Fraud literature suggests that the presence or absence of fraudulent intentions can be assessed by a close scrutiny of human behaviour. This can help identify prospective fraud perpetrators. Given this consideration, the present study qualitatively explores the observations and views of people who have personally investigated or closely observed a fraud/fraudster. Twenty-six interviews help condense a checklist of behavioural red flags of fraud. The themes of strong ambition, social aloofness, extended working hours, dissatisfaction with current job, justifying unethical behaviour, personal problems and living standard disproportionate to current means are central to the articulations of the experiences of the respondents. Findings of the study have been integrated with the theory of the fraud triangle. This research displays the complementarity between a primary data based ex-post analysis of the behaviour of fraud perpetrators and existing literature on the subject. The results are likely to help improve professional standards related to frauds, both from an organizational and regulatory perspective.

In the postmodern era, many marketers have disturbed the strict gender discipline traditionally associated with gendered brands. Marketers are redoing their gender work by blurring the stark distinction between masculine and feminine brands. New consumption ideologies are developing that transcend the gendered meanings of brands and encourage men and women to infiltrate brands traditionally associated with the opposite gender. "Unisex" is emerging as the byword. This review convenes the phenomenological consumer responses to brand gender bending. It specifically highlights the contrast between the ways in which men and women react to dilution/revision of the gender identity meanings of their brands. This article also underscores the ethnographic, sociological, psychological, and anthropological reasons that justify these reactions. Based on the review and scientific understanding of the long-standing research, this article proposes a conceptual framework that exhibits the determinants that govern consumer responses to brand gender bending. Future researchers may empirically examine the validity of the framework. The practical implications of the article focus on providing suggestions to marketers engaged in the design of cross-gender brand extension strategies. It is believed that this article adds a fresh multidisciplinary perspective to the exiting literature on brand gender bending.

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Datsun Go surely and boldly disturbed the prevailing gender order in automobile advertisements by airing a series of ‘women only’ automobile advertisements on Indian television channels. This study uncovers the phenomenological response of men to this supposed gender contamination of a male-gendered product. The study captures the change in participants’ construction of gender identity meanings of the car and its purchase probability in response to exposure to differently gendered advertisements of the car. Results indicate the significant impact of gender signals in advertisements on the viewers’ perception of the gender identity meanings of the car. The study also provides evidence of male acceptance of gender bending in automobiles. Managerial implications and theoretical contributions are discussed.

The study investigates the phenomenological impact of gender cues in advertisements on the perceived gender identity meanings of the advertised product. The study utilizes a randomly assigned participants design that exposes three separate groups of participants to differently gendered advertisements of the same product and captures the distinction in the participants’ construction of the gender identity meanings of the advertised product under experimental conditions. Results establish the significant influence of gender cues in advertisements on the perceived gender identity meanings of the advertised product. Results also underscore the difference in the perceptions of men and women under the same stimulus. Theoretical contributions and implications for marketers are discussed.