The number of North Korean defectors in South Korea has reached 30,000, however, it has been reported that many of them still have adaptation problems. Research on adaptation of North Koreans to South Korean society has been approached mainly from social, economic, and psychological perspectives, and little research has been conducted on their adaptation in terms of lifestyle of North Koreans in South Korean society. Adaptation to daily life pattern in a new social-cultural environment may be examined in the context of acculturation. As a part of the daily life, we are focusing on North Korean defectors’ clothing behavior and how they use clothing as a strategic tool for their adaptation to South Korea. The results of this study may provide marketers the information needed to develop mobile applications to help the North Korean defectors adapt to South Korean fashion style. This research also examined the impact of fashion SNS and word-of-mouth communication as a means of identity formation. In depth interviews using snowball sampling were conducted with 10 North Korean defectors in their 20s and 40s who agreed to voluntarily participate in the research from December 2016 to February 2017. The findings from the interviews are as follows. First, according to Berry’s(1997) types of acculturation, North Korean defectors were classified based on the subjective aspects(e.g. clothing norms) and objective aspects(e.g. clothing purchase behavior) of their daily clothing behavior. The Integrators still tried to abide by the clothing norm acquired in North Korea, but at the same time accepted the clothing norms of South Korea and tried to change their personal ideal. In the objective aspects, their clothing styles still reflect North Korean fashion norms, yet they newly acquire norms regarding thin body ideals or skin care management in the South. They also showed the change of store preference and choices as they become adapted to South Korean culture. The second group, Assimilators show high degree of acceptance of South Korean culture. They regarded the sense of belonging to South Korean society and appearance management as important. Many of them played a role as a fashion adviser among their North Korean peers while they have formed and kept the social network with South Korean. Thirdly, Segregators are the people who try to maintain North Korean culture and try to segregate from the South Korean (host) culture. Defectors in this type still abided by the clothing norms they acquired while in North Korea, and had a negative viewpoint on the South Koreans' styles. They still preferred North Korean fashion style, and were familiar with using North Korean words for expressing terminology related to fashion. Finally, Marginalized group is the people who consider themselves being individual and independent self-standing entity with low degree of acceptance of South and North Korean culture. They sought to express their own individuality before and after defecting by creating their own style. This study may contribute to the understanding of adaptation process, not only of North Korean defectors, but also other immigrants to other countries.

Since 2008 to 2014 the operating margins of Chinese traditional retail industry went a sustained downward. Instead, the operating margins of online-store have been the sudden explosion. In this case which online-store sale the same products with traditional market, my research try to find out how to improve the state of traditional market since 92.5% practitioners of retail industry are doing their business in traditional market. Customer equity can estimate customer lifetime value for the company (Rust et al, 2004). The firm can make proper marketing strategy with customer equity. Customer equity can both satisfy consumers and make a profit for the company (Lemon et al., 2001).So we built a model to connect service quality and customer equity to study how to prove the competitive power of traditional market. In this paper we used customer satisfaction and brand attitude as mediating variables since Store brands have become an important contributor to retail differentiation and basis for building store loyalty (Dodd and Lindley, 2003) and in retail market customer equity varies with customer satisfaction( Pappu and Quester 2006). Considering that Chinese economic growth rate was slowing down, traditional market is being a priority for Chinese Government to relieve severe export pressure and employment pressure. In this research we would like to study the relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction and brand attitude and how they influence customer equity in traditional markets. For this purpose we built a model which composed by service quality, satisfaction brand attitude and customer equity and tested it. The survey was collected from traditional markets in China and South Korea and the data was analyzed by AMOS and SPSS.

Introduction The concentration of manufacturing factories in China signals a significant change in the global economy. Manufacturers in countries that are not price competitive feel a sense of crisis and use servitization in the manufacturing industry as a countermeasure. In particular, with the recent rapid development of IoT and AI, service methods are becoming faster and more diverse resulting in increased research on servitization. Vandermerwe and Rada (1988), who first mentioned the term servitization, define it as providing customer-focused products, services, support, self-service, and knowledge, all bundled together. Despite numerous studies on servitization few consider the customer’s perspective, although many consider the producer’s point of view. So far existing research only explored on how consumers accept value-in-use based on an accurate understanding of consumers' needs from the consumer perspective in servitization, based on expectation-confirmation theory. This study examines how customers accept servitization and links it to customer satisfaction. Literature review Servitization Ren and Gregory (2007) defined servitization as a strategic change in which manufacturing companies develop service-oriented or better services to satisfy customers, gain competitive advantage, and improve corporate performance. Raja et al. (2013) examined servitization to find the most important attributes of value-in-use for customers using servitized products and classified them into seven attributes. This study is based on the seven attributes identified by Raja et al. (2013). Perceived Usefulness, Confirmation, and Customer Satisfaction Bhattacharjee developed the Continuance Use Model based on the expectation-confirmation theory and conducted empirical studies for verification (2001b). Our study analyzes the correlation between customer acceptance process and customer satisfaction based on the Expectation-Confirmation model by Bhattacharjee (2001b). Research method We conducted surveys and analyzed the data of 50 Korean university students and members of the public using Smart Pay (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay etc.). The reliability of the questionnaire was verified by using the Cronbach’s alpha values and exploratory factor analysis. The seven variables of the value-in-use attributes of servitization identified by Raja et al. are as follows: relational dynamic, accessibility, range of product and service offering, knowledge, price, delivery, and locality. We measured three additional variables: perceived usefulness, confirmation, and customer satisfaction. Contributions Academic contribution This study provides a theoretical basis for examining the relationship between variables and the influence of the value-in-use attributes of servitization on customer acceptance and satisfaction. Practical contribution We present implications for customer satisfaction in the servitization process of manufacturing companies by explaining how customers accept the value-in-use attributes of servitization.

This study aims to examine how the mobile social network service experience affects value co-creation and customer lifetime value. The mobile social network service experience includes mobile convenience, social compatibility, social risk, and cognitive effort. The research hypotheses with structural equation modeling are tested. In mobile SNS context, value co-creation behaviors essentially determine customer lifetime value of mobile shopping apps. Value co-creation behaviors have received little attention in mobile shopping. The mobile SNS experience strongly influences value co-creation behaviors. This study is based on a sample of mobile SNS users nationwide in Korea. Therefore, the generalizability of the findings has to be tested. Furthermore, the study examines customer lifetime value, which is good sales predictor of mobile shopping apps. Moreover, the research model included the positive and negative determinants on mobile SNS experience. Future researches examine other use intentions of mobile SNS. Value co-creation behaviors substantially affect customer lifetime value. Mobile shopping apps should increase customer lifetime value from mobile SNS experience and value co-creation. This study shows how individual mobile SNS user provides mobile shopping apps with profit through value co-creation. This study is the first to examine how mobile SNS users enhance value co-creation and how value cocreation behaviors affect customer lifetime value of mobile SNS users.

Introduction For the past decade, luxury brands have become increasingly interested in portraying themselves as purveyors and curators of a “luxury lifestyle” (Dauriz & Tochtermann, 2013). Some of the world‟s largest fashion brands, for instance, have expanded their offerings to include lifestyle products and services such as housewares, furniture, fine dining, hotels, and private residences (e.g., Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta, Hermès) (Mellery-Pratt, 2014). Given that “lifestyle” is now one of the major buzzwords in luxury marketing (Dauriz & Tochtermann, 2013), it is useful to attempt to provide a solid theoretical perspective on this topic. The objective of this paper is to deepen our understanding of “luxury lifestyle” in a contemporary context. To do so, we first examine the existing definitions of lifestyle as a marketing concept. Next, we link the concept of lifestyle to customer segmentation and provide an integrative conceptual framework on lifestyle segments within luxury marketing. Finally, we highlight key insights and important lessons concerning luxury lifestyle segmentation for both theoretical and practical applications. Literature Review Multiple definitions of lifestyle exist in the literature. In this paper, we focus on the major accepted definitions. The concept of lifestyle was first introduced by Lazer (1964) in marketing research. According to his pioneering work, lifestyle is a distinctive mode of living, embodying the aggregative patterns that develop and emerge from the dynamics of living in a society. Building on this notion, Plummer (1974) specifically conceptualized lifestyle as a unique behavioral style of living that includes a wide range of activities (A), interests (I), and opinions (O). His AIO framework served as an important building block in the development of lifestyle scales as shown in Table 1. Table 1. A Summary of Lifestyle Scales Since the introduction of Rokeach Value Survey (Rokeach, 1973), the concept of lifestyle has been combined with personal values as exemplified in VALS (Mitchell, 1983). According to Schwartz (1994), values are one‟s desirable, relatively stable goals that serve as guiding principles in life. In other words, values contribute to the formation of a certain lifestyle (Gunter & Furnham, 1992) in that: (a) values are transsituational in nature influencing a wide range of behaviors across many different situations; and (b) individuals prioritize their world views based on their values varying in importance (Seligman et al., 1996). In the context of consumer behaviour, values are commonly regarded as the most deeply rooted, abstract consumer traits explaining how and why consumers behave as they do (Vincent & Selvarani, 2013). In line with this perspective, we thus conclude that luxury lifestyle is a multi-faceted construct focusing on a luxury consumer’s personal values manifested in the consumer’s activities, interests, and opinions. Conceptual Framework We propose a new framework of luxury lifestyle segmentation, including Conspicuous Emulators, “I-Am-Me” Uniqueness Seekers, Self-Driven Achievers, Hedonistic Experientials, and Societally Conscious Moralists, based on the review of related literature (e.g., Mitchell, 1983; Vigneron & Johnson, 2004; He, Zou, & Fin, 2010). The description of each segment and related firm strategies are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Lifestyle Segmentation Framework for Luxury Marketing Discussion and Implications Lifestyle is now the focal point for the marketing activities of most luxury firms (Dauriz & Tochtermann, 2013). In this study, we focused on the concept of lifestyle, one of the most compelling and widely used approaches to luxury market segmentation. Our conceptual framework built on the notion that luxury markets are heterogeneous, consistent with prior research describing the heterogeneity of luxury consumers (e.g., Vigneron & Johnson, 2004; He, Zou, & Fin, 2010). Since the 1960s, lifestyle has been viewed as a key marketing concept and has been the focus of a significant part of the market segmentation literature. The basic concept of lifestyle has not been greatly altered. Many of the fundamental approaches to lifestyle research are still valid today. The essence of the AIO approach outlined by Plummer (1974) is still evident in the work by Ko, Kim, and Kwon (2006) that defines a fashion lifestyle. Other advances in lifestyle research use personal value theories to specify different consumer segments. Despite the underlying stability of the basic concept of lifestyle, recent advances in digital communications and social media platforms and the trend toward globalization are introducing a discontinuous change to the adoption and implementation of segmentation strategies in luxury markets. Information technology has dramatically affected the nature of the communication and distribution options for luxury firms. As exemplified in specific industry examples in Table 2, consumers now interact with luxury firms through myriad touchpoints in multiple channels and media. These changes are altering the concept of luxury lifestyle segmentation. Thus, there is much room for additional research to strengthen the overall conceptualization of luxury lifestyle segmentation. One important topic involves the question of whether specific lifestyle segments prefer specific forms of touchpoints. For example, Hedonistic Experientials may prefer social media platforms whereas, for other segments, traditional vehicles such as print advertising and flagship stores may still remain crucial. Given a sizable and growing number of global luxury brands, another important issue for future research is to investigate whether the five lifestye segments conceptualized in this study can be empirically replicated on a global scale. We conclude that the concept of lifestyle segmentation, once adjusted to reflect the impact of the digital revolution and the globalization of luxury brands, has a great potential to advance both theory and practice in luxury marketing.

Driven by the ability to interconnect with key modern trends of healthcare and fitness, wearable devices are attracting significant level of interest from sports industry marketers. Wearable devices are the new electronic technology equipped with sensors, internet connections, processors, and operating systems and used external to the body, either attached as an accessory or embedded in clothes (Li, Wu, Gao, & Shi, 2016; Raskovic, Martin, & Jovanov, 2004; Yang, Yu, Zo, & Choi, 2016). As fully functional, self-contained electronics, wearable devices allow users to access information measured anytime and anywhere. According to ABI Research (2016), the global wearable device shipments will increase from 202 million in 2016 to more than 501 million by 2021. Specifically, market reports show that wearable fitness trackers have dominated the consumer market for wearable devices by accounting 85% of the wearable technology market in 2016 (International Data Corporation, 2016). A wrist-worn type of wearable fitness devices is the most popular but chest worn type, apparel, and other types (e.g., clip-on, ear-worn, etc.) of wearable devices are also used for fitness tracking. Wearable fitness devices analyze accumulated data of the users’ physical activity as well as provide the health and fitness status in real time. Studies on behavior change through wearable technology showed that feedback based on accurate and insightful analysis could lead long-term use of wearable devices (Fritz, Huang, Murphy, & Zimmermann, 2014; Patel, Asch, & Volpp, 2015). In this regards, smart applications linked to wearable fitness devices are widely used. As electronics IT products and services are recognized as an instance of fashion objects, many studies on the user acceptance of the products and services have focused on the importance of product design and visual attractiveness (Cyr, Head, & Ivanov, 2006; Tzou & Lu, 2007). However, little research has been done on user acceptance and behaviors of wearable fitness devices and smart applications linked to the devices focusing on the effect of the design aesthetics. Thus, the current study seeks to better understand the relationship between design aesthetics and the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment. In addition, this study seeks to explore the synergistic effect of visual attractiveness of the smart applications linked to them on adoption process of wearable fitness devices and the related services. The definition of fashion is “a way of behaving that is temporarily adopted by a discernible proportion of members of a social group because that chosen behavior is perceived to be socially appropriate for the time and situation (Tzou & Lu, 2009, p. 312- 313).” A fashion object has some unique characteristics including styling, aesthetics, ego gratification, etc. and is perceived to be newer, more novel, more aesthetic or even more attractive than other choices (Tzou & Lu, 2009, p. 313). As iPhone and iWatch have changed the market trends of IT products and services, it is significant that consumer electronics products with visually attractive design are more likely dominate the market and consumers’ willingness to pay is high. As a fashion technology, the most popular type of wearable fitness devices is a bracelet that users can wear on their wrist. Users wear fitness devices 24/7 to track their physical activity to gain information for healthcare and fitness practice. Specifically, wearable fitness devices track physical activity, such as workout time and intensity, steps taken, calories burned, and even sleep patterns. By quantifying users’ behaviors, the devices can educate and motivate individuals to improve their health and fitness practices (Patel et al., 2015). Considering IT products as fashion technology, many studies on user acceptance of new technology show the importance of product design and attractiveness. Researchers found that the sensory experience of information technology as well as physical electronics products determined users’ perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment (Childers et al., 2001; Cyr et al., 2006; van der Hdijden, 2003). However, few studies have tested the effect of aesthetics factor on the wearable fitness device adoption process. Thus, this study defines design aesthetics as an aesthetic product design expressed through shapes, colors, and materials and user interfaces of wearable fitness devices (Yang et al., 2016) and examines the effect of design aesthetics on ergonomic conceptions such as perceived usefulness and ease of use and an emotional factor, perceived enjoyment. In addition, this study focuses on the synergistic effect of design aesthetics of a smart application linked to a wearable fitness device which can motivate use of the device by providing the users more insightful information. The devices collect users’ physical activity data 24/7 and transfer the data to a smart application linked to them, either through wireless Bluetooth syncing or plugging the device into users’ smartphone or PC. Then, the application provides useful feedback by informing the users their goals, progress, and the results of activity. Visual attractiveness of a wearable device defined by Yang et al. (2016) included an aesthetic product design expressed through the wearable device as well as through mobile applications linked to the device. However, the function and presentation of a wearable device itself and a smart application linked to the device are different. Simply, the wearable device is a hardware and the smart application is a software. To fully understand the role of a wearable fitness device which is physically presented on users’ body and a smart application linked to the device which requires more information visualization, this study examines the effects of design aesthetics of a wearable fitness device and the smart application linked to the device separately on the model of wearable fitness device and service acceptance. Introduced by Davis (1989), the TAM provides a framework for understanding the likelihood that individuals will adopt a new technology. The TAM postulates that two key factors predict a technological acceptance: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Defined as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her performance (Davis, 1989, p. 320)”, perceived usefulness describes the value users believe they could find in a wearable fitness device. Meanwhile, perceived ease of use is “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort (Davis, 1989, p. 320).” According to the model, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use combined to develop behavioral intentions which in turn lead to the adoption of a technology (Davis, Warshaw, & Bagozzi, 1992, p. 660). Regarding IT products and services adoption, researchers consistently found the positive relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention to adopt a new form of technology. Zaremohzzabieh et al. (2015) found a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention to adopt a new form of information communication technology. Lunney, Cunningham, and Eastin (2016) examined factors affecting the adoption of wearable fitness trackers found that perceived usefulness was the key factor that influenced attitude and use. Furthermore, perceived ease of use was a direct determinant of usage behavior. Researchers have agreed that perceived ease of use also a key determinant of intention to use technology (Bhattacheijee & Hikmet, 2008; Lunney et al., 2016; Tzou & Lu, 2009; van der Heijden, 2003). In addition to the original TAM model, researchers have enhanced the model by including a hedonic component of enjoyment in the adoption of IT products and services (Childers, Carr, & Carson, 2001; Cyr et al., 2006; Dabholkar & Bagozzi, 2002). Davis et al. (1992) included perceived enjoyment in TAM defining it as “the extent to which the activity of using the computer is perceived to be enjoyable in its own right, apart from any performance consequences that may be anticipated (p.1113).” Researchers found the positive relationship between perceived enjoyment and use of technology (Cyr et al., 2006; Teo, Lim, & Lai, 1999; van der Heijden, 2003).This study investigates the antecedents, moderator and consequences of wearable fitness device and service acceptance considering them as fashion technology. With empirical analysis, the results will provide interesting insights and suggestions. First, findings will show the effect of design aesthetics on ergonomic conceptions (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and an emotional factor (i.e., perceived enjoyment). This indicates that IT products are not purely results of engineering advances but be recognized as an instance of fashion objects (Tzou & Lu, 2009). Second, this study focuses on the synergistic effect of design aesthetics of smart application linked to a wearable fitness device which can motivate use of the device by providing the users more insightful information. Findings in the analysis of the effect of design aesthetics of the application and its adoption will provide deeper understanding on users’ wearable fitness device adoption by indicating overall service jointly influences users’ behavior. This study will provide useful insights and evidences to sports marketing managers how consumers make choices, how manufacturers should design services as well as hardware parts in the future.

ABSTRACT The growth of the social platform has led to a rapid increase in sustainable value cocreation activities with customers in order to know what a customer wants. In this study, we have studied about co-creation experience in social platform service. Previous prior studies have systematically classify co-creation between customer and enterprise as co-product and value-in-use, Conceptual factors. The co-creation and value-in-use factors theoretically derived from previous researches attempt to investigate the relationship between value co-creation experience and online service quality. We also tried to investigate the relationship between value co-creation experience and online service quality, customer equity, and online word of mouth. To do this, social platform services are divided into open sns and closed sns. Open SNS was targeted to Facebook, Twitter, and Pintrest users. Closed sns were targeted to Instagram, Cyworld, Band, and KakaoTalk users. In this study, it was confirmed that the relationship between online service quality, customer equity, and online word of mouth is significant through value co - creation experience. In the future, companies that design social platforms will be asked to do what they should do to co-create with customers, and provide suggestions for how to operate the platform in order to continuously activate value co-creative experiences.

The fashion products are believed that reinforce the inequities, exploit workers, spur resource use, increase environmental impact, and generate waste. Sustainability has been recognized as a major concern worldwide, and this also increases considerations regarding the challenges to business need to be faced in the fashion industry. When the fashion industry aims to promote sustainability, the main change factors have been linked to environmental and ethical issues in production. This paper aims to exploring an index for measuring sustainable performance of fashion company based on customer’s perception. The index measurement system is built from the basic dimensions of sustainability: economic, environment and social and the key influencing items in fashion industry: culture. Culture acts an important role in fashion consumption since it gives effects to customer’s behaviou and customer self-identity. Based on these four dimensions the this study designs a model related with customer’s perception and expectation to measure the evaluation of fashion company’s sustainable performance. Based on the result of index this paper studies how the customer’s evaluation upon sustainable performance works on customer’s loyalty. This index is designed for evaluating the sustainable performance of fashion company and give a direction to the managers in fashion industry that what the advantage is and weakness is in the sustainability strategy. It is efficiency for the managers to improve the sustainability strategy to match customer’s needs for engaging long-term benefit from fashion customers.

In consideration of the existing eco-friendly marketing research, it is only focusing on the type and characteristics of eco- friendly consumers. Therefore, in order to carry out more systematic and comprehensive eco-friendly marketing research, it is necessary to complement the comprehensive model that examines the mechanism by which the leading variables of the enterprises factors affecting consumer’s eco-friendly consumption behaviors. In this research, based on previous studies and literature considerations, it tries to present a research model that the core benefits and relational benefits of the retail store which is the advantage of VMD affect eco-friendly consumption behavior through consumer's implicit and explicit motivation. And, considering the environment, this study assumes the regulatory role of the perceived risk on the environmental problems under the relationship between green consumption motive and consumption behavior. The purpose of this research is as follows. First, it clarifies the influence of the benefits of eco-friendly VMD in fashion retail stores on the eco-friendly consumption motive, which is a psychological factor of consumers, as a leading variable of corporate factors affecting consumers’ green consumption behavior. The core benefits and relational benefits provided by eco-friendly VMD will identify differentiated impacts on consumer motivation, which is a psychological factor that drives green consumption behavior. Second, the types of motivations that cause eco-friendly behavior are classified into explicit motivation and implicit motivation, and this study tries to find out which type of motivation better predicts eco-friendly consumption behavior. Third, it tries to verify the moderating role of environmental perceived risk in the relationship between explicit motivation, implicit motivation and green consumption behavior. By further organizing the theme of eco-friendly marketing research, this study has its academic significance in that it derives a comprehensive model, moderating consumers’ green consumption behavior regarding eco-friendly marketing stimulates. It reveals the mechanisms that affect green consumption behavior backed by fashion retail stores where consumer buying behavior actually takes place. Based on this research, it is expected that subsequent studies of a more fragmented viewpoint for fashion retail stores’ eco-friendly marketing will be developed that will give consideration to consumers' green consumption behavior. Practically, the results of this research can be utilized very conveniently. In a practical dimension, if it becomes possible to thoroughly understand the mechanism by which eco-friendly VMD stimulation leads to green consumption behavior, retailers are possible to formulate an environmental marketing strategy peculiar to the target market segment. From a socio-policy perspective, retailers can encourage consumers' eco-friendly consumption by giving a stimulus of VMD to them. Moreover this study will promote companies to develop and manage healthier and more sustainable products.

Internet technology now allows products and services to be purchased through online or mobile shopping. Many firms open online and mobile stores or establish social network services to meet changing customer desires. Despite the convenience of online shopping, customers are often uncertain about product quality because they cannot see or touch products. Consequently, firms may use various certifications that assure product quality such as KC in the Republic of Korea, CE in Europe, and UL in the United States. In addition, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned that the fashion industry presents threats to the environment and well-being. In response, fashion manufacturers are turning to the use of organic, eco-friendly, sustainable fabrics. Most studies about organic manufacturing have focused on the food industry, but we contend that clothing is similar to the organic food industry in the importance of certification that guarantees whether products are produced organically. In this study, we focus on how consumers rely on certification when they search for information and purchase organic clothes for infants. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our results.

Emotional sharing of brand has a power of connecting brand and consumer brand and consumer by transcending rational reason.

Social media play a role in the value that sneakerheads, individuals who collect, wear, and trade sneakers with extraordinary effort and resources, place on specific brands and models of sneakers. In-depth interviews with 25 sneakerheads, recruited through sneakerhead online communities and snow-ball sampling, were conducted to explore how social media contribute to emotional and monetary value creation of sneakers, as well as how social media is used across the Inventory Ownership Cycle (IOC) which includes pre-acquisition, acquisition, physical possession, and disposal of sneakers (Boyd & Mcconocha, 1996). Finding shows that during the pre-acquisition stage, emotional and monetary value is constructed when brands post images of celebrities wearing new models on various social media sites. Hype initially created by the brand is perpetuated by posts and conversations among sneakersheads. Perceived higher levels of hype lead one to believe demand surpasses supply, and therefore, monetary values of specific models increase. Through social media, consumers research and gauge the value not only of soon to be released sneakers, but also previously released sneakers only available on the resale market. During the acquisition stage, the online environment has become increasingly important. To avoid issues associated with selling high-demand/low-supply sneakers in- store, such as violent incidents and dishonest employees, many retailers have shifted sales of such product to online formats (Dunne, 2014). Social media serves as a platform for sneakerheads to learn about dates and locations of new releases and to locate resellers from whom they can purchase previously released sneakers. During the physical possession stage, sneakerheads engage with community members via social media; they show off their sneaker collections, as well as to obtain and share information regarding sneaker customization and maintenance to preserve aesthetics and value. It is through the engagement with fellow sneakerheads and the sneakers within their personal collections that emotional value can be further constructed. During the disposal stage, social media is used by resellers to determine monetary value, identify and communicate with potential buyers across the nation, and complete resale transactions. In summary, this research demonstrates how sneakerheads use social media throughout the IOC, as well as the role social media plays in the construction and identification of sneaker value.

The present research examines how a CEO exposed to the public through social media (e.g., Facebook) influences the trustworthiness of the CEO and his/her firm. In particular, we focus on and measure the consistency of a CEO’s fashion style across different occasions, and test the impact of the ‘fashion’ consistency on respondents’ perception on the CEO’s trustworthiness. Based on the previous literature on impression management, we define the consistency of a CEO’s fashion style as how similar (rather than different) the style of his/her clothes across multiple media exposures. We then manipulate the similarity of a CEO’s fashion style, which is the focal independent variable, and measure the subjects’ trust toward the CEO, which is the focal dependent variable. Study 1 is a scenario-based study in which participants read the description of either a fashion-consistent or -inconsistent CEO, and indicated the CEO’s perceived trustworthiness. We find that perceived trust is higher for the fashion-consistent CEO. Study 2 is an experiment in which participants read four news articles of a CEO featured on a social media (i.e., Facebook). Unbeknown to participants, fashion consistency was manipulated such that half of participants saw the news on a fashion-consistent CEO whereas the other half saw the news on a fashion-inconsistent CEO. Interestingly, the interaction between CEO gender and fashion consistency becomes significant, suggesting that for a male CEO, fashion consistency increased trust whereas for a female CEO, fashion inconsistency increased trust. The present research complements to the literature on the roles of fashion of employees including top managers on impression management. We also discuss other interesting and important implications of the results on the mechanism of the ‘fashion consistency’ effects.

Despite the growing trend of incorporating ethnic motifs, colors, and styles (i.e., ethnic-inspired designs (EIDs)) into mainstream fashion products in the US, there is yet a lack of understanding on what drives consumers to demand such products with EIDs. Although extant literature provides important insights as to what motivates consumers to favor EIDs, much of the studies have focused on the products’ appeals to particular ethnic groups with matching their cultural backgrounds. Less is understood on the core self-centric values mainstream consumers reflect into EIDs and the personal goal-pursuit they project by wearing them. We address this issue. Building upon Image Theory (Beach & Mitchell, 1987), our findings document that consumers’ purchase intent toward products with EIDs is more fundamentally driven by their aspirations to boost their self-view confidence by wearing EIDs (i.e., self-enhancement), which are guided by their core self-values that are represented by two personal values (i.e., cultural openness and seeking personal style) and two product values (i.e., perceived esthetics and perceived novelty).

Not all celebrity endorsements have been successful on social media. However, our understanding of the effectiveness of luxury brand celebrity endorsement advertising are limited. On the basis of Self-Congruity Theory (Sirgy, 1985), Meaning-Transfer Model (McCracken, 1989), and Match-Up Hypothesis (Kamins, 1990; Kamins & Cupta, 1994), this study investigates whether three components of image congruity (i.e., brand-celebrity, brand-self, celebrity-self) would influence brand attitudes, ad attitudes, and self-brand connection, and subsequently, influence consumer engagement and purchase intentions. This study also tests the moderating role of consumer type (followers vs. unfollowers of the social media brand page) in these relationships. After conducting a series of pretests to select a focal brand and celebrities, responses from 219 US female adults were used to data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling showed that brand-celebrity congruity was positively related to ad attitudes and brand attitudes. Brand-self congruity was positively related to ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and self-brand connection. Self-celebrity congruity was positively related to ad attitudes and self-brand connection but was negatively related to brand attitudes. Ad attitudes were positively related to brand attitudes and engagement intentions but were not related to purchase intentions. Brand attitudes were positively related to engagement intentions and purchase intentions. Self-brand connection was positively related to engagement intentions, and engagement intentions were positively related to purchase intentions. Finally, the results of a multi-group analysis showed that for unfollowers (n=125), ad attitudes were positively related to engagement intentions but brand attitudes were not. On the contrary, for followers (n=94), brand attitudes were positively related to engagement intentions but ad attitudes were not. This study highlights that self-brand connection is the key to cultivating consumer engagement on social media, along with the consumer’s positive attitudes toward the celebrity endorsement ad and the brand per se. If luxury brands wish to interact with their followers and increase their engagement, they need to focus their efforts on improving brand attitudes and self-brand connection through their brand pages. Our findings suggest that celebrity endorsed advertising contributes to creating self-brand relationships (Dwivedi et al., 2016) but it should be considered as a long-term investment.

This study addresses how agency costs influence the sustainability of different types of corporate governance. The luxury fashion brand could spend large sums of money on maintenance of magnificent brand image, thereby increasing the agency cost. On the contrary, the brand may hold down wasteful spending to report a gaudily financial achievement. Agency costs are defined either to vertical costs arising from the relationship between stockholders and managers, or to horizontal costs associated with the potential conflicts between majority and minority stockholders. Agency costs are measured by the value of the principal component. The study conducted regression analysis of each agency cost index, luxury fashion brand dummy and a set of control variables. The findings show that the agency costs of the firms with luxury fashion brand exceed those of control group.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the interrelationships among customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, and switching costs as antecedents of customer loyalty in business-to-business (B2B) contexts. Customer loyalty influences firms’ performance as a key source of competitive advantage. Customer loyalty is essential in B2B contexts, although many studies of customer loyalty have focused on the business-to-consumer (B2C) context. Recently, the use of robotics in the industrial marketing environment has become increasingly prevalent. Given the prevalence of robotics in B2B contexts and the importance of customer loyalty, this study investigates the impacts of robotics in industrial marketing relationships, customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, and switching costs on enhancing customer loyalty.

This research was conducted in order to examine whether the type of credit card (premier vs. standard card) influences consumer purchase decisions regarding luxury consumption. The present research reports three experiments with online panels of non-student adults, which find that (1) the use of a premier card (vs. a standard card) leads to a more goal-congruent choices, (2) the effect is mediated by a temporary increase in the perception of pride, and (3) the effect is pronounced for people with a low level of chronic pride. The effect of payment methods on consumer spending has been a concern of theory and research in consumer behavior (Bernthal, Crockett, & Rose, 2005; Feinberg, 1986; Prelec & Lowenstein, 1998; Soman, 2001). This research stream has shown that consumers tend to spend more when they use a credit card than when they pay cash and has proposed various theoretical mechanisms to account for the phenomenon (Chatterjee & Rose, 2012; Prelec & Simester, 2001; Soman, 2001; Thomas, et al., 2011). However, researchers have paid little attention to the effect of different types of credit cards (i.e., premier vs. standard card) on consumer decisions. We contend that the use of a premier card (vs. a standard card) can increase the feeling of pride momentarily and in turn increase consumers’ motivation to pursue a long-term goal that they value. As a result, they prefer a choice alternative that is more congruent with the goal. To be specific, the use of a premier card would increase the choice of luxury alternative, and that this effect would be pronounced for those who value material possessions (i.e., high materialism). This expectation was confirmed in the studies that we have performed. In three experiments, participants were shown a credit card(either premier or standard) and were asked to assume that they were going to use it for their purchase. Then, they were asked to make choices in shopping contexts. Participants with premier credit card, compared to those with standard card, showed more goal-consistent choices. They were more likely to choose luxury alternatives, and this effect was apparent only for those who have a high materialistic value. When the choice set includes both a low-calorie food and a high-calorie food, the use of a premier card increased the choice of low-calorie food, and this effect was apparent only for those with diet goal. These effects were mediated by the feeling of pride. Three studies in combination provide insights into the effect of types of credit cards on consumer spending regarding luxury consumption and the processes underlying the effect, which have not been reported elsewhere. The use of a premier credit card (vs. a standard credit card) led to a greater choice of luxury alternatives over standard alternatives and a greater choice of low-calorie foods over high-calorie foods. However, these effects were apparent only when people highly valued the goal under consideration (i.e., high materialism or strong diet goal). Finally, these effects were attributable to a momentary increase in the perception of pride by virtue of the use of a premier card, and consequently, the effects were observable only for people who have a relatively low chronic pride. The effects we observed in this research generalized over different product categories and different long-term goals. Nevertheless, it is desirable to extend findings in more diverse consumption categories (e.g., services) as well as to identify additional variables that moderate the magnitude of the effect. In addition, it is worth considering alternative underlying mechanisms than the one we considered (i.e., the feeling of pride) in future research. For example, a premier card may increase individuals’ construal level, thereby affecting consumer purchase decisions.

Individual safety is a fundamental concern. People generally try to avoid danger or mishaps in the workplace, and to consider safety as a primary condition for satisfactory employment and agreeable shopping experiences. Organizations can assure that workers, clients, the public, and the environment perceive that they are in safe environments by providing highly secure services. Secure working environments and safety-focused human resource environments are essential antecedents to safe performance and outcomes. Dangerous workplace environments cause employees to feel stress and anxiety. Thus their performance decreases and accidents and injuries increase. Workplace safety is the most important factor influencing service and performance, especially for allowing frontline salespersons to focus on providing customer satisfaction. In this study of workplace safety, we apply the service quality dimension to examine its relationship with employee perceptions of job satisfaction and their related job performance. We discuss theoretical and practical implications based on the results.

Social media marketing offers a vast array of opportunities for fashion brands to engage with their core customers and the broader digital audience. However, they still struggle with the question of which specific strategies can be successfully applied to enhance the effectiveness social media marketing (Rampton, 2014). This study investigates how a luxury brand’ social media brand page satisfaction and brand love are positively related to desired marketing outcomes (i.e., word-of-mouth and loyalty intentions toward the luxury brand). On the basis of Customer Value Theory (Sweeny & Soutar, 2001) and Brand Love Theory (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006), this study developed and tested a dual impact model encompassing both brand page value (i.e., information, financial, brand interaction, social interaction, and entertainment value) and brand value (i.e., inner self-and social self-expressive value). Usable responses from 290 U.S. consumers following at least one luxury brand on social media were used for data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling showed that information, brand interaction, and entertainment values were positively related to brand page satisfaction while financial and social interaction values were not. In addition, inner self-and social self-expressive brand values were positively related to brand love. In addition, brand page satisfaction was positively related to WOM intentions but was not related to loyalty intentions whereas brand love was positively related to both WOM and loyalty intentions. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that brand page satisfaction fully mediated the influences of information, brand interaction, and entertainment values on WOM intentions. In addition, brand love fully mediated the influences of social self-expressive value on WOM and loyalty intentions. Our study suggests that social media brand pages providing unique value propositions can reap benefits in terms of enhanced brand page satisfaction, highlighting the crucial role of “content excellence” in social media marketing (Holt, 2016). Our findings also show that brand followers tend to love a particular luxury brand when the brand helps express their self and when the symbolic meaning of the brand is integrated into their own self-identity. Thus, one of the roles of social media marketing is in elucidating brand followers how to express their inner states guided by the desire to signal their self-identity not to others but to themselves (Berger & Heath, 2017).