Online reviews, which are consumer-generated messages, play a vital role in the consumer decision making process especially prior to their purchase adoption (i.e., pre-usage). The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of two-sided online reviews’ contents affecting the consumers' attitudes at the pre-usage stage of a focal experience service. Contrary to one-sided reviews (i.e., only positive or negative information), two-sided reviews contain both positive and negative information about a product/service: Two-sided reviews are considered more informative. Extant studies make an important assumption that there is no information asymmetry between writer/source of two-sided reviews and consumers that read/receive it. Their implicit assumption is that the attitude of the writer/source of the two-sided review is completely transferred to the reader/receiver of the review. Given the subjective nature of two-sided online reviews for experience goods, we contend that such an assumption is flawed because transfer of personal experience in form of attitude towards a focal object/service to others is fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty that can mitigate the transfer. Drawing on ambivalence and prospect theories, our hypothesis states that: the anticipatory ambivalence of the receiver/reader based on a two-sided review content for a focal service is higher than the ambivalent attitude of the source/writer of the review who has already experienced the focal service. Our empirical study, consisting of 1492 subjects from Canada and the United States, supports our stated hypothesis. The implication of our finding is profound. It shows that the extant literature had underestimated the negative attitude of the receiver/reader of the online reviews in their investigation, which confound their findings. To that end, we provide future research direction and implications of our findings in practice. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

Yes / Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) plays an important part in consumer purchase decision. The way consumers perceive the persuasiveness of eWOM message can affect their attitude, and purchase intention, and hence sales. Thus, the topic of persuasiveness of eWOM communications has received much attention from scholars. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief review of the existing literature related to the effectiveness of eWOM communications and offer an overview of the determinants of eWOM persuasiveness. This paper contributes to the existing eWOM literature by reviewing the existing studies on eWOM communications, identifying gaps in the current research and providing directions for future research.

Yes / The aim of this research is to synthesise findings from previous studies by employing weight and meta-analysis to reconcile conflicting evidence and draw a “big picture” of eWOM factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy. By using the findings from 69 studies, this research identified best (e.g. argument quality, valence, eWOM usefulness, trust in message), promising (e.g. eWOM credibility, emotional trust, attitude towards website) and least effective (e.g. volume, existing eWOM, source credibility) predictors of intention to buy in eWOM research. Additionally, the effect size of each predictor was calculated by performing meta-analysis. For academics, understanding what influences consumers’ intention to buy will help set the agenda for future research directions; for practitioners, it will provide benefit in terms of practical guidance based on detailed analysis of specific factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy, which could enhance their marketing activities.

No / This SpringerBrief offers a state of the art analysis of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communications and its role in marketing. The book begins with an overview of traditional word-of-mouth (WOM) and its evolution to eWOM. It discusses the differences between traditional and online WOM. The book examines why people engage in eWOM communications, but also how consumers evaluate its persuasiveness. It also looks at the effects of eWOM. The book identifies current gaps in the eWOM research, but also highlights future directions for this growing field. eWOM is an important marketing technique in brand communications, and it plays an important role in modern e-commerce. Marketers become extremely interested in enhancing the power of eWOM developing loyalty programs and building brands. Studying the effect of eWOM can be beneficial for companies. This book should be a good resource for scholars and practitioners that need to understand the pervasive effects of eWOM.

Allt eftersom turismen ökat genom åren har även konkurrensen hårdnat och detta har resulterat i en ökad marknadsföring och taktik för att locka turisterna till destinationer. Många forskare har visat att ett bra sätt att förankra en destination hos den tilltänkta turisten är att marknadsföra den med hjälp av personlighetsdrag för att göra destinationen mer mänsklig.I denna uppsats har vi valt att fördjupa oss i Göteborg med hjälp av intervjuer med befattningshavare på Göteborg & Co. De svar vi fick lade grund för vår enkätundersökning. Enkäterna delades ut till turister som fick svara på ett antal frågor om hur de uppfattade Göteborg och vilka personlighetsdrag som passade bäst in på staden. Det vi ville undersöka var om det fanns en skillnad mellan vad turister tycker om Göteborg och hur Göteborg & Co vill att Göteborg ska uppfattas.När marknadsförare kommunicerar en destination är det bra att känna till vem som faktiskt definierar sig som en turist eller inte. En av dagens utmaningar är att många turister inte vill titulera sig som turister utan vill känna sig som en del av lokalbefolkningen.Slutligen har vi kommit fram till att Göteborg & Co vill att Göteborg ska förknippas med personlighetsdragen mänsklig, pluralistisk och inspirerande. Dessutom vill organisationen att turister ska känna att Göteborg är en välkomnande, avslappnad och härlig stad. Genom att ha genomfört en enkätundersökning mot turister i Göteborg kan vi se att dessa personlighetsdrag till stor del stämmer överens med hur besökare beskriver staden. / With the development in the charter industry over the last decades, marketing companies must create ways to make a destination stand out against others to potential tourists. Some researchers argue that brand personality is a good tool to use for this purpose. In this essay written in Swedish, we explore tourism in Gothenburg based on personality traits. One qualitative data collection is gathered from interviews with two marketing employees at Göteborg & Co, while a quantitative survey was also completed with tourists visiting the city. The results show that personality traits that are desired by Göteborg & Co marketing, match the personality traits of tourists visiting the city.

Abstract Title: Recruiting Through the Grapevine - The relevance of employee referral programs within the field of employer branding   Date: 2016-06-03   Authors: Mikaela Löjdqvist & Isabella Nilsson   Course: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration (FOA214), 15 HP   University: Mälardalen University   Academia: School of Business, Society and Engineering   Supervisor: Magnus Hoppe   Examiner: Eva Maaninen-Olsson   Co-assessor: Konstantin Lampou ____________________________________________________________________________   Research question: How do employee referral programs, as a part of the recruitment process, connect to the employer brand of a company?     Purpose: Understanding the correlation and connection between the two concepts, employer branding and employee referral programs, may help companies recognize the importance of using such programs as a stable foundation of their recruitment process. Thus concurrently, identifying the consequences that the employer brand presents, has on the employees and their willingness to recommend. This leads to the purpose of this thesis, which is to examine the connection between employee referral programs and a company's employer brand.     Methodology: Answering the purpose and research question was approached by using a mixed method, based on the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative method was used in the two semi-structured in-depth interviews, while the quantitative approach was used in construction and analysis of the survey. Both methods provide a foundation to strengthen the arguments not only for the results of the survey, but also for drawing conclusions when trying to answer the research question. By using a case company, a real-life understanding of how the connection between employer branding and the employee referral program correlates.     Conclusion: A connection between employee referral programs and the employer brand can be denoted from the conducted research within the chosen case company. However, if this connection is true for all companies, needs to be further investigated.     Keywords: employer branding, employee referral programs (ERP), employee value proposition (EVP), recruitment, staff-word-of-mouth (SWOM), word-of-mouth (WOM)

Kurs/nivå:            2FE16E, Kandidatuppsats Författare:            Martin Alm, Anton Bengtsson, Pär Ivarsson Handledare:         Dan Halvarsson Examinator:         Åsa Devine Titel:                     Bakomliggande motiv, alla har dem. Nyckelord:           e-WOM, electronic word-of-mouth, e-wom motiv, sociala medier, Facebook.   Bakgrund:            Att veta varför kunder delar med sig och sprider information om företag har blivit viktigt för företag om de vill effektivisera sin marknadsföring på Internet. Mycket av den tidigare forskningen gällande e-WOM har fokuserat på informationsspridningens effekt men inte vad kunder har för bakomliggande motiv till att sprida e- WOM. Forskning har också visat att det finns skillnader i hur kunder sprider e-WOM på sociala medier jämfört med övriga plattformar på Internet. Det är därmed betydelsefullt att på ett djupgående sätt utforska vad kunder, utifrån deras perspektiv, har för bakomliggande motiv till att sprida information om företag på sociala medier.   Forskningsfråga: Varför sprider kunder e-WOM på sociala medier? Syfte:                    Syftet är att utforska kunders bakomliggande motiv till spridning av e-WOM på sociala medier.   Metod:                  Utförd som en fallstudie av ett enda fall genom sex stycken semi-strukturerade intervjuer.   Slutsats:               Undersökningen visade att det finns 15 bakomliggande motiv till kunders spridning av e-WOM på sociala medier. Några av de bakomliggande motiven är överraskningsmomentet, möjligheten att påverka andra, få bekräftelse samt att vänner och bekanta ska gynnas av informationsspridningen. / Course/Level:      2FE16E, Bachelor Thesis Authors:               Martin Alm, Anton Bengtsson, Pär Ivarsson Tutor:                   Dan Halvarsson Examiner:            Åsa Devine Title:                     Underlying motives, everybody has them. Keywords:            e-WOM, electronic word-of-mouth, e-wom motives, social media, Facebook.   Background:        Knowing why customers will share and spread information about companies has become important for companies if they want to improve their marketing on the Internet. Much of the previous research regarding e-WOM has focused on the effect but not about customers underlying motives to spread e-WOM. Research has also shown that there are differences in how customers spreading e-WOM on social media compared to other platforms on the Internet. It is therefore significant that in a profound way explore what customers’, from their perspective, have for underlying motives to spread information about companies on social media are.   Research question: Why do customers spread e-WOM on social media? Purpose:               The purpose of this thesis is to explore customers underlying motives to spread e-WOM on social media.   Methodology:       Conducted as a single embedded case study through six semi-structured interviews.   Conclusion:         The empirical investigation revealed that there are 15 underlying motives for customers to spread e-WOM on social media. Some of the underlying motives are the element of surprise, the ability to influence others, to obtain confirmation and for friends and acquaintances to benefit from the information.

Följande studie syftar till att undersöka den interaktion som följer två kommunikationsstrategier på resebolaget TUI:s Instagramkonto och faller inom det medie- och kommunikationsvetenskapliga fältet. För att uppfylla studiens syfte utformas en huvudfråga och två stödfrågor, som utgör utgångspunkten för uppsatsens resultat- och analysdel. Dessa frågor är: - Hur ser interaktionen ut mellan TUI och dess följare på Instagram? - Hur arbetar TUI med rotationskuratering respektive kommersiell kuratering på Instagram? - Hur skiljer sig interaktionen åt mellan dessa två kommunikationsstrategier? Det ramverk som studien vilar på är teorier kring strukturer i sociala medier, avsändare, word of mouth och visuell kommunikation. Studiens metod är kvalitativ och genom en netnografisk observation studeras kommunikationsstrategierna rotationskuratering, där en anställd kuraterar (skapar) innehållet veckovis, och kommersiell kuratering, där huvudkontoret kuraterar innehållet. Det insamlade materialet analyseras genom en semiotisk bildanalys och en tematisk textanalys. Studien visar att TUI vid kommersiell kuratering använder ett opersonligt textspråk, som kan liknas vid redaktionellt skrivet material, och bilderna är av hög kvalitet. Följden av detta blir kortfattade och opersonliga kommentarer, där fokus ofta ligger på bilden. Följarna omnämner (taggar) andra användare i stor utsträckning vilket leder till interna konversationer följarna emellan i kommentarsfältet. Vid rotationskurateringen använder TUI istället ett mer avslappnat språk, där kuraterarens personlighet tydligt framkommer. Detta genererar kommentarer av mer personlig karaktär, där följarna ställer frågor till TUI och delar med sig av egna erfarenheter. Slutsatserna är att rotationskurateringen resulterar i en mer personlig interaktion, vilket stärker relationen mellan TUI och följarna, medan den kommersiella kurateringen leder till en större delning samt att större fokus läggs vid bilden. / This study falls within the field of media and communication, and aims to research two different communication strategies on the travel company TUI’s Instagram page, as well as the interaction that these strategies result in. In order to fulfill the purpose of the study the following research questions have been defined:  - What kind of interaction is displayed on TUI’s Instagram page, between the corporation and their followers? - How is TUI working with rotation curation versus commercial curation on Instagram? - How does the interaction differ between these two communication strategies? The study is based upon theories about structures in social media, the sender, word of mouth and visual communication. A qualitative method has been used and through a nethnographic observation on rotation curation, where an employee curates the content, and commercial curation, where the head office curates the content, the outcome of both strategies have been studied. The results of the study are interpreted through a semiotic analysis of the images and a thematic text analysis. The study shows that TUI, when using commercial curation, adopts a strict and impersonal way of writing and uses high quality images. Brief and less personal comments, that often revolve around the images, is the resulting fallout. Sharing posts by tagging other Instagram accounts is also common. During the rotation curation, however, a more casual way of writing is being used and the curator’s personality is prominent. This results in comments and interaction of a more personal nature, where the followers ask questions and share personal experiences with TUI. In conclusion, the rotation curation results in a more personal interaction, in which the relationship between TUI and the followers improves, while the commercial curation results in greater sharing and comments focusing on the content of the images.

網際網路興起與行動裝置普及後，人們越來越容易在各大社群媒體、討論區留下評論。其中，本來就影響甚大的負面口碑，結合了網路驚人的散步速率和廣大接觸群眾的特性，轉變為影響更為巨大的網路負面口碑。 過往有許多針對負面口碑的研究，這些研究大多面向一般企業，卻鮮少有研究針對公眾人物。然而，同時也有許多研究指出，許多企業會與公眾人物合作，而公眾人物自身做為容易被社會關注的目標，負面口碑有可能對其職業生涯與形象造成不良影響，故希望能針對網路負面口碑之於公眾人物的留言動機、內容以及解決方式研究。 本研究著重個案分析，我們將從PTT，全台灣知名的網路討論板，找尋針對個案中公眾人物評論，並且分析留言的措辭與內容，歸納留言者的動機、該負面留言的內容類型。並從網路上蒐集該公眾人物處理該負面網路口碑的資訊，分析其策略。 最終，本研究將歸納整理出動機、留言內容與公眾人物使用的策略，為未來在這塊學術領域有興趣繼續研究的同好們提供一個基礎，並為公眾人物以及其公關團隊避免與解決網路負面口碑提供建議與方針。 / Since the rise of social media and the spread of mobile devices, sharing comments, advice and information with people on the internet without the constraints of time and space has become part of modern life and has resulted in major changes to how people receive information. Because of these changes, one particular issue has become more important than before: the influence of electronic word of mouth (EWOM), especially the negative type. Word of mouth has long been a topic of research, and researchers have found that negative word of mouth (NWOM) can have a greater impact than positive or neutral word of mouth. Furthermore, EWOM can spread faster and wider than traditional WOM. Thus, if negative word of mouth were spread via electronic channels such as social media on internet, it can cause unimaginable damage to the target individual or organization. To date, few studies focus on public figures’ negative EWOM. However, public figures play important roles in many areas because of their high attention from society and may sometimes be the target of negative EWOM. Based on the above, this study seeks answers to the following questions: Why do people on the internet reply negatively to the target public figures (negative EWOM motivation)? What types of negative content do people on the internet generate toward the public figures? What types of strategies may be applied to deal with different types of negative EWOM and negative EWOM motivation more frequently? This study first searched and reviewed previous literature related to NWOM, EWOM and public figures and categorized a few motivation, types of negative content and strategies. We then chose twenty case studies, and collected comments about these twenty cases on PTT, the largest terminal-based bulletin board system (BBS) based in Taiwan. Based on the using words of these comments, we can find out new motivation and new types of negative content did not exist in previous literature. Furthermore, we tracked how these public figures deal with NWOM, and tried to find out new patterns of strategies. The research results can help managers and researchers prevent crises caused by negative EWOM or take appropriate approaches for these crises. Keywords: Negative Word of Mouth, Electronic Word of Mouth, Public Figures