Haim Mano

Assessing the Dimensionality and Structure of the Consumption Experience: Evaluation, Feeling, and Satisfaction

This article examines the underlying dimensionality of three aspects of the post-consumption experience—product evaluation, product-elicited affect, and product satisfaction. In addition, the article integrates these concepts through a suggested causal framework. Students evaluated either a high- or a low-involvement product in current use, reported affective responses evoked by it, and assessed their levels of product-derived satisfaction. Analysis shows that two primary dimensions of product evaluation—utilitarian and hedonic judgment—can be viewed as causally antecedent to two dimensions of affect—pleasantness and arousal—and to product satisfaction. Implications of the conceptual framework and empirical findings for the study of consumption events are discussed.

Judgments under distress : assessing the role of unpleasantness and arousal in judgment formation

Abstract This study tests predictions derived from a theoretical model of affect and decision making that identifies the effects of affects two primary dimensions, Pleasantness and Arousal, on decision strategy selection. The model hypothesizes (i) a congruency between pleasantness and selected decision strategy and (ii) an arousal-induced restriction in attentional capacity. It was predicted that people under distress (evoked by an imminent in-class presentation) will employ simpler decision strategies and will form more polarized judgments. In Experiments 1 and 2, when forming person impressions, presenting subjects provided lower evaluations, employed simpler decision rules, and were more polarized in their evaluations. In both experiments, presenting subjects did not make lower retrieval-based evaluations of public and personal products. In Experiment 2, presenting subjects were willing to pay more for lottery tickets than nonpresenting subjects; they were also more likely than control subjects to choose a “sure” thing over a gamble of equal or lower expected value.

The influence of pre-existing negative affect on store purchase intentions

Abstract This study investigates the effects of two negative emotions, boredom and distress, on purchase intentions. The two emotions basically differ on their levels of arousal (low versus high). Based on notions of adaptively coping with negative emotions, it is proposed that willingness to purchase is a manifestation of a goal-directed attempt to improve one’s emotional state. The results of an experiment suggested that “when bored subjects were offered the prospect of shopping in a favorable environment” they expressed higher purchase intentions; however, when offered the prospect of shopping in an uncomfortable environment, they expressed lower purchase intentions. Higher distress led to higher purchase intentions. The differences in purchase intentions between boredom and distress were interpreted by the restriction in attentional capacity induced by heightened arousal. The results also showed that (a) personal relevance accentuated boredom’s influence, and (b) considering the prospect of a favorable store experience reduced levels of positive affect. Implications of the theory and findings for understanding the influence of negative affect on store patronage are discussed.

Affect and persuasion: The influence of pleasantness and arousal on attitude formation and message elaboration

In contrast to past research that viewed affect as unidimensional, this study examines the effects of affects two primary dimensions, pleasantness and arousal, on ad-based persuasion outcomes (attitude favorability) and processes (degree of elaboration, thought positivity). After assessing their naturally-occurring levels of pleasantness and arousal, subjects were exposed to a persuasive communication and assigned to an involvement (low/high) by message strength (low/high) design. GLM analyses revealed that higher pleasantness accentuated the typical involvement X message interaction on attitude favorability, and that higher involvement enhanced message elaboration only when accompanied by higher pleasantness. Path analyses further suggested that (1) higher pleasantness enhanced message elaboration under higher involvement but decreased it under lower involvement, (2) under higher involvement, both pleasantness and arousal positively impacted thought positivity, and, (3) higher arousal decreased message elaboration only for the weaker message. The importance and implications of a broader than unidimensional view of affect in persuasion are discussed.

Emotion and consumption: Perspectives and issues

Over the course of the last two decades, consumer research has been making considerable contributions to the study of affect. The articles in this volume deal with conceptual and methodological issues in affect research that bridge the gap between theory and practice and represent sample of the many research topics currently being explored by consumer researchers. In my remarks, I briefly discuss each article and I provide some directions for future research in each of the specific areas covered in the articles. Much research in affect is motivated by the desire to test and extend theory and resolve theoretical debates stemming from conflicting evidence. While the focus of affect research is increasingly on theory, we may not always be as careful about our constructs and methods and we need to apply additional, new and more precise methodologies to address old theoretical problems. I conclude that among the most important future tasks are the needs to adopt appropriate methods aimed at capturing affects influence and underlying processes, and to refine the theoretical basis for such methods.

The Role of Affective Brand Commitment on Sales Effort

This research delineates the effects of salespeople’s affective brand commitment on their brand sales effort by proposing an integrated model incorporating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability (MOA) Theory. Using survey data collected from 136 field salespeople, the authors demonstrate that affective brand commitment not only positively influences sales effort, but also mediates the effects of salespeople’s attitude, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation on brand sales effort. The study also identifies an interesting three-way interaction effect of affective brand commitment, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation on sales effort. These results provide important implications for sales managers to develop appropriate sales force recruitment, sales training, and coaching strategies in order to improve sales performance.

Firm Capabilities and Performance

This study focuses on the performance implications of firm capabilities in Chinas emerging economy. Specifically, we investigated the effects of marketing, technological, and production capabilities on firm performance from the institutional perspective with the traditional resource-based view. Using four-year longitudinal data of both local private firms and foreign wholly owned subsidiaries in China, we found that firm capabilities demonstrated differential effects on financial performance and market performance for local and foreign firms. Moreover, the performance impact of firm capabilities was moderated by the institutional environment.