Content marketing has gained momentum around the world and is steadily gaining importance in the marketing mix of organizations. Nevertheless, it has received comparatively little attention from the ...scientific community. In particular, there is very little knowledge about the effectiveness, optimal design and implementation of content marketing. In this study, the authors conceptualize content marketing as a set of activities that are embedded in and contingent on the specific organizational context. Based on this framework, the authors empirically investigate the context features determining content marketing effectiveness from a managerial perspective, using primary data collected from senior marketers in 263 organizations from various sectors and across different size categories, conducting multiple regression analysis. The empirical results indicate that clarity and commitment regarding content marketing strategy and a content production in line with the organization's target groups' content needs as well as normative journalistic quality criteria are context factors associated with higher content marketing effectiveness. The outcomes also reveal that regularly measuring content marketing performance and using the data obtained as guidance for improving content offerings positively influence content marketing effectiveness, as do structural specialization and specialization-enabling processes and systems. The insights provided in this study could offer important theoretical contributions for research on content marketing and its effectiveness and may help practitioners to optimize the design and implementation of content marketing initiatives.
Digital content marketing (DCM) complements traditional marketing communication approaches and is a major focus of research. Uses and gratifications research posits that DCM only unfolds positive ...effects if it provides valuable content to consumers. However, there is limited evidence on what constitutes gratifying digital corporate content on company websites. This study aimed to elicit consumers’ preferences for key characteristics of digital corporate content on company websites and whether preferences differ among consumer subgroups. Best–worst scaling (BWS) was used to reveal preferences. To obtain BWS data, a cross-sectional survey was employed. The study sample comprised 1527 consumers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Data were analyzed using counting analysis and conditional logit modeling. Subgroup comparisons were performed with t-tests and one-way ANOVA. The results consistently show that consumers prioritize information value as the most important content characteristic, followed by value in use, entertainment value, process value, and social value. Subgroup comparisons revealed generally similar priorities among consumers, with the greatest heterogeneity being found in assessments of the importance of social value. The study also suggests that consumers prioritize digital corporate content characteristics on company websites differently than they do on social media. These findings contribute to the evolving literature on DCM and provide insights that could help set evidence-based priorities in DCM practice.
Introduction
Content marketing continues to gain importance in organizations' marketing mix. However, its effectiveness has received little academic attention. This is particularly true of customer ...magazines, which, despite increasing digitization, remain a key pillar of content marketing and account for considerable investments. Therefore, this paper examines how reading experiences affect the effectiveness of customer magazines, mediated by media engagement.
Methods
Based on the uses-and-gratifications-theory and literature on sensory perception, journalistic quality, and media engagement, several hypotheses are proposed. To investigate the hypotheses, the study uses a cross-sectional survey. The dataset for the analyses consists of 1,396 consumers and is analyzed by structural equation modeling.
Results
The results indicate that hedonically gratifying, as well as identity-enforcing content experiences and visually and haptically gratifying process experiences are associated with higher effectiveness. Media engagement mediates these effects. Experienced journalistic quality directly and positively influences customer magazine effectiveness.
Discussion
This study's findings are important to marketing communications research. In particular, the study contributes to the still limited literature on content marketing effectiveness and helps practitioners optimize customer magazines.
The aging of staff and skill shortage are major challenges for social enterprises. Nurturing a workplace culture of health and fostering employee engagement could be starting points to combat these ...challenges. The associations between these two factors have received comparatively little attention from the scientific community, in particular with regard to social enterprises. Hence, this study aims to examine those associations, drawing on the job demands-resources theory and the social-ecological workplace culture of health model. It is hypothesized that employees' self-rated health acts as a mediator in the relationship between culture of health and employee engagement and that health as personal value works as a moderator.
The study used the Workplace Culture of Health scale to measure culture of health in social enterprises and UWES-9 to assess employee engagement. Data was collected administering a quantitative online survey among employees of social enterprises in Germany. The dataset for analyses comprised N = 172 employees in total. Data analyses included Pearson's correlations, regression analysis, as well as mediation, moderation and moderated mediation analyses.
Culture of health is a predictor of employee engagement in social enterprises. The analyses demonstrate a moderate association between culture of health and employee engagement. Indications were found that employees' self-rated health acts as a mediator and that health as personal value acts as a moderator between culture of health and employee engagement in social enterprises.
This study suggests that fostering a culture of health in social enterprises does not only have a positive effect on employee health, but also on employee engagement. This applies in particular when employees attribute great value to their health, which is to be expected even more in future. Hence, nurturing a culture of health becomes a pivotal management task in social enterprises. Moreover, a comprehensive assessment of the benefits of health promotion programs in social enterprises should not only consider their health-related outcomes, but also factor in their impact on employee engagement.
The aim of this study is to explore factors influencing the study engagement of health and social professions students during the COVID-19 pandemic. While antecedents of study engagement have been ...studied previously, the factors influencing engagement under pandemic conditions have not yet been investigated. Furthermore, there is a particular need for research among students in health and social professions programs, as these students are particularly affected by the pandemic. As theoretical basis, the study draws on the demands-resources-theory. It is hypothesized that pandemic-related study and personal resources drive engagement during the pandemic, and that pandemic-related demands negatively influence engagement.
The study uses a cross-sectional survey to explore the hypothesized effects. The sample consists of 559 university students of health and social professions in Germany. The study was carried out in July 2020, towards the end of the first digital semester and after the first peak in COVID-19 cases. Data are analyzed using linear multiple regression analysis.
The findings show that the demands-resources-theory is suitable to explain study engagement even under pandemic conditions. Suitable digital learning formats and social support are identified as important study resources for study engagement during major life events, while emotional resilience, active self-care and academic self-efficacy are identified as important personal resources.
Under pandemic conditions academic institutions should focus on providing beneficial teaching formats and innovative ways to support students lacking social networks. Besides, they should consider developing means to help students structuring daily life as well as establishing initiatives to strengthen students' self-efficacy beliefs.
The responsibilities of nurse managers are complex. Their actions are crucial to providing the best possible care to patients and to the success of health care organizations. Thus, nurse managers' ...work engagement is essential. However, understanding of the antecedents of nurse managers' work engagement is lacking. The job demands-resources theory posits that work engagement is contingent upon job resources and demands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore which job demands and resources exert a major influence on nurse managers' work engagement. Considering the literature, job resources and demands potentially relevant to nurse managers' work engagement were identified. To investigate the associations between these potential antecedents and nurse managers' work engagement, the study employed a cross-sectional survey. The dataset for analyses comprised 408 nurse managers in Germany and was analyzed by multiple linear regression. The study variables accounted for 26% of the variance in nurse managers' work engagement. Positive associations were detected between the job resource of empowering leadership and nurse managers' work engagement. Regarding job demands, lack of formal rewards and work-life interferences had negative effects on work engagement. The findings suggest that the job demands-resources theory can explain nurse managers' work engagement. However, not all job resources and demands considered were determined to be influential. In conclusion, empowering leadership should be promoted in the work environment of nurse managers. Nurse managers should be provided engaging financial and nonfinancial rewards. Work-life interferences should be systematically mitigated.
The working environment of social workers has become an important concern in research. Whereas studies typically focus on negative aspects of these environments, this study investigates the ...possibility of creating a positive environment by examining whether and how high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships are related to social workers' work engagement. It is hypothesized that particularly relevant job resources mediate the relation between LMX and social workers’ work engagement.
To identify those job resources that are particularly important to social workers, a qualitative preparatory study was first conducted with social workers and social work executives. Based on that, study data were collected by administering an online survey among social workers. Both parts of the study were realized at twenty different advice centers for pregnancy issues of a leading social organization in Germany. The dataset for statistical analyses comprised 43 social workers in total. Regression analysis with parallel mediation was used to test the hypothesized relationships.
Social workers in high-quality LMX relationships operate in working environments with more abundant social and structural job resources: they experience the team atmosphere more positively and have greater work control. Further, it was found that experiencing a positive team atmosphere was associated with higher work engagement, with team atmosphere fully mediating the relationship between LMX and work engagement. Notably, high-quality LMX relationships do not seem to promote work engagement directly.
The study underscores the relevance of high-quality LMX relationships in fostering a resourceful work environment. This, in turn, contributes significantly to a high level of work engagement. Organizations and managers in social work should therefore strengthen managerial relationships and create resourceful environments.
Leader-member exchange; Work engagement; Job resources; Team atmosphere; Work control; Social work; Leadership.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging period of upheaval for higher education students. This study aims to assess the factors associated with psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic ...among a sample of students in health-related fields at Munich universities in Germany. Students (
= 623) from KSH Munich and LMU Munich completed an online cross-sectional survey. Information on demographics and academic and everyday difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as data on physical and mental health were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the outcome. The prevalence for higher psychological stress was 44% among the study population. Factors associated with higher psychological stress were: lower overall life satisfaction (
< 0.0001), worsened health situation (
< 0.0001), lack of social support (
= 0.0301) and social interaction (
= 0.0115), worries about financial difficulties due to loss of income (
= 0.0134), stressful thoughts about a second wave (
< 0.0001), feeling unable to positively influence the situation (
= 0.0262) and study-related effects, such as perceived study burden (
= 0.0003) and likely delay in studies (
= 0.0178)). The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant negative impact on the mental health of students in health-related fields. Proactive efforts to support the mental health and well-being of students are needed.
Dem Arbeitsengagement Pflegender wird in der Pandemiebewältigung ein essenzieller Stellenwert zugeschrieben. Die job demands-resources theory nimmt an, dass das Arbeitsengagement von ...Arbeitsressourcen und Arbeitsanforderungen abhängt. Für Pflegende wurden bereits berufsspezifische Schlüsselressourcen und -anforderungen identifiziert. Für deren Bedeutung unter Pandemiebedingungen gibt es jedoch keine Evidenz. Ziel dieser Studie war es daher, ihre Relevanz für das Arbeitsengagement von Pflegenden während der zweiten Welle der COVID-19-Pandemie zu untersuchen.
Die Studie wurde im Querschnittdesign realisiert und adressierte Pflegende in der direkten Gesundheitsversorgung in Deutschland. Die Daten wurden per Online-Fragebogen in der zweiten Welle der Pandemie mit Messinstrumenten erhoben, die sich in früheren Studien als valide und reliabel erwiesen haben. Die Stichprobe wurde als Gelegenheitsstichprobe, u.a. über soziale Medien, zufällig ausgewählte Gesundheitseinrichtungen und die Hochschulen mit pflegebezogenen Studiengängen gewonnen. Es konnten 1027 Fälle ausgewertet werden. Die Stichprobe umfasste Pflegende unterschiedlicher Ausbildungsgrade und Einsatzorte. Die Relevanz von Schlüsselressourcen und -anforderungen für das Arbeitsengagement wurde mit einer multiplen linearen Regressionsanalyse nach Multipler Imputation untersucht.
Die Schlüsselressourcen und -anforderungen erklärten 36% der Varianz des Arbeitsengagements der Pflegenden während der COVID-19-Pandemie. Es zeigten sich positive Zusammenhänge zwischen den Schlüsselressourcen Autonomie (β¯SP= 0,072, 95%-KI 0,011; 0,133), professionelle Ressourcen (β¯SP= 0,204, 95%-KI 0,124; 0,285) und zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen (β¯SP= 0,178, 95%-KI 0,117; 0,240) und dem Arbeitsengagement der Pflegenden. Bei den Anforderungen wirkten sich mangelnde formale Belohnungen negativ (β¯SP= -0,312, 95%-KI -0,380; -0,245) auf das Arbeitsengagement aus, Arbeitsüberlastung (β¯SP= 0,063, 95%-KI 0,001; 0,126) hingegen war positiv mit dem Arbeitsengagement assoziiert.
Die job demands-resources theory ist geeignet, das Arbeitsengagement auch in Krisenzeiten zu erklären. Die Schlüsselressourcen und -anforderungen haben insgesamt einen erheblichen Einfluss auf das Arbeitsengagement der Pflegenden unter Pandemiebedingungen. Allerdings kommt während der Pandemie nicht allen Schlüsselressourcen und -anforderungen tatsächlich ein Schlüsselstatus zu.
Mangelnden formalen Belohnungen sollte entgegengesteuert, professionelle Ressourcen sollten nachhaltig gesichert und die Autonomie von Pflegenden sowie deren zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen sollten gestärkt werden. Entscheidungen sollten dabei so getroffen werden, dass sie nicht nur pandemiegerecht, sondern nachhaltig tragfähig sind und damit verstetigt werden können.
Nurses are assigned a key role in pandemic response, with work engagement considered to be pivotal. The job demands-resources theory assumes that work engagement depends on job resources and job demands. Key job resources and demands have already been proposed for nurses. However, there is no evidence on their importance under pandemic conditions. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate their relevance to nurses’ work engagement during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study was carried out in a cross-sectional design and addressed nurses in direct health care settings in Germany. Data was collected administering a quantitative online survey using valid and reliable measures during the second wave of the pandemic. A convenience sample was obtained, including the use of social media, randomly selected health care facilities, and all universities with nursing-related programs in Germany. The dataset for analyses comprised a total of 1,027 cases. The sample included nurses of various educational levels and from different sectors. Multiple linear regression analysis after multiple imputation was used to examine the relevance of key resources and demands for work engagement.
Key resources and demands explained 36% of the variance in nurses’ work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive associations were found between the key resources of autonomy (β¯SP=0.072, 95% CI 0.011; 0.133), professional resources (β¯SP=0.204, 95% CI 0.124; 0.285), and interpersonal relationships (β¯SP=0.178, 95% CI 0.117; 0.240) and nurses’ work engagement. On the demands side, lack of formal rewards negatively (β¯SP=–0.312, 95% CI –0.380; –0.245) affected work engagement, whereas work overload (β¯SP=0.063, 95% CI 0.001; 0.126) was positively associated with work engagement.
The job demands-resources theory is suitable for explaining nurses’ work engagement even in times of crisis. Taken together, key resources and demands have a significant influence on nurses’ work engagement under pandemic conditions. However, not all so-called key resources and demands actually have a key status in a pandemic.
Any lack of formal rewards should be countered, professional resources should be sustainably secured, and the autonomy of nurses and their interpersonal relationships should be strengthened. Nursing management decisions should be made not only with the current pandemic but also the post-pandemic period in mind.
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