The roles of schema incongruity and expertise in consumers’ wine judgment

Broadening the present understanding of how expertise moderates the schema-incongruity effect (i.e., the notion that a product moderately incongruent with the schema evoked for it in memory is associated with a comparatively positive product evaluation), this study argues that people with higher, not lower, degrees of expertise experience incongruity and prefer moderately incongruent products over congruent ones. Because people with low expertise in complex product categories lack a developed schema against which to assess encountered products, they will be insensitive to incongruity. People with high expertise, on the other hand, typically have developed schemata and can therefore perceive incongruity and respond accordingly. Consumers with different levels of wine expertise participated in a study in which they were given congruent or incongruent information, as well as different levels of information elaboration, about a wine prior to tasting and evaluating it. The results of this study support the above argument: Expertise moderates the incongruity effect such that it is prevalent only for experts, and schema-level processing moderates expertise’s moderating effect on the incongruity effect.acceptedVersio

What Drives Fitness Apps Usage? An Empirical Evaluation

Part 3: Creating Value through ApplicationsInternational audienceThe increased health problems associated with lack of physical activity is of great concern around the world. Mobile phone based fitness applications appear to be a cost effective promising solution for this problem. The aim of this study is to develop a research model that can broaden understanding of the factors that influence the user acceptance of mobile fitness apps. Drawing from Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), we conceptualize the antecedents and moderating factors of fitness app use. We validate our model using field survey. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Healthcare service evolution towards the Internet of Things: an end-user perspective

For the last two decades the Internet of Things (IoT) has been a subject of growing global interest. Particularly dynamic industries such as the healthcare service sector have just begun to understand the benefits of the IoT for the provision of a new, more advanced type of services. However, whilst the healthcare service industry is yet to fully grasp the benefits of information systems for its practitioners and managers, and for patients and families, there is a need for a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated to IoT-based healthcare systems as another disruptive wave of technologies. In particular, research on the relevance of users’ skills for adoption of IoT-based healthcare services has been limited. Using the current Internet-based healthcare service landscape as a platform for the formulation and testing of its hypotheses, this paper explores the relationship between patients’ capabilities for effective use of information and communication technologies and the success of IoT-based healthcare services. The resulting theoretical model for effective use of information and communication technologies and the success of IoT-based healthcare services was then validated. The validation was based on data collected from a randomly selected sample of 256 users of Internet-based healthcare services provided by the public healthcare system of the Region of Murcia in Spain. The findings of this research inform future strategies for the implementation of new generations of health and well-being services based on IoT technologies

Ærlighet varer lengst: Åpen bloggsponsing er mer effektiv enn skjult

Versjon i BI Brage er som publisert i tidsskriftets papirutgave. Forlagets e-utgave er tilgjengelig fra www.magma.noBloggsponsing dreier seg om at en blogger mottar betaling fra en annonsør (for eksempel en bedrift) for å anmelde eller promotere annonsørens produkter i sin blogg. Til tross for at omfanget av blogging stadig øker (NM Incite 2012), finnes det lite kunnskap om hvordan en annonsør mest effektivt kan kommunisere sitt produkt gjennom blogg. Samtidig har markedsføringsloven bestemmelser som regulerer hva man kan foreta seg når det gjelder kommersiell kommunikasjon i blogger (Markedsføringsloven av 2009, § 3). Normalt vil en annonsør se på slike bestemmelser som en begrensning av sin sponsorvirksomhet. I denne artikkelen vil vi analysere muligheten for at den kommersielt mest effektive måten å sponse en blogg på også er den samme måten som loven krever. Altså at bloggen er åpen om at den blir sponset for å promotere annonsørens produkt. Resultatene fra denne analysen bør være av interesse for bloggere, sponsorer og forbrukermyndigheter.1, O

Ærlighet varer lengst: Åpen bloggsponsing er mer effektiv enn skjult

Bloggsponsing dreier seg om at en blogger mottar betaling fra en annonsør (for eksempel en bedrift) for å anmelde eller promotere annonsørens produkter i sin blogg. Til tross for at omfanget av blogging stadig øker (NM Incite 2012), finnes det lite kunnskap om hvordan en annonsør mest effektivt kan kommunisere sitt produkt gjennom blogg. Samtidig har markedsføringsloven bestemmelser som regulerer hva man kan foreta seg når det gjelder kommersiell kommunikasjon i blogger (Markedsføringsloven av 2009, § 3). Normalt vil en annonsør se på slike bestemmelser som en begrensning av sin sponsorvirksomhet. I denne artikkelen vil vi analysere muligheten for at den kommersielt mest effektive måten å sponse en blogg på også er den samme måten som loven krever. Altså at bloggen er åpen om at den blir sponset for å promotere annonsørens produkt. Resultatene fra denne analysen bør være av interesse for bloggere, sponsorer og forbrukermyndigheter

Relevant sex appeals in advertising: Gender and commitment context differences

This research investigates differences in men’s and women’s attitudes toward ads featuring product-relevant sex appeals. It is found that women, but not men, were more negative toward an ad featuring an attractive opposite-sex model when their commitment thoughts were heightened. Women were also more negative toward an ad with an attractive same-sex model in the presence of commitment thoughts, but only when they scored high on sociosexuality. Men appeared unaffected, regardless of their level of sociosexuality. Commitment thoughts were manipulated by two types of prime, a parenting prime (study1) and a romantic prime (study 2).Results are explained by differences in how men and women react to sexual material and by differences in men’s and women’s evolved mating preferences

The principal’s and agents’ contribution to customer loyalty within an integrated service distribution channel

A large number of service corporations are configured with headquarters that determine the major principles of operation (services, pricing, marketing and advertising) and regional salesforces that are responsible for acquiring new customers and catering to the needs of existing customers. This separation of work within the corporation opens up a principal‐agency approach to the service production and delivery. Develops a conceptual model to examine the individual and joint work done by headquarters and regional salesforces in creating customer loyalty. Uses an external dyadic channel perspective ‐ i.e. channel and customer. A relationship between the channel and the customer is hypothesized to be one where customers perceive the regional salesforces to be their focal point to the company. Proposes and empirically tests a conceptual model based on data from 1,400 individual customers of a Norwegian life insurance company. Analyses data using structural equation modelling. Estimates headquarters’ and regional salesforces’ contribution to customer satisfaction and loyalty on the attribute level, based on path coefficients. Concludes by claiming that headquarters’ contribution to customer loyalty is more significant than that of the regional salesforces. These findings challenge headquarters’ assumptions about improving customer relations through regional salesforces. From a managerial perspective, information regarding channel members’ individual and joint contribution to customer loyalty is vital with regard to resource allocation to improve customer satisfaction and thus customer loyalty.</jats:p