No abstract

Despite discussions on strong and growing influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on consumer decisions, there is insufficient effort to validate negative eWOM as a key source of causal data towards mobile consumer switching behaviour. Studies have indicated strong negative eWOM leads to high degree of influence on switching behaviour (Zhang et al., 2015). However, these studies are based on consumers’ survey response on how the negative eWOM impacts their decisions with emphasis on the strength and valence of the negative eWOM. Limited studies explore the contents of negative eWOM itself and how the choice of words is reflective of consumer elements or contexts which are meaningful towards understanding the causality between negative eWOM and switching behaviour (Martins et al., 2013; Qahri et al., 2015). The content of the negative eWOM sheds light on consumer elements related to mobile consumer switching behaviour, described as issues and situations. This study identifies and validates the causality of key consumer elements highlighted in the negative eWOM in association with mobile consumer switching phenomenon.

Purpose The global food waste and food scarcity paradox is steadfastly increasing. This study aims to examine the effects of digital nudging as forms of positive and negative reinforcement to change food waste behavior and found that nudging positive reinforcement modifies this habit. Design/methodology/approach A field experiment was conducted on 628 diners randomly split into experiment (n = 412) and control group (n = 216) in two separate dining locations over four weeks. Out of these, 412 diners were randomly subjected to tent cards with positive (n = 228) and negative (n = 184) reinforcement nudging and completed a questionnaire to ascertain if nudging affects their consumption behavior. Consumption waste per unit revenue was calculated from all 628 diners individually to analyze the financial impact between control and experiment groups. Findings SEM analysis reveals that positive reinforcement mediates between external motivators (social media and restaurant service) and reduction of food waste behavior. Further analysis also reveals that nudging has a higher three times effect on reducing food waste as compared with no nudging (control). Social implications Positive messaging encourages behavior change more effectively as compared to negative ones. Gentle reminders of how everyone can personally be a “warrior” or “hero” in the fight against global food waste increases the likelihood of altruistic motivation in tackling these issues. Originality/value This study demonstrates how positive reinforcement in the form of nudges acts as key mediator to support reduction of consumer food waste on site, ultimately helping to reduce financial costs compared to those without nudges.