Ewom

""User generated content is important for travel planners to help choose locations and services on the internet. This study creates
a research model to identify electronic word of mouth（eWOM） flow on the internet from Japanese businesses to international
travelers using social media from 3 countries（China, South Korea, and America）. The results show that there is a large but
shrinking mismatch in what social media mediums Japanese business owners are using to promote their businesses online and
what mediums are being used by potential international travelers looking for user generated content to help with travel planning
in Japan. Results also show that there is still no single outlet that stands out to reach all of Japan's highest visiting markets.
During this process a framework was constructed for identifying the most effective mediums on the internet facilitate the
creation of user generated information about tourism in Japan to international markets.

旅行を計画している者にとって、他の旅行者がインターネット上に発信したコンテンツは、行き先や宿泊先等の選択を助ける情報
として重要である。本研究では、日本の観光事業者がオンライン上で自らのサービスを宣伝するために使っているソーシャルメデ
ィアと、中国・韓国・アメリカ３カ国からの日本への旅行者が旅行計画時にソーシャルメディアを活用する場合、インターネット
上の「口コミ」（eWOM）がどのように流れるかを確認する調査モデルを構築した。その結果、日本の観光事業者がオンライン上
で自らのサービスを宣伝するために使っているソーシャルメディアと、日本への旅行を計画するためにインターネット上の「口コ
ミ」情報を探している潜在的な外国人旅行者が使っているそれとの間には、縮小しつつあるが大きなミスマッチが存在しているこ
とが明らかになった。
また、上記の３カ国全てに共通する顕著な単一のネットメディアが、まだ存在しないことも明らかになった。更に、日本の観光に
関するインターネット上の「口コミ」情報を国際的なマーケットに容易に出すことのできる最も効果的なネットメディアを確認す
る手法を、この研究過程において構築することができた。""

Resumen El eWOM es el boca-a-boca electrónico que los turistas escriben en las plataformas digitales acerca de los hoteles visitados. En el presente documento se pretende exponer los principales elementos determinantes del eWOM vaciado en los portales especializados, como TripAdvisor, Booking.com, BestDay, PriceTravel, para el booking hotelero. En la primera parte se presentan las posibles variables a encontrar en el eWOM del booking hotelero mexicano. En la segunda parte, llevando a cabo una investigación cualitativa de tipo exploratorio, usando el método de Redes de Análisis Lexical. Se presentan los resultados obtenidos con el que se elaborará una teoría sobre la variable subyacente del eWOM en el booking hotelero mexicano. Palabras clave: eWOM, booking en línea, turismo, análisis lexical. Abstract eWOM is the electronic word-of-mouth that tourists write on the digital platform about the visited hotels. The paper is aimed to outline the determinants of eWOM into specialized portals, such as TripAvisor, Booking.com, BestDay, PriceTrivel, for the booking hotels. As a first step, we showed the variables found in the eWOM booking process at a mexican hotel. As a second step, we make an exploratory qualitative research, applying the Network Analysis Lexical Method. We shoe the result obtained to develop a theory about the underlying variable of eWOM in the booking process mexican hotels.

With the aim of enhancing their online reputation, several hospitality businesses have started soliciting their guests to write online reviews. Available studies have not yet evaluated the effects of this strategy. To fill this knowledge gap, this study draws on the theory of psychological reactance and investigates guests' attitudinal and behavioral reactions to received solicitations. Evidence collected from a sample of Italian travelers indicates that soliciting reviews has both benefits and drawbacks: It increases the number of reviews for the business, but it also irritates a significant share of guests. Particularly high levels of irritation arise when a business explicitly asks its guests to write positive reviews. The implications of these findings for the reputation management strategy of hospitality businesses are discussed.

This study focuses on the role of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the processing information procedure. We are particularly interested in the influence of the exposure to eWOM on the Tunisian consumer’s attitude towards the product. A study was conducted on a sample of Tunisian Internet users. The relationship between exposure to eWOM and attitude towards the product was measured using a linear regression. The results show a small but significant relationship between exposure to eWOM and attitude toward the recommended product. The findings will help researchers and practitioners better understand the impact of electronic word-of-mouth on Tunisian consumer responses and will provide suggestions for Tunisian hospitality managers on how to make an effective marketing strategy taking the advantages of online word-of-mouth.

Cette communication s’intéresse au bouche à oreille électronique (BAO électronique) dans le cadre du processus d’achat. Nous nous sommes intéressés en particulier à l’influence de l’exposition et de la consultation d’une communication de BAO électronique par l’internaute tunisien sur son intention d’achat. A cet effet, une étude a été menée sur 165 internautes qui ont été exposés à une communication de BAO électronique prenant la forme de commentaires d’internautes au sujet d’un hôtel. Les relations entre exposition au BAO électronique, attitude envers l’hôtel, et intention de visiter l’hôtel ont par la suite été mesurées en utilisant une corrélation linéaire. Les résultats montrent une relation faible mais significative entre l’exposition au BAO électronique et l’attitude envers le produit. De même une relation positive et significative entre l’attitude envers l’hôtel et l’intention de le visiter.

Consumers often base their choices to purchase experience goods like movies on online reviews. These reviews can be written by professional critics or by other consumers. However, little is known on the issue how the texts written by these two groups of reviewers differ. To answer this question, we conducted a genre analysis of online film reviews by analyzing and comparing the moves and strategies in online film reviews written by professional and consumer critics. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses show that these two groups of texts differ: Consumer critics mainly evaluate the movies and mostly write from a personal perspective. In contrast, reviews written by professional critics describe the movie instead of evaluating it. These results show that online reviews written by professional and consumer critics differ in terms of content which may have important implications for discourse on the Internet.

Unrestricted access to the Internet, mobile devices, social applications and offering shopping comment options via online stores and platforms, encourages customers to generate online reviews about brands. That is why it became important to learn about the factors that motivate customers to create electronic word of mouth (eWOM). The survey aimed to check if there are links between perceived brand value, perceived risk, brand trust and consumers' willingness to express opinions online about products bought online. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to analyse the data from the study (340 respondents). Five of the six hypotheses were confirmed. The direct impact of perceived brand value on generating eWOM has not been established. Perceived product value has a more significant effect on brand trust than perceived risk. The adverse effect of perceived risk on the perceived brand value by consumers was also confirmed. It also turned out that trust in the brand has a more significant effect on the significance of  eWOM  than the perceived risk.

Communications models have become the focus of much comment and research in the face of rising consumer connectivity fuelled by digital technologies (Muniz and Schau, 2007; Schultz, 2008). New 'web' models have been presented (Smith and Taylor, 2004) to accommodate 'multi-phase' communication coming both directly from the mass media and indirectly via 'opinion leaders, innovators, early adopters and opinion formers who are capable of influencing others through word of mouth' However as Mile (2007) notes, these, and other web models, remain essentially marketer-centric and lacking true integration between traditional and the 'new concepts of interactivity' resulting in a "two-tier approach to advertising communication modelling". Smith et al (2007) concur that "today's media and marketing models underestimate the great potential in most consumers" This paper aims to add insight into this area to identify whether it is a change in model that is needed or a wholesale change in philosophy. Case studies and online observation supplemented in-depth interviews with agency communication planning directors, digital agency directors and client side marketing directors. It has been concluded that an approach, as underpinned by current models, is no longer appropriate and social media require a new approach as brand advocates are now partners in ownership with the brand and its value.

Social media websites have created valuable opportunities for electronic word of mouth (eWOM) conversations. People are now able to discuss products and services of brands with their friends and acquaintances. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of these conversations in social media on consumers' purchase intentions. For this purpose, a conceptual model was developed based on the integration of Information Adoption Model (IAM) and related components of Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). The new model, which is named as Information Acceptance Model (IACM), was validated through structural equation modelling (SEM) based on surveys of 384 university students who use social media websites. The results confirm that quality, credibility, usefulness and adoption of information, needs of information and attitude towards information are the key factors of eWOM in social media that influence consumers' purchase intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well as recommendations for further research.

This study empirically tests and compares the influence of friends' recommendations on social media and anonymous reviews on shopping websites in the context of online purchase intention. For this purpose, we analyse the impacts of these two platforms based on the components of information adoption model (IAM) which are borrowed as information quality, information credibility, information usefulness and information adoption. We conduct a survey and find anonymous reviews as more influential on consumer' online purchase intentions than friends' recommendations on social media. However, as this result was contrary to that expected, we conduct another study through in-depth interviews in order to enlighten our results found in the first study. In Study 2, we find the reasons why consumers prefer anonymous reviews rather than friends' recommendations. Information quantity, information readiness, detailed information and dedicated information are factors which make shopping websites superior than social media in terms of the impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Academic and managerial implications are discussed.

This study reviews the recently published research on the role digital marketing plays on consumer behavior through three dimensions: (1) mobile apps, (2) social media platforms, and (3) electronic word-of-mouth. The main aim of this study is to shed light on the role digital marketing plays on consumer behavior with a specific focus on the tourism sector. This study will add to the body of knowledge and help in guiding future developments of digital marketing in tourism. The reviewed literature thoroughly showed the importance of digital communication for tourism competitiveness, eWOM, tourists' behavior, and their use of social media and mobile applications. This study will also contribute academically by identifying some gaps in existing research and providing both plans for future research and probable road-mapping for decision-makers.

Increasingly, travellers are using online review platforms to post reviews about hotels. The responses to negative reviews need to be managed in a way to recover service failures. The main aim of this study was to examine the strategies used by hotel managers in responding to negative reviews on TripAdvisor. An integrated framework for analysing response strategies is developed. Content analysis of TripAdvisor reviews and interviews with hotel managers show a range of response strategies are used. We uncover two additional dimensions: values and culture. Hotels are aware of the advantages that can be gained from using appropriate responses.

Hotel booking decisions are increasingly influenced by consumer feedback available on social media sites. Using data submitted by customers on TripAdvisor, this study analyzes the customer satisfaction ratings posted for 2,211 hotels. The study provides four key contributions to our knowledge on this subject. Firstly, a comparative analysis was conducted of customer ratings for hotels located on the Spanish coast and Portugal's southern coast. Secondly, significant differences were found in the number of comments and average online review ratings, which showed a correlation to the tourism destinations' geographical locations. Thirdly, the study found that customers tend to rate their hotel experiences positively. Fourthly, the customers' overall level of satisfaction with a hotel tends to increase proportionately based on the number of customer feedback comments posted for that hotel. Consequently, one of this study's findings is that hotels should encourage their cu...

In today’s dynamic marketing environment, thousands of marketers try and reach out to the same set of audience through innovative messaging mediums in order to break through the clutter. The word of mouth as a form of communication took to electronic format and marketers grabbed this opportunity as well. This form of marketing vowed many potential customers into making final purchases. The objective of this study is to find out about the level of importance given by the centennials to electronic word of mouth (eWOM) while making purchase decisionsand how marketers can use the insights for effective marketing strategies in clothing and accessories industry. The study dives deep into the various concepts of defining the generations, marketing practices followed at present and how social listening is adopted by marketers. To bring in accuracy, the study has been narrowed down to the Indian clothing segment and the research is restrictive to the Indian market only. This study is based on quantitative method. Tool used is survey questionnaire to reach to the main objective of this research. Survey method with the help of structured questionnaire was used for collection of data.For the interpretation of the concept, triangulation involving two theories ‘Social Comparison Theory’ and ‘Social Impact Theory’ will be used in the study

This study aims to investigate the influence of trusting electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) sources available online and attitude on intention to follow eWOM among travellers in Malaysia. A total of 280 questionnaires were collected from respondents via an online survey. The findings indicate that trust in the honesty, competence and benevolence of eWOM sources has a significant impact on attitude towards eWOM as well as the intention to follow it. However, the results also indicate that attitude partially mediates the relationship between trust in eWOM source and intention to follow it. The findings of this study can have significant implications for the tourism industry.

ÖZET Turizm endüstrisinde sunulan ürünün soyut özelliğine bağlı olarak tüketicilerin satın alma öncesinde ürünü ve hizmeti deneme, inceleme ve memnuniyetsizlik sonucunda değiştirme veya iade etme şansı olmaması; tüketicileri bu ürün ve hizmetlerle ilgili mümkün olan en yüksek düzeyde bilgi toplamaya yöneltmektedir. İnternet ve sanal platformların gelişmesine bağlı olarak bilgi kaynaklarının başında bu ortamlar gelmektedir. Özellikle gerçek tüketicilerin deneyimlerini paylaştıkları çevrimiçi yorum siteleri, bu amaca hizmet eden en önemli kaynak olmaktadır. Bu kaynaklardan biri Almanca dilini konuşan turistlerin ağırlıklı olarak kullandığı HolidayCheck.de web sitesidir. Araştırmada Almanca dilini konuşan turistlerin HolidayCheck.de web sitesinde yer alan, Barselona ve Antalya'da faaliyet gösteren 4 ve 5 yıldızlı konaklama işletmeleri ile ilgili değerlendirmelerine dayanarak işletmelerin karşılaştırmalı analizi yapılmaya çalışılmıştır. Doküman analizi ile toplanan veriler SPSS 20.0 paket programına yüklenmiş ve analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular turistlerin Barselona'daki konaklama işletmelerinin personelinin sunduğu hizmetten daha memnunken, Antalya'da faaliyet gösteren konaklama işletmelerinin yiyecek ve içecek hizmetleri ile spor ve eğlence hizmetlerinden daha memnun olduğunu göstermiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Çevrimiçi Tüketici Yorumları, Konaklama İşletmeleri, Antalya, Barselona. GİRİŞ Web 2.0 olarak ifade edilen ve gerçek kullanıcıların deneyimlerini, satın alma sonrası görüş ve düşüncelerini diğer tüketicilerle paylaştıkları sanal platformların sayısı giderek artmaktadır. Yapılan araştırmalar da tüketiciler tarafından yaratılan içeriğin (yapılan yorum ve önerilerin), alışveriş ve satın alma kararlarındaki öneminden bahsetmektedir. Tüketicilerin bu şekilde yarattıkları içerik, pazarlama literatürü içinde, ağızdan ağıza iletişime dayanılarak ele alınmaktadır. Ağızdan ağıza iletişim (Word-Of-Mouth=WOM), bir ürün veya bir hizmet hakkında, iki veya daha fazla tüketici arasındaki gayri resmi ve ticari amaç taşımayan, sözlü kişiler arası iletişim olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu iletişim internet üzerinden gerçekleştiğinde ise elektronik ağızdan ağıza iletişim (eWOM) olarak adlandırılmaktadır ve bu iletişimde tüketiciler hiç tanımadığı, bir ilişkisinin olmadığı ya da çok az ilişkisinin olduğu kişilerin görüşlerinden yararlanabilmektedir.

Marketers desire to utilise electronic word of mouth (eWOM) marketing on social media sites. However, not all online content generated by marketers has the same effect on consumers; some of them are effective while others are not. This paper aims to examine different characteristics of marketer-generated content (MGC) that of which one lead users to eWOM. Twitter was chosen as one of the leading social media sites and a content analysis approach was employed to identify the common characteristics of retweeted and favourited tweets. 2,780 tweets from six companies (Booking, Hostelworld, Hotels, Lastminute, Laterooms and Priceline) operating in the tourism sector are analysed. Results indicate that the posts which contain pictures, hyperlinks, product or service information, direct answers to customers and brand centrality are more likely to be retweeted and favourited by users. The findings present the main eWOM drivers for MGC in social media.

In today’s dynamic marketing environment, thousands of marketers try and reachout to the same set of audience through innovative messaging mediums in order to break through the clutter. The word of mouth as a form of communication took to electronic format and marketers grabbed this opportunity as well. This form of marketing vowed many potential customers into making final purchases. The objective of this study is to find out about the level of importance given by the centennials to electronic word of mouth (eWOM) while making purchase decisionsand how marketers can use the insights for effective marketing strategies in clothing and accessories industry. The study dives deep into the various concepts of defining the generations, marketing practices followed at present and how social listening is adopted by marketers. To bring in accuracy, the study has been narrowed down to the Indian clothing segment and the research is restrictive to the Indian market only. This study is based on quantitative method. Tool used is survey questionnaire to reach to the main objective of this research. Survey method with the help of structured questionnaire was used for collection of data.For the interpretation of the concept, triangulation involving two theories ‘Social Comparison Theory’ and ‘Social Impact Theory’ will be used in the study

Mobile application software, or as it called in the era of smartphones “apps”, is a growing market, which has attracted the attention of both the entrepreneurs and academics. This relatively new product category is almost a decade old and is accessed mainly through the application distribution platforms that are called “app stores”. These platforms provide a sum of information about the app products that consist of internal information from the developers as well as information from users. This paper focuses on the latter, on the normative and informational characteristics of review comments, as they are filtered through positive and negative valence, to provide help to the customers on their process of purchase decision. For this purpose, a survey through an online questionnaire based on Dual Process Theory was conducted and its findings provide information for marketing related decisions about mobile app products.

The emergence of ‘pure digital brands’ (Keller 2016) and ever advancing mobile technologies lead us to a drastic
paradigm shift in marketing. Peer-to-peer digital brands (P2P-DBs) have gained unprecedented popularity and
exponential growth within the last half-decade. P2P-DBs (e.g. Airbnb, Uber) compete with traditional businesses (e.g.
hotels, taxi services) in certain service areas (Cusumano 2015) and allow peers to meet conveniently, faster, and
reliably in-service demand and provision processes. P2P-DBs create a win-win situation for all stakeholders (EY
2015) by leveraging market prices for service users and creating flexible jobs for service providers at the very least
(Einav, Farronato, and Levin 2016). Such advantages of P2P digital platforms result an exponential growth; the total
revenue of $14 billion in 2014 is forecasted to be $335 billion in 2025 (PwC 2015). P2P-DBs employ digital platforms
that function as ‘economical-technological coordination’ providers (Hamari, Sjöklint, and Ukkonen 2015) between
two peer groups, namely service providers and service users. These platforms are grounded on a mutual trust principle
which is induced by bi-directional peer review/rating mechanism between peers. Bi-directional review/rating
mechanism encourage individuals to be nice and polite toward each other during their service exchanges so that they
can receive the good ratings they expect from their peers. Accumulation of positive reviews/ratings results an online
credit (reputation) for individuals that motivates them to use the platform more. The intensive use of the platform
eventually leads to brand equity for P2P-DBs.

ABSTRACT
On the social media, positive electronic word-of-mouth communication about corporations has an important value. Employees who use social media be a bridge between the corporations and the public in the formation of this value. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the use of social media and the positive electronic communication behaviors of institution employees and to test the structural model developed based on the literature. The study was conducted with 619 (375 male, 244 female) employees of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies. The data collection tools of the study were the Social Media Use Scale and the Positive Electronic Word of Mouth Communication Scale. Before the measurement model was set, the structure of the variables was tested and observed to be efficient enough to be included in the structural equation modeling. Then the proposed model was tested. As a result of the analysis, it has been found that both of the Social Integration and Emotional Connection (SIEC) and Adaptation to Integration into Social Routines (ISR)subscales, which measure social media use Integration, have a significant and positive impact on positive Word of Mouth Communication about the corporations of the institution employees participating in the study. This positive effect should be taken into account in the internal public relations practices.

ÖZ
Sosyal medyada kurumlar hakkında yapılan olumlu elektronik ağızdan ağıza iletişim önemli bir değere sahiptir. Sosyal medya kullanan kurum çalışanları bu değerin oluşumunda kurum ve kamusu arasında bir köprü oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı kurum çalışanlarının sosyal medya kullanımı ile olumlu elektronik ağızdan iletişimi arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek ve literatüre dayanarak geliştirilen yapısal modeli test etmektir. Araştırma 619 (375 erkek, 244 kadın) Aile ve Sosyal Politikalar Bakanlığı çalışanı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmanın veri toplama araçları Sosyal Medya Kullanım Ölçeği (SMKÖ) ve Olumlu Elektronik Ağızdan Ağıza İletişim Ölçeğidir. Ölçüm modeli oluşturulmadan önce değişkenlerin yapısı test edilmiş ve yapısal eşitlik modeline dahil edilecek kadar verimli olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Daha sonra önerilen model test edilmiştir. Analiz neticesinde, sosyal medya kullanım uyumunu ölçen Sosyal Uyum ve Duygusal Bağlantı (SUDB) ve Sosyal Rutinlere Uyum (SRU) alt boyutlarının her ikisinin çalışmaya katılan kurum çalışanlarının kurumları hakkında olumlu ağızdan ağıza iletişimleri üzerinde anlamlı ve olumlu bir etkisi olduğu görülmüştür. Kurum içi halkla ilişkiler uygulamalarında bu olumlu etki göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır.

Word of mouth (WOM) has been discerned as a potent and influential source of information transmission; shaping both pre-purchase attitude and post purchase perception of consumers. Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) banks on the advancements made, lately, in IT and emergence of social networking websites to overcome the limitation of conventional WOM in reaching to a wide audience. For all stakeholders, determining the underlying factors that define why individuals engage in eWOM on social networking sites has become utmost important. A survey with a sample drawn from a large university was undertaken to examine predictors of eWOM in social media. Multiple regression analysis indicates that four social relationship variables: social capital, homophily, trust and interpersonal influence were significant in defining user’s engagement in eWOM.

This paper examines the impact of exposure to Electronic word of mouth (EWOM) on consumer purchase intention. More specifically, the study focuses on the mediating role of attitude towards the product in the relationship between purchase intention and EWOM exposure. To this effect, a study was conducted over a number of 204 internet users who were exposed to online hotel comments. Three distinct linear correlations were use. First, the correlation between the intention to visit the hotel and EWOM evaluation, then a second correlation between attitude towards the hotel and EWOM evaluation and finally, a third multiple regression of purchase intention on both attitude towards the hotel and EWOM evaluation. The obtained results indicate that attitude towards the product is a full mediating variable between purchase intention and EWOM evaluation. The study concludes with managerial implications recommending the use of EWOM as an efficient communication tool.

Özet Günümüzde pek çok tüketici seyahat planları yapmadan önce çevrimiçi yorumları incelemektedir. Web tabanlı yorum platformlarının sayısı ve popülaritesi arttıkça, çevrimiçi yorumlar bir pazarlama fenomeni haline gelmektedir ve tüketicilerin satın alma süreçlerini ciddi şekilde etkilemektedir. Olumlu yorumlar satın almanın gerçekleşmesini sağlarken, olumsuz yorumlar satın almadan vazgeçme veya satın almayı erteleme ile sonuçlanabilmektedir. Yapılan araştırmalar özellikle seyahat endüstrisinin soyut özelliği nedeniyle çevrimiçi yorumların tüketiciler için birinci bilgi kaynağı olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu çalışmada dünyanın en büyük online otel rezervasyon sitelerinden biri olan Booking.com üzerinden, Kuşadası'nda faaliyet gösteren 5 yıldızlı konaklama işletmeleri için rezervasyon yapıp konaklamış gerçek tüketicilerin profilini belirleyerek demografik ve seyahat özelliklerinin otel değerlendirmeleri üzerinde etkili olup olmadığını ortaya koymak amaçlanmıştır. Booking.com sitesinin seçilmesinin en önemli nedeni, konaklama işletmeleri için yorum yazan kullanıcıların gerçek kişiler olması ve konaklama gerçekleştikten sonra yorum yazmalarıdır. Araştırmanın amacı doğrultusunda Booking.com sitesindeki verilerin toplanması için bir soru formu oluşturulmuş ve elde edilen veriler SPSS 20.0 istatistik programına yüklenerek analiz edilmiştir. Abstract Nowadays most of consumers examine online review websites before planning their trip. As increasing the number and popularty of web based review sites, online reviews become a marketing phenomenon and affect consumers' purchase decisions. While positive reviews cause that purchasing to be occured, negative reviews may cause that purchasing to be cancelled or at least postponed. Researches show because of intagibility of travel industry's product, online user reviews are primary information source for consumers. In this study, it is aim that to determine the profile of real consumers who used Booking.com which is second of the greatest hotel booking web site in the world to make hotel reservation at 5 star hotels in Kuşadası and reveal whether their demographical or travel characteristics are effective on their evaluation of the hotels. The most important reason to choose Booking.com is that the reviewers who evaluate hotels are real consumers and the evaluate the hotels after their accommodation realize. To collect the data from Booking.com a questionnaire has been applied. Collected datas have been uploaded to SPSS 20.0 and analyzed. Son yıllarda internet mecrasında dikkat çeken bir terim olan web 2.0, firmaların kendisi yerine kullanıcıyı içerik oluşturmaya yönelten ve teknolojinin merkezine çeken bir fenomen haline gelmiştir. Tüketicilerin dürüst olarak ürün veya hizmetin zayıf veya güçlü yönlerini

Positive word-of-mouth from customers is a sought after desire for any organization. Inter-consumer influence is directly related to company image, customer satisfaction, retention and acquisition, overall costs and profits. With the advancement of technology, the impact of recommendation (electronic word of mouth) as a reliable source of product information is ever increasing as the customers are able to interact in a very large scale through electronic mediums.
Some products and services such as automobiles, financial services and tourism require high involvement from customers’ perspective as they involve high risk and a larger amount of finances. Tourism is an intangible service, and bought less frequently. It is harder to evaluate it prior to actual consumption. In order to minimize the risk, tourists spend a great amount of time, effort and money for a vacation without unpleasant surprises. This is why they tend to rely heavily on recommendations of experienced travellers. The easiest way to reach this valuable information is through internet. Most tourism services are available online, there are also forums, newsgroups, blogs and commercial web sites that offer traveller comments and ratings. Web is considered as the most important source of information by most travellers.
However in order for this information to be presented at travel sites (e.g. tripadvisor) it should be uploaded in advance by a traveller who “have been there and done that”. Therefore it is very important to identify those advocates who are likely to spread positive word of mouth through electronic channels. This study after the literature review and an empirical study on hotel guests in Turkey, tries to identify customers who are more likely to create eWOM (electronic word of mouth). Describing the characteristics of those opinion leaders would help hospitality organizations to better serve those clients and improve their likelihood to reach new customers.

The main aim of this study to explore the relation between the EWOM and Knowledge sharing, the study revel that no theoretical relation between EWOM and Knowledge Sharing, on the other hand the study showed that both of the terms EWOM, WOM and Knowledge sharing using the same mechanism for sharing information. Both of them have their impact on customer satisfaction and intention to buy. Due to shortage of information and research related to the topic the topic need to do more research about this missing research area.

This study presents a new approach to model the online decision-making process of consumers who are influenced by electronic word-of-mouth reviews in health care services (eWOM). To accomplish this objective, a self-related scenario was employed, accompanied by a questionnaire. The proposed model followed the guidelines found in Teo and Yeong’s (2005) online shopping model as well as Sussman & Siegal’s (2003) information adoption model.
The research model focused only on the core stages of the consumer decision-making process such as information search, alternative evaluation and the purchase stage. As such, the model was composed of four independent variables: source’s credibility, message strength, perceived risk and perceived usefulness of information and, respectively, the dependent variable, the willingness to purchase. Moreover, by using factor analysis in SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling in WrapPLS, the model’s internal consistency, reliability and correlations between the variables, were assessed.
Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that six possible decision-making models might be adopted by health care consumers based on eWOM communication.

"In the marketing literature, gender has been considered as having a great impact on consumer behavior. However this concept has remained insufficiently studied in the research on marketing theory and practice. The purpose of this study is to explore the specific role of gender while being exposed to an electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. To do so, a conceptual research will be led. This study is a preliminary work which aims at developing research proposals about the role of gender during an eWOM exposure. It would help to better understand how the consumer can behave in front of this specific type of communication.
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In the last years an increasing number of hotels have decided to run social coupon campaigns through Groupon and other daily deal sites. Available evidence suggests that several hotel managers have overlooked the “social” component of social couponing. In fact they have mainly considered the short-term effects (i.e. increased sales) of this marketing tool, underestimating its potential benefits in terms of e-word-of mouth (eWOM) and referrals.
The aim of this study is therefore to shed light on the potential of social couponing to stimulate positive eWOM and referrals. For this purpose, the paper presents the results of a content analysis of 564 TripAdvisor reviews posted by guests that have stayed at 76 Italian hotels using a Groupon’s coupon. In addition, this study identifies the most important coupon-related factors which are able to explain the positive vs. negative eWOM.
Beyond enriching theoretical knowledge on social couponing, this paper highlights that the decision of guests to engage in either positive or negative eWOM about the hotel is influenced by some coupon-related factors which can be managed by the hotels.

Purpose of the paper:  In recent years, an increasing number of small service providers (e.g., restaurants, spas) have decided to run social-couponing campaigns to enhance brand awareness, attract new customers and increase sales. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate merchants’ satisfaction with social couponing. More importantly, the results available are generally based on data collected from merchants that have run their social-couponing campaigns through the largest global daily-deals sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial. Nonetheless, in the past several years, new local white-label-deals sites have entered the market. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether merchants’ satisfaction with social-couponing campaigns is different when using a local daily-deals site instead of a global site.
Methodology: This study is based on a cross-sectional design. Data were collected through two surveys conducted in the Italian context: the first among 157 Italian merchants that had used Groupon; the second among 106 merchants that sold their coupons through Kauppa, a local daily-deals site operating in six Italian provinces.
Findings: The results demonstrate similar levels of overall satisfaction for the two samples. However, significant differences between merchants using Groupon and Kauppa emerged in relation to the drivers of their satisfaction.
Research limits: it should be noted that this paper is based on the comparison of merchants’ perceptions from two daily-deals sites: Kauppa and Groupon.
Practical implications: merchants may decide to use either a global or the local daily-deals site depending on the specific objectives they intend to achieve through the couponing campaign.
Originality of the paper: The few studies about social couponing are based on data collected among merchants that have run their social-couponing campaigns through the largest, global daily deals sites. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first research involving a local daily deal site.

The study presents the results of a research aimed to determine the assessment of informal sources of information on the Internet by young consumers (aged 15 to 24 years). The swomystemati-zation of literature regarding the search for information made it possible to identify the variables which were used as evaluation factors. The research shows that gender, the extent of the use of the Internet to search for information in the process of purchasing, and the prior use of informal sources diversify this assessment. This, however, is connected with the impact of a particular source on purchasing decisions. SŁOWA KLUCZE: WOM, młodzi konsumenci, nieformalne źródła informacji, poszukiwanie infor-macji przez konsumentów, wiarygodność źródeł KEY WORDS: eWOM, young consumers, informal sources of informa on, consumer search for in-forma on, source credibility Wstęp Sposób, w jaki konsumenci poszukują i wykorzystują informacje w procesie za-kupowym, jest złożonym zjawiskiem i – pomimo długiej tradycji badań – nie do koń-ca poznanym 1. Ekspansja Internetu zwiększyła możliwości poszukiwania informacji

Tüketiciler bir satın alma kararı vereceği zaman, kişilerarası etki ve ağızdan ağıza iletişim (WOM), en önemli bilgi kaynağı olarak ortaya çıkmaktadır. İnternetin gelişip yayılmasıyla kişiler arası ağlar çevrimiçi özellik kazanmıştır. Çevrimiçi topluluklar, ürün veya hizmetler hakkında bilgi elde etme ve paylaşmaya olanak tanıyan bir kaynak olarak görülmektedir. Sosyal belirleyiciler bu iletişim türü için önemli faktörler olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır.

Bu araştırmada, çevrimiçi topluluklarda gerçekleşen elektronik ağızdan ağıza iletişim (eWOM) konusunu belirleyiciler odağında incelemek amacıyla, Konya iline ziyarette bulunan yerli turistlerin katılımıyla bir çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın verileri yüz yüze görüşme tekniğiyle, 693 kişi üzerinde uygulanan soru formu ile toplanmıştır. Çalışma neticesinde, eWOM belirleyicileri bağ gücü/güven ve benzerlik olarak belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sırasında belirleyicilerin bazı sosyodemografik özelliklerin yanı sıra, çevrimiçi topluluk platformu kullanım özelliklerine göre de farklılaştığı tespit edilmiştir.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to address a recent call for additional research on eWOM (Gupta and Harris, 2010; Zhang et al., 2010). In response to this call, this study draws on the social network paradigm and the uses and gratification theory (UGT) to propose and empirically test a conceptual framework of key drivers of two types of eWOM, namely In-Group and Out-of-Group.
Design/methodology/approach: The proposed model, which examines the impact of usage motivations on eWOM In-Group and eWOM Out-of-Group, is tested in a sample of 302 Internet users in Portugal.
Findings: Results from the survey show that the different drivers (i.e., mood-enhancement, escapism, experiential learning and social interaction) vary in terms of their impact on the two different types of eWOM. Surprisingly, while results show a positive relationship between experiential learning and eWOM Out-of-Group, no relationship is found between experiential learning and eWOM In-Group.
Research limitations/implications: This is the first study investigating the drivers of both eWOM In-Group and eWOM
Out-of-Group. Additional research in this area will contribute to the development of a general theory of eWOM.
Practical implications: By understanding the drivers of different eWOM types, this study provides guidance to marketing managers on how to allocate resources more efficiently in order to achieve the company’s strategic objectives.
Originality/value: No published study has investigated the determinants of these two types of eWOM. This is the first
study offering empirical considerations of how the various drivers differentially impact eWOM In-Group and eWOM Out-of-Group.

This study aims to examine the mediating effect of Trust in the relationship between Perceived Website Quality (PWQual), eWOM, and Perceived Benefits on Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Shopping in Indonesia. The sample in this research are online shopping consumers in Indonesia there 118 respondents. The design research used a survey model purposive sampling method as a sampling technique. The data analyze in this research used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as an analysis technique with AMOS as analysis tools. This research shows that : Perceived Website Quality has a significant effect on Perceived Benefits and Trust, Perceived Benefits and Trust has a significant effect on Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Shopping, Perceived Website Quality has a significant effect on Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Shopping through Trust.

RESUMEN El presente estudio analiza el Electronic Word Of Mouth (eWOM) en el sector turístico a través de TripAdvisor y Booking.com. Este trabajo pretende comprobar si las críticas sobre la falta de veracidad de los comentarios de TripAdvisor están fundamentadas, comparando los rankings de hoteles en cinco ciudades españolas con los del portal de reservas Booking.com. Los resultados revelan que existe una correlación entre ambos rankings, indicando así que la falsificación y la manipulación de opiniones en TripAdvisor no es característica al igual que se constata que a mayor categoría hotelera mejores posiciones en el ranking y que la cantidad de comentarios influye en el ranking. ABSTRACT This study analyzes the Electronic Word Of Mouth (eWOM) in the tourism sector through TripAdvisor and Booking.com. The aim is to check whether the criticism about the lack of veracity of TripAdvisor reviews are grounded by comparing the rankings of the five Recibido: 16 de enero de 2015 Devuelto para su revisión: 5 de junio de 2015 Aceptado: 24 de septiembre de 2015

Mobile apps are very popular. However, this is not true for every app, with some apps receiving millions of downloads, while other apps are mostly ignored. We investigate the popularity of apps in terms of downloads by focusing on two salient cues: (a) online recommendations (e.g., presence and valence of online reviews) and (b) visual characteristics of app icons (e.g., use of visual metaphors and anthropomorphism). Study 1 was a field study in which we content-analyzed 500 apps from the " transportation " subcategory of the Google Play Store. We found that the presence and valence of online reviews, as well as the presence of visual metaphors in app icons were positively related to the number of app downloads. Study 2 was an experiment in which we presented participants with different app icons containing different types of visual metaphors. We again found that app icons with visual metaphors led to more positive attitudes

Online consumer reviews have become an increasingly important source of information for both consumers (i.e. about whether to buy) and marketers (i.e. about product strengths and weaknesses). However, online consumer reviews are unstructured and unsystematic in nature, making interpretation of these reviews an enormous challenge. The current paper sheds light on a particular methodology that can be used to investigate what consumers say about companies, brands or products. Consumer reviews of the four best-selling games available on Apple's App Store were compiled. Leximancer, a content analysis package, was used to compare comments from users who provided games with a five-star rating versus a one-star rating. Results from the Leximancer analysis reveal the most common themes and concepts that consumers use to describe their experience with these games. Specifically, five-star reviewers describe games as fun, awesome, amazing and addictive; one-star reviewers describe games as ...