In the service industry, preferential treatment is a popular strategic approach for retaining valued customers (e.g., Barnes, 1997; Gronroos & Ojasalo, 2004; Zabin & Brebach, 2004; Lacey, Russell, Jaebeom, & Morgan, 2007; Mattila, Hanks, & Zhang, 2013). However, some researchers argue that preferential treatment can lead to customer dissention toward the service firms (Fournier, Dobscha, & Mick, 1998). Marketers are reminded not to ignore the majority of less-profitable non-VIP customers, who have potential to be developed into valuable VIP customers in the future and contribute to firms’ economies of scale, total profits and healthy long-term growth (e.g., Zeithaml, Rust, & Lemon, 2001; Johnson & Selnes, 2005). The existing literature has mostly focused on negative responses (e.g., negative word-of-mouth, brand switching) of non-VIP customers in a preferential treatment context (Feinberg et al., 2002; Lehmann, 2001). However, positive responses of non-VIP customers in a preferential treatment scheme are largely neglected. Therefore, research on the positive responses from the majority of non-VIP customers is important for building a more complete theory of preferential treatment in this regard. In the current research, benign envy refers to a positive motivation derived from envy that compels the envious person to catch up with the envied person. Non-VIP customers with benign envy are more likely to have positive responses (e.g., treatment upgrading, positive word-of-mouth) toward the desired possession of other customers (i.e., VIP treatment). Investigating the antecedents leading to non-VIP customers’ benign envy of preferential treatment in the relationship marketing domain is a critical issue. Therefore, the primary objective of the current research is to investigate the antecedent conditions leading to non-VIP customers’ benign envy in preferential treatment (i.e., VIP treatment) contexts. To achieve my research objective of predicting benign envy of non-VIP customers, I first propose a popular market factor, the VIP granting method, as an antecedent variable influencing non-VIP customers’ benign envy (criterion variable). Specifically, I propose two types of VIP granting methods which have different impacts on benign envy of non-VIP customers toward VIP treatment. The current research theorizes that ascription-oriented VIP granting methods (e.g., birthdate, gender, kinship) and achievement-oriented VIP granting methods (e.g., accumulated consumption points, accumulated mileage, stipulated deposits) determine the choice of salient dimensions for comparison between non-VIP customers and VIP customers, which in turn determines the outcome of comparison (similar vs. dissimilar). The current research further investigates the mediation roles of perceived attainability and perceived deservingness to explain the psychological mechanisms that induce benign envy in non-VIP customers (Study 1). In addition, the current research examines the impact of cultural differences (ascription-oriented versus achievement-oriented) on perceived deservingness of VIP treatment by envied VIP customers (Study 2). The current research contributes to the marketing theory of preferential treatment in four respects. First, this research operationalizes the concept of benign envy as a motivation rather than an emotion to help explain and understand the controversial concept of benign envy in previous studies (e.g., Tai, Narayanan, & McAllister, 2012; Van de Ven, Zeelenberg, & Pieters, 2009). Second, drawing on the concepts of ascription and achievement in the discipline of sociology, the current research classifies conventional VIP granting methods into two categories based on customers’ ascribed attributes (e.g., birthdate) and achieved attributes (e.g., accumulated mileage). This classification helps both scholars and practitioners better understand the impacts of different VIP treatment strategies on non-VIP customers. Third, a theoretical model is proposed to predict benign envy. The proposed model contributes to the service literature with an in-depth understanding of psychological processes explaining how the benign envy of non-VIP customers is induced in the preferential treatment marketing context. Fourth, instead of drawing a holistic view on similarity as adopted in previous envy research and social comparison literature, the current research investigates the effects of similarity between the VIPs and non-VIPs from a more complex but realistic perspective. In this research, the upward social comparison which elicits envy was operationalized by similarity/dissimilarity along with two independent dimensions (ascription and achievement) instead of a unidimensional holistic perception. This operationalization allows the possibility that individuals will be similar in one dimension but dissimilar in another. The salient dimension of similarity between VIP customers and non-VIP customers thus can be triggered and manipulated by different VIP granting methods at the discretion of marketers. This advancement in the operationalization of similarity further contributes to envy studies and social comparison theory in the preferential treatment domain. Finally, the current research contributes to the theory of envy from a cross-cultural perspective and reveals a cultural boundary condition of the effect of perceived similarity on perceived deservingness of VIP treatment, which in turn influences the valence of envy. My findings showed that the effect of perceived similarity on perceived deservingness is more pronounced in achievement-oriented cultures than in ascription-oriented cultures. This is because ascription-oriented non-VIP customers (vs. achievement-oriented) tend to respect and value the ascribed attributes regardless of whether they are the actual beneficiary (i.e., similar to the VIP in personal salient attributes)

Few experiments have examined the effects of attribute processing on purchase intentions. This experiment predicts a function of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) is to process brand-name products for their attributes. Hemodynamic response was measured in bilateral PFC from 48 participants during a study task, where participants processed brand-name products using various attribute processing types (once using one attribute, twice using the same attribute, and twice using two different attributes), and during a purchase intention test, where participants chose to purchase novel or previously processed brand-name products. Analysis of variance compared differences in hemodynamic response as a function of cortical structure, Type of Processing, and task. Results demonstrated repetition suppression in the left PFC for brand-name products that were previously processed for multiple attributes. Findings suggest processing different attributes of the same brand-name product bias purchase intentions, where participants were more likely to purchase brand-name products processed for multiple attributes. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Wong, Yee Na. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-77). / Abstract and appendix also in Chinese. / Abstract (English) --- p.i / Abstract (Chinese) --- p.ii / Acknowledgment --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Tables --- p.vi / List of Figures --- p.vii / INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / THEORETICAL BACKGROUND --- p.2 / Psychological Distance as Determinant of Basis for Evaluations --- p.2 / Feelings as Information --- p.8 / Construal Fit Effect and Consumers' Evaluations --- p.14 / When Feeling Right is Called into Question --- p.20 / OVERVIEW OF STUDIES --- p.23 / STUDY 1 --- p.25 / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.25 / Method --- p.25 / Results and Discussion --- p.27 / Main Study --- p.27 / Method --- p.27 / Results and Discussion --- p.29 / STUDY 2 --- p.34 / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.34 / Method --- p.34 / Results and Discussion --- p.35 / Main Study --- p.36 / Method --- p.36 / Results and Discussion --- p.38 / STUDY 3 --- p.4S / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.46 / Method --- p.46 / Results and Discussion --- p.47 / Main Study --- p.48 / Method --- p.48 / Results and Discussion --- p.51 / GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.59 / Construal Fit and Psychological Distance --- p.61 / Construal Fit and Persuasion --- p.62 / Managerial Contributions --- p.64 / Limitations and Future Research --- p.65 / CONCLUSION --- p.69 / REFERENCES --- p.70 / APPENDIX --- p.78

D.Phil. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the cognitive orientation in consumer behaviour, and thereby move towards a consumer-oriented context for the analysis of the communicated effects of advertisements. Advertising theory and research were reviewed, and the conclusion was drawn that the different variables studied by researchers represent unidimensional approaches which are seldom analysed within the integrated cognitive framework of the consumer. The various dimensions of the consumer's cognitive orientation were specified within an integrated theoretical framework formulated from various theories and findings with regard to cognitive factors such as attitudes, self-concept, motivation and learning. From this emerged two cognitive orientations, viz. a rational orientation which is characterized by price consciousness, performance risk, formal information seeking, etc. and a social orientation which is characterized by self-enhancement, normative and informal social influences, etc. It was hypothesized that the consumer's cognitive orientation is predictive of his evaluation of products (and consequently also of advertisements about products). It was, however, postulated that the cognitive orientation will also be influenced by the nature of particular products. A further implication of the theory was also taken into account, namely that the effects of advertising on cognition do not necessarily imply attitude change, but that the consumer's involvement with the product plays an important role. This resulted in another proposition, namely that the higher the product involvement, the greater the amount of information seeking, evaluation of alternatives, etc. The study was conducted according to these guidelines. The factorial structure of consumer orientation was firstly determined.

Physical appearance is one of the most important cues that an individual uses in forming an impression of another person. Researchers have found that perceptions of age are negatively related to perceptions of physical attractiveness. Because salespeople are influential in affecting a store's sales, especially for nondurable goods (Undell, 1972), consumers' perceptions of salespeople may influence the store's image and sales outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate consumers' perceptions of salespeople of different ages and to determine if differences in these perceptions were related to consumers' age and salespersons' age. Two groups of subjects were investigated - younger adults (between 18 and 28 years of age) and older adults (55 years of age and older) . Younger adult subjects were recruited from university classrooms (n = 41). Older adult subjects were the recipients of Oregon Horne Economics Extension Newsletter (n = 46). The total sample size was 87. A questionnaire was used in the present study to investigate a consumer's perceptions. The questionnaire included three parts questions on the respondent's shopping patterns, a consumer shopping scenario which included the salesperson's age manipulation, and questions asking demographic information. Three dependent variables were measured in the questionnaire: perceptions of the salesperson's fashionability, product knowledge, and job performance. The data were analyzed using the chi-square statistic and content analysis. Results indicated that consumers' perceptions of a salesperson's fashionability was related to the age of the salesperson. Perceptions of a salesperson's fashionability was also related to the age of consumer and the age of the salesperson. Perceptions of the salesperson's product knowledge and performance were not related to the age of salesperson nor to the age of the consumers. / Graduation date: 1992

Two studies, based on the prototype approach to emotions, examined individual level (appraisals, expressions/action readiness and coping) and interpersonal components (provider response to consumer emotions) of consumer anger and anxiety during air travel, and the impact of these components on service evaluation. It is proposed that the nature of provider response to the overall emotion experience determines consumer evaluation of the service. / A survey of recalled experiences of these emotions (Study 1) found that, consistent with the hypotheses, anger experiences comprised appraisals of provider blame for the negative event, problem focused coping (e.g., confronting the provider), and support withholding provider response (i.e., not assisting the consumer through the negative experience). Anxiety experiences, as hypothesized, had greater appraisals of uncontrollable circumstances, but emotion-focused coping (i.e., attempts to manage the affective reaction) was only marginally more than problem-focused coping, and there was no difference in support providing (i.e., assisting the consumer though the negative event) and support withholding provider responses. The survey could not elicit details of the physical expressions accompanying either emotion. Analysis of structured questions show that while support withholding responses decrease evaluations, support providing responses can increase evaluations despite the negativity of the emotions. / Study 2 sequentially manipulated emotions (anger, anxiety) and provider response---emotion support (reassuring consumers), instrumental support (attempting to resolve the problem), mixed support (doing both), and no support. Structured questions that followed the emotion manipulation measured coping and action readiness underlying expressions. Coping patterns replicated the results of Study 1. Expressions of anger conveyed action readiness modes of approach and antagonism while anxiety expressions conveyed approach and helplessness. Measures of consumer evaluation followed the provider response manipulation and confirmed that support providing responses lead to higher evaluations. The social support literature indicates that support strategies closely aligned with the components of consumer emotions will be the most effective. Results confirm, that this occurs at high levels of emotion intensity. Instrumental support that matched the well-defined problem oriented components of anger experiences tended to be more effective than emotion support. Instrumental support was also effective for anxious consumers, but a mixed support strategy that matched the occurrence of both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping in anxiety, tended to be more efficacious. Results are discussed in terms of the context specific nature of the components of emotion experience, and of the need to be cognizant of these components when designing provider response strategies.

This dissertation addresses the issues pertaining to composite products (CPs). CPs are defined as products formed by combining knowledge from two distinct domains, for example, digital cameras, which combine knowledge from digital products and cameras. The three research questions addressed in the dissertation are: (1) how is knowledge combined from two distinct domains of a CP, (2) how are CPs categorized vis-a-vis their two components, and (3) what brands, among those associated with one of the two domains, are preferred in CPs? The thesis here is that CPs can be construed as conceptual combinations---that is, a combination of two concepts, wherein one concept (the "modifier") modifies the knowledge associated with the other (the "header"). Employing the literature in psycholinguistics, two combinatorial processes---namely, property mapping and relation linking---were identified for combining knowledge in CPs. These processes lead to modifications in knowledge associated with the header of a CP (e.g., knowledge about cameras is modified in digital cameras). The extent of these modifications is measured by the proposed construct of modification centrality. As per this construct, modifications in features critical to the function of a header (i.e., central modifications) are perceived as more significant than those in non-critical features (i.e., non-central modifications). / Three experimental studies investigated the above research questions. These studies used 16 novel CPs that were created by combining two dissimilar concepts. Study 1 showed that subjects readily combined knowledge from two dissimilar domains, using property mapping or relation linking. In addition, the representation of these CPs varied along their modification centrality, even though the dissimilarity between the two combining domains was held constant. Study 2 showed that the categorization of CPs was contingent upon their similarity to the modifier and header categories. Study 3 showed that both modification centrality and the combinatorial process influenced the categorization and brand preferences in CPs. While CPs with non-central modifications (e.g., disposable cameras) were categorized as headers (i.e., cameras), and header-associated brands were preferred, those with central modifications (e.g., digital cameras) were categorized as both (i.e., digital product and camera), and the modifier brands (i.e., digital brands) gained equity.

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We live in an experience economy where a lot of value creation rests on the consumption of hedonic experiences. Today, such experiences are at the crux of many consumption choices. Hence, setting up an environment to foster positive hedonic consumption experiences is of high relevance and importance to consumers and marketers alike. To contribute to our understanding of how such experiences interact with the marketplace, this doctoral dissertation presents two essays on how consumption experiences can be elevated. The first essay proposes a novel theory of a particular mindset, the Consummatory Mindset, which contributes to the elevation of consumers’ enjoyment of hedonic experiences. In this essay, taking a grounded theory approach, I phenomenologically describe and conceptualize three fundamental pillars of the consummatory mindset: acceptance of the experience, mental readiness, and a felt permission to enjoy the experience. Subsequently, across three empirical studies, I experimentally manipulate two of these pillars and provide preliminary evidence in support of the mindset, demonstrating that this mindset may lead to an enhanced enjoyment of consumption experiences. In a second essay that complements the first, I investigate the psychological factors that elevate a hedonic consumption experience into one that is “special.” Given that all else being equal, marketplace experiences that consumers deem special are likely to be seen as more valuable, thereby creating greater customer value, it is in marketers’ interest to make certain consumption experiences special. In my second essay, across five studies, I synthesize insights from an analysis of numerous consumer informant narratives and depth interviews, a field survey, natural language processing of more than four million Yelp reviews, a pre-registered experimental test of the major pillars of special consumption experiences, and an experimental analysis of Instagram posts. The findings converge in identifying three main psychological pillars of what makes consumption experiences special, each with multiple facets: (a) uniqueness (defined by the rarity, novelty, personalization, exclusivity, surpassing of expectations, and ephemerality facets of the experience); (b) meaningfulness (based on the significance of the experience in relation to symbolic importance, relationships, identities, and personal transformations); and (c) authenticity (regarding perceived genuineness and realness, in light of the source, presentation, and prototypicality of the experience). The findings have substantive business implications for the engineering of hedonic consumption experiences.