The purpose of this study is to examine the unexplored mechanisms through which employee job performance is affected by compassion experienced at work. While the relationship between compassion and job performance is relatively well established in the literature, our knowledge of the actual mechanisms underlying this relationship is still in a nascent state. In this study, we propose two paths through which increased job performance results from workplace compassion. Our empirical results, obtained through 360 full-time employees including 182 males and 178 females working in South Korea, provide support for the serial double mediation effects of positive work-related identity and collective self-esteem in the positive relationship between compassion experienced at work and job performance. In addition, the positive relationship between workplace compassion and job performance is mediated by positive psychological capital.

The purpose of this study was to examine mechanisms of how compassion experienced by employees affects workplace incivility. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the double mediation effect of positive emotion and leadership on the relationship between compassion and workplace incivility. Empirical results using survey data from 304 employees in South Korea confirm that employees who experience compassion at work are less likely to engage in workplace incivility. More importantly, positive emotions and positive leadership sequentially mediate the negative relationship between compassion and workplace incivility. The theoretical and practical implications are of this are also discussed.

This study examines the effect of consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their anti-consumer awareness. Specifically, this study aims to uncover the mechanisms through which the consumer’s CSR perception relates to their formation of anti-consumer awareness. A survey design was adopted to test this study’s hypotheses. We collected data from 310 consumers in South Korea and used path analysis and bootstrapping to test the hypotheses. Our results showed that consumers’ CSR perception is negatively related to their anti-consumer awareness. Notably, consumers’ perception of CSR activities is positively related to their perceptions of compassion toward organizations, which, in turn, is also positively associated with their perception of CSR authenticity. Furthermore, compassion and CSR authenticity serially mediate the negative relationship between CSR perception and anti-consumer awareness. Our findings shed light on the importance of engaging in CSR activities from consumers’ perspectives. Specifically, our findings suggest that organizations need to proactively engage in CSR activities with authenticity to maintain and even further their reputation among consumers. Furthermore, by demonstrating the psychological processes of how CSR activities translate into consumers’ attitudes toward the organizations, our study provides fruitful avenues for future research.

Purpose: This study investigates the effects of social influencer characteristics (i.e., opinion leadership and parasocial interaction) on forming follower brand trust and identification. Design/methodology/approach: This study included 286 Korean consumers (144 males and 142 females) with social media experience. We tested the hypotheses using structural equation modelling, multiple regression, bootstrapping and multigroup model analysis within the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, with a particular focus on an orange juice brand. Findings/results: Opinion leadership and parasocial interaction (i.e., the one-sided, quasi-social relationship between individuals and social influencers through media consumption) were positively related to follower brand trust and brand identification, and brand trust had a positive relationship with brand identification. The mediating effect of brand trust in the positive relationships between social influencer characteristics and brand identification was significant. We also found that opinion leadership was positively related to brand identification in the male group, while parasocial interaction had a positive relationship to brand identification in the female group. Practical implications: Organisations need to be aware that opinion leadership and parasocial interaction are vital for understanding the effectiveness of social influencer marketing. In addition, they need to take a close look at social influencer characteristics as they affect brand performance by target group. Originality/value: Our results suggest that brand trust is essential in explaining how social influencer characteristics relate to brand identification. This study is the first to analyse gender-based variations in brand identification formed by opinion leadership and parasocial interaction highlighting the roles of social influencer characteristics in marketing.

This study examines the mechanisms through which employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) facilitate their performances of extra-role behaviors (i.e., organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and creative behaviors). Because we intended to explore employees’ extra-role behaviors in workplaces, we used the survey method and collected the data from 505 employees working in IT companies in South Korea. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a path analysis and a bootstrapping method using SPSS 27.0 and the PROCESS macro. Our results show that CSR perceptions are positively related to both OCBs and creative behaviors. In addition, compassion and positive psychological capital mediate positive relationships. By demonstrating the mechanism through which employees’ CSR perceptions lead to their two forms of extra-role behaviors at work via compassion and positive psychological capital, our results provide a more comprehensive view of their effects at work. Furthermore, in addition to the instrumental benefits of CSR activities, such as their positive effects on corporate performance, our results suggest that engaging in CSR activities is vital for organizations seeking corporate sustainability.

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between the experiences of compassion and job performance. Specifically, we test if positive emotion and job crafting could help explain the experience of the compassion–job performance link. Using a sample of 312 employees in large-sized domestic companies located in South Korea, we found that the experience of compassion was positively related to job performance. In addition, we adopted the motivational approach to demonstrate that the positive relationship between the experience of compassion and job performance was sequentially mediated by positive emotion and job crafting. Our study advances the literature on workplace compassion by introducing job crafting as a novel driver in explaining the positive effects of compassion and contributes novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between compassion and job performance. Our findings also suggest that to enhance employees’ job performance and facilitate employees’ proactive behaviors (i.e., job crafting), organizations must foster a compassionate work environment by placing high importance on compassion.