Scant research on food advertising and purchase decisions has examined the moderating role of social constructs such as power. In this research, I investigate how consumers’ sense of power influences the persuasiveness of message assertiveness in food advertising. The agentic–communal framework of sense of power and findings suggests that high-power individuals are more likely to adopt and be receptive to strong, competent information and communication strategies than low-power individuals in interpersonal communication. In this research, I propose a new theoretical framework that predicts how message recipients’ sense of power enables or weakens the persuasiveness of the assertive message such as, “You must buy [the name of the advertised food].” More specifically, I looked at the likelihood of purchasing ‘vice’ versus ‘virtue' foods after viewing the ad. I argue that for high-power individuals, an assertive tone in the food ads would increase the purchase of a vice food and decrease the purchase intent of a virtue food. However, for low-power individuals, an assertive tone in the food ads would decrease the purchase of a vice food but increase the purchase intent of a virtue food. Low power is less congruent with assertive messages but more congruent with non-assertive messages. Across three studies, I provide empirical support for the predictions and the congruence mechanism. The results show that high-power consumers process assertive messages more fluently than non-assertive messages. Low-power consumers process assertive messages less fluently than non-assertive messages. Processing fluency increases the relative focus on tastiness in food evaluation, but process dis-fluency increases the relative focus on healthiness in food evaluation. The findings of this research have important implications for developing effective marketing communications and promoting healthy eating.

Denna uppsats är en kvantitativ studie som haft som syfte att undersöka vad som bäst predicerar arbetstillfredsställelse. De variabler som har mätts som eventuella prediktorer är; sociometrisk status enligt sociometerteorin, socioekonomisk status, personlig känsla av makt samt personlighetsdraget extraversion. Urvalet bestod av (N=128) deltagare som alla var anställda av ett medelstort företag. Denna studie har utgått från en liknande studie The Local-Ladder Effect: Social Status and Subjective Well-Being (Anderson, Kraus, Galinsky & Keltner, 2012) som handlade om subjektivt välbefinnande och sociometrisk status. Arbetstillfredsställelse mättes enligt MSQ (Minnesota satisfaction questionnarie). Sociometrisk status och personlig känsla av makt mättes enligt liknande påståenden som Anderson, Kraus et al. (2012) använt, vilka beskrivs närmre i metoddelen. Socioekonomisk status mättes utifrån inkomst samt utbildningsbakgrund. Personlighetsdraget extraversion mättes med frågor ur personlighets-testet IPIP. Frågeställningenlyder; vad predicerar arbetstillfredsställelse bäst: socioekonomisk-eller sociometrisk status? Även vad personlighetsdraget extraversion spelar för roll som prediktor till arbetstillfredsställelse var en fråga som ställdes. Hypotesenformulerades att utifrån sociometerteorin prediceras arbetstillfredsställelse i större utsträckning än inkomst/socioekonomisk status. De insamlade svaren från enkätundersökningen bearbetades i SPSS version 22 genom en multipel regressionsanalys samt korrelationsanalyser. Endast personlig känsla av makt ficksignifikant stöd i regressionsanalysen då samtliga variabler fanns med som prediktorer, men efter en medieringsanalys fick vi stöd för att sociometrisk status predicerar arbetstillfredsställelse via personlig känsla av makt. Resultatet från regressionsanalysen (modell Enter)visade att personlig känsla av makt var den starkaste prediktorn av arbetstillfredsställelse (β=.50, p< .05) Korrelationen visade samma riktning. Den starkaste korrelationen fanns mellan arbetstillfredsställelse och variabeln personlig känsla av makt som delvis förklarar sociometrisk status(r=.57, p<.05). / This is a quantative study that aims to examine differentfactors effecting job satisfaction. Thevariables measured as potential predictors are; sociometric status in accordance to sociometer theory, socioeconomic status, personal sense of power and the personality trait extraversion. The data consists of (N= 128) participantsemployed by a medium sized company. This study is based on a similar studyThe Local-Ladder Effect: Social Status and Subjective Well-Being (Anderson, Kraus, Galinsky & Keltner, 2012) which studies Subjective Well-Being and sociometric status. Job satisfactionwas measured by the MSQ (Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire). Sociometric status and personal sense of power weremeasured according to similar claims by Anderson, Kraus et al. (2012), further described in detail in the methodssection. Socioeconomic status wasmeasured based on income and educational background. The personality trait extraversion wasmeasured with questions from the personality test IPIP. The question being asked is; what predicts job satisfaction-socioeconomic-or sociometric status? Also what rolethe personality trait extraversion plays as a predictor was a question in this study. The hypothesis is formulated on the basis that the sociometer theory isa better predictor of job satisfactionthan income/socioeconomic statusis. The collected responses from the survey were processed and analyzed in SPSS version 22 through a multiple regression analysis and correlation analyzes. Only personal sense of powerreceived significant support in the regression analysis when all variables were included as predictors, but after a mediation analysis, we received support for sociometric status as a predictor ofjob satisfaction throughpersonal sense of power. The results of the regression analysis (model Enter) showed that personal sense of power was the best predictor of job satisfaction(β =.50, p< .05). Correlationsshowed the same way. The strongest correlation was found between job satisfaction and personal sense of power,which partly explains sociometric status(r =.57, p <.05).

L’intérêt quant à l'habilitation des employés persiste étant donné les nombreux avantages associés à un personnel habilité. Les recherches empiriques démontrent que les employés psychologiquement habilités sont plus performants (Ahearne et al., 2005), s'engagent à des comportements extra- roles (Den Hartog & De Hoogh, 2009; Raub & Robert, 2010), sont plus satisfaits (Vecchio et al., 2010), sont plus intrinsèquement motivés (Chen et al., 2011; Zhang & Bartol, 2010), et sont plus engagés envers leur travail (Hassan et al., 2012; Konczak et al., 2000; Mare, 2007; Tuckey et al., 2012). Malgré les résultats positifs de l’habilitation des employés, les interventions ne parviennent pas à atteindre les résultats attendus. De plus, rares sont les recherches qui examinent l’habilitation du point de vue des leaders. Donc, employant la perspective des leaders, cette étude tente de combler cette lacune en élucidant les facteurs qui contribuent à mieux comprendre pourquoi certains dirigeants habilitent les employés tandis que d’autres ne le font pas. À cette fin, les facteurs relationnels et de personnalité des leaders, ainsi que contextuels au travail et leur relation avec les practiques d’habilitation ont été examinés sur un échantillon de dirigeants au sein de sept ministères gouvernementales d'une province canadienne. Il a été constaté que plus le leader se définit par un concept de soi inclusive dans ses relations au travail, plus il/elle a tendance à habiliter ses subordonnés. Les attributs de personnalité, soit de l'honnêteté-humilité (positivement), d’identité morale (positivement) et le désir de dominer (négativement) ont également servi à prédire le comportement d'habilitation du leader. L'insécurité positionnelle s’est avéré prévoir négativement les comportements d’habilitation des leaders. En outre, il a été constaté que les dirigeants avec un sens de pouvoir plus élevé sont plus susceptibles d’habiliter leurs employés, contrairement à ce que prédit la littérature sur le pouvoir, perçu comme une force corruptrice (Kipnis, 1972; Maner & Mead, 2007). À l'inverse aux attentes, le trait d’implication de la culture organisationnelle s'est avéré non lié au comportement d’habilitation des leaders. Cette constatation correspond aux recherches sur le pouvoir et sa suppression des influences contextuels en faveur des traits internes du leader (Galinsky et al., 2003). En effet, le sentiment de puissance et le concept de soi collectif sont apparus comme les deux variables étudiés les plus importantes pour prédire le comportement d’habilitation des leaders. Cette étude a des implications considérables pour le domaine du leadership. Pour une main d’oeuvre plus habilitée, il est recommandé que les programmes de leadership tentent à développer un concept de soi plus inclusive chez leurs leaders, pour ensuite leur céder accès au pouvoir. / Interest in employee empowerment persists given the wide range of positive individual and organizational outcomes associated with an empowered workforce. Psychologically empowered employees perform better (Ahearne et al., 2005), undertake extra-role behaviour (Den Hartog & De Hoogh, 2009; Raub & Robert, 2010), are more satisfied (Vecchio et al., 2010), are more intrinsically motivated (Chen et al., 2011; Zhang & Bartol, 2010), are more committed (Hassan et al., 2012; Konczak et al., 2000; Mare, 2007), and are more engaged (Tuckey et al., 2012). Despite these positive outcomes communicated to leaders, interventions fail to reach the expected results. Yet, existing research rarely examine empowerment from the view of the leader. This study attempts to fill this gap by elucidating on factors that contribute to our understanding of why certain leaders empower whereas others don’t. To that end, relational, personality and situational variables and their relationship with leader empowering behaviour were examined on a sample of leaders within seven ministries of a Canadian provincial government. It was found that the more inclusive the leader self-defines in his/her relationships at work, the more likely he/she is to empower subordinates. The personality attributes of honesty-humility (positively), moral identity (positively), and desire for dominance (negatively) were also found to be associated to leader empowering behaviour. Positional insecurity was found to negatively predict leader empowering behaviour. Furthermore, results reveal that leaders with a higher sense of power are more likely to empower, in divergence with the literature on power as a corrupting force (Kipnis, 1972; Maner & Mead, 2007). Also, contrary to expectation, the involvement trait of organizational culture was found to be unrelated to leader empowering behaviour. This finding is consistent with the research on power and it’s suppressing of contextual influences in favour of more internal traits to the leader (Galinsky et al., 2003). Leader sense of power and collective self-concept emerged as the two most important variables predicting leader empowering behaviour. This study has significant implications for the field of leadership. For a more empowering organization, it is recommended that leadership programs work to develop a more inclusive self-concept in their leaders, following which, they can be entrusted with more power.