JOURNAL ARTICLEChih-Yu Wang · Ren-Fang Chao · Chor-Sum Au-Yeung · Yu-Lung Wu
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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With the increasing awareness of health and the widespread adoption of social media advertising, health food advertising has become an important source of information influencing consumer decision-making. However, existing studies have primarily focused on the effects of attitudes or behaviors, with limited attention to the underlying psychological mechanisms. Therefore, this study applies optimal arousal theory to examine how expertise and trustworthiness in health food advertising influence consumers’ purchase intention through perceived information relevance. The findings indicate that both expertise and trustworthiness positively affect perceived information relevance, which in turn significantly enhances purchase intention. These results suggest that individuals tend to pursue an optimal level of stimulation, and when advertising information evokes an appropriate level of psychological arousal and aligns with personal needs, it is more likely to facilitate positive behavioral responses. In addition to confirming the importance of perceived information relevance, this study extends optimal arousal theory from the level of sensory stimulation to the cognitive level, thereby advancing the development of optimal arousal theory research.
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v15i4.51830 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations
JOURNAL ARTICLEShing-Chi Fan · Ren-Fang Chao · Chuan-Chun Wu · Zhe-Cheng Chen
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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This study aims to examine the effects of utilitarian and hedonic browsing on impulse buying tendency and the urge to buy impulsively in online shopping contexts. It further evaluates the mediating role of impulse buying tendency in this relationship. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, a conceptual model is developed. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and 393 valid responses from online consumers were collected. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that (i) hedonic browsing has a significant positive effect on impulse buying tendency, which subsequently increases the urge to buy impulsively; (ii) utilitarian browsing has a significant negative effect on impulse buying tendency and does not directly influence impulse buying urges; and (iii) impulse buying tendency plays a critical mediating role in transforming browsing motivations into immediate purchase impulses. These results suggest that impulse buying is not purely an immediate reaction but is shaped through underlying psychological tendencies. This study contributes to consumer behavior literature by extending the application of U&G theory in digital commerce contexts and provides practical implications for online platform design and marketing strategies.
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v15i4.51730 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations
JOURNAL ARTICLEJui-Chieh Chang · Ren-Fang Chao · Liang-Chien Lee
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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This paper aims to examine the effects of leisure crafting on leisure satisfaction from a self-determination theory perspective. In this paper, it is also aimed to evaluate the mediating role of leisure benefits and the moderating role of work–leisure conflict within an integrated theoretical framework. We employed a quantitative analytical approach using structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses and assess both direct and indirect relationships among the variables. A dataset of 325 hospitality industry newcomers in northern Taiwan was collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed to examine the relationships among leisure crafting, leisure benefits, leisure satisfaction, and work–leisure conflict. Main findings of the study demonstrate that (i) leisure crafting has a significant positive effect on leisure benefits, indicating that proactive adjustment of leisure activities enhances psychological and social gains; (ii) leisure benefits significantly mediate the relationship between leisure crafting and leisure satisfaction, suggesting that psychological need satisfaction functions as a key explanatory mechanism; and finally (iii) work–leisure conflict negatively moderates the relationship between leisure crafting and leisure benefits, such that higher levels of conflict weaken the positive influence of leisure crafting on perceived benefits. Overall, the results extend the application of self-determination theory to the leisure domain and provide empirical evidence for the motivational mechanisms underlying leisure satisfaction in high work-demand contexts.
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v15i3.50360 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations
JOURNAL ARTICLEYu-Chuan Hsieh · Ren-Fang Chao · Han-Yee Leong
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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The widespread adoption of streaming services and social media has enhanced online spectators’ interactivity and immersion, yet it may also weaken fans’ willingness to attend games in person. Drawing on event system theory, this study examines how social media marketing activities and team identification influence intention to attend professional basketball games, with social presence serving as a mediating mechanism. Survey data were collected from 564 fans who had never attended a professional basketball game, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results show that social media marketing activities influence attendance intention only indirectly through social presence. In contrast, team identification not only directly predicts attendance intention but also exerts an indirect effect via social presence. Overall, the findings underscore social presence as a pivotal mechanism that converts online stimuli into intentions to attend live events and provide practical guidance for teams’ social community management and fan relationship strategies.
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v15i2.50280 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations
JOURNAL ARTICLEPo-Jung Chen · Chih-Yu Yang
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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Green bonds are typically used for environmental protection projects. This paper explores the differences between general bonds and green bonds in Taiwan, as well as the impact of inflation. The findings are as follows: First, because green bonds support environmentally sustainable development projects, which require a longer time to realize their environmental benefits, they require longer repayment periods. Second, most green bonds have lower coupon rates than general bonds, indicating that investors are willing to accept lower interest income for the sake of environmental sustainability. Third, because green bonds invest in environmental protection projects with lower returns, investors also demand higher risk premiums due to relatively higher recovery risks. Finally, after inflation occurs, the increase in green bond coupon rates is less than that of general bonds. Inflation may have different effects on the dividend yields of individual companies, but there is no significant difference for the overall industry.
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v15i2.49920 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations
JOURNAL ARTICLEChia-Chieh Wu · Yu-Lung Wu · Kun-Chih Chen
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2026
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This study investigates the effects of perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), and trust (TR) on behavioral intention (BI) toward adopting multimodal explainable artificial intelligence systems in long-term care institutions. Specifically, it examines the mediating role of PU in the relationship between PEU and BI and further analyzes how TR moderates the relationships of PEU and PU with BI. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to nurses, care attendants, and administrators working in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, and 125 valid responses were obtained, yielding an effective response rate of 84%. ncluded a clear, non-technical explanation of what a multimodal explainable AI system is, to help readers who are not AI specialists better understand the core conce. The empirical results indicate that PU, PEU, and TR all have significant positive effects on BI. Moreover, PU partially mediates the relationship between PEU and BI, while the interaction terms TR×PEU and TR×PU significantly moderate BI: when trust is high, the effect of PU on BI is strengthened, whereas the effect of PEU on BI is weakened. These findings suggest that, in high-trust settings, long-term care professionals are more willing to tolerate system complexity if the system is clearly useful. Based on these results, the study offers managerial and policy implications for integrating smart technologies into Taiwan’s long-term care sector, emphasizing the importance of usefulness, usability, and trust in enhancing technology adoption. This research extends the Technology Acceptance Model by integrating trust, providing new insights for digital transformation in long-term care
DOI 10.20525/ijrbs.v14i10.47020 Crossref citations0 OpenAlex citations