The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a huge wave of compassion. In particular, online volunteering platforms established channeling help for high-risk groups. It is unclear under which conditions volunteers were satisfied with their COVID-19 volunteering mediated by these platforms and whether they will continue their engagement after the crisis. Therefore, and considering personal susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, this study analyzes the effects of different platform support for volunteers and the fulfillment of volunteers’ motives. The study is based on an online survey of a sample of 565 volunteers who registered at and were placed by a Swiss online platform. Fulfillment of distinct volunteer motives and platform support drive COVID-19 volunteering satisfaction. Moreover, motive fulfillment and platform-related support indirectly impact willingness to volunteer long-term via volunteering satisfaction. Finally, the empirical results show that motive fulfillment and the effect of platform support are contingent on perceived susceptibility to infection.
This paper delineates a dual-channel model of consumer resistance towards corporate social irresponsibility. The model assumes a conditional mediational relationship among affective response to corporate social irresponsibility and ethical judgement as drivers of consumers' inclination towards boycotting, protesting and negative word-of-mouth. Mediation-analysis results are largely in line with the model hypotheses: Affective response to corporate social irresponsibility solely has a significant direct effect on resistance inclination of consumers with a low preference for ethical products. Moreover, contractualistic and moral equity (utilitarian) judgement mediate(s) the effect of affective response on resistance intention for consumers with high (low) ethical product preferences. Based on the empirical findings, the paper presents practical implications and avenues for future research.
Purpose
This paper aims to explore pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in Azerbaijan. Therefore, the authors used value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, extended by the construct of social norms (SN), as a basis.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by establishing a link within various social media platforms. The final sample consisted of 407 respondents. The authors analyzed four dimensions of PEB using higher-order structural equations. The authors also examined both direct and (serial) indirect effects for cross-cultural validation of the extended VBN theory.
Findings
The authors were able to confirm the VBN theory in its entirety. However, SN, which are influential in collectivistic and Sunni-majority states, do not contribute significantly to explaining PEB in predominantly Shiite Azerbaijan.
Research limitations/implications
The authors could not establish a direct effect of SN on PEB within this study. However, the authors observed an indirect “values-beliefs-norms-behavior” effect. The different (partly abbreviated) effect channels of the four tested value antecedents provide interesting insights for marketing research.
Practical implications
Based on the results, it seems crucial to make Muslim consumers aware of the negative outcomes of their consumption behavior and to emphasize individual responsibility. However, SN may not need to be addressed depending on cultural and/or religious values.
Originality/value
The authors examined PEB in Azerbaijan by testing the serial mediation effects in the VBN model. Further, the authors tested the influence of SN within the framework of the original VBN theory, contributing to a better understanding of the possibility of integrating components of the theory of planned behavior.
The management of marketing and communication strategies involves a complex mix of different requirements, particularly for social enterprises, which try to fulfill both social and business aims while operating in a resource‐constrained context. Although social enterprises are a rising phenomenon, the research on how these businesses communicate their activities remains in its infancy. This study builds on the theory of planned behavior and the source credibility theory, presenting a conceptual framework that distinguishes between high, moderate, and low credibility of a social enterprise's communication, to analyze its effects on potential customers' behavioral intentions. Through an online experiment with 260 subjects, the authors demonstrate that attitude toward a social enterprise, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and, ultimately, the intention to support a social enterprise by purchasing its products increases with the social enterprise's message credibility. The authors also present practical implications and avenues for future research on the communication of social enterprises based on the empirical findings.
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