Does employee willingness to take risks affect customer loyalty? A moderated mediation examination of innovative behaviors and decentralization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Ahmad Al-Hawari ◽  
Shaker Bani-Melhem ◽  
Faridahwati Mohd. Shamsudin

Purpose This study aims to build on the trait activation and interactionist perspective theories to investigate the effect of frontline employees’ (FLEs) willingness to take risks on hotel guest loyalty by assessing the mediating role of their innovative behaviors. It also examines whether decentralization strengthens the positive impact of willingness to take risks on innovative behavior and, subsequently, customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected multilevel data from various sources – hotel FLEs (n = 183), hotel operation managers (n = 46) and hotel guests/customers (n = 266) – from five-star hotels operating in Dubai. Structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro (version 3.5) were used to analyze the data. Findings The findings showed that willingness to take risks indirectly (via innovative behaviors) affects guest/customer loyalty positively. This effect is strengthened when the hotel is decentralized. Practical implications This study provides insight into how hotel managers can foster customer loyalty. More specifically, they can do so by establishing employees’ innovative behaviors triggered by employees’ positive personality traits and by giving employees more autonomy. Originality/value The present study addresses recent calls to investigate the positive impact of FLEs’ personality traits, attitudes and behaviors on customer loyalty.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ovidiu I. Moisescu ◽  
Oana A. Gică ◽  
Victor O. Müller ◽  
Camelia Ancuța Müller

This paper investigates how customer loyalty can be enhanced by improving customers’ perceptions of corporate fairness towards public authorities, taking into account the mediating role of customer-company identification, in a multi-sectorial context, in a developing country in Central and Eastern Europe. The investigation is conducted comparatively within four main industries (telecom services, retail banking services, dairy products and personal care products) and depicts the particular impact these perceptions have on customer loyalty in each domain, with practical implications concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. A consumer survey was designed and implemented among a sample of 1464 customers from Romania. The collected data was analyzed by means of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). We found that customers’ perception of corporate fairness towards public authorities has a significant and positive impact on customer loyalty in all investigated industries, both directly and indirectly via customer-company identification, with a higher impact for services, especially for retail banking services.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husni Kharouf ◽  
Donald J. Lund ◽  
Harjit Sekhon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of retailer trustworthiness in driving customer trust and the subsequent impact on loyalty. The authors position trustworthiness as a mediator in the link between retail strategies and the development of trust. They model customer loyalty to the service retailer as a function of the trust created through trustworthy perceptions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors validate their model using 420 survey responses from customers in a service retail setting. Nine research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Alternate models are estimated, and the results provide support for the theory-based trustworthiness mediation model. Findings – Trustworthy behaviors first build trustworthiness, which then translates into customer trust and ultimately has a positive impact on both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the importance for retailers to signal their trustworthiness to build customer trust and loyalty. Researchers should measure trustworthiness perceptions when examining customer relationships and managers should plan strategically to develop both trust and trustworthiness with their customers. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to investigate the mediating effect of trustworthiness on customer loyalty in service settings. While past research has investigated dimensions of trustworthy behaviors, none has included a measure of trustworthiness perceptions and consumer trust in the same theoretical model. The results of the research provide important insights for both researchers and managers.


Author(s):  
Albertus Fenanlampir

The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of consumer sentiments on purchase intention toward foreign products and to determine which personality traits are responsible for the formation of consumer sentiments. In this study, we employed Structural Equation Modeling to test the research model using data collected from a survey of 400 young Vietnamese consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. The results provide empirical evidence of the positive impact of consumer cosmopolitanism and xenocentrism on consumers’ purchase intention toward foreign products. Furthermore, through this study, we indicated that certain personality traits shape consumer sentiments. Generally speaking, in the context of foreign consumption, there is an enhanced link between personality traits and purchase intention via the mediating role of consumer sentiments. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Ismail Raisal ◽  
Arun Kumar Tarofder ◽  
Aboobucker Ilmudeen

PurposeDeveloping countries’ economic growth very much depend on the successful performance of entrepreneurial-oriented firms. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is a valuable conjecturer of firm success. This study mainly focuses on analyzing the effect of EO on the firm performance (FP) with the mediating role of absorptive capacity (ACAP).Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypothetical model, we collected 226 valid responses from senior managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The structural equation modeling technique is performed and research hypotheses are validated.FindingsThe findings show that the strong causal relations exit between EO, ACAP and FP. In brief, EO was found to be a predictor of ACAP, and ACAP has a strong positive impact on FP. Moreover, ACAP substantiated to be a mediator between EO and FP.Research limitations/implicationsA notable ramification of this finding is that for SMEs to enhance their performance via EO, the presence of ACAP as a mediator is essential.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can be used as a basis to consider EO to increase firms' level of ACAP and to enhance FP. As a whole, the findings offer pragmatic insights for SMEs and pertinent stakeholders.Originality/valueSo far, little is known about the interrelationship between EO, ACAP and FP. Importantly, the mediating role of ACAP between EO and FP has remained unexplored. This study fills this gap in the existing literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanieh Alipour Bazkiaei ◽  
Noor Ullah Khan ◽  
Ateeq-ur-Rehman Irshad ◽  
Adeel Ahmed

PurposeEntrepreneurship is a vital source of job creation and a key driver in promoting economic growth. The Malaysian government encourages higher educational institutions (HEIs) to develop more competitive and innovative graduates for the economy so that Malaysia achieves high-income nation status by 2025. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of attitude toward entrepreneurship (ATE) in the relationship between key psychological factors, that is, subjective norm (SN), perceived behavior control (PBC), big-five (BF) personality traits, entrepreneurial motivation (EM) and educational factors (EFs) with entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Malaysian university students.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a quantitative design based on a positivist approach. The adopted questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. The primary data were collected from a sample of 251 final-year students in the management field who were enrolled in research-intensive Malaysian universities. Data were analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique using AMOS 24 software.FindingsFindings confirmed that the BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, ATE and EFs were positively related to EI. Furthermore, ATE mediated the relationship between BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF, and EI among Malaysian university students.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides critical insights into the key antecedents, for example, psychological and EFs, in explaining the EI of university students and future graduates. However, results can only be generalized to research-intensive Malaysian universities.Originality/valueThis study investigated the relationship between psychological factors, that is, BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN and EFs in predicting EI of Malaysian university students. ATE mediated the relationship between BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF and EI among these students.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sertan Kabadayi ◽  
Katherine Price

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study factors affecting consumers’ liking and commenting behavior on Facebook brand pages, and to analyze the mediating role of mode of interaction on relationships between personality traits and liking/commenting behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using an online national survey from 269 respondents, ages between 18 and 32. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – Results support nine of ten hypotheses with significant relationships between analyzed constructs. It was found that two different modes of interaction acted as mediators between three personality traits and liking/commenting behavior on Facebook. Research limitations/implications – This study only included liking and commenting behavior on Facebook. Future studies could extend the conceptual model by including sharing behavior and other personality traits that were not included in this conceptual model. Practical implications – The findings have several implications for brand managers with respect to their social media strategies and give them guidance in achieving better customer engagement on Facebook. This research is an important step in understanding the factors affecting consumers’ Facebook behavior and useful for practitioners intending to use Facebook as part of their marketing strategy. Originality/value – The study provides a comprehensive framework to understand consumer engagement on Facebook by including specific types of Facebook behavior, three personality traits and two modes of interaction that consumers have in social media.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Farrukh ◽  
Azeem Ahmad Khan ◽  
Muhammad Shahid Khan ◽  
Sara Ravan Ramzani ◽  
Bakare Soladoye Akeem Soladoye

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of family background, big five personality traits and self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) of business students in private universities in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected with the help of structured questionnaires, 500 questionnaires were distributed among the students and 306 useable questionnaires were received and analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the relationship among the study variables. SmartPLS was utilized to run the analysis. Findings The findings revealed a strong relationship between the exogenous and endogenous variables. The variance accounted by the independent variables was 74.3 percent in the EIs of the students. Family background was found to have a positive impact on the EIs of students. The findings also showed a positive relationship between self-efficacy and EIs. Consciousness, extroversion and openness to experience are positively linked with EIs while neuroticism and agreeableness did not show any relationship. Originality/value The study’s findings attract the attention of the academicians to take note of the factors examined while training the students the art of entrepreneurship. This is because this study has revealed that if these factors are not present the intention of the students to start a business venture may prove to be weak. Entrepreneurial activities are one of the biggest ways to reduce unemployment, thus, it is suggested that academicians should develop psychological plans and training to motivate the students to convert their intentions into actions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 527-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameen Al-Htibat ◽  
Zanete Garanti

Purpose Despite recognizing the importance of eReferral in shaping tourists’ behavioral intentions, researchers have rarely explored its dynamics. In the recent years, interest in the superiority of interactive eReferral over eWOM has burgeoned, thus increasing theoretical and empirical quest, which has generated many inconsistencies. Drawing on social identity, trust transfer and social tie theories, the purpose of this paper is to explore an integrative model that investigates the impact of interactive eReferral on tourists’ engagement, eReferral sharing behavior and intention to visit. Besides the direct influences of interactive eReferral on tourists’ engagement, eReferral sharing behavior and intention to visit, the authors assess the mediating role of tourist engagement on the relationship between these concepts. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing survey data, variance-based structural equation modeling (VB-SEM) was applied to diagnose the proposed model. Findings VB-SEM results suggest that interactive eReferral has a positive impact on tourist engagement, eReferral sharing behavior and intention to visit. Tourist engagement mediates the link between interactive eReferral and eReferral sharing behavior, and intention to visit. Originality/value By examining the relationship between interactive eReferral, tourists’ engagement, eReferral sharing behavior and intention to visit, the model departs from existing views to shed new light on the interactivity of eReferral. Implications for marketing practices and research are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samina Quratulain ◽  
Moh'D Ahmad Al-Hawari ◽  
Shaker Bani-Melhem

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the indirect effect of perceived organizational customer orientation on frontline employees' (FLE) innovative behaviors (via perceived empowerment) as well as the contextual factor of supervisory fairness, which affects the strength of the indirect effect. Drawing on social exchange theory, the authors propose that FLEs' perceived organizational customer orientation positively affects their empowerment and indirectly affects innovative behaviors, and that effect is stronger in a high supervisory fairness condition.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling of the data collected through a time-lagged survey of 184 employee–supervisor dyads provides support for the hypotheses. From the practitioners' perspective, this study highlights the mechanism through which perceived organizational customer orientation can affect the display of FLEs' innovative behaviors as well as the conditions that strengthen this process.FindingsPerceived organizational customer orientation was positively related to employees' perceived empowerment. Empowerment was positively associated with supervisor-reported innovative behaviors. The indirect effect of perceived organizational customer orientation through employee empowerment on supervisor-reported innovative behaviors was also confirmed. Supervisory fairness significantly moderated the perceived organizational customer orientation and employee empowerment relationship. Finally, the indirect effect of customer orientation on supervisor-reported innovative behaviors through empowerment was significant for both high supervisory fairness and low supervisory fairness; however, the effect was stronger in a high fairness condition.Practical implicationsService managers can benefit from these findings by improving the work environment characteristics.Originality/valueThis study makes an important contribution to existing research on perceived organizational customer orientation and FLEs' innovative behaviors as extant research has only examined the direct unmediated effect of customer orientation on innovative behaviors. Moreover, the authors’ moderated mediation model presents a new insight into how perceived organizational customer orientation influences FLEs' innovative behaviors and when this effect is more pronounced.


Author(s):  
Thai-Ngoc Pham ◽  
Nhu-Ty Nguyen

The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of consumer sentiments on purchase intention toward foreign products and to determine which personality traits are responsible for the formation of consumer sentiments. In this study, we employed Structural Equation Modeling to test the research model using data collected from a survey of 400 young Vietnamese consumers in Ho Chi Minh City. The results provide empirical evidence of the positive impact of consumer cosmopolitanism and xenocentrism on consumers’ purchase intention toward foreign products. Furthermore, through this study, we indicated that certain personality traits shape consumer sentiments. Generally speaking, in the context of foreign consumption, there is an enhanced link between personality traits and purchase intention via the mediating role of consumer sentiments. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.


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