This research examines potential explanations of why consumers have difficulty making personal financial decisions that will be most beneficial in the long run. Within the decision context of retirement savings, results from an experiment suggest that self-regulatory state, future orientation, and financial knowledge can influence consumer evaluations and intentions related to retirement investments (i.e., a 401(k) plan). Findings suggest that consumers who express higher levels of future orientation are more likely to participate in a retirement plan, an effect moderated by self-regulatory state. Results also suggest that financial knowledge and orientation toward the future can interact to influence the likelihood of 401(k) plan participation. Among consumers with a basic level of financial knowledge, future-oriented consumers expressed a greater likelihood to participate in a retirement plan than less future-oriented consumers. However, in the absence of knowledge, consumers' orientation toward the future did not influence the likelihood of 401(k) plan participation.

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate how branding theories can be applied to place branding. It aims to examine how internal stakeholders, specifically a city's residents, are fundamental in the brand‐building process.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model with a theoretical basis in the branding literature is developed to illuminate the antecedents of self‐brand connection and brand advocacy in the context of city branding. The model is then tested using structural equation analysis on a sample of residents from an American city that has taken a cultural/entertainment approach to its branding efforts.FindingsFindings indicate that brand associations, including attitude toward the branding efforts of the city, perceived quality of the brand and the uniqueness of the brand, are crucial in the branding and positioning efforts of a city to its residents. When strong brand associations exist, residents may develop such a connection to the brand that it becomes reflective of their self‐concepts. When this occurs, a self‐brand connection is formed and residents may become advocates of the brand.Practical implicationsThis research has special implications for places and municipalities that are in the process of developing branding strategies for their locales as well as those interested in achieving a competitive advantage with existing brand management systems.Originality/valueThis research provides further insight into the application of branding theory to places and destinations. Implications for developing effective brand management systems that appeal to local residents are enumerated.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -Brands can imbue unique meaning to consumers, and such meaning and personal experience with a brand can create an emotional connection and relationship between the consumer and the brand. Just as many service providers have adopted branding strategies, marketers are branding the health care service experience. Health care is an intimate service experience and emotions play an integral role in health care decision making. The purpose of this paper is to examine how emotional or affect-based consumer brand relationships are developed for health care organizations. Design/methodology/approach -Empirical evidence from both depth interviews and data garnered from 322 surveys were integrated into a conceptual model. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings -Results indicate that trust, referent influence and corporate social responsibility are key variables in establishing affective commitment in consumer brand relationships in a health care context. Once affective commitment is achieved, consumers may come to identify with the health care provider's brand and a self-brand connection is formed. When such a phenomenon takes place, consumers can serve as advocates for the brand by actively promoting it via word-of-mouth. Practical implications -The findings provide insight for marketing managers in developing successful branding strategies for health care organizations. Originality/value -This research examines the advantages of cultivating meaningful brand connections and relationships with consumers in a health care context.

In the midst of the physical damage and collective stress created by natural disasters, individuals come to terms with their utter lack of control. In the process, a myriad of emotions are experienced, with many of them being negative in nature. Research suggests that during moderately challenging situations individuals experiencing negative emotions may engage in coping attempts to improve their emotional state. Consumption has been one strategy used by individuals to mitigate negative emotions. This research extends previous research by exploring whether such emotion regulation processes occur in extreme conditions such as natural disasters. Specifically, it examines the emotions experienced by individuals, the antecedents of these emotions, as well as how individuals regulate their emotions through consumption. A conceptual model is proposed and tested in Study 1 and findings are once again corroborated in a follow‐up study. Implications for mitigating negative emotions and improving subjective well‐being during extreme crisis situations are discussed.

P rofessional truck drivers experience many challenges in the course of performing their jobs. Drivers must meet the needs of their company, shippers, and receivers as well as comply with safety regulations. It is well documented that truck drivers are prone to physical exhaustion; however, they may also be subject to emotional exhaustion, which can impact their decision to remain with a company. This research examines the influence of job stressors, such as role conflict and role ambiguity and their relationship to emotional exhaustion in professional truck drivers. Furthermore, the effect that job stressors and emotional exhaustion have on the efforts of a firm to build corporate identification, collective mind, and commitment among truck drivers is examined. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 435 professional truck drivers, a conceptual model is developed and tested using structural equation modeling. Findings are discussed and implications for managers in improving driver retention rates are offered.