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Online reviews play a significant role in forming and shaping perceptions about a product. With the credibility of online reviewers a frequent question, this research investigates how potential buyers assess the credibility of anonymous reviewers. Technology separates the reviewer from the review, and potential buyers are left to rely on characteristics of the review itself to determine the credibility of the reviewer. By extending the language expectancy theory to the online setting, we develop hypotheses about how expectancy violations of lexical complexity, two-sidedness (highlighting positive and negative aspects of a product), and affect intensity influence credibility attributions. We present an experiment in which favorable experimental reviews were generated based on actual reviews for a digital camera. The results indicate that two-sidedness caused a positive expectancy violation resulting in greater credibility attribution. High affect intensity caused a negative expectancy violation resulting in lower credibility attribution. Finally, high reviewer credibility significantly improved perceptions of product quality. Our results demonstrate the importance of expectancies and violations when attributing credibility to anonymous individuals. Even small expectancy violations can meaningfully influence reviewer credibility and perceptions of products.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand motivation of young consumers to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as chatbots, voice assistants and augmented reality in shopping by generating Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation using grounded theory approach.Design/methodology/approachGrounded theory approach has been used to develop the Vroom’s expectancy theory. Initially data were collected through participant interviews using theoretical sampling. These data were analyzed and coded using the three step process, i.e. open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The categories created during coding were integrated to generate Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation.FindingsThe findings indicate that Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation can be used to explain motivation of young consumers to use AI tools as an aid in taking shopping decisions. The motivation may be intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation or force choice motivation. Expectancy represents the ease of using the tools, instrumentality represents competence of tools in performing desired tasks while valence represents satisfaction, rewarding experience and trust in using of tools.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study are based on grounded theory approach which is an inductive approach. Alternate research methodologies, both inductive and deductive, need to be employed to strengthen the external validity and generalize the results. The study is limited to shopping motives of young consumers in India. A comparison with other consumer motivational studies has not been done. Hence no claim is made regarding the advantage of Vroom’s theory over other motivational theories.Practical implicationsThe study has strong implications for retailers in developing countries which are seen as an emerging market for retail and have introduced AI tools in recent years. The Vroom’s expectancy theory will help retailers to understand consumer motivation in using AI tools or shopping.Originality/valueVroom’s expectancy theory to understand consumer motivation to use AI tools in shopping was generated using the grounded theory approach.

As crowdfunding has emerged as a popular source of funding for new ventures, budding entrepreneurs often struggle to deliver a convincing pitch to attract backers. We adopt an n-gram language model to analyze narratives of over 21,000 film projects from Kickstarter and find that the choice of words is critical to crowdfunding success. Using penalized logistic regression, we identify the relative power of phrases to predict funding outcome, resulting in a dramatic reduction in error rate. Consistent with the language expectancy theory, the linguistic analyses show that successful projects usually include words that reflect the credibility of project creators and meaningful social interactions, whereas failed projects exude negativism or uncertainty. While good word choices vary among movie genres, words of lower cognitive complexity dampen the chances of funding. These findings have broad implications for text analysis and natural language generation for persuasive marketing communications.

One effect of the economic crisis on the business world has been the drastic reduction in staff and this in turn highlights the need for self-employment and the creation of new companies to establish a solid industrial fabric to support the creation of wealth, employment and welfare. In this context, the aim of this research is to confirm a theoretical model based on Expectancy Theory to explain self-employment in terms of an individual’s motivation and ability to start a business. Because of the lack of additional information about entrepreneurial motivation, we conducted a field investigation of Spanish self-employed workers who had established a manufacturing company during the last three years. The results confirm the supposition that expectancy, instrumentality and valence enhance entrepreneurial motivation. This study concludes that businesses are created not only by those with the ability and aptitude to do so, but also by those with the motivation.

The authors' purpose was to test a parsimonious model derived from social cognitive career theory (R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994 ) and expectancy value theory (J. S. Eccles & A. Wigfield, 2002 ) that integrates groups of variables (demographic background, student behaviors, and school-related beliefs) with the goal of predicting high school dropout in a nationally representative sample of 15,753 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effect of the various predictors on students' dropout status 2 years later. The model fit the data very well, and the results indicated that socioeconomic status, academic performance, parental involvement, and absenteeism were most predictive of high school dropout. In contrast, social cognitive constructs (self-efficacy and subjective task value) added little explanatory power. Implications for high school dropout prevention programs are discussed.

Innovation is a topic of intense interest and is seen as key to confronting the vast majority of issues facing humanity. To consolidate the knowledge about approaches promoting innovation, this study conducted a systematic review integrating an all-database (n = 375) search through EBSCOhost completed on April 6th, 2019 in addition to search engine use. Three hundred three studies were full-text reviewed yielding 82 final studies eligible for the inclusion in findings extraction. The findings were synthesized and then organized into the Expectancy–value–cost (EVC) motivation framework to isolate promotive and hindering factors. It is clear that there is an unbalanced primacy in the innovation literature in favor of business and corporate settings with very little representation from the arts or social justice sectors. There is also a common trend of using surveys of individuals in organizations within a single discipline, while interviews are rare. The paucity of studying costs of innovation in the literature is symptomatic of the primarily positive psychology approach taken by studies, rather than a framework like EVC which also considers detractive factors like costs. Numerous studies provide support for the notion that more internal motivations like intrinsic (e.g., interest) and attainment (e.g., importance, fulfillment) were more influential than external motivators like rewards as targets of strategies. Leaders should focus, whenever possible, on topics that engaged curiosity, interest, and satisfaction and, if they choose to use rewards, should focus their strategies to give related rewards; otherwise, they risk sundering the internal motivation to innovate for already interested workers.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted several aspects of the society and the economy. A problem that needs prompt attention in this situation is the increasing difficulties faced by small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in raising capital, which has aroused great concern from multiple stakeholders such as public administrations and regulators. As the major supply of capital, financial service providers (FSPs) play a critical role in financing SMEs. However, how FSPs deal with SME financing during shocks has not yet been fully researched. Accordingly, in this study, a theoretical framework based on expectancy theory is proposed to explore the expected strategic adjustments of FSPs in financing SMEs. Specifically, this study investigates 272 FSPs in China on their expectancy and attitude on financing to SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this study has divided FSPs into three categories: commercial banks, non-bank financial institutions, and credit-enhanced FSPs. Differences among these categories are compared and analyzed.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply expectancy theory to advance a conceptual framework which identifies factors that motivate and affect the adoption of supplier development (SD) activities. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify salient contributions and conceptual gaps within prior SD studies. These conceptual gaps motivate the use of expectancy theory and the broader management literature to develop a conceptual framework of SD adoption. Findings – The study results in the development of a two-stage conceptual framework in which two behavioral constructs – SD expectancy and valence – play an important role in mediating the effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on the adoption of SD activities. Accordingly, the authors advance 11 testable propositions that underlie the logical development of the framework. Research limitations/implications – The application of expectancy theory facilitates the integration of constructs culled from disparate theories into a cohesive conceptual framework. Highlighting the central role of motivational force, the conceptual development provides a behavioral explanation for the indirect effects of activity-, firm-, interfirm-, and environment-level factors on SD adoption. Practical implications – The authors advance a set of factors associated with three successive stages of the SD planning process – partner selection, activity selection, and scope selection – that managers should consider when adopting a SD activity. Originality/value – In contrast to prior research, which largely draws from economic or strategic theories, the authors employ a behavioral approach to advance a novel set of factors that influence SD adoption.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on gender, and specifically, women and entrepreneurship as well as present a process model of gender and entrepreneurship to guide future research.Design methodology approach - Following research from Baron and Henry, the literature is organized into a process model of gender and entrepreneurship and a brief review of the research on each stage of the model is presented. Further, building on the process model, specific propositions associated with each stage that are motivated by expectancy theory are developed.Findings - Research on women and entrepreneurship has increased over the last two decades and there is much research yet to be done.Practical implications - Practical implications include that women may engage in networking activities focused on family and friends for obtaining financial resources.Social implications - Based on this review, evidence suggests societal attributions and socialization processes relative to the sexes may create barriers to entry for women due to the uneven distribution of assets, educational foci, and daily life activity expectations amongst the sexes. These factors, in effect, create the glass ceiling that women are often described as facing that extends to entrepreneurship. To lessen these effects, women might be advised to pursue education within fields more closely linked to high-growth industries.Originality value - The authors review research on women and entrepreneurship from 1993-2010 and organize the literature within Baron and Henry's process model of entrepreneurship. As such, the paper illuminates a process model of gender and entrepreneurship that builds from and extends research linking the I O psychology and entrepreneurship literatures.

Accounting scholars have discussed the determinants of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption and its outcomes. However, little research focuses on the Asian countries that voluntarily adopted IFRS on a limited basis. In this study, we focus on a specific country, Japan, the largest nation worldwide that allows voluntary IFRS adoption. According to expectancy theory, we predict that voluntary IFRS adoption with motivation similar to that of the International Accounting Standards Board can improve accounting quality by enhancing motivation to adhere to the IFRS guidelines, which increases financial reporting comparability. We find that voluntary IFRS adoption by Japanese firms with positive motivation reduces income smoothing and enhances the extent of conditional conservatism. Additionally, we find that these associations primarily exist in firms with higher leverage, banker investors, a higher degree of tax avoidance and in regions with strong outside investor rights. Our main findings are robust to several sensitivity tests. This study fills a gap in the existing literature on IFRS adoption by investigating the effect of voluntary IFRS adoption on accounting quality from an adoption motivation perspective.