PurposeThis study was conducted to examine the effect of co-branding, a brand partnership tactic involving two or more brands, on consumer behavior within the sport industry. As such, the primary aim was to examine differences regarding consumers' perceptions of self-image congruence and perceived product quality when considering solo-branding and co-branding conditions. Further, under the co-branding condition, relationships among consumers' self-image congruence, perceived product quality, image fit, product evaluation and purchase intention were investigated.Design/methodology/approachA scenario-based quasi-experiment consisting of hypothetical co-branding initiatives between existing brands was conducted.FindingsResults from a repeated multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that consumers' symbolic and functional perceptions of co-branding as well as evaluations were statistically higher than in the solo-branding condition. Additionally, structural equation modeling indicated positive relationships between consumers' symbolic and functional perceptions, image fit, evaluation and behavior intention.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first papers to investigate the impact of co-branding on consumers within the sport industry and provides evidence of the positive impact of co-branding strategies on consumer behavior within the sport industry.

PurposeDespite the importance of mobile experiences in the food service industry, extant studies do not empirically examine customers' behavior. Thus, the authors examine this issue by using utility theory to understand the role of multidimensional customers' perceived value in the formation of a positive attitude.Design/methodology/approachCustomers' perceived service, process, and relationship values are hypothesized to affect satisfaction, which in turn affects attitudinal loyalty to food delivery applications. Also, the authors explore whether attitudinal loyalty influences customers' behavioral loyalty. Hypotheses are examined using data from US customers of food delivery applications. Partial least squared structural equation modeling is used.FindingsResults show that customers' perceived service, process, and relationship valuation of mobile experiences influence satisfaction, whereas only the process value influences satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty. Moreover, customers' behavioral loyalty is positively affected by satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsService, process, and relationship values have been shown as an important indicator of customers' positive attitude toward food delivery service providers. Thus, this study provides a better understanding of the relationship between customers' mobile service experience and their behavior will allow service providers to design better mobile services.Originality/valueThe study extends utility theory to mobile the food delivery context. Specifically, this research demonstrates why and how customers decide to use mobile food delivery application.

Purpose Existing studies suggest the importance of research related to values and goals and their impacts on consumer involvement. However, cross-cultural examination of values and goals in the context of sport is scarce. To broaden our understanding of the cultural impact of values and goals on sport involvement, the purpose of this paper is to compare perspectives between Easterners (Chinese) and Westerners (Americans). Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research utilized both online and written surveys to collect two convenience samples from 281 American and 636 Chinese participants. Analysis included descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression analyses. Findings Results indicated both populations perceived values and goals differently; Chinese responded less favorably to values and goals than American counterparts. Values and goals predicted cognitive and behavioral sport involvement with variance in each population. Results generally supported a large cultural variation between the cultures. Lastly, similarities and differences in the perceived importance of values and goals and their subsequent impacts on cognitive and behavioral sport involvement suggest a need for a unique managerial approach when American businesses enter new cultural boundaries like China. Originality/value This research is significant because studies exploring values and goals and their influences on sport consumption at the cross-cultural level are still limited in sport literature. Furthermore, an empirical examination of the impact of values and goals on sport consumers across cultures will help increase generalizability of the findings to sport literature.

Background: Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increasing incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The relationship between the amount of alcohol consumption and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is controversial. Our study was performed to evaluate the relationship between alcohol consumption and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Korean men. Also we examined the correlation of liver markers, including alanine transaminase (ALT) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) with the development of metabolic syndrome. Methods:We enrolled 1,775 Korean men (mean age 40.0 ± 5.8 years) who were undergone health check-ups in our hospital. Each component of metabolic syndrome was measured by using the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) criteria. The subjects were divided into 4 subgroups according to the amount of alcohol consumption; Group 1: no consumption, 2 (mild): those consumed less than 200 g/week, 3 (moderate): those consumed 200~399 g/week, 4 (heavy): those consumed more than 400 g/week. Results:The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 24.6%. There were significant positive correlations between the amount of alcohol consumption blood pressure, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose, GGT levels and HDL cholesterol levels. But the odds ratios for metabolic syndrome were not significantly increased in subjects with moderate alcohol consumption. The odds ratios for the metabolic syndrome significantly increased in proportion to the increasing levels of ALT and GGT. Conclusion:Although alcohol consumption didn't increase the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, the amount of alcohol consumption had significant positive correlation with components of metabolic syndrome in Korean men, and elevated ALT and GGT levels could strongly associate with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

Understanding the effect of risk factors on tourists’ hesitation in choosing a destination is vital for successful management in tourism, especially in the pandemic era. Based on protection motivation theory, this study investigated the impact of sport tourists’ perceived risk associated with COVID-19 on their hesitation to choose a tourist destination in the context of water sport tourism. Further, we examined whether the relationship changes according to the levels of tourists’ destination image. Data from a survey of water sport tourists (n = 312) were analyzed using structural equation modeling and Hayes PROCESS macro with bootstrapping procedures. Findings of this research empirically demonstrated that risk factors influence hesitation in choosing a destination. Furthermore, the moderating effect of destination image on the influences of perceived risks on hesitation was identified. The study’s theoretical and practical contributions to the sport tourism literature are also discussed.