This article extends the literature on consumers' responses to green claims and their intentions to buy green products. We used an experimental approach based on three complementary studies. The ...first compares the effects of two claims regarding different levels of a company's environmental commitment. The second examines whether consumers can recognize exaggerated claims. The third analyzes consumers' perceptions of a company's environmental commitment and intentions to buy the advertised product when an institutional methodology is used to substantiate the message. Surveys were administered online in January 2020 to samples of the Italian population aged 18 to 75. The results suggest that consumers positively perceive the commitment that lies behind all the conditions tested, strongly influencing intentions to buy. However, consumers have either little or no understanding of differences among green claims and are also easily deceived by exaggerated claims (such as "zero impact"). Using multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM), we highlight the important role of education. Consumers with a higher level of education are more receptive to claims that imply a higher commitment and appreciate the presence of an institutional methodology as a credibility signal. However, even highly educated consumers are likely to be deceived by exaggerated claims.
Economic journalism is dependent on journalists working closely with expert sources to produce factual and nonpartisan news and analyses about economic policy. Thus, the experts routinely used in ...economic journalism wield power when defining the economic reality and the possibilities for policy-making. Building on 19 semi-structured interviews with Finnish economic and political journalists and a questionnaire survey conducted among journalists (N = 42), this article contributes to the existing literature on journalism practice and economic expertise by analysing how journalists perceive the credibility of various economic experts. The article draws from literature on the "hierarchy of credibility" concept and argues that journalists regard experts working for government authorities and research institutes as more credible than economic experts employed by, for example, private banks. The article argues that while a "hierarchy of credibility" exists among economic expert groups, it is difficult to make clear-cut demarcations between objective expertise and advocacy in economic journalism. Such results highlight the need for nuanced analyses on the role of economic expertise in journalism practice and in public life.
Research shows that people prefer self-consistent over self-discrepant feedback—the self-verification effect. It is not clear, however, whether the effect stems from striving for self-verification or ...from the preference for subjectively accurate information. We argue that people prefer self-verifying feedback because they find it to be more accurate than self-discrepant feedback. We thus experimentally manipulated feedback credibility by providing information on its source: a student (control condition) or an experienced psychologist (experimental condition). In line with our expectations, the results of two preregistered studies with 342 adults showed that people preferred self-verifying feedback only in the control condition. In the experimental condition, the effect disappeared (or reversed, in Study 1). Study 2 showed that individual differences in credibility (epistemic authority) ascribed to the self and to psychologists matter as well. These findings suggest that feedback credibility, rather than the desire for self-verification, often drives the self-verification effect.
•TAM factors proved more salient in determining online travellers’ acceptance of CGM.•Source credibility factors effectively captured variations in perceived usefulness and attitudes unaccounted for ...by TAM.•Effect of trustworthiness on usage intention was mediated by attitude and usefulness.•Results highlight the critical role of ease of use perception in CGM contexts.•Findings demonstrate that source credibility factors are antecedents of CGM usefulness.
Despite the rising influence of social media, the use of consumer-generated media (CGM) for the task of travel planning still meets with scepticism among certain online travel consumers. Hence the need to further explore the psychological factors underlying this aspect of online behaviour. The study proposes a model of consumer-generated media acceptance for the purpose of travel planning which integrates the Technology Acceptance Model with the Source Credibility Theory. Using an online survey of 661 valid responses and structural equation modelling, the findings highlight the critical factors relevant to the cognitive processes which determine online travellers’ affective and conative responses to the use of consumer-generated media for travel planning. The results suggest that integrating technology acceptance factors with that of information adoption can enhance the understanding of consumer-generated media usage in the vacation planning context. The study outcome holds implications for theory and practice.
Purpose
To elaborate the picture of credibility assessment by examining how participants of online discussion evaluate the informational credibility of conspiracy theories.
...Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative content analysis of 2,663 posts submitted to seven Reddit threads discussing a conspiracy operation, that is, the damage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. It was examined how the participants of online discussion assess the credibility of information constitutive of conspiracy theories speculating about (1) suspected actors responsible for the damage, (2) their motives and (3) the ways in which the damage was made. The credibility assessments focussed on diverse sources offering information about the above three factors.
Findings
The participants assessed the credibility of information by drawing on four main criteria: plausibility of arguments, honesty in argumentation, similarity to one's beliefs and provision of evidence. Most assessments were negative and indicated doubt about the informational believability of conspiracy theories about the damage. Of the information sources referred to in the discussion, the posts submitted by fellow participants, television programmes and statements provided by governmental organizations were judged most critically, due to implausible argumentation and advocacy of biased views.
Research limitations/implications
As the study focuses on a sample of posts dealing with conspiracy theories about a particular event, the findings cannot be generalized to concern the informational credibility conspiracy narratives.
Originality/value
The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the nature of credibility assessments by focussing on information constitutive of conspiracy theories.
The Academy of Management (AOM) has emerged from the pandemic strongly because we are an engaged, caring, and committed global community of 20,000 members residing in 115 countries-including 5,600 ...student members. I describe four broad themes considered most critical by AOM members and initiatives addressing each: (a) environmental sustainability, (b) inclusion, (c) research credibility, and (d) research usefulness and impact. Given the accomplishments I describe, we celebrate our success. But, at the same time, we do not interrupt our journey. Rather, we continue to improve and to innovate to realize our vision to (a) remain the premier global community for management and organization researchers and educators and (b) continue advancing the impact of management and organization science on business and society worldwide.
Purpose
Evidence for the association between chocolate intake and risk of chronic diseases is inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to synthesize and evaluate the credibility of evidence on the ...dose-response association between chocolate consumption with risk of all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, heart failure (HF), type 2 diabetes (T2D), colorectal cancer (CRC), and hypertension.
Methods
Prospective studies were searched until July 2018 in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Random-effects meta-analyses comparing highest versus lowest intake categories, linear, and non-linear dose-response analyses were conducted. The credibility of evidence was evaluated with the NutriGrade scoring-system.
Results
Overall, 27 investigations were identified (
n
= 2 for all-cause mortality,
n
= 9 for CHD,
n
= 8 for stroke,
n
= 6 for HF,
n
= 6 for T2D,
n
= 2 for hypertension and CRC, respectively). No associations with HF (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94, 1.04) and T2D (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88, 1.01) per each 10 g/day increase in chocolate intake were observed in the linear dose-response meta-analyses. However, a small inverse association for each 10 g/daily increase could be shown for the risk of CHD (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93, 0.99), and stroke (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82, 0.98). The credibility of evidence was rated either very low (all-cause mortality, HF, T2D, CRC or hypertension) or low (CHD, stroke).
Conclusion
Chocolate consumption is not related to risk for several chronic diseases, but could have a small inverse association with CHD and stroke. Our findings are limited by very low or low credibility of evidence, highlighting important uncertainty for chocolate–disease associations.
Research on news credibility and susceptibility to fake news has overwhelmingly focused on individual and message-level factors explaining why people view some news items as more credible than ...others. We argue that the consistency of the message's content with the dominant mainstream narrative can have a powerful explanatory capacity as well, particularly in the domain of international news. We test this hypothesis experimentally using a sample of 8,559 social media users in three post-Soviet countries. Our analyses suggest that the consistency with the dominant narrative increases the perceived credibility of foreign affairs news independently of their veracity. We also demonstrate the moderating role of international conflict, government support, and news language in some national contexts but not others. Finally, we report how the effects of these factors on credibility vary according to whether the news items are real or fabricated and discuss the societal implications of our findings.
SUMMARY
We examine the relationship between audit pricing and managerial tone as a proxy of source credibility. Prior research shows that source credibility influences auditors' perceptions of client ...risk. Textually analyzing annual letters to shareholders, we find that characteristics of managerial tone that reflect impaired source credibility are associated with higher audit fees. Additional tests, including a change analysis and controls for other managerial characteristics, future client performance, and aggressive accounting choices, corroborate and build on our inferences that managerial tone proxies for source credibility. Our study extends literature that uses corporate disclosures to measure managerial characteristics by showing that auditors price source credibility reflected in managerial tone. These findings are important because they empirically confirm that source credibility affects auditors' assessments of engagement risk and that analysis of tone can inform researchers, auditors, and investors who seek to enhance effectiveness and objectivity in assessing source credibility based on managerial tone.
JEL Classifications: G21; G34; M41.
Data Availability: The data in this study are available from public sources indicated in the paper.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of brand credibility on purchase intentions toward global brands and domestic brands in an emerging market context. It further examines ...three drivers of brand credibility: perceived globalness, perceived local iconness and perceived authenticity.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Systematic random sampling using the mall intercept technique was used to collect cross-sectional data from 836 customers in India. Hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modeling with AMOS 21.
Findings
The results demonstrate the significance of brand credibility on purchase intentions. Furthermore, brand globalness differentially influence brand credibility for global and domestic brands.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide key insights for marketers regarding consumer evaluation of global brands and domestic brands in emerging markets.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by proposing and testing the key role of brand credibility in consumer choice of global brands versus domestic brands in an emerging market context.
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