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A Middle Eastern tradition, hookah smoking involves burning flavored tobacco heated by charcoal, creating smoke that is filtered through water and ingested through the mouth using a hose. Hookah lounges are increasingly locating around college campuses in the United States, and websites offering hookah paraphernalia target U.S. high school and college students. In two studies involving interviews with college-age hookah smokers and analysis of website marketing practices, the authors investigate consumer beliefs and attitudes toward hookah smoking and the way it is portrayed online. The findings indicate that it is a social phenomenon, with young people introducing peers to the practice and websites promoting shared consumption experiences. Contrary to medical evidence, young people believe smoking sweetened tobacco through a hookah is nonaddictive and safer than cigarettes. Hookah lounges often are exempt from age restriction laws because many double as cafés and other eating establishments. Traditional tobacco warnings are not present in lounges or on websites. The findings highlight potential health dangers of hookah smoking and the need for education regarding this practice and demonstrate that regulatory oversight is needed.

Purpose - The paper seeks to develop a conceptualization of franchisee perceived relationship value (FPRV), defined as the trade-off between perceived net worth of tangible and intangible benefits and costs to be derived over the lifetime of the franchisor-franchisee relationship, as perceived by the franchisee, taking into consideration the available alternative franchise relationships.Design methodology approach - A survey of existing literature provided the relevant constructs and concepts for developing a conceptual framework of FPRV.Findings - The behavioral aspects of the franchise relationship are explored from the franchisee's perspective, providing an alternative viewpoint of the franchise relationship.Practical implications - The paper affords a useful foundation for making decisions in a franchise relationship, such as the choice of a new franchisee. This entails a comparison of an existing franchisee about which much is known versus a new franchisee about which less is known. FPRV offers a constructive lens to better evaluate this decision and help frame questions concerning the value of social elements within the relationship.Originality value - This work is among the first to examine franchisee relationship value and consequences from the franchisee's perspective. Research propositions surrounding the franchisee's behavioral expectations in the relationship are offered, and serve to guide further research in this area.

Rapid growth in the older population raises concerns about increasing demands that aging consumers experience in service encounters. In particular, they face challenges of informed consent that require them to make decisions that support their well-being. Building on current knowledge of factors that diminish decision-making capacity with age, this study examines conditions under which aging consumers acquiesce to informed consent, when not fully informed. The conceptual framework and research propositions regarding the key factors influencing consumer vulnerability during the informed consent process are (1) cognitive changes, (2) sensory factors, (3) financial changes and (4) sender and receiver interaction. Theoretical and practical implications of the framework are discussed.

Since its introduction as a concept in the 1980s, supply chain management (SCM) has undergone significant modification and expansion. A qualitative analysis of 166 unique definitions of SCM published in the literature identified three major themes associated with the supply chain and SCM: (1) activities; (2) benefits; and (3) constituents/components. Utilizing these themes, key research questions and issues within the supply chain and SCM are identified that could be examined by marketing scholars.

This article develops and tests a conceptual model examining the effects of retailer's use of two community engagement strategies, partnership and philanthropy. A survey, featuring one of four randomly assigned promotional messages, was created and distributed to customers of a retailer that were also members of a women's social organization. Analysis on the sample of 440 respondents indicates that engagement strategies cause different reactions. Specifically, partnership strengthens consumer identification with the retailer, while philanthropy strengthens feelings of purchase satisfaction. Moderation tests imply that using both strategies together can encourage consumers to behave more relationally, yielding additional returns for a retailer.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of consumer brand experience on brand love and loyalty toward a favorite tequila brand across Mexico and the USA while advancing marketing strategies to strengthen consumer-brand relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data were analyzed from 906 respondents (348-USA and 558-Mexico) to assess paths to purchase loyalty and test brand relationship hypotheses using partial least squares. Findings Analysis revealed that consumers in both markets demonstrated similar paths from tequila experience to brand love and attitude toward their favorite tequila brand. On the contrary, significant differences in the influence of tequila experience on the brand image were evident. Tequila experience did not have a significant difference between markets on purchase loyalty. Attitude toward the tequila brand had a much stronger influence on brand image for the USA compared to Mexican respondents. Finally, brand love’s influence on purchase loyalty differed significantly between the two markets of respondents. Practical implications Considering different paths to behavioral brand loyalty across markets enables segmentation strategy development to increase repeat purchase and brand allegiance. Results indicate that the brand's image is a strong influencer of purchase loyalty, suggesting opportunities exist for brand managers to consider unique paths toward purchase loyalty. Originality/value This study advances the literature by answering the call for multi-national studies that investigate consumer-brand relationships. Furthermore, the research setting offers insight into consumer-brand relationships and consumption patterns for spirits in a different national context, in this case, the product’s country of origin (Mexico) and its largest market (USA).