http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/6113 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:01:50 GMT 2026-07-21T15:01:50Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20294 Gift Giving Perceptions in Romantic Relationships: A Consumer Behavior Perspective Samra Nadeem Purpose It is commonly seen that people, often times, tend to stress while buying gifts for their significant others. However, there are also people that enjoy the whole experience. Why is it stressful for some, and enjoyable for others? Why does it seem like an obligation to some, but pleasurable to others? Researchers previously showed how attachment orientations of an individual play a role in determining whether they are likely to percieve gift giving as pleasureable or as a chore. The findings were taken a step ahead by also incorporating the impact of a “gift recipient’s attachment orientation” on gift giver’s perception of gift giving. The purpose of this research is to extend their findings, firstly, by incorporating both situational (relationship satisfaction) and stable (self-esteem) factors into the research, secondly, by collecting data from people in an established romantic relationship (engaged or married) and thirdly, by confirming previous findings in an eastern context for the first time. PP. 204 ill; Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/20294 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17477 The Role of Spiritual Engagement and Organizational Resilience in Fear Appeals and Panic Buying Behavior in the Context of COVID-19: A Protection-Motivation Theory Approach Anusheh Ali Gouhar This study explores the relationship between fear of unknown and panic buying behavior in the context of COVID-19. Building on the protection-motivation theory (PMT), the study extends the model by investigating ‘how’ the severity of threat and cyberchondria facilitates/deters the relationship of fear of unknown and panic buying behavior when spiritual engagement and organizational resilience act as boundary conditions. PP. 120; ill Sat, 01 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17477 2023-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17440 PARA-SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP (PSR) FORMED WITH THIRD-PARTY ENDORSEMENTS (TPE) INSPIRES SKIN-CARE INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN- AN INSTIGATED CHANGE IN MARKETING FEILD Khaula Aasim Raja Making use of the Signaling Theory, this dissertation investigates the impact of expertise of third-party endorsement (TPE) and self-susceptibility to product placement in vlogs in forming the para-social relationship between the customer and the brand, thus anticipating customer equity and online purchase intention, keeping trustworthiness of the third-party as a mediator. This paper also aimed to examine the group differences between two types of customer segments i.e., below the age of 28 and above the age of 28. The dissertation used partial least square-based structural equation modeling method, mediation analysis and multi-group analysis test on the data set of 300 active users of social media and active users of skin-care products. Smart PLS and SPSS statistical software were used for the data analysis. The results show that expertise of TPE has a lesser (yet significant) impact on forming para-social relationship as compared to self-susceptibility to product placement in vlogs. The relationship of para-social relationship with customer equity and with purchase intention was also found to be significant. Mediation analysis confirmed that trust mediates the relationship between self-susceptibility to product placement in vlogs and para-social relationship but it does not mediate the relationship between expertise of TPE and para-social relationship. PP. 91; ill Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17440 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17439 Impact of Parasocial Interaction on Brand Relationship Quality: The Mediating Effect of Brand Loyalty and Willingness to Share Personal Information Zara Nauman This study explores how the attractiveness of digital influencers effects a customer’s relationship with the influencers and the brands they endorse on Instagram. The structural model analyzes the impact of social attractiveness, physical attractiveness and attitude homophily on parasocial interaction; and parasocial interaction’s effect in establishing brand engagement in self-concept, brand loyalty and brand relationship quality, while simultaneously examining the level of privacy concern consumers have in sharing personal information. A survey research was conducted whereby online questionnaires were distributed to followers of fashion influencers on Instagram. To analyze the results, a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted using Smart PLS 3.0 in order to test the proposed structural model. The results showed that the model was highly reliable with strong validity. All constructs were statistically significant with full mediation, however the moderator, tested through multi-group analysis, proved to be insignificant. PP. 157; ill Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/17439 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z