Simona Romani

Company Post-Crisis Communication Strategies and the Psychological Mechanism Underlying Consumer Reactions

A theoretical framework is developed to explain the mechanisms that underlie the effectiveness of matching postcrisis communication strategies to the crisis types on relevant consumer reactions. Two studies are conducted regarding an actual crisis case: the Costa Concordia shipwreck on 2012. Study 1 provides evidence of more favorable consumer reactions to a company when confession strategy and preventable crisis are matched. The results verify that consumers’ emotions of anger and sympathy play a mediating role. Study 2 demonstrates corporate reputations moderating role on the link between postcrisis communication strategy and sympathy and, through it, on consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral responses.

How companies’ good deeds encourage consumers to adopt pro-social behavior

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the effects of company corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on two consumers’ pro-social behaviors closely related to the social cause promoted by the company, such as consumers donating money and volunteering time. In addition, the role of moral elevation as a mediating variable in such relationships is tested. Design/methodology/approach – After an exploratory study, the authors tested the role of moral elevation as a mediator that facilitates the effects of company CSR activities in social domains on two specific types of pro-social behavior displayed by consumers: donating money and volunteering time for the same cause sponsored by the company. The authors conducted two quantitative studies to test their hypotheses. In Study 1, they considered the two pro-social behaviors as intentions; in Study 2, they analyzed them as actual behaviors. In both studies, the authors conducted controlled experiments administered in the field. By using experimental a...

Attitudes toward responsible tourism and behavioral change to practice it: a demand-side perspective in the context of Italy.

ABSTRACT This article profiles consumers based on their attitude toward different practices of responsible tourism, the extent to which they behave consistently with these attitudes, and, finally, the behavioral change they need to make to adopt those practices. Qualitative research informed the development of the quantitative study of a sample of Italian tourists self-selected as being responsible. Factor analysis identified the underpinning dimensions of what is meant by responsible tourism, and these factors were used to profile the respondents. The results of cluster analysis identified three different clusters with different levels of commitment and, especially, consistency between attitude and behavior.

Explaining consumer brand-related activities on social media

People undertake various brand-related activities on social media that differ in levels of engagement. Companies, however, want to know how to motivate consumers to become involved in the relatively more engaging activities, as such activities are more likely to lead to increased sales. In this article, we focus on activities that are highly engaging (such as writing product reviews) or moderately engaging (such as rating products). Based on self-determination theory, the present research identifies different motivations for engaging in different brand-related activities on social media. We provide evidence indicating that the motivations of self-expression and socializing play primary roles in leading people to participate in highly engaging activities (i.e. creating ones own content online) and in moderately engaging activities (i.e. collaborating with others to contribute to content). These findings have implications for both theory and practice insofar as they specify how to stimulate consumers to perform relatively more engaging brand-related activities on social media. An overarching framework explains which motivations affect brand-related activities.The framework is tested by a survey and an experimental study.Specific motivations drive activities that entail different levels of engagement.Expressing oneself motivates people to generate online content.Socializing with others motivates people to contribute content.

Consumer responses to corporate offshoring practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer responses to company communication of offshoring strategies and tries to discover which psychological mechanisms govern these responses. To do these, the authors examine offshoring strategy communication from the point of view of Regulatory Focus Theory. Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypotheses in two different studies. Study 1 examines the associations between company offshoring motives and consumer’s prevention or promotion inferences about the company’s practices. Study 2 tests if and how the interaction effect between respondents’ self-regulatory focus and the company offshoring motive affects respondents’ attitude toward the offshoring company. Findings – The study demonstrated that each of three offshoring motives activates unique self-regulatory orientations (promotion or prevention focus) in consumers, and regulatory fit positively affects consumer attitudes toward the offshoring company. Practical implications –...

Le marche sgradite: l'altra faccia delle preferenze del consumatore. Costruzione e validazione di una scala di misurazione

Introduzione I consumatori amano alcune marche, per altre manifestano una sostanziale indifferenza e per altre ancora esprimono valutazioni, opinioni e – talvolta – veri e propri sentimenti negativi. Un po’ come con le persone, gli individui mostrano simpatia, indifferenza o antipatia verso i beni di consumo e le relative marche. C’e chi disprezza una marca perche rappresenta uno stile di vita o un gruppo sociale sgradito, o chi disapprova le politiche di marketing dei gruppi multinazionali, o chi – piu semplicemente – non ama una marca perche la ritiene di qualita scadente, o anche chi ha avuto una brutta esperienza con un prodotto e non lo ricomprera piu. In alcuni di questi casi, il consumatore si limita a modificare il proprio comportamento d’acquisto, ad esempio comprando meno frequentemente o sostituendo la marca in questione. In altri casi assume un ruolo attivo nella comunicazione interpersonale, trasferendo ad altri le proprie opinioni. Talvolta cio prende la forma di attivita organizzate (ad esempio le comunita del consumo critico), altre volte ci si limita al passaparola.

The bittersweet experience of being envied in a consumption context

Purpose Very limited research exists examining envy from the viewpoint of an envied consumer, rather than an envier. This paper aims to address this gap by examining whether and how the experience of being envied actually affects consumers. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents three experiments. Study 1 investigates the ambivalent experience of being envied. Study 2 examines the effect of being envied in consumption contexts on consumer satisfaction, analyzing the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings. It also investigates the moderating role played by consumer coping responses to enviers (mitigation vs exacerbation). Finally, Study 3 applies the hypothesized model in a specific context (i.e. a material possession context), focusing on adult consumers. Findings Results show that negative (e.g. guilt and anxiety) and positive (e.g. sense of well-being and prestige) feelings for being envied depend on the type of relationship between the envier and the envied, and the type of desired object, and consumer satisfaction is driven by the combined ambivalent effects of positive and negative feelings, where coping responses by envied consumers moderate the effects of such feelings on satisfaction. Originality/value This paper makes three main contributions: it extends prior research by highlighting the role of personal relationship factors and the type of object of desire in the experience of being envied; demonstrates that both positive and negative feelings of being envied affect consumer satisfaction; and shows conditions regulating the influence of positive and negative feelings on satisfaction, demonstrating that mitigation strategies decrease the effects of negative feelings on satisfaction, whereas exacerbation strategies failed to regulate the effects of positive feelings.

Gli effetti della contraffazione sui fashion brand originali: un'indagine empirica

Il presente studio cerca di fornire un nuovo contributo preliminare sulla ricerca inerente gli effetti della contraffazione sulle imprese. Per lo svolgimento della ricerca sono state utilizzate 384 studentesse universitarie alle quali e stato chiesto di scegliere una marca di borse all’interno di un set composto da 5 alternative (ordinate in termini di prezzo) tra le quali era presente la versione contraffatta dei brand piu esclusivi. Dopo alcune settimane alle stesse persone e stato chiesto di ripetere la scelta utilizzando lo stesso set con l’esclusione dell’alternativa contraffatto. Dall’analisi dei dati abbiamo cercato di desumere l’influenza della presenza del contraffatto nel set di scelta dei soggetti intervistati.

Consumer attitude toward reshoring: Related effects and relevant boundary conditions

Literature recommends that companies should try to understand consumer evaluations and reactions so as to meet their needs properly. This study focuses on consumers’ evaluations of and behaviors toward reshoring companies, and identifies two interacting elements useful for this general purpose. The influence of attitude towards reshoring on consumers’ evaluations of, and behaviors toward, reshoring companies is better itemized by the moderating role of perceived motives for reshoring. We propose, and test, the influence of the two variables on consumer willingness to pay for the products of a reshoring company.

What is the Harm in Fake Luxury Brands? Moving Beyond the Conventional Wisdom

When reading the literature on counterfeit branded luxury goods (henceforth counterfeit BLGs) in both the scientific and popular press, one quickly comes across what we will summarize as the conventional wisdom. We do not mean the phrase “conventional wisdom” to have disparaging connotations. On the contrary, this view is widely popular because it makes sense and fits with common observation.