Impact of B2C e-commerce codes of conduct on sales volume: lessons from the Spanish perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dolores Gallego ◽  
Salvador Bueno ◽  
David López-Jiménez

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to carry out empirical testing of the relationship between corporate image and corporate satisfaction among business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce organizations who possess codes of conduct and study their effects on sales volume. The aim is to measure impacts of both corporate image as well as measure corporate satisfaction on online sales volume increases. In addition, the authors have added to the study the product-type dimension as a moderate variable. Design/methodology/approach A structural model is developed and empirically tested through survey data obtained from 127 Spanish companies adhering to a code of conduct. Findings The results indicate that adhering to a code of conduct has a positive impact on the increase in sales volumes. The paper identified the main reasons for adhering to a code of conduct, such as offering greater trust to potential consumers as well as improving the firm’s image, prestige and increasing quality and security. Research limitations/implications Further variables must be identified that would help to determine the impact on organizations adhering to codes of conduct. Practical implications This paper highlights how B2C e-commerce codes of conduct help managers achieve better conditions for competiveness. The findings show how adhering to a code of conduct has a positive impact on increased sales volumes. The results indicate that the reasons for adhering to a code of conduct are the following: it offers greater trust to potential consumers, as well as improves the firm’s image and prestige, and increases purchase quality and security. Originality/value This paper contributes to the enrichment of knowledge concerning B2C e-commerce codes of conduct developed a pioneering study.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 240-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Hosseinikhah Choshaly ◽  
Marva Mirabolghasemi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Libqual+™ dimension (affect of services, information control and Library as a place) on user satisfaction at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a sample of 100 students and it was analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The measurement model was analyzed using composite reliability, convergent and discriminate validity while the structural model was used to predict the relationships between variables. Findings The results indicated that services, information control and library as a place have a significant and positive impact on the overall satisfaction of library users, with affect of services being the most important predictor of library user satisfaction. Practical implications Overall, users are satisfied with the services provided by the UKM library. Results from this study will help librarians to make better decisions in providing effective services and fulfilling the library’s vision and mission. Originality/value The study provides insight into the UKM University how to use LibQual+™ dimension to improve user’s satisfaction.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amoako Kwarteng ◽  
Samuel Ato Dadzie ◽  
Samuel Famiyeh

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the impact of sustainability as measured by the triple bottom line constructs on the competitive advantage of manufacturing firms in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach To understand the impact of sustainability on competitive advantage, a survey was conducted where managers were asked about their engagement in the sustainability issues and how it affects their competitive advantage. The study uses the structural equation modelling (SEM) and, in particular, the partial least square (PLS) approaches to SEM. Findings The results of this study indicate that economic and social have a positive impact on the corporate image but not the environment. In addition, corporate image and social have positive impact on corporate performance, whilst economic and environment seem not to have any impact on corporate performance. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to only manufacturing firms operating in the Ghanaian environment. It is important, therefore, for firms in Ghana to invest in social sustainability initiatives, as it will ultimately affect their bottom line performance. This study provides policy implications to Ghana and other developing countries to implement the necessary policies and provide incentives to improve environmental awareness. Originality/value There have been just a few studies that tried to find out the impact of sustainability constructs and performance and how corporate image mediates this relationship.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 2040-2061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vieri Maestrini ◽  
Davide Luzzini ◽  
Federico Caniato ◽  
Paolo Maccarrone ◽  
Stefano Ronchi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of a mature supplier performance measurement system (SPMS) adoption all along its lifecycle phases (i.e. design, implementation, use and review) on the suppliers’ performance. Design/methodology/approach The research hypotheses have been tested on a final sample of 147 pairs of buyer-supplier responses, collected by means of a dyadic survey involving manufacturing firms and one key supplier of their choice. The research framework has been tested through a structural model using PLS regression. Findings Considering the joint effect of all the four SPMS phases on supplier performance, the findings show that the system use and review play a prominent effect: the former have a positive impact on supplier quality, delivery and sustainability performance; the latter positively affects supplier delivery, innovation and sustainability. A mature design displays a positive effect on supplier sustainability performance, while a mature implementation results to negatively affect supplier innovation performance. Finally, cost performance is not impacted by any of the four phases. Originality/value This study contributes to the open debate regarding the relationship between SPMSs and actual supplier performance improvement. In particular, the lifecycle perspective is introduced to clearly distinguish among each phase of adoption and assess their relative impact on supplier performance. Besides, the dyadic nature of the study allows to investigate different subcomponents of supplier performance jointly considering the buyer company and supplier company perspective, thus achieving a more insightful and robust information.


Author(s):  
Ali Hajizadeh ◽  
Mohammadreza Zali

Purpose – In order to answer why and how some individuals identify opportunities, the purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive framework of key effective factors that investigates the role of prior knowledge and cognitive characteristics of entrepreneurial alertness and learning in the entrepreneurial opportunities recognition process. Design/methodology/approach – First, the authors identified key effective factors and developed research hypotheses and conceptual model. Second, the authors considered research methodology including sampling and data collection, measurement model. The third section presents a report of the results from the analysis of the structural model and the hypotheses tests. Findings – The findings show that all the three factors had positive impact on opportunity recognition. It is also confirmed that prior knowledge has significant impact on entrepreneurial alertness and learning. Finally, the results demonstrate that both entrepreneurial alertness and learning partially mediated the relationship between prior knowledge and opportunity recognition. Research limitations/implications – Possible effects of other cognitive characteristics such as creativity and innovation can be considered in the model to increase accuracy of the findings. Also, comparative studies with the proposed framework in different industrial domains can be conducted in order to compare the possible differences concerning the role of the factors in opportunity recognition. Practical implications – By using this model, entrepreneurs will be able to identify and enhance the factors that influence opportunity recognition, thus honing this entrepreneurial ability. Also, this framework can be employed in the field of education to identify opportunity recognition problems in individuals and to foster entrepreneurs. Originality/value – This paper presents a new integrated model that would examine the impact of key effective factors of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition simultaneously while taking into account the interactions among them.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 2178-2196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rambalak Yadav ◽  
Abhishek Kumar Dokania ◽  
Govind Swaroop Pathak

Purpose The present study aims to explore the influence of green marketing functions (green activities, corporate communication of green activities and green image) on corporate image in the hospitality sector. Further, the study tries to explore the consumer’s intention to visit the hotels practicing green marketing. Design/methodology/approach Using snowball sampling approach, a total of 220 usable responses were obtained from the consumer via an internet survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to evaluate the strength of relationship and model fit. Findings The findings show that green/eco-friendly activities and green image significantly influence the corporate image of the hotel, which in turn results into significant positive impact over consumer’s intention to visit the hotel. No significant influence of corporate communication of green activities on corporate image of the hotels was found, which may be because of the low level of communication of green practices by the hotels in India. Practical implications The findings offer insight to the managers regarding the impact of green marketing practices adopted by the hotels on their corporate image which in turn results into increased visit/revisit intention. Originality/value The study deals with the topic “the influence of green marketing on corporate image”, which has received scant attention by researchers. The paper attempts to provide empirical evidence in this area. The study yields several implications that can be helpful for managers while devising green marketing strategies for the hospitality sector. The study is among the initial studies exploring the influence of green marketing on corporate image in the Indian context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Ruiz-Mafe ◽  
Enrique Bigné-Alcañiz ◽  
Rafael Currás-Pérez

PurposeThis paper analyses the interrelationships between emotions, the cognitive information cues of online reviews and intention to follow the advice obtained from digital platforms, paying special attention to the moderating effect of the sequencing of review valence.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 830 Spanish Tripadvisor users. In a two-step approach, a measurement model was estimated and a structural model analysed to test the proposed hypotheses. SmartPLS 3.0 software was used. The moderating effect of sequencing of reviews is tested.FindingsThe data analysis showed a bias effect of review sequence on the impact of online information cues and emotions on intention to follow advice obtained from Tripadvisor. When the online reviews of a restaurant begin with positive commentaries, their perceived persuasiveness is a stronger driver of the pleasure and arousal elicited by online reviews than when they begin with negative reviews. On the other hand, the perceived helpfulness of online reviews only triggers arousal when the user reads negative, followed by positive, comments. The impact of pleasure on intention to follow the advice provided in an online travel community is higher with positive-negative than with negative-positive sequences.Originality/valueWhile researchers have demonstrated the benefits of customer reviews on company sales, a largely uninvestigated issue is the interplay between emotions and cognitive information cues in the processing of online reviews. This is one of the first studies to examine the moderating effect of conflicting reviews on the impact of emotions and cognitive information cues on consumer intention to follow the advice obtained from digital services.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika Mahajan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) on farm sector wage rate. This identification strategy rests on the assumption that all districts across India would have had similar wage trends in the absence of the program. The author argues that this assumption may not be true due to non-random allocation of districts to the program’s three phases across states and different economic growth paths of the states post the implementation of NREGS. Design/methodology/approach – To control for overall macroeconomic trends, the author allows for state-level time fixed effects to capture the differences in growth trajectories across districts due to changing economic landscape in the parent-state over time. The author also estimates the expected farm sector wage growth due to the increased public work employment provision using a theoretical model. Findings – The results, contrary to the existing studies, do not find support for a significantly positive impact of NREGS treatment on private cultivation wage rate. The theoretical model also shows that an increase in public employment work days explains very little of the total growth in cultivation wage post 2004. Originality/value – This paper looks specifically at farm sector wage growth and the possible impact of NREGS on it, accounting for state specific factors in shaping farm wages. Theoretical estimates are presented to overcome econometric limitations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommy Lau ◽  
Man Lai Cheung ◽  
Guilherme D. Pires ◽  
Carol Chan

Purpose The abolishment of the wine tax in Hong Kong has led to increased wine consumption and increased demand for wine-related professionals, such as sommeliers. Yet the importance of sommeliers’ value-adding performance in the context of upscale Chinese restaurants has not been examined. To address this gap, the SERVQUAL framework is adopted to examine the influence of sommeliers’ service quality (SQ) on customer satisfaction (CS) and loyalty in the context of upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach The survey method is used to collect data from 302 units of the population of interest, partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is used to test the links between constructs. Findings Four of the seven dimensions of sommeliers’ service quality, namely, empathy, tangibles, credibility and assurance, have a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, whereas the impact of perceived value and responsiveness on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is positive but only marginally significant. Reliability has a weak and non-significant impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Research limitations/implications Examining a small number of upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong limits generalisation of the findings to other contexts. Replication of the research in different contexts will enhance generalizability. In terms of implications, the discussion highlights the importance of sommeliers’ service performance on customers’ SQ perceptions SQ, CS and loyalty, all of which are important variables for restaurateurs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of the influence of the quality of sommelier’s SQ on CS and loyalty in upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. Given the lack of attention to this service role in the literature, the study contributes theory from which further understanding can develop.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi Kant ◽  
Deepak Jaiswal

Purpose In the present competitive scenario in the Indian banking industry, service quality has become one of the most important facets of interest to academic researchers. The purpose of this paper is to determine the dimensions of perceived service quality and investigate their impact on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context, with special reference to selected public sector banks in India. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the empirical study, the authors validate a measurement model using structural equation modeling for investigating the impact of perceived service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. The study sample consists of 480 respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India; the data were collected through a structured questionnaire utilizing a seven-point Likert scale while implementing a purposive sampling technique. Findings The perceived service quality dimensions identified were tangibility, reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy, and image. The empirical findings revealed that “responsiveness” was found to be the most significant predictor of customer satisfaction. On the other hand, “image” (corporate image) has a positive but the least significant relationship with customer satisfaction followed by all other constructs. The exception is “reliability,” which is insignificantly related to customer satisfaction in Indian public sector banks. Research limitations/implications The study cannot be generalized in the context of Indian banking sectors, as it only focused on the public sector. The findings of this study suggest that the six dimensions of perceived service quality model are a suitable instrument for evaluating bank service quality for public banks in India. Therefore, bank managers can use this model to assess the bank service quality in the context of Indian public sector banks. Originality/value There is dearth of research focusing on corporate image as a dimension of perceived service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction in the Indian banking context. Furthermore, similar studies were rarely found in the Indian context, especially within the public banking sector. Hence, this paper attempts to accomplish the research gap by empirically testing the satisfaction level of a large sample of the population in NCR toward six dimensions of perceived service quality rendered by selected public sector banks in India.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeonsoo Kim ◽  
Mari Luz Zapata Ramos

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how stakeholders perceive the motives behind fast food companies’ public health-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) and general social issue-related CSR initiatives, and their responses toward CSR in terms of supportive communication intent, investment intent, and purchase intent. The authors further examine the impact of perceived CSR motives on intent and whether a healthier chain image has an effect on stakeholder responses. Design/methodology/approach An online experiment was conducted. This study employed a randomized 2 (CSR type: health-related CSR vs generic social issue-related CSR)×2 (chain image: healthier chain vs general fast-food chain) full factorial design using general stakeholder samples. Findings For an ordinary fast food restaurant, generic social issue-related CSR programs elicited significantly more positive perceptions of CSR motives, supportive communication intent and investment intent, than public-health related CSR. When a company has a healthier image, stakeholders do not distinguish between CSR types. Stakeholders perceive both CSR types as stemming from mutually beneficial motives and show neutral to slightly positive reactions to both CSR. A positively perceived CSR motive plays a determinant role in anticipating communication, investment, and purchase intents. Originality/value This is the first study that examines stakeholder perception of motives behind and responses toward fast food chains’ health-related vs generic social issue-related CSR initiatives, in light of corporate image. The study findings help public relations practitioners, public health professionals, parent groups, and legislators understand stakeholders’ reactions toward CSR initiatives in the fast food industry and help them monitor practices for improvements.


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