Background The misconceptions and conspiracy theories against the Covid-19 vaccines have been identified as potential factors that could negatively impact herd immunity for the Covid-19 vaccination. Focus of the article From the perspectives of the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study sought to determine an effective social marketing intervention to address the misconceptions about the Covid-19 vaccines. Research Hypotheses The hypotheses stipulate that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefit, and perceived barriers of the coronavirus will positively influence Covid-19 vaccination behavior. The study further hypothesized that subjective norms (important others) would significantly mediate the relationships. Methods Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 821 individuals from three administrative regions, which constitutes 65% of the population of Ghana. The quota and convenience sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents due to the lack of a sampling frame. Results The study’s findings show that only perceived susceptibility and the perceived barrier directly influence the Covid-19 vaccination behavior. The result, however, shows a significant improvement when important others were introduced as a mediating variable. Thus, all four constructs had a positive and significant influence on Covid-19 vaccination behavior through subjective norm (important others) as an intervening variable. The study shows the value of using opinion leaders as a communication channel in addressing the misperceptions and conspiracy theories against the Covid-19 vaccines. Recommendation for Research/Practice To effectively address the misconceptions about the Covid-19 vaccines and improve herd immunity, social marketers should identify key influencers in various communities and cities and use them in promoting the vaccination program. The study examined and found subjective norms (perceived social pressure from important others in society on an individual to perform or not to perform a behavior) as a significant mediator for promoting the Covid-19 vaccination behavior. Limitations The current study examined the mediating role of subjective norm and the HBMs' constructs. Future studies could also consider integrating subjective norm as a mediator in other behavioral change theories to predict the target audience’s behavior.
The efforts and strategies of governments and other stakeholders to achieve self-rice sufficiency on the African continent have failed to achieve the intended results. Although scholars have primarily attributed this problem to poor attitudes and behaviour toward the consumption of locally produced rice, limited attention has been paid to behavioural change approaches. Thus, from the perspective of the theory of planned behaviour, the study sought to understand the factors that influence consumers’ intention to consume locally produced rice and to suggest solutions from a social marketing perspective to elicit voluntary changes in behaviour toward the consumption of local rice. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 375 to 40 participants, respectively. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, while quantitative data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results showed a strong positive and significant relationship between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intention to consume locally produced rice. The results showed a weak significant negative relationship between intention and actual consumption of local rice, suggesting a high intention-behaviour gap. However, the qualitative results identified six critical factors that prevented people from consuming local rice though having the intention. These factors include cooking difficulty, suitability for few local dishes, lack of taste and aroma, foreign materials, poor packaging and standard specification, and unavailability. Thus, interventions addressing these barriers will significantly increase the consumption of local rice in Ghana. The study contributes to literature by using the mixed method approach and the theory of planned behaviour to predict factors that could improve local rice consumption in a developing country context. We also addressed how the 4Ps of social marketing could be used to address the identified barriers.
During the past few years, there have been various studies on the relationship between academic behavior, teaching and student retention but not much has been on administration staff and students. This study examined improving employees' behavioural factors towards increasing students' loyalty. The paper explores the direct mediation and indirect mediation of employee behavioural factors leading to build student loyalty. More specifically the focus is on the constructs of service quality (SQLTY), need understanding (NEEDUND), intimacy (INTIMACY), and student loyalty (STLOY). This study depended on a positivist research paradigm. In this study, over 800 structured questionnaires were administered for research subjects. However, 743 were captured for the final analysis. The analytical tool used in this study is the ADANCO 2.0.1 software and in terms of statistical processing, the PLS-SEM technique was utilized. The two main takeaways from the direct relationships are that INTIMACY is a strong predictor of STLOY, and NEEDUND is also a strong predictor of SQLTY. The indirect mediations of INTIMACY on SQLTY and STLOY, IN-TIMACY on NEEDUND and STLOY, and SQLTY on NEEDUND and INTIMACY were all not supported. The study, like any academic work, has limitations. Despite these limitations, this study offers theoretical as well as practical values for the research community and administrators of universities and higher education administrators as a whole. For administrators of the universities and the higher education, the study points out the critical needs for administrators to better understand students' loyalty and behaviours of employees during the service encounter, which could lead to intimacy and eventually student loyalty. The present study is innovated by quantitatively examining how the above-mentioned behavioural factors of employees could lead to INTIMACY and STLOY.
PurposeThe study examines the effects of behavior-based and outcome-based control systems on service-sales ambidexterity, role conflict, emotional exhaustion and job performance in salespeople.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 704 salespeople in Ghana. The proposed hypotheses are tested through the structural equations modeling technique.FindingsThe study finds that both behavior-based and outcome-based controls have positive and significant effects on service-sales ambidexterity in salespeople. Similarly, the study discovers that service-sales ambidexterity has a positive and significant impact on both role conflict and emotional exhaustion in salespeople. The study also finds that role conflict and emotional exhaustion both have a negative impact on job performance. Finally, the study finds that salespeople's grit moderates the negative relationship between emotional exhaustion and job performance.Practical implicationsThe results imply that while salespeople's service-sales ambidexterity may be beneficial to their individual and firm performance, it may also lead to role conflict and emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThe current study demonstrates how control mechanisms can lead to service-sales ambidexterity in salespeople and how this can lead to role conflict and emotional exhaustion.
The correct name should be Ernest Yaw Tweneboah-Koduah.The original article has been corrected.Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.