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Author ORCID Identifier

N/A

AccessType

Open Access Dissertation

Document Type

dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Management (DMgt)

Degree Program

Hospitality & Tourism Management

Year Degree Awarded

2014

Month Degree Awarded

February

First Advisor

Miyoung Jeong

Second Advisor

Haemoon Oh

Third Advisor

Easwar Iyer

Subject Categories

Hospitality Administration and Management | Marketing

Abstract

Identifying effective persuasion strategies to encourage consumers’ anticipatory behaviors on the Internet is important for marketers. With the development of technology, consumers tend to access the Internet before they make any purchase decisions. However, the extant literature has not fully investigated the role of persuasion in the online environment. This study aims to explore a relatively new persuasion theory—transportation theory—in the online context to investigate the impact of sensory, brand relationship, and social review type cues on consumers’ transportation experiences in the online environment.

This dissertation consists of two studies that examine how sensory attributes, and personal and situation factors influence transportation experience, based on the narrative transportation theory as a fundamental theoretical background. Sensory cues are utilized as a way to enhance narrative persuasion in both Study 1 and Study 2. Study 1 employs brand relationship norm theory to investigate the importance of relationship norms between a company and a customer that influence transportation theory. Study 2 draws on social influence theory to examine how previous customers’ review formats influence transportation experience. Both Study 1 and Study 2 employ a scenario-based experiment to investigate the effects of website attributes (sensory cues) on consumers’ transportation experiences. This study further examines the outcomes of consumers’ transportation experiences—online brand experience, emotions, trust, and behavioral intentions.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/5553489.0

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