How sociable is your university brand? An empirical investigation of university social augmenters’ brand equity

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 912-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Eldegwy ◽  
Tamer H. Elsharnouby ◽  
Wael Kortam
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
University Branding ◽  
Managerial Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to integrate branding and higher education literature to conceptualize, develop, and empirically examine a model of university social augmenters’ brand equity.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on an empirical survey of 401 undergraduate students enrolled in private universities in Egypt, this study model was tested using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings reveal that university social augmenters’ reputation, coach-to-student interactions, and student-to-student interactions influence students’ satisfaction with social augmenters. The results also suggest that students satisfied with university social augmenters are more likely to exhibit outcomes of brand equity – namely, brand identification, willingness to recommend, and willingness to incur an additional premium cost.Practical implicationsThe results offer managerial implications for university administrators in their quest to enrich students’ university experiences and build strong sub-brands within the university setting. University social augmenters are found to have strong brand equity manifestations and may hold the potential to differentiate university brands in an industry dominated by experience and credence.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the extant literature by filling two gaps in university branding literature. First, previous research has never unified separate streams of literature related to augmented services and brand equity. Second, limited conceptual and empirical research on university branding in general and university social augmentation in particular has been conducted in emerging markets, which has resulted in conceptual ambiguity for the key factors constructing students’ university social experiences.

Building a sponsor’s equity through brand personality: perceptions of fans and rivals

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 454-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charitomeni Tsordia ◽  
Dimitra Papadimitriou ◽  
Artemisia Apostolopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Perceived Fit ◽  
Sport Sponsorship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Managerial Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of perceived fit and brand personality as means of building the brand equity of the sponsor in a basketball sponsorship setting both for team fans (fans) and fans of a rival team (rivals). Design/methodology/approach The sponsorship deal between Microsoft (X-BOX), a global software company, and Panathinaikos BC, a popular basketball team located in Athens, Greece, was selected for this examination. Empirical data were collected through self-administered questionnaires from 222 fans and 271 rivals. Structural equation modeling was run to test the research hypotheses. Findings Results provided evidence that brand personality mediates the effect of fans’ perceived fit evaluations on brand equity variables. No mediation of brand personality was found for rivals, as perceived fit did not significantly affect either positively or negatively any of the brand equity variables for those study participants. Research limitations/implications The timing of data collection, which took place a short period after the sponsorship deal was announced, the low degree of rivalry reported as well as the fact that sponsorship activation initiatives were not taken into consideration are seen as limitations of this study. Suggestions for future research that would address each of these limitations are offered. Practical implications The study contributed theoretically to sport sponsorship literature by introducing the concept of brand personality as a means to enhance sponsors’ brand equity in a basketball sponsorship setting for both team fans and rivals. Interesting managerial implications have emerged for marketing managers of both sponsors and sponsees. Originality/value This is one of the very few studies that propose a process by which sponsors can deal with rivals’ negative associations, uncovering opportunities that may exist for companies in sponsoring competing teams.

Examination of customer-centric measures among different types of customers in the context of major Canadian ski resort

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 438-459
Author(s):  
Matti J. Haverila ◽  
Kai Christian Haverila
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ski Resort ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Satisfaction Model

Purpose Customer-centric measures such as customer satisfaction and repurchase intent are important indicators of performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine what is the strength and significance of the path coefficients in a customer satisfaction model consisting of various customer-centric measures for different types of ski resort customer (i.e. day, weekend and ski holiday visitors as well as season pass holders) in a ski resort in Canada. Design/methodology/approach The results were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach for the four different types ski resort visitors. Findings There appeared to differences in the strength and significance in the customer satisfaction model relationships for the four types of ski resort visitors indicating that the a priori managerial classification of the ski resort visitors is warranted. Originality/value The research pinpoints differences in the strength and significance in the relationships between customer-centric measures for four different types ski resort visitors, i.e. day, weekend and ski holiday visitors as well as season pass holders, which have significant managerial implications for the marketing practice of the ski resort.

The impact of collaborative engagement on knowledge and performance gains in episodic collaborations

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy W. Nix ◽  
Zach G. Zacharia
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ancillary Benefits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Collaborative Engagement ◽  
Relational Outcomes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ancillary Benefit

Purpose – Supply chains are embedded in a larger network of enterprises where firms exchange offerings, often compete for the same customers, and constantly innovate to improve their performance. In these dynamic environments, firms are increasingly dependent on the knowledge and expertise in external organizations to innovate, problem-solve, and improve performance. Firms are increasingly collaborating to exchange and pool skills and knowledge and deploy resources and capabilities not found in their own firm. This research using both structured interviews and survey data seeks to determine what are the direct benefits and the ancillary benefits of collaboration. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methodology approach was utilized, using qualitative structured interviews leading to developing a research model and then an empirical survey of 473 participants who are involved in their respective organization's collaboration projects. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine relationships between collaborative engagement, knowledge gained, operational outcomes and relational outcomes. Findings – The results of the study indicate that collaborative engagement has a direct effect on knowledge gained, operational outcomes and relational outcomes in collaboration. The ancillary benefit of collaboration is the learning that takes place leads to improved operational outcomes and relational outcomes. Research limitations/implications – In this research study all the constructs are only examined from a single perspective. This can be a limitation as it would be of greater value to collect data from all the members involved in the collaboration. Originality/value – Collaboration has been well studied in many fields but this research suggests an important ancillary benefit that needs to be considered when deciding to collaborate is the knowledge and learning that happens during a collaboration.

scholarly journals Examining the ParticipACTION brand using the brand equity pyramid

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Lithopoulos ◽  
Peter A. Dacin ◽  
Tanya R. Berry ◽  
Guy Faulkner ◽  
Norm O’Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

Purpose The brand equity pyramid is a theory that explains how people develop loyalty and an attachment to a brand. The purpose of this study is to test whether the predictions made by the theory hold when applied to the brand of ParticipACTION, a Canadian non-profit organization that promotes active living. A secondary objective was to test whether this theory predicted intentions to be more physically active. Design/methodology/approach A research agency conducted a cross-sectional, online brand health survey on behalf of ParticipACTION. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis established the factor structure. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. Findings A nationally representative sample of Canadian adults (N = 1,191) completed the survey. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported a hypothesized five-factor brand equity framework (i.e. brand identity, brand meaning, brand responses, brand resonance and intentions). A series of structural equation models also provided support for the hypothesized relationships between the variables. Practical implications Though preliminary, the results provide a guide for understanding the branding process in the activity-promotion context. The constructs identified as being influential in this process can be targeted by activity-promotion organizations to improve brand strength. A strong organizational brand could augment activity-promotion interventions. A strong brand may also help the organization better compete against other brands promoting messages that are antithetical to their own. Originality/value This is the first study to test the brand equity pyramid using an activity-promotion brand. Results demonstrate that the brand equity pyramid may be useful in this context.

Deriving managerial implications through SERVQUAL gap elasticity in UAE banking

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 940-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukesh Kumar ◽  
K.S. Sujit ◽  
Vincent Charles
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Right

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose the microeconomics concept of elasticity to estimate the SERVQUAL gap elasticity to derive important insights for service providers to develop the right strategies to bridge the overall gap in service. Design/methodology/approach The dimensions of SERVQUAL adopted from Parasuraman et al. (1988) and Kumar et al. (2009) are first verified for their unidimensionality using structural equation modeling and reliability in the context of United Arab Emirates banking industry. Furthermore, the technique of dominance analysis is used to derive the relative importance of dimensions for different groups of banks. Finally, the stepwise log-linear regression models are used to estimate the gap elasticity to measure the responsiveness of the overall SERVQUAL gap to a change in customers’ perception on different dimension. Findings The results reveal that the dimension which is prioritized as the most important dimension need not to be the one to be targeted under the resource constraint to react faster to the changes of customers’ banking behavior. Originality/value This is probably the first attempt to examine the service quality through gap elasticity. This method is especially useful when the traditional approach to measure relative importance of critical factors fails to clearly discriminate between two or more dimensions, which, in turn, may lead to failure in decision making to choose the right strategies to bridge the overall gap in the service.

How does corporate association influence consumer brand loyalty? Mediating role of brand identification

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 629-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mobin Fatma ◽  
Imran Khan ◽  
Zillur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Brand Identification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Corporate Associations ◽  
Corporate Ability ◽  
Managerial Implications

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of two types of corporate associations – corporate ability (CA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) – on consumer brand loyalty in retail banks in India. Design/methodology/approach A survey on 489 banking consumers was carried out. To achieve research objectives, test hypotheses and analyze data, structural equation modeling was used. Findings The findings show that CA and CSR associations were found to have positive and indirect influences on consumer brand loyalty through brand identifications. This indicates that the process of corporate association transforming into loyalty is much more complicated, and there are other factors influencing this process, making brand identification necessary for achieving customer brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications The results presented in this study have important managerial implications for banking companies in India. The findings demonstrate the importance of CA and CSR associations in the present business scenario and highlight the need to successfully implement them in management policies. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of literature by highlighting the influence of brand identification on brand loyalty through affective commitment and satisfaction.

Psychological vulnerability and coping among management students during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 454-467
Author(s):  
Bijaya Kumar Sundaray ◽  
Pragyan Sarangi ◽  
Soumendra Kumar Patra
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Psychological Vulnerability ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In light of growing concerns related to the psychological vulnerability during the pandemic, this study aims to examine the impact of fear or trauma of COVID-19 on stress, anxiety and depression among management students. Additionally, the study also explores the possible strategies adopted by professional students to cope with the pandemic situation. Design/methodology/approach With an approach to establish a probable concrete relationship between fear with the level of stress, anxiety and depression, the data for the study was collected from 1,408 management students through a structured questionnaire designed in Google Form and administered through WhatsApp. The survey was carried out in the month of July and August 2020 during the lockdown period. Correlation and structural equation modeling have been used to examine the relationship among the test attributes. Findings The results from the study discovered that “fear of COVID-19” has a significant and considerable impact on the increased level of anxiety and stress among the professional students, but the observations did not demonstrate a significant influence of the “fear” on “depression.” The responses reveal that students have developed anxiety and felt stressed mostly due to uncertainty in the upcoming academic plans, disturbances in their regular academic routines and concerns about their future careers. Further, the findings have portrayed that students have adopted both protective and avoidance coping strategies to overcome the adverse consequences of the pandemic. Research limitations/implications The study gives an insight on the psychological vulnerability of the management students and their capability to overcome such sudden disruptions due to pandemics. This research could thus, serve as a reference to the policymakers, universities and institutions while planning out programs and schemes, which would encourage the aspiring managers to overcome the crisis and prepare themselves to befit the vibrant corporate world. Originality/value Several studies exist on the impact of the pandemic on undergraduate students in different universities. However, there are a dearth of literature, which reflects the psychological vulnerability of professional graduates especially management students who are on the verge of starting their professional career.

Exploring the antecedents of retail banks’ reputation in low-bankarization markets: brand equity, value co-creation and brand experience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Daniel Martillo Jeremías ◽  
Ana Isabel Polo Peña
Keyword(s):  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Brand Experience ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present study aims to propose and validate a model to measure certain variables that may contribute to increasing the bankarization rate (uptake of retail banking services) among developing-economy populations characterized by poor financial literacy and low income levels.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative empirical study is carried out in the retail banking sector of a country with low-bankarization rates. Using a self-administered questionnaire distributed online, structural equation modeling is applied to analyze the relationships between value co-creation, brand experience, brand equity and reputation.FindingsThe results show that brand equity is an antecedent of reputation that values co-creation, and brand experience positively influences brand equity and that values co-creation that positively influences brand experience.Social implicationsThe bankarization rate of a developing country is generally taken as an indicator of the socioeconomic wellbeing of its population. Where there is a low-bankarization rate, this renders it more difficult for financial institutions to build their reputation to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Strategies are, therefore, proposed to improve the reputation of financial institutions in such settings and, thus, contribute to increasing the bankarization rate.Originality/valueThe findings of this study provide an original perspective that offers a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that enable banks operating in low-bankarization markets to enhance their reputation through strategies based on customer–company interaction and branding (with the variables of brand equity, brand experience and value co-creation).

Creative entrepreneurs' artistic creativity and entrepreneurial alertness: the guanxi network perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Huei Chen ◽  
Min Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Artistic Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Entrepreneurial Alertness ◽  
Guanxi Networks ◽  
Guanxi Network

PurposeThe dichotomy of views on “arts for arts sake” and “art must meet commerce” elicits the clash about how creative entrepreneurs encounter the dilemma of fulfilling personal satisfaction and chasing entrepreneurial aspiration along the entrepreneurial process. It is argued whether or not creative entrepreneurs can integrate artistic creativity and entrepreneurial alertness to disentangle the conflict and tension between art and commerce in the guanxi embedded culture context. The complex guanxi ties of creative entrepreneurs identified as bonding ties with families, bridging ties with friends and social ties with colleagues are presumed to activate personal and social values.Design/methodology/approachThe research design consists of two stages: face-to-face interviews and empirical survey. A total of four successful local creative entrepreneurs in craft arts were interviewed and asked questions related to their source of creative inspiration, market alertness and value creation. Findings derived from interviews enrich the questionnaire development of the empirical survey. The survey was conducted to realize the social phenomenon of creative entrepreneurs' guanxi, cognitive process and satisfaction with Taiwan's creative industry context. In total, 318 creative entrepreneurs’ responses were collected and analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsResults suggest that guanxi networks lead to the acquisition of various social resources that are conducive to alertness in entrepreneurial opportunities and stimulate artistic creativity, which in turn gratify creative entrepreneurs' senses of entrepreneurial satisfaction with life, work and social contribution, as well as achieve higher entrepreneurial aspiration, perceived as social recognition and meaning of work.Practical implicationsResults of this study enrich the understanding of creative entrepreneurs and their awareness of balancing opportunity alerting and artistic creativity while starting creative businesses. Diverseness and closeness of guanxi networks can fill the gap between art and market and further pave the way to winning aspiration.Originality/valueThis paper advances the existing literature on creative entrepreneurship by adopting guanxi network theory to explore entrepreneurs' cognitive process in the linkage of artistic creativity and entrepreneurial alertness and their mediating effects on perceived entrepreneurial satisfaction and aspiration.

Understanding salesperson intention to use AI feedback and its influence on business-to-business sales outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Hall ◽  
Dana E. Harrison ◽  
Haya Ajjan ◽  
Greg W. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sales Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adaptive Selling ◽  
Promising Area ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing frontier. One promising area for AI is its potential to assist sales managers in providing salesperson feedback. Despite this promise, little work has been done within the business-to-business (B2B) sales domain to investigate the potential impact of AI feedback on critical sales outcomes. The purpose of this research is to explore these issues and respond to calls in the literature to determine how AI can enhance salesperson adaptability and performance. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from a sample of 246 B2B salespeople was used to test the conceptual model and research hypotheses. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The findings provide broad support for the model. An AI-feedback rich environment and salesperson feedback orientation predicted perceived accuracy of AI feedback which, in turn, strengthened intentions to use AI feedback. These favorable reactions to AI feedback positively related to adaptive selling behaviors, and adaptive selling behaviors mediated the relationships between intentions to use AI feedback and organizational commitment, as well as sales performance. Contrary to expectations, it did not mediate the relationship between intentions to use AI feedback and job satisfaction. Practical implications The managerial implications of this study lie in explaining practical considerations for the implementation and use of AI feedback in the sales context. Originality/value This study extends literature on technology adoption, performance feedback and the use of AI in the B2B sales domain. It offers practical insight for sales managers and those responsible for implementing AI solutions in sales.

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