Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of various sources of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and negative personal word-of-mouth (pWOM) on trust in the Word-of-mouth (WOM), attitude toward the service provider and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 336 Moroccan workers who responded to an online survey. Findings – Results show that negative pWOM is more influential than negative eWOM in the form of written Facebook testimonials, written review site testimonials and written testimonials on a corporate website. However, there is a relative ranking of importance among eWOM sources, with review site testimonials found to be more influential than either Facebook or corporate website testimonials. Research limitations/implications – This work responds to a call for research on differences and similarities between pWOM and eWOM. The findings extend understanding of the relative influence of negative pWOM and negative eWOM. Practical implications – The results of this study provide guidance to service marketers in terms of strategies for deflecting negative WOM and allocating service recovery resources. Originality/value – This study is the first to compare the relative influence of negative pWOM and eWOM in service consumption.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore whether religiosity impacts the clothing style Moroccan Muslim women choose to wear in the public setting. Design/methodology/approach – The framework chosen for this study was the theory of planned behaviour. Data were gathered by a questionnaire administered to 950 Muslim women located throughout in Morocco. Findings – Results indicate that a woman’s religiosity cannot be determined simply by what she wears, with age, marital status and education found to have far greater impact on a woman’s choice of clothing than religiosity. Practical implications – In countries where women have freedom to choose what they wear, Muslims should not be treated homogeneously, but rather as a heterogeneous segment with different social classes, different sects and different ways of expressing and experiencing their faith in daily life. Originality/value – Currently there is limited literature that explores the relationship between religiosity and a woman’s choice of dress, outside of the hijab. Moreover, in spite of the significance of religion in the lives of many individuals, its role in consumer choice is not clear. This research provides some clarity within the context of clothing choice for Moroccan Muslim women.

In light of the chronic shortage of health professionals willing to care for HIV/AIDS patients, and rising epidemics in many Muslim countries, this qualitative study examined susceptibility and resistance to courtesy stigma as experienced by nurses, doctors, and social workers in Morocco. Forty-nine in-depth interviews provided rich insights into the process of courtesy stigma and how it is managed, within the context of interactions with Islam, interactions within the workplace (patients, other health professionals), and interactions outside the workplace (the general public, friends, and family). Theoretically, the findings extend understanding of courtesy stigma and the dirty work literature. The findings also offer practical suggestions for the development of culturally appropriate strategies to reduce susceptibility to courtesy stigmatization. This study represents the first to explore courtesy stigma as a process experienced by health professionals providing HIV/AIDS care in an Islamic country.

Although Internet addiction and fatigue are issues of concern among university students, the association between these phenomena has not been examined. In a unique contribution to the literature, this study examined if Internet addiction differentially influenced mental and physical fatigue in a sample of Moroccan students. Results indicate students with Internet addiction have significantly higher levels of mental and physical fatigue than students without Internet addiction. The findings extend understanding of Internet addiction and offer insights into reducing Internet addiction.