http://hdl.handle.net/10203/22 KAIST College of Business 2026-03-07T05:45:07Z http://hdl.handle.net/10203/329573 Title: SNS-based exposure influence on consumers’ purchasing behavior: The evidence from WhatsApp Authors: Nyazabe, Sllife Nyazabe; Lee, Chul Ho; Vololoniaina, Lucienne Abstract: With over 2 billion users globally, WhatsApp has emerged as a distinctive social commerce platform; however, its role in shaping consumer purchase intention remains underexplored. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, this study investigates how exposure to promotions on WhatsApp influences purchase intention, mediated by perceived credibility and moderated by differentiated social ties (strong, weak, hierarchical, and tastemaker). Survey data from 309 WhatsApp users in Sub-Saharan Africa were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling. Results confirm that exposure significantly enhances perceived credibility, which in turn positively influences purchase intention. Additionally, social ties strengthen the exposure–credibility link, emphasizing the role of peer trust and tie strength in shaping consumer behavior. The study advances social commerce literature by extending the S-O-R model to encrypted, peer-driven platforms and by operationalizing tie typologies within credibility formation. Practical implications include strategies for businesses to leverage micro-influencers, community-based promotions, and trust-enhancing content tailored to different social ties. © 2025 The Author(s) http://hdl.handle.net/10203/339179 Title: Kinship and social ties between CEOs and board members: Costs to firm value Authors: Yang, Jaeyoung; Han, Seung Hun; Choi, Moonseok Abstract: This study examines how kinship and social ties between CEOs and board members affect firm value. Surname sharing is leveraged as a proxy for kinship ties within the unique Confucian context of Korea. Utilizing a dataset of publicly listed Korean firms from 2011 to 2022, this study finds that CEO-board surname sharing has a negative relationship with firm value. This adverse effect is more pronounced when CEO power is higher. Stronger kinship ties appear to harm firm value through four channels: 1) Investment inefficiency, 2) Compensation inefficiency, 3) Reduced reporting quality, and 4) Deteriorated operating performance. These kinship ties are strengthened when offline meetings between clan associations take place. Moreover, boards comprising older members primarily drive the negative relationship with firm value, implying that time attenuates traditional Confucian kinship norms. By demonstrating how culturally embedded kinship and social ties influence firm value, the findings contribute to the literature on CEO-board dynamics and corporate governance. 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10203/338881 Title: Beyond homophily: AI-driven analysis of facial and personality similarity preferences in online dating Authors: Kwon, Soonjae; Jang, Junkyu; Park, Sung-Hyuk Abstract: Online dating platforms increasingly mediate human connection, yet the mechanisms by which users evaluate subjective traits like appearance and personality remain underexplored. To investigate these preference dynamics, this study applies AI-driven methods to a dataset of 506,014 interactions from 41,441 users on a major heterosexual dating platform in South Korea. By employing computer vision and large language models to quantify facial and personality similarity, our mixed-effects analysis reveals a significant gender asymmetry: women prefer facial similarity (homophily), whereas men exhibit a preference for facial dissimilarity (heterophily). Furthermore, personality preferences are found to be context-dependent; a partner's socioeconomic status moderates the demand for similarity, amplifying the preference for women while attenuating it for men in upward evaluation contexts. These findings offer actionable implications for the design of matching systems, suggesting that preferences in digitally mediated environments function as adaptive strategies shaped by gender and contextual cues. 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10203/338965 Title: Zero pricing in ICT bundle offers: does it reinforce or weaken anticompetitive effects? Authors: Koo, Youngwook; Kim, Minki; Park, Minsoo Abstract: Marketers and antitrust practitioners have long raised concerns regarding market power abuses through bundling in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. Anticompetitive issues can arise if marketdominant operators frame bundle discounts as "free" offers (i.e., zero-price marketing)-a topic still underexplored in the literature. While research on consumer behavior around free offers in bundles exists, it remains unclear if zero-pricing strengthens or weakens anticompetitive effects. We developed a theoretical model of bundling across different competition levels and empirically tested consumer preferences for zero-priced bundles using a conjoint experiment. Consistent with strategic foreclosure theory, we found that market-dominant operators can increase their pay-TV market share through zero-price marketing. Economically vulnerable consumers are particularly susceptible to these offers. Moreover, bundles often have hidden costs, such as long-term contracts, leading to potential lock-in effects. These findings suggest the need for regulatory attention to zeroprice marketing in bundles. 2026-04-01T00:00:00Z