Papers by Yi Chia Wu
Challenging fun: Predicting customers’ sustained interest in co-creation through enjoyment
Journal of Business Administration, 2024
Numerous enterprises engage in the advancement of product or service innovation by actively invol... more Numerous enterprises engage in the advancement of product or service innovation by actively involving consumers in the co-creation process. This study aims to examine the significance of co-creation enjoyment in fostering sustained customer co-creation, particularly in situations involving increased task difficulty. A total of 274 valid questionnaires were collected from participants who had engaged in various types of co-creation activities, such as ideation, design, support, and marketing. Three findings were unfolded: First, both utilitarian and hedonic value positively affect customers’ sustained interest in co-creation. Second, enjoyment in co-creation serves as a mediating factor between customers’ perceived value and sustained interest. Third, engaging in challenging tasks strengthens the positive relationship between utilitarian value and co-creation enjoyment. This insight is particularly relevant in the context of developing innovation strategies by fostering sustainable customer engagement.
When AI Doesn’t Sell Prada: Why Using AI-Generated Advertisements Backfires for Luxury Brands
Journal of Advertising Research, 2025
The current research uncovers the potential negative consequence of utilizing AI-generated imager... more The current research uncovers the potential negative consequence of utilizing AI-generated imagery in luxury brands’ advertising efforts. Across three experiments (field and lab studies) using only AI-generated ads, the authors find that when luxury brands feature and disclose the use of AI-generated imagery in their advertisements, consumers respond to the ads more negatively (Study 1). The results further reveal the underlying rationale for this negative outcome: AI-generated advertisements are perceived to be made with lower effort, which results in AI-generated luxury ads being evaluated as less authentic of the brand (Study 2). Finally, the authors explore a potential strategy that mitigates the negative impact of disclosing the use of AI-generated imagery on luxury ads’ evaluations (Study 3). Specifically, the authors find that the negative outcomes associated with AI-generated luxury ads are attenuated when luxury brands use generative AI to generate highly creative ad imagery rather than standard creative ad imagery. This research highlights how luxury brands should strategically approach AI usage and the important managerial implications of employing generative AI in brands’ advertising efforts.
The Brand Relationship of Cult-Like Following: Developing Scales of Measurement in Apple and Catholic Devotees
Emerging markets journal, Jul 6, 2020
The purpose of this research aims to fill in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and expl... more The purpose of this research aims to fill in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and explores what constitutes a cult-like allegiance to a brand, by examining subjects’ relationship to the Apple brand, comparing survey response by subjects who were “devotees” versus “indifferents” to Catholicism and to Apple. This paper uses Ninian Smart’s (1989) “Seven Dimensions of Religion” as a theoretical framework to develop scales of measurement among Apple and Catholic devotees. The contribution of this research is the development of Catholic and Apple scales. The Catholic scale extracted three factors and the Apple scale generated four factors in CFA.
Atlantic Marketing Journal, 2015
This study explores the fitting of consumer needs to product perceived value using the example of... more This study explores the fitting of consumer needs to product perceived value using the example of two lines of competitive products in the area of communication electronics, Apple products versus Samsung products. Five types of needs regarding digital communication and three types of related product value are evaluated for these two brands in order to know if product value differences have a distinctive effect on consumer needs. This study focuses on the impact of perceived product values on certain consumer needs. We use Apple products and Samsung products to accomplish this. The perceived product values are examined using the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) which is linked to the five dimensions of m-commerce phenomenon, as exemplified in research of mobile phones by (Coursaris & Hassanein 2002). The TCV is founded on three axioms. First, consumer choice is a function of multiple consumption values. Second, the consumption values make differential contributions in any given cho...
Perceptions of Music Authenticity
ACR North American Advances, 2012
Perceptions of music authenticity are important to both evaluation of music, and word-of-mouth in... more Perceptions of music authenticity are important to both evaluation of music, and word-of-mouth in today’s socially networked world. The producers present the results of two studies through examples and evidence of an authentication process that consumers use to evaluate music and musicians.
Apple’s Religious Value
Consumer Social Values, 2019
Consumer Perceptions of Underarmour Brand: a Semiotic Square Approach
Athletes see UnderArmour as equipment that allows them to focus on their sport; Fashion focused c... more Athletes see UnderArmour as equipment that allows them to focus on their sport; Fashion focused consumers appreciate colors and logo. Non-athletes feel more athletic, leading to contradictions in perception. A semiotic square is used to convey these perceptions and relationships supported by self-enhancement, self verification, and symbolic self completion theories.
Hispanic Humor Styles on Facebook
International Journal of E-Business Research, 2020
To better understand how humor is used in today's multicultural virtual environment, this stu... more To better understand how humor is used in today's multicultural virtual environment, this study investigates the humor styles of Hispanic Americans in a virtual community. Based on the four humor styles, the current study builds a theoretical framework to explain why cultural norms, gender role, acculturation, and education influence the humor styles of Hispanic Americans in computer-mediated communication. Two research questions and five hypotheses are developed in the research framework. The statistical analysis is based on content analysis of 400 Hispanic Facebook users, 93 of whom use humor in most recent News Feed. The results provide preliminary evidence of the influences of cultural norms, gender role, acculturation, and education on Hispanic humor styles.
Predictors of Franchisee Performance: The Role of Communication, Conflict and Satisfaction
Ideas in Marketing: Finding the New and Polishing the Old, 2014
This study examines the relationships between communication, conflict, a franchisee’s economic an... more This study examines the relationships between communication, conflict, a franchisee’s economic and social satisfaction, and a franchisee’s performance in the context of the franchise systems. Surveying 141 franchisees in Texas, the authors found that communication has a significant negative effect on conflict and has a significant positive relationship with economic and social satisfaction as expected by previous research. However, conflict has a significant positive effect on a franchisee’s social satisfaction, a reversed effect from what has been reported in previous research. This implies that some level of conflict can be positive and harmless. There are nine hypotheses, five of which are supported. A brief discussion and the limitations of the findings conclude the paper.
Hispanic Humor Styles on Facebook: An Analytical Study
International Journal of E-Business Research (IJEBR) , 2020
To better understand how humor is used in today's multicultural virtual environment, this study i... more To better understand how humor is used in today's multicultural virtual environment, this study investigates the humor styles of Hispanic Americans in a virtual community. Based on the four humor styles, the current study builds a theoretical framework to explain why cultural norms, gender role, acculturation, and education influence the humor styles of Hispanic Americans in computer-mediated communication. Two research questions and five hypotheses are developed in the research framework. The statistical analysis is based on content analysis of 400 Hispanic Facebook users, 93 of whom use humor in most recent News Feed. The results provide preliminary evidence of the influences of cultural norms, gender role, acculturation, and education on Hispanic humor styles.
Emerging Markets Journal, 2019
The purpose of this research aims to fill in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and expl... more The purpose of this research aims to fill in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and explores what constitutes a cult-like allegiance to a brand, by examining subjects' relationship to the Apple brand, comparing survey response by subjects who were "devotees" versus "indifferents" to Catholicism and to Apple. This paper uses Ninian Smart's (1989) "Seven Dimensions of Religion" as a theoretical framework to develop scales of measurement among Apple and Catholic devotees. The contribution of this research is the development of Catholic and Apple scales. The Catholic scale extracted three factors and the Apple scale generated four factors in CFA.
International Journal of Sales, Retailing and Marketing, 2018
This study examines the relationships between communication, conflict, a franchisee's economic an... more This study examines the relationships between communication, conflict, a franchisee's economic and social satisfaction, and a franchisee's performance in the franchise systems. Surveying 141 franchisees in Texas, the author found that communication has a significant negative effect on conflict and has a significant positive relationship with economic and social satisfaction as expected by previous research. However, conflict has a significant positive effect on a franchisee's social satisfaction, a reversed effect from what has been reported in previous research. This implies that some level of conflict can be positive and harmless. There are nine hypotheses , five of which are supported.
Atlantic Marketing Journal, 2016
This study explores the fitting of consumer needs to product perceived value using the example of... more This study explores the fitting of consumer needs to product perceived value using the example of two lines of competitive products in the area of communication electronics, Apple products versus Samsung products. Five types of needs regarding digital communication and three types of related product value are evaluated for these two brands in order to know if product value differences have a distinctive effect on consumer needs.
We found that there is a significant relationship between consumer needs and perceived product values. The relationship is stronger in the case of Apple users, emphasizing the role of personal values, such as the emotional ones.
International Journal of Security, 2011
The growing Internet and mobile technologies create opportunities for efficient communication and... more The growing Internet and mobile technologies create opportunities for efficient communication and coordination among individuals and institutions. However, these technologies also pose security challenges. Although users’ understanding and behavior towards security solutions have been recognized as critical to ensuring effective security solutions, few research articles have examined user security management practices. The literature lacks empirical research that examines users’ everyday behavior and practices to managing security. In an effort to bridge the gap in user security management practices, this paper presents an exploratory study of how Hispanic college students manage the security of their computer systems. Specifically, we examine how ethnicity, gender, and age influence users’ behavior towards updating their operating systems, non-operating system software and antivirus definitions. The results reveal that gender influences the frequency of updating operating systems, antivirus definitions and non- operating system software, whereas ethnicity and age influence only frequency of update of operating systems but not the frequency of update of non-operating system software and antivirus definitions.
Are We Ready for an Automotive Plant?
Harvard Business Review, 2010
The city of McAllen, Texas and its partners have worked on attracting an automotive assembly plan... more The city of McAllen, Texas and its partners have worked on attracting an automotive assembly plant to the region for over fifteen years. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) provision, this region enjoys the advantages offered by both sides of the Mexican-U.S. border. Even during the economic downturn of 2007 to 2008, McAllen experienced a lower unemployment rate compared to other cities in the United States. One of the primary reasons was its close proximity and economic ties to Mexico. Lower labor cost, a right-to-work state and proximity to Mexico were some of this region's strengths, while a high illiteracy rate, limited numbers of automotive suppliers and small workforce were among its weaknesses. Based on publicly available data and aggregate score evaluation methods, McAllen is compared to other potential sites. The case addresses a wide range of issue regarding site selection factors within the automotive industry. Teaching objectives include: 1) to examine essential factors for site location of different industries, including the automotive industry 2) to evaluate the potential sites based on a quantitative method, such as the relative aggregate score 3) to understand other qualitative factors that can affect the decision. The case is suitable for courses and workshops concerning operations management, supply chain management, production management, project management, decision science and management science. Exhibits can be omitted for graduate and executive levels, requiring the students to research and come up with their own factors.
Conference Presentations by Yi Chia Wu
AMA Conference Proceedings, 2019
Companies create many initiatives to strengthen ties between its enthusiasts through collaboratio... more Companies create many initiatives to strengthen ties between its enthusiasts through collaboration extending to activities such as events, public exhibitions, and review of new products. However, even among firms with millions of customers, only a relatively small number of customers are willing to be cocreators (Etgar, 2008; O’Hern and Rindfleisch, 2009; Vernette and Hamdi-Kidar, 2013). Füller (2010) explored what consumers expect from virtual cocreation and how consumers’ motivations and personalities influence those expectations. Vernette and Hamdi-Kidar (2013) also demonstrated that consumer personality might affect motivation and apply this effect to the cocreate situation. However, the role of customer value for the cocreation motivation and their further interest is underresearched. Gutman’s (1982) means-end chains, which suggested that value are desirable end-states of existence, plays a dominant role in guiding choice patterns. It interferes with consumer behavioral preferences, and then measures the final choice. Customer value is important to the firm that engages in a relationship (short- or long-term) with customers (Vargo and Lusch 2004). This study addresses this research question: What are the driving factors for some consumers to be more willing and able to engage in the cocreation process?
*Szu-Yu Chou, Ming Chuan University
Ching Ju Chen, National Chiayi University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
AMA Proceedings , 2017
How do consumers react to firm’s social irresponsibility behaviors in terms of purchase intention... more How do consumers react to firm’s social irresponsibility behaviors in terms of purchase intention and product evaluation of the firm’s products? Are there any differences in their purchase intention reactions between groups of sustainability consumers? How does knowledge of environmental problems influence sustainability consumers' product evaluation and purchase intention? The experimental studies utilize a recent and real event as the contextual setting to increase external validity of the research.
*Thuy D. Nguyen, Midwestern State University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
Phil Wilson, Midwestern State University
AMA Conference Proceedings , 2016
Researchers have studied the cult-like phenomena widely in the fields of marketing, religion, soc... more Researchers have studied the cult-like phenomena widely in the fields of marketing, religion, sociology, and more recently in the field of neuroscience. The exploration between individuals and brands through these lenses begins to offer glimpses into the relationship between brands and their devotees. Religion, a multidimensional influence on human behavior and decision-making, is under-researched in the marketing discipline, possibly due to the sensitivity of religious topics and difficulties in measuring the impact of so potentially broad a field as “religion.” This research narrows the topic, begins filling in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and explores what constitutes a cult-like allegiance to a brand, namely Apple, by examining subjects’ relationship to the Apple brand, comparing response to stimuli by subjects who were “devotees” versus “indifferents” to Catholicism and to Apple.
SWDSI Proceedings, 2016
The purpose of this study is to categorize the typology of differences in cultural influence rega... more The purpose of this study is to categorize the typology of differences in cultural influence regarding the expectations of online service recovery for further data collection. Specifically, this paper suggests five propositions combining all five cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1991) in the online service recovery expectation context.
The proposed study aims to examine the influence of cultural differences regarding the expectations of online service recovery across cultures. This study has chosen to concentrate on the research question: How do cultural differences affect consumers’ expectation to online service failure (e.g., social network, personal blog and/or web browsing) without the involvement of purchase? Based on previous studies, five propositions were derived for future testing using cross-culture quantitative method to answer the research question.
Consumer Perceptions of UnderArmour Brand: A Semiotic Square Approach
ACR, 2014
Athletes see UnderArmour as equipment that allows them to focus on their sport; Fashion focused c... more Athletes see UnderArmour as equipment that allows them to focus on their sport; Fashion focused consumers appreciate colors and logo. Non-athletes feel more athletic, leading to contradictions in perception. A semiotic square is used to convey these perceptions and relationships supported by self-enhancement, self verification, and symbolic self completion theories.
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Papers by Yi Chia Wu
We found that there is a significant relationship between consumer needs and perceived product values. The relationship is stronger in the case of Apple users, emphasizing the role of personal values, such as the emotional ones.
Conference Presentations by Yi Chia Wu
*Szu-Yu Chou, Ming Chuan University
Ching Ju Chen, National Chiayi University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
*Thuy D. Nguyen, Midwestern State University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
Phil Wilson, Midwestern State University
The proposed study aims to examine the influence of cultural differences regarding the expectations of online service recovery across cultures. This study has chosen to concentrate on the research question: How do cultural differences affect consumers’ expectation to online service failure (e.g., social network, personal blog and/or web browsing) without the involvement of purchase? Based on previous studies, five propositions were derived for future testing using cross-culture quantitative method to answer the research question.
We found that there is a significant relationship between consumer needs and perceived product values. The relationship is stronger in the case of Apple users, emphasizing the role of personal values, such as the emotional ones.
*Szu-Yu Chou, Ming Chuan University
Ching Ju Chen, National Chiayi University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
*Thuy D. Nguyen, Midwestern State University
Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University
Phil Wilson, Midwestern State University
The proposed study aims to examine the influence of cultural differences regarding the expectations of online service recovery across cultures. This study has chosen to concentrate on the research question: How do cultural differences affect consumers’ expectation to online service failure (e.g., social network, personal blog and/or web browsing) without the involvement of purchase? Based on previous studies, five propositions were derived for future testing using cross-culture quantitative method to answer the research question.
Methodology- We categorized game players’ experience (High/Low) and the difficulty of the game (High/Low) as a 2x2 experimental design. Game players’ time to habituation was measured physically and mentally. Physical movement was recorded with a video camera by the number of clicks each player made in one round of play; the mental state was measured with Neurosky MindSet in which the attention and mediation level were recorded. Each player was asked to play the game at a beginner or advanced level based on their self-reported experience, and s/he was directed to play the game as long as desired. The total duration, the duration of each game, and the total number of times of playing the game were recorded and analyzed.
Findings- This study concludes that the habitation process is dependent on the frequency of practice physically and the attention level, regardless of the time spent on the activity. The attention level of experienced players was much higher than those of beginners. In other words, the more complicated the game is, the more practice a player would need to achieve habituation.
Managerial implications-The implications for game designers and video game retailers are twofold. First, from several experienced players’ mental responses, they tend to concentrate on the game immediately with a specific goal in mind; e.g., to beat the game. On the contrary, beginners tend to enjoy the game without purposely considering winning. Therefore, their mediation level is much higher than that of the experienced players. Game designers should increase the entertainment perspectives of the game so that experienced players can train their mind while at the same time relax and enjoy the game. Second, game designers should avoid the frustration level that may be caused by continuously losing the game. When a beginner is not familiar with the game, constantly losing the game increases the chances that the new game player will exit the game after few attempts.