••• employment research
Perceptions of foreignness can taint job application process
Asian, Arab and Latino Americans may face more discrimination when seeking jobs that emphasize stereotypically American characteristics because they are deemed to be culturally foreign, according to research published in the article “Applicants of color encounter discrimination based on cultural foreignness stereotypes in the labor market” in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Researchers found this pattern across several experiments, regardless of whether the proposed job applicants had foreign-language first names or Anglicized first names. The findings also were supported through an analysis of hundreds of employment discrimination lawsuits filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In an online experiment, more than 1,000 white American participants were presented with a job ad that emphasized stereotypically American characteristics, including strong English skills and familiarity with American customs and traditions. The participants then viewed similar résumés with candidates who had common Asian American, Latino American or Black American last names and Anglicized first names.
The participants rated the Asian and Latino American applicants as less hirable and more culturally foreign than the Black American applicants. The participants selected the Asian American applicants (21%) or the Latino American applicants (23%) at lower rates compared with the Black American applicants (57%).
“Programs and policies that intend to reduce discrimination should avoid adopting one-size-fits-all solutions because racial and ethnic groups may experience discrimination in different ways and in different contexts,” says lead researcher Terrènce Pope.
••• packaging research
Consider pack updates carefully, study says
Modernization is one of the most common objectives when companies redesign packaging but updating for the sake of it is fraught with danger, according to a study by William Caruso of Adelaide University’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. A redesign that removes distinctive visual elements such as colors, logos or layout that consumers associate with the brand can cause lasting damage.
“The study shows that successful redesign depends on increasing consumers’ perceived modernity without undermining recognizable brand cues. If a redesign removes distinctive visual elements such as colors, logos or layout that consumers associate with the brand, familiarity can decline, weakening purchase intent,” Caruso says.
The study “The packaging redesign modernisation dilemma: The relationship with familiarity, likeability, and its effect on purchase intent,” surveyed primary household shoppers in the U.S. and U.K. and was published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
Because consumers often rely on visual cues to identify products quickly in busy retail environments, maintaining recognizable elements is critical to helping shoppers locate and recognize products on the shelf.
Caruso says businesses should not redesign packaging simply because modernization is fashionable. “Instead, firms should modernize when pack likeability has measurably declined, while protecting distinctive brand assets that help consumers recognize and find the brand. The findings suggest companies should use research to track likeability, test brand identification via distinctive asset testing and rebuild familiarity through communication if major redesigns are introduced.”