Purpose In this paper, the author has examined how mindfulness modifies the implementation of generative AI to design a travel itinerary. The study focuses on the context of the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Planning Theory and explicates the effect of mindfulness on cognitive evaluation of AI-generated outputs by perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity to the users. Design/methodology/approach A group of Indian Facebook users was taken as respondents, and a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 985 users who intended to plan their trip through the assistance of ChatGPT. Findings Mindfulness has a considerable impact on adoption either directly or indirectly via perceived diagnosticity. Even though mindfulness has positive impact on perceived serendipity, it is not significantly related. Research limitations/implications The study describes the concept of mindfulness as a mental process that influences the acceptance of technology and perceived diagnosticity as a significant process of elucidation. The framework should be validated under other conditions and such variables as trust and perceived risk should be implemented in subsequent studies. Practical implications The findings suggest that explainability, clarity and reflective interaction ought to be the main concern of AI systems to make users adopt and be satisfied more. Social implications The paper emphasizes the need to be mindful when interacting with AI to limit over reliance and enable responsible and value driven interaction in daily decision making. Originality/value This paper synthesizes Uses and Gratifications Theory and Planning Theory in a cognitive perspective of mindfulness, which provides a procedural account of adoption of AI and differentiates between instrumental and experiential processes of evaluation.
Purpose Retailer organizational prestige is defined as employees' own beliefs and perceptions about how individuals external to the organization judge and evaluate the status and prestige of their firm. Although researchers and professionals recognize that retailer organizational prestige is a well-known driver of firm performance, the sales literature has largely neglected the mediating and moderating mechanisms linking organizational prestige to outcomes at the sales force level. Design/methodology/approach We collect data from retail companies in Brazil that sell building, electrical and painting materials. The sample comprises 239 salespeople across 62 retail stores. Findings First, the results show that retailer organizational prestige indirectly affects sales performance and turnover intentions through organizational identification. Second, the link between organizational identification and sales performance is amplified by professional identification, a moderator, in such a way that the positive effect is weaker when professional identification is high. However, this moderating effect does not extend to turnover intentions. The article concludes with managerial implications and directions for future research. Originality/value Drawing on social identity theory, this study proposes and tests a mediation mechanism (salespeople's organizational identification) and a boundary condition (professional identification as moderator), highlighting how multiple identification foci jointly shape sales outcomes.
Purpose This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping vocational education and training (VET) and whether leveraging AI might help refresh the sector’s image. Using the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study examines evidence of its integration in teaching, learning, administration and workforce preparation to understand where AI is already making an impact and where its potential lies. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to analyse papers published between 2019 and 2024. Consistent with other systematic reviews on emerging technological fields, a small number of studies met the final criteria, reflecting this field's youth. Key patterns were identified through a six-step inductive thematic analysis. Findings Two major themes emerged: beliefs and attitudes towards AI in VET, and innovative integration of AI in practice. Firstly, students generally recognised its value and said it was easy to use, yet this did not always translate into active engagement. Teachers expressed both enthusiasm and caution, and professional development emerged as a critical need. Secondly, five innovative approaches to AI applications demonstrate AI’s potential to enhance the status of VET: AI qualifications, AI-based qualification frameworks, predictive achievement models, robot-assisted learning and wisdom teaching models. Research limitations/implications This review proposes a TAM-informed way of understanding AI adoption that reflects VET’s specific challenges, including longstanding issues around reputation and status. Practical implications For VET administrators and leaders, the findings point to phased and purposeful application of AI solutions, including using AI to support personalised learning pathways, assist administrative processes and improve learning outcomes. Sustained staff training in technical, ethical and data-related skills appears essential, especially for administrators. Social implications The review highlights the need for policy and regulatory guidance that can support innovation while addressing concerns about data protection, privacy, algorithmic transparency and academic integrity. Originality/value This study extends the TAM for VET by identifying theoretical and practical pathways for AI-enabled transformation in the sector. Drawing on international research employing various methodological approaches, this study offers a framework to close the gap between interest in AI and its practical use. It moves beyond technological determinism to examine how thoughtful AI integration in VET can transform institutional image, pedagogical practices and market positioning to align closely with changing labour markets.
Purpose Persistence is widely viewed as essential for success in business to business (B2B) selling, yet it remains unclear how persistence translates into higher sales performance when selling requires experimentation and novel customer solutions. This study examines whether a perceived sales innovativeness climate enables persistence and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and, in turn, creative selling, driving B2B sales performance. Design/methodology/approach An online survey of 346 US-based B2B salespeople was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The perceived sales-innovativeness climate is positively associated with ESE, persistence, and sales performance. Persistence is positively related to sales performance and ESE, but not directly to creative selling. ESE is positively related to creative selling and sales performance, and creative selling is positively related to sales performance. Overall, the results indicate that persistence contributes to creative selling primarily via ESE rather than through a direct effect. Research limitations/implications The study is cross-sectional and relies on self-reported measures, including sales performance. Practical implications Managers should cultivate a climate that supports sales innovativeness and invest in capacity-building, coaching, and experimentation routines so that sustained effort is translated into creative selling behaviors that improve performance. Originality/value The study clarifies the roles of persistence and ESE in B2B sales by showing that creative selling is enabled chiefly through ESE, while persistence primarily strengthens performance and ESE rather than directly driving creativity.
Purpose This study investigates digital currency adoption by examining the interplay among technology-blockchain engagement (TBE), perceived evaluation (PE), financial literacy (FL) and purchases using digital currency (PDC). Specifically, it explores how user engagement with blockchain technologies shapes evaluative perceptions and how FL conditions the translation of such evaluations into purchasing behavior in an emerging economy context.Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing structural equation modeling and Hayes' PROCESS model to test the proposed hypotheses. Data were collected via an online survey from 136 master's students in management, representing a response rate of 68%. The sample was limited to this group to ensure participants had sufficient economic literacy and relevant background knowledge, which is crucial for understanding digital currency adoption. SmartPLS and SPSS software were used to test direct, mediating and moderating relationships, including Johnson-Neyman regions of significance and robustness checks.Findings The study found significant positive relationships between TBE and PE as well as between PE and digital currency purchases. PE fully mediated the relationship between TBE and PDC, emphasizing its critical role in shaping digital currency adoption. Furthermore, FL significantly moderated the relationship, enhancing consumers' likelihood of adopting digital currencies.Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of marketing strategies that focus on increasing TBE and building trust through transparent communication about blockchain security. Additionally, promoting FL through targeted educational campaigns can empower consumers to make informed decisions, thereby driving the adoption of digital currencies, especially in emerging economies.Originality/value This study offers a novel contribution to the digital currency adoption literature by introducing PE as a synthesized construct that captures both trust and risk perceptions and by modeling the underexplored concept of TBE as a key driver of user evaluation. Additionally, it highlights the moderating role of FL and provides empirical insights from a developing country context, where regulatory uncertainty and financial instability make cryptocurrency adoption uniquely complex. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers, fintech developers and financial educators seeking to enhance engagement and trust in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Purpose This research aims to explore the untapped potential of the metaverse by analysing studies related to the drivers and barriers of the metaverse, by identifying new trends, patterns and themes associated with the rapidly growing technology. Design/methodology/approach This study analyses the articles by using a combined bibliometric and topic modelling technique. Here, 890 articles collected from the Scopus database, published between 2007 and 2024, have been utilised. Bibliometric tools such as R-Biblioshiny and ScientoPy have been used for mapping the intellectual landscape, and VOSviewer has been employed for network visualisation. Moreover, the thematic representation has also been performed using LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) analysis, implemented over R’s topicmodels package, to discover the fundamental topics and relate them to one another. Findings The study reveals that China is the most contributing country, institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) Access emerges as the most influential source and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, stands out as the top relevant affiliation, among others. Further, the results of the topic modelling reveal five themes: user challenges and potential, immersive technologies and learning, technological challenges and potential, digital and social framework, and future opportunities for learning and social experiences. Originality/value To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first study that combines bibliometric and topic modelling techniques to analyse the state of research on the drivers and barriers of the metaverse.
Purpose-Artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and manage operations. However, many organizations struggle with AI adoption, not because of technological barriers but because they overlook the role of organizational culture. Therefore, this paper presents a sensemaking approach that explains how organizational culture shapes AI adoption. Design/methodology/approach-Building on sensemaking theory, we follow Jaakkola's (2020) Model approach to integrate the Li et al. (2025) AI framing typology (as a tool or an agent) with digital organizational culture to conceptualize a sensemaking process for AI adoption. Specifically, we propose AI framing as a managerial sensemaking cue and digital culture as an employee's sensemaking schema for understanding AI. Our conceptual framework depicts a sensemaking process that shapes subsequent AI adoption. Findings-We argue that AI adoption is a sensemaking process rather than a one-time and uniform technological decision. Based on this perspective, we present a set of research propositions that specify how cultural archetypes and AI framing influence adoption outcomes, and how AI ownership and organization-employee digital cultural congruence play moderating roles. In addition, we suggest directions for future research on empirical validation, cultural evolution, ethical considerations, and impact on performance. Practical implications-Our proposed framework offers insights into understanding organizations' digital culture, developing an appropriate AI framing strategy, and assessing where organizational tensions may arise during AI adoption. Originality/value-While it is well understood that AI can be beneficial for many aspects of organizations, the approach to adopting these technologies remains unclear. This study presents a framework for evaluating and adopting AI technologies that is informed by an organization's culture.
Purpose This study aims to synthesize prior research to provide a comprehensive understanding of how each cultural orientation impacts organic product purchases. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a systematic literature review to evaluate the relationship between cultural orientations and organic product purchases. Findings Prior research generally agrees on the direct effects of individualism/collectivism, temporal orientation, motivation toward achievement and success and indulgence/restraint. However, findings regarding the influence of power distance and uncertainty avoidance remain inconsistent. Originality/value By reviewing existing literature, this study identifies two key barriers to empirical research – namely, the relative newness of organic product markets and limited data availability across nations. To address these gaps, we propose several research questions aimed at further investigating how each cultural orientation influences organic product purchases.
Purpose Businesses and consumers face significant obstacles to adopting of eco-friendly packaging (EFP). This study identifies the primary barriers to EFP adoption and explores their interrelationships. Design/methodology/approach An extensive literature review and a survey of experts identified the barriers to EFP adoption. Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) were used to identify the interlaced relationships between these barriers. Findings Fifteen key barriers to EFP adoption were identified. Six independent barriers (e.g. limited consumer education and technological limitations) lead to seven dependent barriers (e.g. intention–behavior gap, low green attitude) which are linked by two linkage barriers (cost–benefit ambiguity and greenwashing practices). Research limitations/implications Selected papers published in English were considered; hence, relevant papers on EFP published in other languages might have been missed, limiting the identification of barriers. Practical implications The findings of this study offer several insights for both practitioners and policymakers. Producers, supply chain partners, and policymakers can leverage these findings regarding barriers, their importance and their interrelationships to encourage EFP adoption. Originality/value This study offers a novel investigation of EFP adoption barriers from the integrated perspectives of the hierarchy of effects theory, institutional theory, and innovation resistance theory in an emerging market.
Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) received significant attention from marketers in achieving sustainability. Hence, several studies investigated the effect of CSR on marketing, but the findings are fragmented and incoherent. Therefore, this review seeks to consolidate the existing literature on CSR and propose future research avenues within the marketing field. Design/methodology/approach The review was conducted using an integrative approach guided by the Theory–Context–Characteristics–Methodology framework, incorporating lexicometric analysis through Iramuteq and bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace across 162 articles. Findings The literature synthesis revealed that stakeholder theory, social identity theory, attribution theory, and institutional theory are frequently utilised in CSR research. Additionally, it was noted that a significant portion of CSR research in marketing has been conducted in Western countries. Environmental, financial, ethical, philanthropic, legal, customer-focused, and employee-focused are major types of CSR initiatives exercised by marketers. Synthesis of literature found corporate reputation and brand trust as mediators and altruistic values, firm size, and market environment as crucial moderators. Lexicometric analysis showed causes of communication, type of CSR initiative, stakeholders, and behavioural outcomes as key themes. Originality/value This review suggested how marketers can fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals suggested by the United Nations. The study suggests a set of directions to advance CSR research.
Purpose This study aims to systematically review the experiential marketing (EM) literature by synthesizing the scholarly articles on this domain. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a hybrid review method comprising both structured literature review (adhering to the PRISMA framework) and lexicometric analysis. Findings The findings showed that several theories have been applied to EM research with stimulus-organism-response theory, cognitive-affect-behaviour model and flow theory being prominently used. The review also proposes a conceptual framework that illustrates the relationships between antecedents and consequences reported in the EM literature. Lexicometric analysis identified four major themes in EM research, including types of marketplaces, consumer responses, service aspects and active purchase behaviour. Research limitations/implications The findings of this research were restricted to articles that met the predetermined criteria. As a result, the findings cannot be generalized to all EM research. Practical implications This study provides suggestions for retailers, marketing personnel and policymakers to use EM strategies as part of marketing campaigns and strategic decision-making. Originality/value While the EM literature is growing, it is often incoherent and fragmented. This study addresses this gap by synthesizing research in this field to provide a comprehensive understanding of the EM phenomenon. Furthermore, the review identifies under-researched areas in the EM domain and suggests future research directions with respect to alternative theories, context, characteristics and methods to extend research in this domain.
Purpose Most countries and companies are embracing environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities to achieve sustainability; however, it has increased corporate greenwashing promotion and raised consumer exposure to irrational statements. This study aims to provide an evidence-based framework for corporate strategic ESG investment by quantifying the economic value of activities, overcoming greenwashing issues and measuring the relative importance of each green activity. By moving beyond consumer awareness, this research provides specific managerial solutions for rebuilding consumer trust and making credible ESG commitments. Design/methodology/approach Using contingent valuation and swing weighting methods, data from 1,000 South Korean respondents are analyzed to measure willingness-to-pay (WTP) for corporate anti-greenwashing activities. The Seemingly Unrelated Regressions method in this study reveals the experimental and cognitive factors differentiating the value of each green activity. Findings Consumers are willing to pay approximately 7% additional cost on annual plastic consumption expenses to support corporate efforts against greenwashing. Preferences vary based on prior experiences and values. Environmentally friendly activities receive slightly higher support than integrity-related initiatives. Practical implications The results of this study help corporations establish environmentally friendly strategies aligned with consumer preferences and determine acceptable green product price increases. Our findings provide an evidence-based framework to counteract customers' skepticism by identifying corporate green activities as credible ESG progress and offering a clear pathway to ensure financial benefits and public trust repair. Originality/value This study moves beyond consumer-level awareness of greenwashing to provide corporate strategy insights. Quantifying the economic value of green trust recovery and identifying preferred ESG activities offer novel perspectives on developing sustainability strategies with public support.
Purpose The current work investigates how consumers process sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual brand experiences in the immersive environment of metaverse and the moderating role of product types (utilitarian vs hedonic).Design/methodology/approach This research follows a between-subject experimental design consisting of three studies with a 2 & times;2 factorial design of Immersion (Low vs High) and Product Types (Utilitarian vs Hedonic) covering 496 participants. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and process model for mediation analysis.Findings The findings reveal that fun mediates the affective elaboration to influence sensory and affective brand experiences for hedonic products. Perceived diagnosticity mediates the cognitive elaboration to influence behavioural and intellectual brand experiences for both utilitarian and hedonic products. Social presence mediates both cognitive and affective elaboration to influence the sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual brand experiences of hedonic products.Originality/value The current work contributes to the literature by examining brand experience in virtual environments of metaverse from a fresh perspective of affective-cognitive elaboration. It provides a nuanced perspective on the causal elements of fun, perceived diagnosticity and social presence that enhance the sensory and cognitive experiences of users in an immersive virtual environment. Additionally, the work establishes the boundary condition of product types (utilitarian vs hedonic) and provides impetus for brands to create engaging experiences that appeal to the mind and senses.
Purpose This study investigates how influencer type (human vs virtual) and emotional appeal (nostalgic vs neutral) interact to shape consumers' green purchase intentions within the context of social media influencer (SMI) marketing.Design/methodology/approach A 2 (influencer type: human influencer vs virtual influencer) & times; 2 (emotional appeal: nostalgia vs neutral) between-subjects online experiment was conducted using Weibo-based advertisements promoting an eco-friendly product. The study also examines the mediating roles of concerns for social connection and creativity.Findings Results reveal a significant interaction between influencer type and emotional appeal. Human influencers (HIs) paired with nostalgic appeals elicit higher green purchase intentions than other conditions, while virtual influencers (VIs) are more effective when using neutral emotional appeals. Furthermore, the effect of HIs using nostalgic appeals is mediated by consumers' concerns for social connection, whereas the effect of VIs using neutral appeals is mediated by concerns for creativity.Originality/value This study contributes to influencer marketing and green advertising research by identifying effective combinations of influencer type and emotional appeal. It advances understanding of how emotional fit and psychological mechanisms drive green consumption and offers strategic insights for optimizing both human and virtual influencer campaigns in sustainability-oriented marketing.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how choice sets influence consumers' sequential health product choices. We examined how their composition (homogeneous vs mixed) affected consumers' perception of hedonic value in a prior health product and their subsequent health choices, considering consumption timing and consumers' age differences.Design/methodology/approach We used a scenario-based experimental design with two studies. Study 1 (n = 196) examined whether choice set type (mixed vs homogeneous) affected perceived hedonic value and subsequent choices. Study 2 (n = 431) replicated Study 1 and added consumption timing (same vs different) as a factor, using a 2 & times; 2 between-subjects design with mediation analysis.Findings Health products chosen from a mixed choice set were perceived as lower hedonic than those from a homogeneous set, decreasing preference for health products in subsequent choice situations when consumption timing was the same. However, with different consumption timing, mixed choice sets better promote sequential health choices. These effects were stronger among younger consumers (aged 20-43 years).Originality/value The originality lies in identifying choice sets as marketing interventions that influence sequential health choices. Previous research focused on one-shot decisions; this study uniquely reveals how choice set composition in prior health choice situations affects perceived hedonic value and subsequent health choices, bridging marketing with sequential choice psychology.
Purpose This study aims to explore the role of marketing using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the competitive marketing performance of small businesses (SMBs), utilising the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities (DC), and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. Design/methodology/approach This research examines the existing literature on the relationship between Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and marketing, with a particular focus on its role in competitive marketing performance in SMBs, following the PRISMA guidelines. This analysis aims to enhance understanding of how SMBs can leverage GenAI in their marketing strategies to improve their competitive edge, while underscoring the significance of limited budgets, niche-market focus, the development of AI competencies and infrastructure, and ethical considerations. Findings This research develops a theoretical framework that proposes eight key research propositions for GenAI marketing. Using this framework, chatbots, multimodal GenAI, large language models, and deep learning in GenAI can significantly improve competitive marketing performance by increasing revenue, reducing costs, maintaining business continuity, and enhancing positive customer experiences and retention, particularly when applied through personalised customer interactions, high-quality marketing content creation, and data analytics for market insights. Additionally, factors such as limited budgets, niche market focus, AI expertise, infrastructure development, and ethical considerations may shape the interaction between GenAI and marketing in small businesses. Originality/value Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities (DC), and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework, together with existing literature on GenAI-enabled marketing and competitive marketing performance, this study develops a theoretical framework that explains the relationships among GenAI, marketing, and the competitive marketing performance of SMBs. The research emphasises the link between GenAI and marketing, examining its effect on competitive marketing performance, while also considering influencing factors such as limited budgets, a focus on niche markets, improvements in AI skills and infrastructure, and ethical concerns.
Purpose This study applies behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), which emphasizes values and context-specific reasons, to analyze behavioral factors for a deeper understanding of socially responsible consumption (SRC) adoption intention. Furthermore, it incorporates multi-dimensional consumption values to strengthen the explanation of SRC adoption intention within the BRT framework. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a consequent mixed-method approach, integrating qualitative thematic analysis alongside quantitative partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The qualitative study identifies “social influence,” “awareness of consequences” and “warm glow” as potential reasons supporting SRC adoption and “perceived expensiveness” and “skepticism” as reasons against it. The study also finds that the “low availability” of SRC-promoting products moderates the effects of “consumption values,” “attitude” and “reasons for” SRC adoption intention. The quantitative study confirmed these findings, and together, both studies offer conclusive insights. Research limitations/implications This study bridges gaps in SRC literature by addressing value-attitude and attitude-intention discrepancies while expanding BRT with a multidimensional approach. It helps businesses achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12 by aligning marketing strategies with diverse consumer values and context-specific reasons. Additionally, this study highlights low product availability as a moderating barrier, urging businesses to enhance visibility and accessibility through strategic marketing activities. Originality/value This study enriches SRC literature by investigating beyond prior research that focused only on motivators and single-dimensional values influencing attitudes and intentions. Expanding on BRT, this study examines how multidimensional values shape SRC intention while considering both reasons for (motivators) and reasons against (barriers) adoption.
Purpose This research investigates the direct and interactive effects of distributive, procedural and interactional justice on relationship performance. Based on social exchange and contingency theories, it aims to resolve the contradictory views on whether justice dimensions interact in a complementary or compensatory manner, providing a comprehensive perspective on the vital role of justice in channel relationships. Design/methodology/approach This research used primary data gathered from 253 Indian general trade consumer durable distributors. The structural equation modeling approach is used to analyze the direct and interactive effects in the research model. Findings This study finds that although the three-justice dimensions improve relationship performance, distributive justice substantially impacts the Indian distribution system. Further, aligned with contingency theory, distributive and procedural justice reveal compensatory (i.e. negative) interaction, while consistent with social exchange theory, distributive and interactional justice exhibit complementary (i.e. positive) interaction. Research limitations/implications This study provides novel insights into the differential direct and interactive impacts of three justice dimensions on channel performance and recommends context-specific justice strategies for distribution channels in emerging markets. Practical implications The findings suggest that managers should design channel policies that recognize the importance of justice perceptions and strategically allocate resources to raise the perceptions of a specific or constrained justice dimension to optimize channel performance. Originality/value Prior studies offered contradicting views on how the three-justice dimensions interact; however, this study resolves these inconsistencies by highlighting the important role of context in shaping the nature of these interactions.
Purpose Retailers' lifetime value has implications for practice and research, but little research has dealt with it using a pragmatic approach to date. This study aims to calibrate retailers' lifetime value and provide new perspectives in framing marketing strategies and tactics to enhance shareholder value.Design/methodology/approach Real-world data were collected from 900 retailers and from internal records of two fast-moving consumer goods companies. Multiplicative and Poisson regression models were applied, and two lifetime-value models - discounted cash flow and Pareto - were incorporated.Findings The discounted cash flow model captured the group's lifetime value more accurately, and the Pareto model captured individual retailer lifetime value more accurately. In fact, the discounted cash flow model underestimated, and the Pareto model overestimated retailers' lifetime value.Practical implications The findings should help managers to design marketing actions for individual retailers and groups of retailers to increase shareholder value in the retail setting.Originality/value By modeling and expanding the horizons of the retailer's lifetime value theory using real-world, objective data, this research makes a significant contribution to the body of marketing and retailing literature.
Purpose Social media creates opportunities for organizational improvement in general and in functions such as marketing. Cultural attributes of employees also affect the ways in which communication channels are used and, therefore, affect organizational goals and decision-making. We empirically investigate the effect of employee cultural dimensions on social media use and its implications for organizations in general and in functions such as marketing. This is likely to be the first study to connect cultural dimensions to social media use. Design/methodology/approach We use survey data and statistical analysis to investigate the moderating effect of cultural dimensions on productivity through the use of social media and face-to-face communications. The social media platforms analyzed in our study are Facebook and a general category denoted as “Other Social Media” to capture excluded platforms and enterprise-specific social media. The cultural dimensions analyzed are power distance (PD), uncertainty avoidance (UA) and individualism-collectivism (IC). We use arguments derived from prior literature on social media use and cultural dimensions to develop our hypotheses. Findings Not surprisingly, face-to-face communication is strongly associated with productivity and this result is in consonance with intuition. However, Facebook is negatively associated with productivity, whereas other social media is positively associated with productivity. However, when we introduce Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a moderator, the negative effect of Facebook on productivity is amplified for employees with high UA. Research limitations/implications Our research findings are (1) limited by the demographic constraints of the survey data, (2) limited to Hofstede's cultural dimensions and (3) that the data is self-reported from the surveys. Implications are that any generalizations may need to take these limitations into consideration. However, these limitations provide an opportunity for other scholars to expand on this work and mitigate some of these limitations. Practical implications Firms can develop marketing and communications strategies that improve productivity and marketing success through understanding the role of cultural attributes on the effectiveness of social media platforms. Organizations should not rely exclusively on social media platforms and may have to fall back on the traditional tried-and-true mode of face-to-face communication. Firms can benefit from constraining the use of platforms such as Facebook that drain productivity, particularly when high UA is a prevalent cultural trait. Our findings from the other social media category suggest that firms can enhance productivity by having an enterprise-oriented social media platform. Social implications Implications across the globe are: (1) the need to recognize and understand the effect of social media usage on productivity, (2) the simultaneous need to understand the cultural attributes of employees, which have implications for global and country-wide strategies and (3) the need to take proactive steps to improve workplace productivity after accounting for cultural differences. Physical meetings may need to be complemented by other digital forms of communication. Instead of relying on serendipity, firms could institute formal policies for periodic face-to-face meetings. In the context of global teams, the frequency and nature of such meetings have to be considered. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, such a study has not been undertaken previously. This would be the first such study to connect cultural dimension characteristics of individuals to social media usage and traditional face-to-face communications to organizational outcomes such as productivity.
