The effects of implicit firm theory on customer engagement and firm-related judgments

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bret Leary ◽  
Thomas Burnham ◽  
William Montford

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the implicit firm theory, distinguishing between the belief that firms can (incremental firm theory) or cannot (entity firm theory) readily change in response to marketplace demands. It is proposed and shown, that firm theory beliefs influence customer-engagement attitudes and intentions. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 tests the relationship between firm theory, self-theory and knowledge-sharing attitudes. Study 2a tests differences between incremental and entity firm theorists in response to firm failure. Study 2b examines the relationship between firm theory and blame attributions on post-failure loyalty. Study 3 explores the effect of firm theory on perceptions of control and blame attributions following repeated firm failures. Findings Study 1 shows firm theory influences consumer knowledge-sharing attitudes beyond the effect of self-theory. Study 2a shows incremental firm theorists are more likely to remain loyal to a firm following failure and less likely to share negative word-of-mouth. Study 2b shows that blame attributions mediate the relationship between firm theory and loyalty intentions, with incremental theorists ascribing less blame. Study 3 shows incremental firm theorists significantly increase blame following multiple failures, while entity firm theorists do not. Research limitations/implications Results are based on scenario-based surveys and experimental methods; their applicability in more complex real-world customer-firm relationships warrants additional study. Practical implications Firms should account for a customer’s firm theory in their communications, emphasizing situational factors to reduce post-failure blame among incremental firm theorists. Originality/value Establishes that consumers hold beliefs regarding the malleability of firm traits, which influence their firm engagement intentions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 757-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Laid Ouakouak ◽  
Noufou Ouedraogo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of organizational commitment and trust on knowledge sharing and on knowledge utilization. Also, the study aims to examine the influence of knowledge sharing on knowledge utilization. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was conducted among 307 employees working at Canadian organizations. Findings The results reveal that both affective commitment and professional trust have positive influences on knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization, whereas personal trust and continuance commitment do not. The authors also found that business ethics moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization. Practical implications These findings extend the literature on knowledge management and demonstrate, from a practical perspective, that in order to build a knowledge-sharing culture, managers must create conditions that allow affective commitment, professional trust and business ethics to flourish. Originality/value The current study offers an initial investigation of the effects of both kinds of commitment and trust on knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaylan Azer ◽  
Matthew J. Alexander

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how customers engage in negatively valenced influencing behavior (NVIB) and what triggers customers to use different forms of NVIB in an online context. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study is conducted using an unobtrusive netnography. Data collected comprise of 954 negatively valenced online reviews posted on TripAdvisor to hotels, restaurants, and “things to do” in 12 different destinations worldwide. Findings Drawing on the recent literature relating to customer engagement behavior (CEB), this paper identifies and conceptualizes the relationship between five cognitive (service failure, overpricing, deception) and emotional (disappointment and insecurity) triggers of six forms of direct (dissuading, warning, and endorsing competitors) and indirect (discrediting, expressing regret, and deriding) NVIB. Research limitations/implications The unobtrusive netnography has inherent limitations that lend itself to inductive rich insights rather than generalization. The study only focuses on NVIB within a specific online context, namely, TripAdvisor. Practical implications This paper provides managers with knowledge of the specific triggers of NVIB. Additionally, the paper conceptualizes the various forms of NVIB, how customers use them, and what triggers them to use each form. Moreover, the paper offers relevant data-inferred recommendations to service managers on how to manage each form of NVIB. Originality/value This research is the first to identify the forms and triggers of NVIB, classify direct and indirect forms, and conceptualize the relationships between forms and triggers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1671-1689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Alamdar Ali Shah ◽  
Raditya Sukmana ◽  
Bayu Arie Fianto ◽  
Muhammad Ali Ahmad ◽  
Indrianawati Usman Usman ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the factors that affect brand satisfaction of a Muslim customer who is making purchases from selling outlets on social media. Design/methodology/approach The study used a new mechanism of sampling for research studies relating to social media which. Further, we used hierarchical regression to analyze the moderation effects of religiosity. Findings The authors’ findings suggest that religiosity has moderation effects on the relationship between halal social media and brand satisfaction of a Muslim customer and even higher moderation effects on relationship between customer engagement and brand satisfaction of a Muslim customer. Research limitations/implications The respondents of this research are completely unknown as the data has been collected from google-docs link sharing arrangement. Practical implications This study identifies factors that need to be focused on winning the brand loyalty of a Muslim customer. Originality/value This study provides a new sampling methodology to be used for the purpose of studies related to social media, which has been labeled as “social-media disguised snow ball sampling”. Further, this study is one of the few studies in the area of “halal social media”.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1178-1193
Author(s):  
Tony Burns

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Amartya Sen’s notion of adaptation and his views on identity politics by focussing on the issue of slavery and, more specifically, on the example of the happy or contented slave. Design/methodology/approach The paper is text based. The methodological approach adopted is that of conceptual analysis, as is typical for work of this kind. Findings The paper concludes that the example of the happy or contented slave is indeed a fruitful one for those interested in exploring the relationship between Sen’s views on “the adaptation problem” and his views on identity politics, especially in relation to the subjection of women. Here Sen’s debt to the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill is particularly important. Research limitations/implications One implication of the argument of the paper is that there is a need to consider more carefully the differences that exist between the views of Wollstonecraft and Mill, so far as the example of the happy or contented slave is concerned. Practical implications One practical implication of the paper is that, hopefully, it establishes the continued relevance of the ideas of thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Mill today, not least because of the influence that they have had on theoreticians such as Amartya Sen. Social implications The paper addresses issues which are of considerable social and political significance, especially for women in underdeveloped societies today. Originality/value The example of the happy or contented slave has not received much discussion in the literature on Sen, although Sen himself has suggested that the distinction between happiness and contentment is an important one, which does merit further discussion.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Wen ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Mincheol Whang ◽  
Kaixuan Liu

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between bra's visual impression and bra parts, and then to explore the application of visual impression in bra design.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, 82 female undergraduates are asked to answered this questionnaire online, which is about the importance of parts in bra design. In the part of data analysis, the method of principal part analysis (PCA) are used to get the relationship between bra's parts, and reduce dimension of factors that influence bra design. After that, those group of features are further discussed from the perspective of visual design. Finally, design an application based on conclusion.FindingsTo get the influence features of bra appearance and improve the visual design effect, this paper matches the bra parts with visual features (color, texture, shape and space) and presents four main features of bra design: “color,” “visual texture,” “design shape” and “spatial expression” together with corresponding bra parts and technique of expression. Moreover, user interface in bra cloud customization is designed.Practical implicationsThe conclusion, which shows the corresponding relationship between bra visual effect and its basic parts, has an important role in bra visual design. First, it can be useful for design idea with different technique of expression, which may supply a theoretical basis for design. Secondly, the combination of bra parts and visual features can be used to evaluate the appearance.Originality/valueDiscussing the bra visual impression based on bra's basic parts and visual features provides a theoretical method for bra design and its appearance evaluation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Gall ◽  
Jack Fiorito

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to give a critique of the extant literature on union commitment and participation in order to develop remedies to identified weaknessesDesign/methodology/approachThe paper uses a critical assessment of extant literature.FindingsA number of critical deficiencies exist in the literature to which remedies are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe remedies need testing through empirical research.Practical implicationsFuture research needs to have different research foci and questions.Social implicationsWith a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership, unions may be better able to benefit from academic research in the area.Originality/valueThe paper suggests that a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership will allow more incisive and more robust contributions to be made to understanding unions as complex social organisms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Abhishek ◽  
Shravan Hemchand

Purpose This paper aims to explain the applications of sensor-based communication in mobile marketing and how understanding its fast growth is important for marketers. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws from various examples used by companies in India and abroad to explain the phenomenon of sensor-based communication in mobile marketing. Findings Marketers should be aware of the different ways in which sensor-based communication can be used to build and sustain customer engagement. Practical implications The different typologies of applications of sensor-based communication, along with examples, will help the marketers to develop similar initiatives for their brands/products. Originality/value This is the first paper to illustrate, explain and exhort the usage of sensor-based communication in the Indian context.


Author(s):  
Nopadol Rompho

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between levels of human capital and financial performance of firms that use two distinct human resource management (HRM) strategies. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 128 HRM managers was conducted to assess differences in human capital between firms using different HRM strategies. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between firms’ human capital and financial performance. Findings The results show that companies employing a make-organic strategy have a higher level of human capital than companies employing a buy-bureaucratic strategy. There was no relationship between the level of human capital and long term financial performance of firms with both make-organic and buy-bureaucratic strategies. Research limitations/implications This research contributes toward understanding the effect of HRM strategy and facilitates an optimal strategy choice depending on the organization. However, this study did not consider the lead time between changes in human capital and the effect on financial performance. Practical implications The research encourages firm managers to understand the value of human capital, preparing them for changes in the future. Originality/value This study is among the first to investigate the relationship between human capital and financial performance considering different HRM strategies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1058-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Sun ◽  
Jing Pang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between service quality and firms’ global competitiveness in the service industry. A set of moderating effects is formulated to further reveal how the relationship varies under different situations. Design/methodology/approach This paper tests the model with data collected from multiple sources such as World’s Most Admired Companies and COMPUSTAT. Two types of robust regressions for panel data are employed in the empirical model estimation. Findings Service quality is found to significantly drive global competitiveness. Specifically, its impact is stronger for large service firms and when the global environment is characterized as low munificence, high dynamism, or high complexity. Practical implications The paper provides a set of implications for managers of service firms regarding global expansion and quality management. It generates useful guidelines of maximizing the power of service quality when a firm’s global competitive advantage is considered. Originality/value This paper takes the first attempt to formulate service quality’s influence on firm’s global competitiveness with a consideration of specific situational factors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 26-28

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings That whilst there are similarities between Strategic Quality Management (SQM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one is not dependent on the other. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


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