Paul William Ballantine

Purpose: Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that boosts or augments real-time experiences by incorporating digital information into live objects. Retailers’ application of AR has taken the entire world by storm, enriching the relationship between consumers and brands. This study explores the multifaceted usage of AR in the retail sector. Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were conducted across two different time frames to understand the continued use of AR in retail dynamics. 394 respondents took part in Study One, while 368 respondents participated in Study Two. The research presented probes the moderating effect of e-word of mouth (e-WOM). The researchers also further explore the impact of AR on consumer behaviour by considering factors such as convenience, experience, curiosity, fantasy, and entertainment. Findings: Based on Study One’s findings, the adoption of AR for online shopping is influenced more by fantasy and curiosity rather than entertainment. The findings of Study Two indicate that experience, convenience and social influence are key factors in driving the adoption of AR for online shopping. By exploring the relationship between these variables, we provide a comprehensive understanding of how AR impacts consumer perceptions. Originality/value: This study extends gratification theory by analysing AR adoption in retail through a two-study approach, identifying key motivations and the moderating role of e-WOM. It differentiates fantasy from entertainment in AR adoption, emphasising curiosity and social influence. Our findings offer valuable insights for retailers and technologists to enhance AR-driven shopping experiences and consumer engagement.

Restaurants are increasingly promoting their sustainability attributes. However, this research fills a notable gap in knowledge in relation to the online promotion of sustainability by restaurants in non‐Michelin award countries, and where there is no specific sustainable restaurant certification to identify the online promotion of sustainability attributes. The websites of 164 award‐winning or nominated New Zealand restaurants were subject to content analysis. Results showed that seasonal and local produce were the most widely promoted sustainability measures. Unlike international sustainable restaurant schemes, there was little emphasis on sustainably harvested fish, Fairtrade, and animal ethics. However, interviews with restaurant chefs, managers, and owners demonstrated that many restaurants do not promote their sustainability practices because of greenwashing concerns and their personal values. The results highlight the online promotion of restaurant sustainability practices and the extent of sustainability practices outside of formal certification or award systems.

We use social practice theory to explore food waste produced by university students living in shared apartments. We use qualitative techniques including observation, fridge ethnography, garbology and interviews. The most important factors that led to food waste among university students were a lack of organisation related to the practices of meal planning and shopping, where students did not make lists, plan meals or conduct a food inventory before shopping. Observation of meal preparation revealed that students were unlikely to correctly sort food waste from other sorts of waste, as they did not always have appropriate bins to enable food waste separation. Thus, food waste was not properly disposed of (e.g., composted). Fridge ethnography revealed that both fresh food and leftovers were left or lost in the fridge until no longer edible. Finally, garbology analysis confirmed that a considerable amount of avoidable foods, such as fresh foods and leftovers, were wasted by students and not properly disposed of in curbside composting bins.

Drawing on dual‐system theories, this study shows that excessive social media users demonstrate a psychological imbalance between the impulsive and reflective systems in their minds. We provide empirical evidence of an inconsistency between conscious attitudes and the actual behavior toward social media. The findings show that excessive users are driven more by their implicit attitudes rather than explicit beliefs in consuming social media. Although a high level of self‐control indicates healthy social media use, the findings suggest that self‐control has no significant influence on excessive users with a positive implicit attitude and high‐impulsive social media use. This duality of self‐control dispels beliefs about its ability to regulate excessive online behaviors. Therefore, this study (1) theorizes what constitutes excessive social media use, (2) outlines how implicit measurements are incorporated in consumer research, and (3) offers practical implications for managing unhealthy online behaviors.

Crises are major challenges all organizations must prepare for. Managers must have a sound knowledge of how to deal with these situations if and when they arise. Crisis communication should be a key element in these preparations. While it is important for an organization to have a crisis communication plan, this does not guarantee success. Organizations must be dynamic and tailor their message specifically for the target audience and crisis situation. This research takes a case study approach to investigate how one public sector organization, a University, communicated with a key stakeholder group, their students, following a series of earthquakes. We find that the organization had an updated crisis management plan, practiced implementation procedures, and a well-trained experienced communication team. The organization used a range of communication tools to reach their key target audience. In addition, it was able to improvise and adjust its communication strategy. In order to meet the information needs of their target audience, new media were used, two way communication was implemented, messages were more precisely targeted, and press communications were altered. However, survey results showed the organization struggled to manage communications across multiple events.