The purpose of this article is to present an initial exploratory investigation on e-recruiting and the role of social network sites (hereafter SNSs) during the process. Particularly, the aim is to identify if companies use social media during their recruitment processes to attract and screen applicants. Three critical elements guided the research: the use of social media to attract and screen applicants; the legal implication of e-recruitment and social network screening; and the possibility of using e-recruitment as the main hiring strategy. Beyond the information generated through the literature review, primary data were collected from Cypriot organizations. The findings of this research endeavor indicate that the online recruitment method has a lot of benefits but also pitfalls of which recruiters should be aware. Furthermore, it seems that the contemporary practice of employee screening through social media can highly affect the hiring decision and legal implications are likely to arise with the wrong use of information. On the contrary, a well-designed system and strategic utilization of available information about potential candidates may significantly assist the recruitment of employees with the most suitable skills and competencies.

The organizational long term success of promotional campaigns and the integration of marketing communications are affected by the effective use of information communication technologies, including the use of the Internet. Today, the Internet implementation in the marketing process is inexpensive, delivers instant international reach, offers great real time feedback, and reaches millions of people for whom the web is the center of virtually all communications. With social media on a rise, some may say that traditional marketing practices as we know it is phasing out. However, it may also be assumed that they are not necessarily phasing out, but are rather supported by a stronger sibling—that of social media. The aim of this research is to identify and discuss the growing popularity of social media and explore its potential impact on marketing practices and especially marketing public relations.

Purpose: The study tests a model that considers online brand trust in different nonbrand-owned touchpoints as a multifactorial construct constituted by: social network influencers, bloggers, online retail platforms and brand-related user generated content. Furthermore, it examines the influences that offline and online brand trust exert on consumer buying intention.Design/methodology/approach: A convenience sample of 3,335 total individuals participated in the survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses.Findings: Online brand trust is significantly influenced by trust in all investigated nonbrand-owned touchpoints. Both offline and online brand trust positively influence buying intention.Research limitations/implications: Whereas brand trust is considered a multidimensional construct that includes both cognitive and affective aspects, in addition to individuals' personality traits, the present study only investigated the rational dimension of the brand trust paradigm. Moreover, this study examined the influence of brand trust on consumers' buying intention and not overt behavior. In addition, even though the extant literature suggests that the relation between trust and behavioral outcomes may vary across cultures, no test of the possible influences that culture exerted on brand trust and BInt was run. Finally, given the convenience sampling method used in this research, statistically significant surveys would provide a more solid basis for the investigated phenomenon, and they would enable an appropriate generalization of the findings.Practical implications: To build brand trust and favour buying intention, marketers should monitor and influence the online touchpoints that are partially under or totally out of their control, and reconceive and manage physical stores.Originality/value: This paper contributes to the stream of literature on online brand trust by proving that it is a multifactorial construct resulting from trust in different non-proprietary online entities and pointing out the prevalent role that physical stores play in shaping consumer buying intention. It also indicates that a trust transfer effect takes place between different online information sources and offline outlets.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the nature of the celebrity chef phenomenon and its impact on the contemporary hospitality industry, to both enrich current knowledge on the topic, as well as inform future research endeavors.Design/methodology/approach: The study was based on a narrative literature review of secondary data sources, namely, academic literature and industry-related articles, and video data collected from popular video-hosting websites.Findings: Despite the vast popularity of celebrity chefs, the phenomenon remains underexplored, with limited coverage given to it by hospitality-related literature. Prior investigations primarily focused on celebrity chefs’ commercial influence and power of advocacy, with little reference to their impact on the next generation of culinary professionals and on the sustainability of the profession.Research limitations/implications: This commentary has numerous theoretical and practical implications for industry stakeholders who wish to explore this phenomenon beyond the limited confinements of its commercial impact. In particular, the study explores the nature of the phenomenon, where television, social media and the celebrity status of chefs influence both the values and norms surrounding the profession, and individuals’ vocational choices. That said, findings suggest that additional research is required on this topic.Originality/value: The exploration of celebrity chefs as a topic has so far been limited and has leaned toward one dimension in hospitality literature, despite its interesting scope. This critical overview provides conceptual clarity on issues such as the phenomenon’s commercial and vocational impact and highlights areas of concern and opportunity. Moreover, the study sets a clear pathway for further research.