Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116041
Kunyi Wang , Kevin Zheng Zhou , Xuan Bai
Given the emergence of AI, concerns arise about its potential to diminish the value and contributions of human labor. This study examines how AI adoption affects human value within organizations by investigating its impact on a firm’s labor income share and top management team (TMT)-employee pay gap. By analyzing a sample of Chinese-listed firms from 2016 to 2022, we find that a firm’s AI adoption is positively related to its labor income share and negatively related to TMT-employee pay gap. We also show that these effects are stronger for firms with high employee capability, but become weaker for firms with long TMT tenure. These findings contribute to the AI and social equity literature by revealing the beneficial role of AI in human value.
{"title":"AI adoption and human value within organizations","authors":"Kunyi Wang , Kevin Zheng Zhou , Xuan Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the emergence of AI, concerns arise about its potential to diminish the value and contributions of human labor. This study examines how AI adoption affects human value within organizations by investigating its impact on a firm’s labor income share and top management team (TMT)-employee pay gap. By analyzing a sample of Chinese-listed firms from 2016 to 2022, we find that a firm’s AI adoption is positively related to its labor income share and negatively related to TMT-employee pay gap. We also show that these effects are stronger for firms with high employee capability, but become weaker for firms with long TMT tenure. These findings contribute to the AI and social equity literature by revealing the beneficial role of AI in human value.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 116041"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116039
Farid Jahantab, Huda Masood
Integrating LMX research with social network perspective, we examine the implications of workgroup network structure for LMX differentiation (LMXD). Specifically, we propose an indirect effect of influence network acyclicity on LMXD via followers’ status variation within the workgroup. Further, incorporating the relational aspects of leadership and social networks into our theorizing, we introduce leader normative orientations as the boundary conditions of our proposed relationships. We particularly suggest that leader power distance and collectivism moderate the direct effect of workgroup members’ status variation on LMXD, as well as the indirect effect of influence network acyclicity on LMXD via members’ status variation. Analysis of multi-source time-lagged data from 194 workgroups comprising 1068 employees and 194 leaders supported our model. Our study offers significant theoretical contributions by bridging LMX research with social network perspective and highlights the importance of leader cultural orientations as contextual moderators in understanding the network origins of leadership differentiation.
{"title":"Unbalanced ties, unequal leadership: network structure, status variation, and leader cultural orientations in LMX differentiation","authors":"Farid Jahantab, Huda Masood","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116039","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116039","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrating LMX research with social network perspective, we examine the implications of workgroup network structure for LMX differentiation (LMXD). Specifically, we propose an indirect effect of influence network acyclicity on LMXD via followers’ status variation within the workgroup. Further, incorporating the relational aspects of leadership and social networks into our theorizing, we introduce leader normative orientations as the boundary conditions of our proposed relationships. We particularly suggest that leader power distance and collectivism moderate the direct effect of workgroup members’ status variation on LMXD, as well as the indirect effect of influence network acyclicity on LMXD via members’ status variation. Analysis of multi-source time-lagged data from 194 workgroups comprising 1068 employees and 194 leaders supported our model. Our study offers significant theoretical contributions by bridging LMX research with social network perspective and highlights the importance of leader cultural orientations as contextual moderators in understanding the network origins of leadership differentiation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 116039"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Growing sustainability concerns emphasize companies’ responsibility for their environmental footprint across the entire value chain. Yet most emissions occur beyond companies’ direct control during product use and disposal. Nonetheless, research has largely neglected how companies can manage these downstream Scope 3 emissions. Drawing on stewardship theory and the natural-resource-based view, we conceptualize product stewardship as a process by which companies steer Scope 3 emissions reduction. We build on interviews with 76 managers across consumer goods, retail, and related industries to develop a framework that identifies (1) organizational commitment, competitiveness, and stakeholder involvement as antecedents, (2) a three-stage process encompassing measurement work, initiative implementation (on the levels of product, price, place, and promotion), and evaluation, and (3) consumer-, product-, and company-related boundaries. The framework redefines stewardship as a distributed governance mechanism connecting corporate strategy with consumer behavior and offers guidance for managers and policymakers on reducing consumption phase Scope 3 emissions.
{"title":"Responsibility beyond the point of sale: Leveraging product stewardship to mitigate Scope 3 emissions","authors":"Lukas Schnabl , Anna-Karina Schmitz , Emily Waltermann , Katharina Göring-Lensing-Hebben","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing sustainability concerns emphasize companies’ responsibility for their environmental footprint across the entire value chain. Yet most emissions occur beyond companies’ direct control during product use and disposal. Nonetheless, research has largely neglected how companies can manage these downstream Scope 3 emissions. Drawing on stewardship theory and the natural-resource-based view, we conceptualize product stewardship as a process by which companies steer Scope 3 emissions reduction. We build on interviews with 76 managers across consumer goods, retail, and related industries to develop a framework that identifies (1) organizational commitment, competitiveness, and stakeholder involvement as antecedents, (2) a three-stage process encompassing measurement work, initiative implementation (on the levels of product, price, place, and promotion), and evaluation, and (3) consumer-, product-, and company-related boundaries. The framework redefines stewardship as a distributed governance mechanism connecting corporate strategy with consumer behavior and offers guidance for managers and policymakers on reducing consumption phase Scope 3 emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 116040"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116038
Xinyu Dong , Cleopatra Veloutsou , Anna Morgan-Thomas
Although brand negativity presents a significant challenge for managers, research has not fully engaged with brand-related factors that contribute to its emergence. Guided by attribution theory and social identity theory and using two online surveys targeting distinct groups (anti-brand communities’ non-members and members), this work examines how the perceptions of functional (brand failure severity, perceived brand quality) and moral (unacceptable brand behaviour) brand lapses shape engagement evolution from individual action (negative online brand engagement) to collective behaviour (intention to join or participate in anti-brand communities). Structural-equation modelling tests the intricate relationship between brand lapses and the four negative online brand engagement dimensions (negative cognition, negative affection, online constructive and destructive behaviours), further disclosing how individual online negativity can drive collective movements within anti-brand communities, showing how lone complaints can escalate into organised opposition. The results offer managers early-warning indicators and segment-specific tactics for containing functional and moral crises.
{"title":"Functional and moral brand lapses sparking negative online brand engagement and anti-brand community growth","authors":"Xinyu Dong , Cleopatra Veloutsou , Anna Morgan-Thomas","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although brand negativity presents a significant challenge for managers, research has not fully engaged with brand-related factors that contribute to its emergence. Guided by attribution theory and social identity theory and using two online surveys targeting distinct groups (anti-brand communities’ non-members and members), this work examines how the perceptions of functional (brand failure severity, perceived brand quality) and moral (unacceptable brand behaviour) brand lapses shape engagement evolution from individual action (negative online brand engagement) to collective behaviour (intention to join or participate in anti-brand communities). Structural-equation modelling tests the intricate relationship between brand lapses and the four negative online brand engagement dimensions (negative cognition, negative affection, online constructive and destructive behaviours), further disclosing how individual online negativity can drive collective movements within anti-brand communities, showing how lone complaints can escalate into organised opposition. The results offer managers early-warning indicators and segment-specific tactics for containing functional and moral crises.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 116038"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As AI commercialization accelerates, firms are incentivized to engage in “AI washing”—exaggerating AI capabilities to attract capital. We develop an index to measure AI washing, the discrepancy between symbolic AI disclosure and substantive AI investment, and examine the governance effect of ESG-linked executive compensation (ESG compensation). We find that ESG compensation significantly mitigates AI washing, acting as a constraining incentive that curbs symbolic disclosure rather than stimulating substantive investment. The effect is mediated by managerial long-term orientation and employee organizational identification. Additional analyses show that the governance effect of ESG compensation is stronger among firms with higher AI technology dependency, greater media attention, and stronger managerial ability. Moreover, AI washing erodes market value, and firms facing legitimacy loss are more likely to resort to symbolic practices. This study contributes by extending governance theory to the AI context and clarifying the role of ESG compensation in aligning managerial and employee interests.
{"title":"Contractual arrangements and information consistency: How ESG executive compensation incentives affect corporate AI disclosure","authors":"Yiqiang Zhou , Lianghua Chen , Fangfang Zhou , Maoran Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As AI commercialization accelerates, firms are incentivized to engage in “AI washing”—exaggerating AI capabilities to attract capital. We develop an index to measure AI washing, the discrepancy between symbolic AI disclosure and substantive AI investment, and examine the governance effect of ESG-linked executive compensation (ESG compensation). We find that ESG compensation significantly mitigates AI washing, acting as a constraining incentive that curbs symbolic disclosure rather than stimulating substantive investment. The effect is mediated by managerial long-term orientation and employee organizational identification. Additional analyses show that the governance effect of ESG compensation is stronger among firms with higher AI technology dependency, greater media attention, and stronger managerial ability. Moreover, AI washing erodes market value, and firms facing legitimacy loss are more likely to resort to symbolic practices. This study contributes by extending governance theory to the AI context and clarifying the role of ESG compensation in aligning managerial and employee interests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 116019"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116017
Feigu Zhou , James M. Vardaman , Kyle Stockdall
This paper proposes a recursive model of microaggressions and interpersonal relationships. The model leverages theory on social networks to shed light on how the existing relationship between microaggressors and their targets influences the negative impact of the microaggressions. The model specifically suggests that an existing friendship between aggressor and target mitigates the microaggression’s effect, while an existing advice relationship will magnify the microaggression’s effects. The model further explicates how the microaggression reverberates onto the relationship between the aggressor and target by damaging the friendship and potentially terminating the advice relationship. Theoretical implications of the recursive model and future research directions are also discussed.
{"title":"Through Thick or Thin: A Recursive Model of Workplace Slights and Social Relationships","authors":"Feigu Zhou , James M. Vardaman , Kyle Stockdall","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper proposes a recursive model of microaggressions and interpersonal relationships. The model leverages theory on social networks to shed light on how the existing relationship between microaggressors and their targets influences the negative impact of the microaggressions. The model specifically suggests that an existing friendship between aggressor and target mitigates the microaggression’s effect, while an existing advice relationship will magnify the microaggression’s effects. The model further explicates how the microaggression reverberates onto the relationship between the aggressor and target by damaging the friendship and potentially terminating the advice relationship. Theoretical implications of the recursive model and future research directions are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 116017"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115984
Fangyuan Teng , Mahabubur Rahman , Seongsoo Jang
Firms engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) through either a generalist approach, addressing many CSR areas, or a specialist approach, focusing on a few. Most firms adopt the latter, yet little is known about what drives CSR specialization, especially the role of organizational capabilities. Drawing on resource advantage theory and dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines whether and how a firm’s relative marketing capability (RMC) affects CSR specialization, and how market conditions—munificence, concentration, and dynamism—moderate this relationship. Using panel data from 855 firms across six countries (2012–2021) and a dynamic estimation method addressing endogeneity, we find that RMC positively influences CSR specialization. Furthermore, market conditions moderate the relationship between RMC and CSR specialization; firms with greater RMC specialize in CSR when they face less munificent, more concentrated, or more dynamic markets. The findings remain consistent across a battery of robustness analyses.
{"title":"What drives CSR specialization? The roles of relative marketing capability and market conditions","authors":"Fangyuan Teng , Mahabubur Rahman , Seongsoo Jang","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Firms engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) through either a generalist approach, addressing many CSR areas, or a specialist approach, focusing on a few. Most firms adopt the latter, yet little is known about what drives CSR specialization, especially the role of organizational capabilities. Drawing on resource advantage theory and dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines whether and how a firm’s relative marketing capability (RMC) affects CSR specialization, and how market conditions—munificence, concentration, and dynamism—moderate this relationship. Using panel data from 855 firms across six countries (2012–2021) and a dynamic estimation method addressing endogeneity, we find that RMC positively influences CSR specialization. Furthermore, market conditions moderate the relationship between RMC and CSR specialization; firms with greater RMC specialize in CSR when they face less munificent, more concentrated, or more dynamic markets. The findings remain consistent across a battery of robustness analyses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 115984"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115999
Johan Bruneel , Gabriella Padilla , Matthias Staessens
Drawing on the “willingness to bear uncertainty” framework, this study posits that proactive and risk-taking CEOs are more willing to lead organizational adaptation under conditions of uncertainty rather than adopt a wait-and-see approach. Further, we argue that risk-averse and passive CEOs become more likely to initiate adaptive change under high government dependency and strong coercive institutional pressure. Employing survey and secondary data on Flemish work integration social enterprises, our findings illustrate that CEO proactiveness is associated with greater organizational adaptation, particularly under high coercive institutional pressure. Surprisingly, CEOs’ risk-taking propensity is not directly associated with organizational adaptation; instead, its effect depends on government dependency and coercive institutional pressure. Under low government dependency or coercive institutional pressure, risk-taking CEOs are more likely to drive adaptation, whereas under high government dependency and coercive institutional pressure, risk-averse CEOs become more likely to pursue adaptive actions.
{"title":"Organizational adaptation and willingness to bear uncertainty: the role of CEO personality and government influence","authors":"Johan Bruneel , Gabriella Padilla , Matthias Staessens","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drawing on the “willingness to bear uncertainty” framework, this study posits that proactive and risk-taking CEOs are more willing to lead organizational adaptation under conditions of uncertainty rather than adopt a wait-and-see approach. Further, we argue that risk-averse and passive CEOs become more likely to initiate adaptive change under high government dependency and strong coercive institutional pressure. Employing survey and secondary data on Flemish work integration social enterprises, our findings illustrate that CEO proactiveness is associated with greater organizational adaptation, particularly under high coercive institutional pressure. Surprisingly, CEOs’ risk-taking propensity is not directly associated with organizational adaptation; instead, its effect depends on government dependency and coercive institutional pressure. Under low government dependency or coercive institutional pressure, risk-taking CEOs are more likely to drive adaptation, whereas under high government dependency and coercive institutional pressure, risk-averse CEOs become more likely to pursue adaptive actions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 115999"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115911
Mingxi Du , Yingzhong Hou
Digital technologies and multistakeholder interactions are transforming corporate crisis communication into a dynamic, co-constructed process. This study analyzes 42 recent crisis events using the BERTopic model and computational grounded theory. Findings reveal a relationship network centered on public-corporate interactions, with multiple actors collaboratively engaged. Crisis communication extends beyond one-way information delivery, evolving into a continuous process of meaning co-construction shaped by both human and nonhuman actors. The study proposes the “dialogue cycle” as a reflexive governance mechanism, highlighting the pivotal roles of emotion and norms within the Chinese sociocultural context. It further develops the concept of “mediatized governance,” illustrating how corporations can reshape dialogic power relations and build collaborative governance ecologies under conditions of uncertainty. These insights advance the theoretical development of crisis communication and provide practical strategies for managing crises across sociocultural contexts.
{"title":"A multi-actor collaborative governance pattern of crisis communication: Computational grounded analysis based on BERTopic","authors":"Mingxi Du , Yingzhong Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digital technologies and multistakeholder interactions are transforming corporate crisis communication into a dynamic, co-constructed process. This study analyzes 42 recent crisis events using the BERTopic model and computational grounded theory. Findings reveal a relationship network centered on public-corporate interactions, with multiple actors collaboratively engaged. Crisis communication extends beyond one-way information delivery, evolving into a continuous process of meaning co-construction shaped by both human and nonhuman actors. The study proposes the “dialogue cycle” as a reflexive governance mechanism, highlighting the pivotal roles of emotion and norms within the Chinese sociocultural context. It further develops the concept of “mediatized governance,” illustrating how corporations can reshape dialogic power relations and build collaborative governance ecologies under conditions of uncertainty. These insights advance the theoretical development of crisis communication and provide practical strategies for managing crises across sociocultural contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 115911"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116001
Junyun Liao , Xinyue Wang , Xuebing Dong
Consumers increasingly seek online companionship in their daily lives. Alongside traditional real human online companionship, a novel form of online companionship through virtual humans powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has rapidly gained prominence. However, factors influencing consumers’ preferences for virtual versus real human companionship remain unexplored. The current research examines how loneliness shapes the preference for online companionship. Six experiments demonstrate that loneliness increases individuals’ preferences for virtual human companionship (vs. real human), and such an effect is driven by social anxiety. Importantly, this effect diminishes when the interaction serves a functional purpose. These findings provide valuable insights for marketers aiming to leverage virtual humans in the companionship economy.
{"title":"Loneliness increases consumers’ preference for virtual human companionship","authors":"Junyun Liao , Xinyue Wang , Xuebing Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.116001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Consumers increasingly seek online companionship in their daily lives. Alongside traditional real human online companionship, a novel form of online companionship through virtual humans powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has rapidly gained prominence. However, factors influencing consumers’ preferences for virtual versus real human companionship remain unexplored. The current research examines how loneliness shapes the preference for online companionship. Six experiments demonstrate that loneliness increases individuals’ preferences for virtual human companionship (vs. real human), and such an effect is driven by social anxiety. Importantly, this effect diminishes when the interaction serves a functional purpose. These findings provide valuable insights for marketers aiming to leverage virtual humans in the companionship economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15123,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Business Research","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 116001"},"PeriodicalIF":9.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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