying mechanism for the impact of self‐congruity and situational congruity. From a marketer's perspective, it seems logical to assume that both self‐concept and consumption situation are influential factors for those who find the product personally relevant, while only consumption situation is influential for those who are not.Originality/valueThe paper examines the interaction effect between self‐concept and consumption situation. It introduces a new variable, product involvement, to self‐concept research to extend our understanding of when self/situation congruity effects occur.

One way organizations increase their competitive advantage is through innovative strategies that improve human performance. Human performance can be enhanced or constrained by situational factors that are introduced into the organization's work environment. One situational factor is the organization's workspace. This study examines the impact of a new workspace technology on individual privacy and on team interaction. The research found that the participants were generally satisfied with the visual privacy but not with the auditory privacy. The research also found that the participants were satisfied with the workspace's ability to facilitate team interaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.