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The complex triadic relationships among consumers, providers, and platforms in the sharing economy have led to increasing conflicts in the interactions between the actors involved, especially when it comes to unethical behavior, such as rule breaking by consumers. This paper examines consumer misbehavior from the perspective of their peers, i.e., service providers. In two studies (an experiment and a survey, combined N = 452), we observe a significant positive effect of ethical climate and a significant negative effect of trust in consumers on providers' strictness of ethical judgments of consumer misbehavior and through this on negative word of mouth. Further, the survey results show that the relationship between the strictness of ethical judgments and negative word of mouth is only significant for providers with low or medium levels of trust in the platform. The results highlight the importance of regulating consumer misbehavior in the sharing economy.

Purpose – This paper investigates the impact of marketing communication tools on the brand equity creation process. Specifically, we test the impact of television advertising and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on separate dimensions of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE): brand awareness with brand image, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand relationships. Design/Methodology/Approach – A quantitative survey was conducted among British consumers and relationships among the proposed concepts were tested using SEM. Findings and implications – The study confirms the important role of television advertising in raising brand awareness with brand image, while eWOM was shown to significantly impact all CBBE dimensions, including its important role in brand relationship building. Limitations – In our study, the evaluation of the selected MC tools and brands was measured according to consumers’ perceptions rather than their actual behavior.Additional studies should be conducted based on real consumer behavior data or manipulated through experiments. Originality – The present study provides novel insights into the impact of MCs on the brand equity creation process in today’s interactive environment. Svrha – Rad istražuje utjecaj alata marketinške komunikacije na proces stvaranja tržišne vrijednosti marke. Konkretno, provjeravamo utjecaj televizijskog oglašavanja i elektroničke usmene predaje (eWOM) na zasebne dimenzije tržišne vrijednosti marke temeljene na potrošačima (CBBE): svjesnost o marki s imidžom marke, percipiranu kvalitetu, lojalnost i odnos s markom. Metodološki pristup – Provedeno je kvantitativno istraživanje među britanskim potrošačima, a odnosi među predloženim konceptima testirani su SEM-om. Rezultati i implikacije – Istraživanje potvrđuje važnu ulogu televizijskog oglašavanja u podizanju svjesnosti o marki i imidža marke, dok eWOM značajno utječe na sve dimenzije CBBE-a, uključujući njezinu važnu ulogu u izgradnji odnosa s markom. Ograničenja – U našem istraživanju procjena odabranih alata marketinške komunikacije i marki mjerena je na temelju percepcija potrošača, a ne njihova stvarnog ponašanja. Trebalo bi provesti dodatno istraživanje na temelju stvarnih podataka o ponašanju potrošača ili podataka prikupljenih korištenjem eksperimenata. Doprinos – Istraživanje pruža nove uvide o utjecaju marketinške komunikacije na proces stvaranja tržišne vrijednosti marke u današnjem interaktivnom okruženju.

This study draws on theory of dyadic morality and categorization to disentangle opportunistic behaviors from the perception by their victim that leads to the moral categorization of the perpetrator as an opportunist. We show that it is this moral categorization, not the behaviors, that determines the trust beliefs of the victim. Further, the effect of psychic distance on the process of perpetrator moral categorization as an opportunist depends on the form of opportunistic behaviors. Finally, this study questions the cultural universality of opportunism by showing that effects of opportunistic behaviors on categorization vary across national cultures—based on data sets of French and Slovene exporters., This study draws on theory of dyadic morality and categorization to disentangle opportunistic behaviors from the perception by their victim that leads to the moral categorization of the perpetrator as an opportunist. We show that it is this moral categorization, not the behaviors, that determines the trust beliefs of the victim. Further, the effect of psychic distance on the process of perpetrator moral categorization as an opportunist depends on the form of opportunistic behaviors. Finally, this study questions the cultural universality of opportunism by showing that effects of opportunistic behaviors on categorization vary across national cultures - based on data sets of French and Slovene exporters.

This research examines the ethically minded consumer behavior (EMCB) and its antecedents and consequences in the context of ethical clothes. Its objective is to test the relationships among the reasons for and against buying, subjective knowledge, EMCB and intention to purchase ethical clothes. The authors use survey data from 280 consumers to test the conceptual model. Support is provided for the majority of the hypothesized relationships: reasons for buying and subjective knowledge positively and reasons against buying negatively affect EMCB, and EMCB in turn positively influences the intention to purchase. Additionally, reasons against buying decrease the intention. The study also dis- cusses implications for companies.

Despite extensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature most of research has examined corporate performance as its only outcome. We aim to fill this gap by assessing companies’ perceptions of their CSR activities’ benefits for society and specific stakeholders. We discuss societal trends such as diversity and inclusion embedded in employee-focused CSR conceptualization as a prerequisite for the perception of CSR’s societal impact. We bring together CSR and relationship marketing theories to test a conceptual model on a sample of 411 business-to-business (B2B) companies. The results confirm a positive relationship between employee-oriented CSR and the perceived usefulness of CSR actions for society, customers and employees (but not suppliers). In order to maximize relationship quality, CSR activities should be targeted at specific stakeholders (customers and employees) and not at society at large. Finally, differences are observed between SMEs and large B2B firms with opposite perceptions of antecedents and outcomes of relationship quality.

In response to the growing importance of environmental issues, more and more consumers are turning to anti-consumption by reducing, rejecting, or avoiding consumption. Covering the intersection of sustainable consumption and anti-consumption, previous studies relied on socio-cognitive models to explain this decision. In order to extend their findings, we consider the moral and emotional perspectives to examine reducing consumption for environmental reasons in a particular context, i.e. air travel. It is against this backdrop that we propose a conceptual model that includes moral foundations as the main antecedent, followed by anticipated guilt and personal responsibility, while intention to reduce consumption (i.e. air travel) for environmental reasons, positive word of mouth about reducing air travel (WOM) and environmental activism represent the outcomes. The proposed model is tested on a sample of 511 respondents from a UK online consumer panel. Our results confirm the importance of moral foundations, anticipated guilt and personal responsibility and their interplay in the prediction of intention to reduce consumption for environmental reasons. Anticipated guilt influences WOM, while personal responsibility influences activism. In addition, intentions to reduce consumption for environmental reasons have a positive impact on WOM and environmental activism. There are several implications for public policy makers and NGOs that fight against climate change that derive from these findings, as well as research opportunities for academics interested in this topic.

PurposeLongitudinal studies have shown that consumer satisfaction has increased over the last 15 years, whereas trust and loyalty have decreased during the same period. This finding contradicts the trust–value–loyalty model (TVLM), which posits that higher satisfaction increases consumers' trust, value and loyalty levels. To explain this counterintuitive trend, this study draws on models of trust formation to integrate the stereotype content model and the TVLM. It argues that consumers' occupational and industry stereotypes influence their trust, value and loyalty judgments through their trusting beliefs regarding frontline employees and management practices/policies.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted among 476 consumers who were randomly assigned to one of five service industries (apparel retail, airlines, hotels, health insurance or telecommunications services) and asked to rate their current service provider from that industry.FindingsThe results suggest that both occupational and industry stereotypes influence consumers' trusting beliefs and trust judgments, although only the effects of industry stereotypes are transferred to consumers' loyalty judgments.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the study indicate that industry stereotypes have become increasingly negative over the last decades, which has a dampening effect on the positive effects of satisfaction.Practical implicationsThis study provides guidelines for practitioners regarding the management of frontline employees and the development of consumer trust, value and loyalty.Originality/valueThis is the first study to propose and test an explanation for the counterintuitive trend concerning customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty. It is also the first to examine the roles of multiple stereotypes in the relationship between consumers and service providers.

Car use contributes significantly to environmental pollution, leading people to rethink their transport habits. Previous studies on car use reduction relied on established theories related to values and self-regulation to examine this decision. In this paper, we offer an alternative approach and examine the intention to reduce car use through the prism of identity theory, and propose environmental and moral identities, together with environmental concern, as the main antecedents to the importance of car use reduction and intention to reduce car use. Further, we consider ride-sharing intention as an outcome of the decision to reduce car use. The proposed conceptual model is tested on a sample of consumers from the United Kingdom using an online consumer panel. The results offer partial support for the influence of moral identity, environmental identity, and environmental concern on the importance to reduce car use and intention. The links among the importance of and intention to reduce car use, along with ride-sharing intentions, are supported. Finally, managerial implications are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.

Consumers increasingly expect corporate brands to be sustainable and uphold their ethical values. To explore this topic, we draw on the impression formation literature from social psychology to investigate how perceptions of corporate sustainability activities influence the formation of corporate brand impressions (regarding the dimensions of brand warmth, competence, and morality), which in turn translate into favourable brand attitudes and purchase intentions. In collaboration with a market research company, we conducted an online survey of 441 respondents who evaluated a range of real-world corporate brands from different industries. The results show that brand sustainability has a positive indirect effect on purchase intentions mediated by brand impressions and attitudes towards a brand. We show that brand impressions and attitudes function as complementary mediators, meaning that consumers’ beliefs about a company’s sustainability activities directly affect the consumers’ behavioural intentions. Moreover, we demonstrate that brand warmth, competence, and morality are fundamental dimensions of consumers’ brand impressions. We discuss the implications of the findings and future research directions in the field of corporate brand impressions and sustainability.

This paper explores the concept of consumerbased brand equity and its relevance in today’s environment. In doing so, we extend the previously used dimensions of brand awareness, image, perceived quality, and loyalty to include the dimension of brand relationship. By conducting an empirical study with brand users in Slovenia, we confirm that brand relationships play a role in brand equity studies and should be considered in further research. Consequently, we argue that brand equity should be theoretically treated as a dynamic concept, where the static evaluation of the consumer’s role is extended to include dynamic co-creation. A practical implication of our findings is that brand managers need to take a more proactive role in forming brand equity and its evaluation. U ovom se radu istražuje koncept vrijednosti robne marke, zasnovane na kupcima i njegove relevantnosti u današnjem okruženju. Pritom se proširuju prethodno korištene dimenzije svijesti o robnoj marki, imidžu, percipiranoj kvaliteti i lojalnosti, kako bi se uključila dimenzija odnosa s robnom markom. Korištenjem empirijske studije korisnika robnih marki u Sloveniji, potvrđujemo da odnosi s robnim markama imaju odgovarajuću ulogu u istraživanjima vrijednosti robnih marki te da bi, stoga, trebali biti uključeni u daljnja istraživanja. Također smo utvrdili da se vrijednost robnih marki treba teorijski tretirati kao dinamički koncept, u kojem će se statična evaluacija uloge potrošača proširiti dinamičkom ko-kreacijom. Praktična implikacija naših rezultata odnosi se na potrebu za proaktivnom ulogom menadžera robnih marki u formuliranju vrijednosti robne marke i njezine evaluacije.

Rapid developments in technology and connectedness are influencing how consumers access and use nutrition information. However, this information is not always clear and consistent. The inconsistencies in the information provided to consumers can lead them to uncertainty about which data to use (i.e. consider as correct), especially when different sources of information appear similarly qualified and accurate. This paper aims to highlight the impact of inconsistent information on consumer attitudes. The results of an experiment conducted on a sample of 237 consumers indicate that the inconsistent information, when presented to consumers, influences their attitude in a way that it increases feelings of confusion, leading to lower attitude certainty about the product healthiness.

The aim of this study is to show how consumers' pursuit of social identity drives collaborative consumption. A survey conducted among active participants in various forms of collaborative consumption found four types of users with clearly distinguishable characteristics: Social Followers, Distrustful Prosumers, Doubtful Laggards and Traditional Spenders. We use social identity theory to explain why those users who engage in collaborative consumption because of sociability and seeking excitement are also highly environmentally conscious (Social Followers), while very frugal users show the least trust towards what collaborative consumption has to offer (Distrustful Prosumers). We observe favourable social identity for collaborative consumption in the Social Followers segment and unfavourable social identity in the Doubtful Laggards segment. Our findings suggest that social identity plays an important role in forming consumers’ intentions to participate in collaborative consumption. At the general level of collaborative consumption, our study confirms previous findings that social values outweigh environmental and economic values. However, this study contributes to the discussion and closes the research gap by explaining that each component may predominate depending on the type of collaborative consumption user.

Despite a growing body of evidence showing how consumers' impressions of corporate brands' warmth and competence lead to managerially relevant outcomes, the cognitive processes by which consumers form such impressions remain poorly understood. This study draws on theories from the cognitive and social psychology fields to develop a conceptual model that explains the formation of differentiated (i.e., nonstereotypical) warmth and competence impressions based on specific dimensions of corporate associations. These impressions transform consumers' information about a company into trust. The conceptual model was tested in a randomized between-subjects experiment that manipulated the different dimensions of corporate associations and established the causal and mediating relationships (Study 1). To increase the external validity of Study 2, the participants rated real companies using a survey. The implications of the findings for consumer impression formation theory are discussed, and managerial recommendations for both influencing warmth and competence impressions and fostering consumer trust are provided.

This study focuses on consumer cognitive factors as drivers of collaborative consumption (CC). It enriches the understanding of these drivers, in particular by conceptualizing CC as a social innovation that is adopted by consumers mainly due to their pro-social thinking with regard to the process and outcomes of consumption. These factors, as well as social norms connected with in-group collectivism, are especially important for the specific context of the CEE region. The SEM model with the intention to consume collaboratively as a dependent variable, is tested on a sample of 270 collaborative consumers in Poland. All pro-social factors, i.e. trust, sociability and novelty seeking, received empirical support as antecedents of perceived CC usefulness, and together with social norms contributed to CC intention. Policy makers and businesses in CEE that want to facilitate CC may consider these results in their activities.

Purpose – This paper highlights the importance of employees and the internal branding process in building and sustaining powerful brands. Specifically, we explore the impact of internal brand communication on employee brand commitment. By including employee brand knowledge and employee-brand fit as mediators, organizations develop a more comprehensive understanding of how to enhance the affective brand commitment of their employees. Design/Methodology/Approach – A total of 226 employees of an international hotel chain participated in the study. Employee data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed by applying structural equation modeling. Findings and implications – The results imply that what matters is not only the direct influence on employee commitment. Rather, by continuously enriching employ ee cognition and enhancing employee brand value congruence, organizations can achieve higher levels of affective brand commitment and, in turn, better customer service. The paper provides several practical implications for managers regarding how to manage communication and other internal branding efforts in their organizations, thus empowering employees and transforming them into brand champions. Limitations – Data on internal brand communication could also be collected from top management and direct supervisors to complement employee perspectives on internal branding. Originality/value – The inclusion of internal brand communication and employee brand knowledge in the internal branding process has led to more comprehensive understanding of how to enhance affective brand commitment of employees. Svrha - Rad naglašava važnost zaposlenika i procesa internoga upravljanja markom u izgradnji i održavanju jakih marki. Konkretnije, istražuje se utjecaj interne komunikacije na predanost zaposlenika marki. Uključivanjem zaposlenikova znanja o marki i podudaranja zaposlenika s markom kao medijatorom, organizacije razvijaju sveobuhvatno razumijevanje kako poboljšati zaposlenikovu afektivnu predanost. Metodološki pristup - U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 226 zaposlenika međunarodnog hotelskog lanca. Podaci su od ispitanika prikupljeni pomoću anketnoga upitnika i analizirani korištenjem modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi. Rezultati i implikacije - Rezultati impliciraju da nije važan samo izravan utjecaj na predanost zaposlenika. Umjesto toga, kontinuiranim obogaćivanjem spoznaja zaposlenika i povećanjem podudaranja vrijednosti zaposlenika i marke, organizacije mogu postići višu razinu afektivne predanosti marki, a time i bolju uslugu korisnicima. Rad menadžerima pruža nekoliko praktičnih implikacija o tome kako upravljati komunikacijom i ostalim naporima internog upravljanja markom u njihovim organizacijama te na taj način osnažiti zaposlenike i pretvoriti ih u šampione marke. Ograničenja - Podaci o internoj komunikaciji marke mogli su se prikupiti i od najvišeg menadžmenta i izravnih nadzornika kako bi se upotpunila perspektiva zaposlenika o internom upravljanju markom. Doprinos - Uključivanjem interne komunikacije i zaposlenikova znanja o marki u proces upravljanja markom ponuđeno je sveobuhvatno razumijevanje kako poboljšati afektivnu predanost.

Building on social identity theory, this study sheds light on the interplay of social connections and emotion regulation in determining social cause-related purchase intentions. The focus of the study is on young adults, an age segment whose active role in solving social problems is appreciated today. We examine the context of three South-East European countries with varying levels of familiarity with social cause-related purchases and test the conceptual model using multi-group structural equation modeling. The results show that social connections are positively related to young adults’ social cause-related purchase intentions, while emotion regulation strengthens this relationship in countries where young adults have more opportunities for social cause-related purchases. The study has both theoretical and policy-related implications for multiple stakeholders, including managers, policy makers, and advocacy group representatives.