Showing papers on "Credibility published in 2004"
TL;DR: It is suggested that it is the responsibility of research methods teachers to ensure that this or a comparable model for ensuring trustworthiness is followed by students undertaking a qualitative inquiry.
Abstract: Although many critics are reluctant to accept the trustworthiness of qualitative research, frameworks for ensuring rigour in this form of work have been in existence for many years. Guba’s constructs, in particular, have won considerable favour and form the focus of this paper. Here researchers seek to satisfy four criteria. In addressing credibility, investigators attempt to demonstrate that a true picture of the phenomenon under scrutiny is being presented. To allow transferability, they provide sufficient detail of the context of the fieldwork for a reader to be able to decide whether the prevailing environment is similar to another situation with which he or she is familiar and whether the findings can justifiably be applied to the other setting. The meeting of the dependability criterion is difficult in qualitative work, although researchers should at least strive to enable a future investigator to repeat the study. Finally, to achieve confirmability, researchers must take steps to demonstrate that findings emerge from the data and not their own predispositions. The paper concludes by suggesting that it is the responsibility of research methods teachers to ensure that this or a comparable model for ensuring trustworthiness is followed by students undertaking a qualitative inquiry.
8,980 citations
TL;DR: This article reviewed the empirical evidence of the effect of credibility of the message source on persuasion over a span of 5 decades, primarily to come up with recommendations for practitioners as to when to use a high- or a low-credibility source and secondarily to identify areas for future research.
Abstract: This paper reviews the empirical evidence of the effect of credibility of the message source on persuasion over a span of 5 decades, primarily to come up with recommendations for practitioners as to when to use a high- or a low-credibility source and secondarily to identify areas for future research. The main effect studies of source credibility on persuasion seem to indicate the superiority of a high-credibility source over a low-credibility one. Interaction effect studies, however, show source credibility to be a liability under certain conditions. The variables found to interact with source credibility are categorized into 5 categories: source, message, channel, receiver, and destination variables. The most heavily researched variables have been the message and receiver variables. Implications for marketers/advertisers and suggestions for future research are discussed.
1,589 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the role of brand credibility on brand choice and consideration across multiple product categories that vary in regard to potential uncertainty about attributes and associated information acquisition costs and perceived risks of consumption.
Abstract: We examine the role of brand credibility (trustworthiness and expertise) on brand choice and consideration across multiple product categories that vary in regard to potential uncertainty about attributes and associated information acquisition costs and perceived risks of consumption. We find that brand credibility increases probability of inclusion of a brand in the consideration set, as well as brand choice conditional on consideration. We also find that although credibility impacts brand choice and consideration set formation more and through more constructs in contexts with high uncertainty and sensitivity to such uncertainty, credibility effects are present in all categories. Finally, our results indicate that trustworthiness, rather than expertise, affects consumer choices and brand consideration more.
988 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed and tested a cognitive explanation of sponsor effects and found that a good fit between a company and the cause it sponsored generates consumer attributions of altruistic sponsor motives and enhances sponsor credibility and attitude toward the sponsor.
Abstract: Corporations sponsoring causes may hope to create the appearance of "good citizenship." Using attribution theory, the authors develop and test a cognitive explanation of sponsorship effects. Results of the experiment suggest that a good fit between a company and the cause it sponsors generates consumer attributions of altruistic sponsor motives and enhances sponsor credibility and attitude toward the sponsor. Mediation analysis results indicate that congruence effects on sponsor attitudes were mediated by sponsor credibility.
837 citations
TL;DR: The degree to which reliance on Weblogs as well as traditional and online media sources predicts credibility of Weblogs after controlling for demographic and political factors is explored.
Abstract: This study surveyed Weblog users online to investigate how credible they view blogs as compared to traditional media as well as other online sources. This study also explores the degree to which reliance on Weblogs as well as traditional and online media sources predicts credibility of Weblogs after controlling for demographic and political factors. Weblog users judged blogs as highly credible—more credible than traditional sources. They did, however, rate traditional sources as moderately credible. Weblog users rated blogs higher on depth of information than they did on fairness.
725 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors synthesize the existing literature on disclosure credibility and identify four factors that investors consider when assessing the credibility of a management disclosure: (1) situational incentives at the time of the disclosure, (2) management's credibility (i.e., competence and trustworthiness), (3) the levels of external and internal assurance, and (4) characteristics of disclosure itself.
Abstract: This paper synthesizes the existing literature on disclosure credibility and identifies four factors that investors consider when assessing the credibility of a management disclosure: (1) situational incentives at the time of the disclosure, (2) management's credibility (ie, competence and trustworthiness), (3) the levels of external and internal assurance, and (4) characteristics of the disclosure itself Disclosure credibility tends to be higher when management has few incentives to mislead investors and/or is perceived to be competent and trustworthy Validation by external or internal sources also can enhance a disclosure's credibility Moreover, disclosure credibility is influenced by various characteristics of the disclosure itself, such as its precision, venue, timing, inherent plausibility, and amount of supporting information
414 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present experimental evidence that promises and threats to mitigate the hold-up problem are more credible than their trading partner's promises, and they also present a simple model within which agents are concerned about both fairness and consistency.
Abstract: We present experimental evidence that promises and threats to mitigate the hold-up problem. While investors rely as much on their own threats as on their trading partner's promises, the latter are more credible. Building on recent work in psychology and behavioural economics, we then present a simple model within which agents are concerned about both fairness and consistency. The model can account for several of our experimental findings. Its most striking implication is that fairmindedness strengthens the credibility of promises to behave fairly, but weakens the credibility of threats to punish unfair behaviour.
366 citations
TL;DR: An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having generally rigid walls defining an elongated terminal-receiving passageway that has a latch shoulder for snapping behind the latch shoulder of the latch wall to prevent removal of the terminal from the passageways.
354 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present experimental evidence that promises and threats mitigate the hold-up problem, while investors rely as much on their own threats as on their trading partner's promises, the latter are more credible.
Abstract: We present experimental evidence that promises and threats mitigate the hold-up problem. While investors rely as much on their own threats as on their trading partner's promises, the latter are more credible. Building on recent work in psychology and behavioural economics, we then present a simple model within which agents are concerned about both fairness and consistency. The model can account for several of our experimental findings. Its most striking implication is that fairmindedness strengthens the credibility of promises to behave fairly, but weakens the credibility of threats to punish unfair behaviour. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
323 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is provided that prior knowledge may be a multidimensional construct; that when addressed independently, it does influence individuals’ search for vacation information; and that source credibility is the strongest predictor of type of information sources used.
317 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the role of source credibility in determining when resistance to persuasion occurs and found that when participants counterargued this message, they became more certain of their attitudes, but only when it came from a source with high expertise.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review issues concerning perceptions of women's credibility in the context of police responses to sexual assault complainants and present a qualitative and quantitative analysis based on both quantitative and qualitative data.
Abstract: This article reviews issues concerning perceptions of women’s credibility in the context of police responses to sexual assault complainants. It is based on both quantitative and qualitative data dr...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the role of social audits in improving the completeness and credibility of reporting, thereby reducing the audit expectations gap and suggest that this gap arises due to an over-emphasis on the validity of performance data at the expense of addressing completeness of reporting and the lack of credibility of reports.
Abstract: This article deals with two concerns in achieving greater accountability in social reports: the lack of completeness of reporting, and the lack of credibility of reports. The article focuses, in particular, on the role of social audits in improving the completeness and credibility of reporting, thereby reducing the audit expectations gap. We suggest that this gap arises due to an over-emphasis on the validity of performance data at the expense of addressing completeness and credibility, both of which, we argue, require stakeholder involvement. The article reviews recent guidelines aimed at ensuring that companies produce reports that are complete in all material respects including those produced by the Global Reporting Initiative and the Federation des Experts Comptables Europeens, focusing particularly on AccountAbility’s AA1000 Standard and AA1000S Assurance Standard. Finally, the article considers the development of a practical approach to social audit following principles increasingly being incorporated into developing assurance guidelines aimed at reducing the audit expectations gap. ● Social auditing ● Accountability ● Audit expectations gap
TL;DR: This article proposed and tested a model of the effects of media and media features (amount of information, opportunities for 2-way communication, personal focus, social presence, symbolism) on communication outcomes (credibility and satisfaction), attitudes, intentions and behavior associated with joining the organization.
Abstract: An unanswered question in recruitment research is whether and how the media used to communicate recruitment messages influence important outcomes. Drawing from research and theory on persuasive communication and media richness and features, we propose and test a model of the effects of media and media features (amount of information, opportunities for 2-way communication, personal focus, social presence, symbolism) on communication outcomes (credibility and satisfaction), attitudes, intentions, and behavior associated with joining the organization. Results of an experiment with 989 undergraduate students show that a constant recruitment message delivered via different media (face-to-face, video, audio, text) influenced perceptions of featares, and perceptions of features were related to important pre-hire outcomes.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Much of the initial research on consumers’ judgments of the credibility of online information focused on e-commerce sites and transactions, such as the willingness of consumers to use their credit cards online.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION Every day, millions of readers search among the countless pages of online health information (Baker and colleagues 2003; Bard 2000; Cain and colleagues 2000; Fox and colleagues 2000; Fox and Fallows 2003; Fox and Rainie 2002; Horrigan and Rainie 2002; PSRA 2002; UCLA 2003). They go to the Internet because it is open and available 24 hours a day, because it provides answers to embarrassingly personal questions, and because—unlike our increasingly harried doctors—it never has to cut a visit short. But consumers searching for accurate information online may have an arduous task. Numerous studies have shown that, while there are excellent sources of online health information, many health Web pages have incomplete, spurious, or fraudulent information (Berland and colleagues 2001; CROH 2000; Crocco and colleagues 2002; Eng and EvaluMetrix 2001; FTC 2001; Fahey and Weinberg 2003; Hellawell and colleagues 2000; Latthe 2000; Pandolfi and colleagues 2000; Suarez-Almazor and colleagues 2001; Stephenson 1998; Stone and Jumper 2001; Weisbord and colleagues 1997). Given the poor quality of information on some Web sites, one might wonder how consumers decide what information to trust. While it would be optimal if readers had the ability to accurately assess the quality of online information itself, most lack the necessary expertise and must judge the information quality by other means, such as cues to credibility. Many healthcare organizations, such as the Health on the Net Foundation and the Internet Healthcare Coalition, have published guidelines to help readers judge the credibility of online information, that is, to determine the expertise of the providers of online health information, as well as the motives and goals, or trustworthiness, of these providers. In addition, researchers have used these guidelines, in combination with methods for online audience research, to develop a conceptual framework for creating credible Web sites on medical topics (Swenson and colleagues 2002). Yet little work has been done to determine how consumers actually judge the credibility of online information. Much of the initial research on consumers’ judgments of the credibility of online information focused on e-commerce sites and transactions, such as the willingness of consumers to use their credit cards online (Cheskin Research, and Studio Archetype/Sapient 1999; Cheskin Research 2000; Fogg and colleagues 2001a, 2001b, 2002a; Friedman and colleagues 2000; GVU 1999; Jones and colleagues 2000; Olson and Olson 2000; Resnick and colleagues 2000; Winn and Beck 2002). Recently, researchers have also begun to address the credibility of online health information, primarily through large-scale surveys (Bard 2000; Cain and colleagues 2000; Fogg and colleagues 2002b; Fox and colleagues 2000; Fox and Fallows 2003; Fox and Rainie 2002; HON 1999, 2001; Horrigan and Rainie 2002; PSRA 2002; Stanford and colleagues 2002). Although these surveys provide a valuable foundation for future research, they are limited in that they ask participants to judge imaginary Web pages as opposed to actual Web pages. It is not surprising that the results of these surveys sometimes differ from the few studies that have presented
TL;DR: It is argued that using audit trails as a means to achieve confirmability of qualitative research findings is an exaggeration of the case for method, and may do little to establish the credibility of the findings.
Abstract: Journal of Advanced Nursing 45(2),126–135Expert qualitative researchers and the use of audit trailsBackground. Determining the credibility of qualitative research findings remains acontested area and leaves the way open for additional theoretical and methodolo-gical discussion.Aims. In this paper we focus on audit trails and confirmability, within the contextof ‘expert’ qualitative researchers. Having outlined the audit trail process, wedevelop existing arguments about the ‘expert’ qualitative researcher. We then jux-tapose the two, highlighting a number of issues in an attempt to advance the debate.Discussion. These issues discussed are: (1) The shifting sands of methodologicalorthodoxy – the historical context in which audit trails emerged. (2) The individualconstruction of logic. (3) ‘Grounded in the data’ or ‘going beyond the words’ – thekey differences between descriptive and interpretive findings. (4) The singularrelationship between qualitative researcher and their data. (5) The growingacknowledgement that method alone is insufficient. (6) The challenging example ofvisionaries.Conclusion. We argue that using audit trails as a means to achieve confirmability ofqualitative research findings is an exaggeration of the case for method, and may dolittle to establish the credibility of the findings. We also introduce a preliminary casefor testing the credibility of theory induced by expert qualitative researchers, in partby means of its usefulness; its ‘fit and grab’, rather than by the researcher’s adher-ence to contemporary methodological orthodoxy. In other words, the absence ofaudit trails does not necessarily challenge the credibility of qualitative findings,particularly if an expert qualitative researcher produced the findings.Keywords: nursing, expert qualitative researchers, audit trails, establishingcredibility, methodological orthodoxy
TL;DR: In this paper, a measure of organizational climate comprised of tension, resistance to change, and conflict is developed, and it is shown that at least for some pairings of a firm's climate and its strategy, there is a negative effect on return on assets (ROA).
Abstract: A firm's organizational climate—its degree of trust, morale, conflict, rewards equity, leader credibility, resistance to change, and scapegoating—helps determine its success. Likewise, organizational strategy—the firm's commitment to capital investment, innovation, quality, and the like—has also been found to be an important determinant of firm performance. However, prior work has most often explored the impact of climate and strategy separately, and not in tandem. In our study, we develop a measure of organizational climate comprised of tension, resistance to change, and conflict, and go on to show that at least for some pairings of a firm's climate and its strategy, there is a negative effect on return on assets (ROA). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: This article investigated the impact of teacher caring and teacher immediacy on student perceptions of teachers' credibility and found that when teacher caring was low, whether the teacher was in the immediate or non-mediate condition made no significant difference.
Abstract: This research investigated the impact of teacher caring and teacher immediacy on student perceptions of teachers' credibility. While the results of the two studies conducted indicated the presence of strong main effects for teacher caring and immediacy and strong negative effects for teacher non‐caring and nonimmediacy on the various dimensions of teacher credibility (as hypothesized), significant interaction effects were observed between caring and nonimmediacy on both dimensions of credibility studied (competence and trustworthiness). In most cases, when teacher caring was low, whether the teacher was in the immediate or nonimmediate condition made no significant difference—both produced negative perceptions of teacher credibility. In contrast, when teacher caring was high, teacher nonimmediacy significantly lowered perceived credibility. Probing of the interaction results suggested that high verbal caring tends to soften the negative impact of teacher nonimmediacy. The results of these studies demonstr...
TL;DR: In this paper, seven dimensions of organizational culture that influence the employee reflection process that ultimately leads to whistleblowing behavior are presented, and a compliance framework is used to identify strategies for encouraging a culture that supports employee communication, questioning and reporting of illegal, unethical, and illegitimate practices within organizations.
Abstract: Seven dimensions of organizational culture that influence the employee reflection process that ultimately leads to whistleblowing behavior are presented. These include 1) vigilance, 2) engagement, 3) credibility, 4) accountability, 5) empowerment, 6) courage, and 7) options. Key considerations within each dimension are discussed and a compliance framework is used to identify strategies for encouraging a culture that supports employee communication, questioning, and reporting of illegal, unethical, and illegitimate practices within organizations.
TL;DR: This paper examined the effect of three celebrity credibility dimensions (attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise) on purchase intention with 880 Singaporean undergraduates, using four Asian celebrities as stimuli.
Abstract: This research examines the effect of three celebrity credibility dimensions (attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise) on purchase intention with 880 Singaporean undergraduates, using four Asian celebrities as stimuli. In contrast to the results in Ohanian (1991), which indicate that the dimensions attractiveness and trustworthiness do not affect product purchase intention, the results in this study show that all of the three credibility dimensions positively relate to purchase intention. Explanations for the different findings and managerial implications are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the credibility of 58 eco-labeling like food schemes and dissected them into the building blocks of the different factors that makes a scheme credible and analyzed the structure of these blocks as well as a literature survey on the perceptions of both the consumers and producers to these schemes.
TL;DR: In this paper, a content analysis of media reports of "scandals" over the past four years involving NGOs was conducted to identify issues and trends in governance and management problems and options for enhancing accountability explored.
Abstract: This paper analyzes, from a cross-national perspective, publicized incidents of wrongdoing by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). A content analysis of media reports of “scandals” over the past four years involving NGOs was conducted to identify issues and trends in governance and management problems. The analysis is confined to NGOs that are involved in the financing and/or delivery of health and human services in order to facilitate comparisons. International and U.S. cases of wrongdoing, covering the gamut of embezzlement to mismanagement, are identified and the common elements and unique features of these cases are examined. The underlying problems that allowed these cases to occur and their implications in regard to NGO credibility and public trust are identified and options for enhancing accountability explored.
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated VEP design characteristics and found that less rigorous VEPs can signal that their administrative, environmental performance and conformance requirements are comparable to programs with more robust designs.
Abstract: Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) have become a popular alternative to traditional regulation. However, little is known about whether these programs are sending accurate signals about the environmental practices of their participants. As a means for understanding signaling accuracy, this research investigates VEP design characteristics. The findings suggest that there are four distinct types of programs with varying degrees of rigor. Because information for differentiating among program types is limited, less rigorous VEPs can signal that their administrative, environmental performance and conformance requirements are comparable to programs with more robust designs. Further, the lack of monitoring and sanctions in less rigorous programs create opportunities for participants to free-ride and receive benefits without satisfying VEP requirements. Unless some means of distinguishing among program types is implemented, these issues can threaten the long term viability of VEPs as a tool for environmental protection, and the credibility of market mechanisms more broadly.
TL;DR: In this paper, homeowners in three different ecosystems with varying fuels management approaches reveal that homeowners' trust in natural resource agencies is significantly associated with perceived risks and benefits and with perceived agency competence.
Abstract: Surveys of homeowners in three different ecosystems with varying fuels management approaches reveal thathomeowners'trust in natural resource agencies is significantly associated with perceived risks and benefits and with perceived agency competence. A weaker association between forest value orientation and agency trust is evident. Focus group interviews provide further contextual supportthat the characteristics of competence, care, and credibility associated with an agency are influential in shaping trust. The correlation between trust and acceptance of each fuels management strategy at each of the study sites suggests that trust-building and trust maintenance should be key goals of agency-citizen interactions.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of Web use motivation on the relationship between completeness and consumer perceptions of credibility was investigated based on a 2 × 3 experiment conducted with 246 respondents, and it was shown that the extent of completeness of health information on the Internet impacts consumer assessment of source and website credibility.
Abstract: Recent articles on the quality of health information on the Internet reveal 2 critical criteria: completeness and credibility. This article investigates the effect of Web use motivation on the relationship between completeness and consumer perceptions of credibility. Based on a 2 × 3 experiment conducted with 246 respondents, the article demonstrates that the extent of completeness of health information on the Internet impacts consumer assessment of source and website credibility. In contrast to the extant research on the orthogonality of content and source characteristics, this research demonstrates their interaction.
TL;DR: Two other types of source credibility play a significant role in shaping students' perceptions of credibility, verifiable credibility and cost-effort credibility.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing students' perception of the credibility of scholarly information on the web. In addition to the four types of source credibility proposed by previous studies (presumed credibility, reputed credibility, surface credibility, and experienced credibility), this study shows that two other types of source credibility (verifiable credibility and cost-effort credibility) play a significant role in shaping students' perceptions of credibility. Circumstances that affect students' willingness to accept scholarly information on the web are identified. Implications for web system design are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a credit evaluation and decision-making model is developed for the banks to determine the credibility of the manufacturing firms, and the main starting point for this study is to measure the long-term profitability of manufacturing firms.
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TL;DR: Keefer as mentioned in this paper reviewed how three pillars of political economy -collective action, institutions, and political market imperfections - help to answer the question: Why do some countries develop and others do not?
Abstract: Keefer reviews how three pillars of political economy - collective action, institutions, and political market imperfections - help us answer the question: Why do some countries develop and others do not? Each makes tremendous advances in our understanding of who wins and who loses in government decisionmaking, generally, but only a subset of this literature helps us answer the question. The study of political market imperfections strongly suggests that the lack of credibility of pre-electoral political promises and incomplete voter information are especially robust in explaining development outcomes. From the institutional literature, the most powerful explanation of contrasting development outcomes links political checks and balances to the credibility of government commitments. This paper - a product of Investment Climate, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the political economy of economic development.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the barriers to research utilisation and what are the most effective strategies for facilitating the use of research by managers in the public sector, based on research evidence.
Abstract: For many management researchers, it is important that the knowledge they create is utilised and has some impact on managerial practice. Sustainable competitive advantage depends less on who has the information and increasingly on those able to make the best use of that information. This paper focuses on two key questions: what are the barriers to research utilisation and what are the most effective strategies for facilitating the use of research by managers in the public sector, based on research evidence? The approach entailed extensive searches of on‐line databases in the fields of management, education and medicine, from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. Key themes to emerge from this review were the accessibility and relevance of research, trust and credibility; the gap between researchers and users, and organisational factors. Research use can be facilitated through: support and training; collaboration and partnership; dissemination strategies; networks; and strong, visible leadership.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that consumer innovativeness and perceived product newness were independent constructs that had independent effects on attitude toward the brand and purchase intent for the new product, and that corporate credibility was equally important to innovators and non-innovators, and endorser attractiveness was relatively unimportant.
Abstract: The introduction of new technological products makes it important for marketers to understand how innovators or first adopters respond to persuasion cues. In this study, corporate credibility and endorser attractiveness were manipulated to determine their relative influence on innovators' attitudes toward the brand and their purchase intentions. The degree of consumers' innovativeness for cell phones as well as their perceptions of the newness of the advertised product were measured independent variables. Subjects (n = 81) were shown an advertisement for a fictitious new cell phone. The results showed that consumer innovativeness and perceived product newness were independent constructs that had independent effects on attitude toward the brand and purchase intent for the new product. The results also suggested that corporate credibility was equally important to innovators and non-innovators, and endorser attractiveness was relatively unimportant to both in assessing a new high-technology product. Thus, marketers and advertisers may want to consider all four variables when developing promotional campaigns for new high-technology products.