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PurposeThis paper aims to better understand the effect of store atmospherics on the employees' cognitive, affective and physiological responses. It tries to build on store atmospherics literature to gain more insights on how these store atmospherics – often handled to produce positive outcomes among consumers – affect employees' attitudinal and behavioural reactions.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted an explanatory approach. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 13 employees working in internationally reputed clothing stores. A content analysis was carried out.FindingsThe study reveals that employees could adopt avoidance behaviours because of the environmental factors. Specifically, it suggests that the lack of variation in the musical program, incongruence of music genre – salespersons musical preferences, long exposure to the same rhythms, task complexity, crowding, might affect the employees' attitudinal and behavioural responses. In addition, the relationships between the sales force team are found to influence employees' reactions.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the complexity of the subject matter and the research approach adopted, the study findings may lack generalisability. Further studies are required to test the suggested framework in different service settings.Practical implicationsThe study finding stresses the need that in an attempt to produce positive reactions from consumer, clothing stores managers should also devote attention to employees' responses to store atmospherics as they might inhibit the quality of the service delivery process.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils a recognized call to thoroughly understand the impact of store atmospherics on employees' reactions in services marketing. The study enlarges the scope of store atmospherics research in marketing to encompass not only the consumer's reactions but also the employee's ones.

Purpose -This study aims to understand trust meanings, determinants and manifestations in supply chains (SCs) operating in an emerging market context. It also aims to improve our knowledge about the role of trust and the mechanisms by which it operates in establishing and maintaining relationships between firms in SCs. Design/methodology/approach -This study adopts an explanatory approach. In-depth interviews with 30 key informants were conducted. Informants were chief executive officers or marketing managers in firms operating in different economic sectors. Firms varied in size and ranged from small businesses to large companies. Findings -The study results showed that trust could evolve through four building processes: calculative-based process, predictive-based process, intention-based process, and identification-based process and that trust meanings and determinants vary with the trust form. Moreover, the study revealed that determinants related to the trustor also have an influence on the trust form and its evolving process. On the other hand, it was found that risk taking, preference for the partner, fewer formalized controls, offers of assistance and psychological security are the main manifestations of trust. This supports the point of view of the twofold facets of trust: perceived trustworthiness and trusting behaviors. Research limitations/implications -Because of the complexity of the trust phenomenon, and the research approach adopted, the findings may not be generally applicable. Further quantitative studies are needed to test the proposed framework. Practical implications -Given the globalisation of markets and the widespread increase in international collaborative partnerships, the study sheds some light on how Tunisian managers conceive trust, which factors they perceive most important to develop trust, and how they behave to signal their trust towards a partner. These insights can be very helpful for foreign investors who are willing to invest in this emerging market and to implement a supply chain management approach with Tunisian partners. Originality/value -This paper fulfils an identified need, not only to better understand the phenomenon of trust in SCs, but also to carry out more studies in situ. Indeed, the rapid development of the global economy has made it more important than ever before for managers from different cultures to understand how their business partners conceive and manage the interpersonal aspects of business relationships.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover some ethically equivocal aspects of the pharmaceutical industry (PI). It identifies the determinants of the medical representatives’ (MRs) unethical behaviour as perceived by the MRs themselves and their direct customers. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative multi-actors approach, 40 in-depth interviews were conducted among MRs and physicians. Findings The study has revealed that providing misleading and incomplete information, giving incentives, making disparaging remarks about competitors and their products, falsifying daily call reports and the misusing of samples are the major unethical issues of MRs. The determinants of unethical behaviour can be classified into six groups: organizational, individual, job characteristics, stakeholders, situational, and cultural factors. Research limitations/implications Because of the complexity of the subject matter and the research approach, the findings may lack generalizability. Besides, as the healthcare sector involves other actors (pharmacists, patients, and government), it will be more insightful to take into account their influence on the ethical/unethical behaviour of MRs. Practical implications Identifying questionable ethical behaviours and their determinants could be very helpful for firms to undertake the necessary actions (i.e. training programmes) to prevent their negative impact, and to develop ethical awareness among their MRs. This may enhance their public image and build long-term relationships with their customers. Originality/value This study is among few studies that has taken into account the views of more than a single actor in the PI (MRs and physicians).

Citizen participation is a key factor in open government and a fundamental form of collective problem solving in democratic societies. Citizens need reliable information to support collective sense making and decision-making. During crises, such as political uprisings and controversial elections, reliable information sources are essential for citizens to stay informed and make sense of rapidly changing developments. In countries that exert control over media, citizens try to access alternative information sources, such as unfiltered Internet and social media. Using two rounds of surveys with young, educated adults in Tunisia, we examined their use of diverse information sources during the 2011 revolution. We update these findings with a third survey round asking similar questions to young, educated Tunisian adults' about their use of diverse information sources during the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. Our results show there have been dramatic changes in the use and perceptions of the reliability of broadcast media as Tunisia builds a new government with more open participation and national communication media. The Internet and social media still play an important role in informing the Tunisian public, but new government and private sources are perceived as significantly more reliable than they were under the authoritarian regime overthrown by the 2011 revolution. Our election survey results show that higher perceptions of information reliability, along with the sharing of online information, lead to greater political information efficacy (PIE). Prior studies show higher PIE is associated with greater democratic participation. This finding bodes well for the nascent democracy emerging in this small North African state.