A question of quality: perceptions of internal communication during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Ecklebe ◽  
Natascha Löffler

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore employees' perceptions of the quality of internal communication in German organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, the paper aims to identify antecedents and outcomes of high-quality internal communication during the pandemic. In doing so, it draws important practical and theoretical implications for pandemic-era communication, particularly surrounding issues such as employees' needs and strategic approaches to communication during the pandemic, as well as the effects of successful internal (crisis) communication.Design/methodology/approachA representative survey was conducted on employees (n = 934) working at different types of organizations in Germany. After a dimensionality check was conducted through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the proposed hypotheses were tested by conducting a structural equation model (SEM) using the R package lavaan.FindingsThis study identifies several antecedents of high-quality internal communication during the Covid-19 crisis, such as the frequency of communication at the beginning and during the pandemic, the dissemination of substantial information, participative communication and a clear rejection of secrecy. Furthermore, the findings show that high-quality internal communication has a positive impact on the employee–organization relationship (EOR).Originality/valueThis study suggests that strategic alignment of internal communications during the Covid-19 pandemic is crucial: by considering a number of factors, organizations can positively influence employees' perceptions of the quality of their internal communication. In terms of theoretical implications, this study discusses how the concept of high-quality internal communication can be operationalized and explores the outcomes that this can generate.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gbemi Oladipo Olaore ◽  
Bimbo Onaolapo Adejare ◽  
Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Udofia

Purpose Betting games have become a global industry worth billions of dollars providing employment to millions and contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several countries. While there are debates and controversies surrounding betting games discourse, a growing body of literature shows that it has been exacerbated by growing unemployment rates. This paper aims to examine the nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment from the Nigerian perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts simple random and stratified sampling techniques to select participants for the study. Three hypotheses were tested for this study and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The three hypotheses tested in this study were coined from previous literature. The study established a direct link between technology advancement, promises of winning big coupled with bonuses while unemployment was not significant to youth involvement in betting games. The study also showed that playing betting games provides another source of income to the youth, who are already engaged in one form of work or another. Finally, youth involvement in betting games has created awareness regarding different sports in the world, while contributing to Nigeria’s economy. Practical implications As betting games centre as a business in Nigeria has contributed substantially and positively to unemployment in Nigeria; the Government of Nigeria are encouraged to streamline and regulate the activities of the sector such that they can contribute significantly to the country GDP and provide employment opportunities to the youths. Originality/value The research shows that the reason why betting games have a massive turnaround of youths in Nigeria is not majorly because of unemployment but as another means to a substantial financial individual/family income. Thus, Nigerian youths see betting games as an avenue to make more money. The study is the first of its kind to examine the nexus between betting games, technology and unemployment hence, its contribution to knowledge.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pérez ◽  
Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque

Purpose – Based on the principles of the stakeholder management theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore customers’ multidimensional perceptions of both banking companies and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientations of these companies. The paper also explores how these multidimensional perceptions affect customer identification and satisfaction towards banking companies. Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation model is tested using information collected from 1,124 banking service customers. Findings – The findings demonstrate that customers’ perceptions of customer-related CSR and broad legal and ethical issues have significant positive impact on both customer identification and satisfaction with banking companies. Perceptions of shareholder-related CSR also significantly boost customer satisfaction. In contrast, perceptions of employee- and community-related CSR do not have a profound effect on customer identification or satisfaction. These findings also confirm the importance of customer identification with the company as a key mediator in their satisfaction responses to the multidimensional perceptions of the companies’ CSR orientations. Originality/value – The contribution of the paper is based on the exploration of a multidimensional approach, relying on the principles of the stakeholder management theory to study customer responses and perceptions of the CSR orientations of banking companies. Previous scholars have reported mixed findings while exploring customer responses to their perceptions of companies’ CSR orientations. However, they frequently considered customer CSR perceptions either as one-dimensional or a reflective second-order construct, thus ignoring the possibility of multidimensional CSR perceptions having multiple effects on customer responses such as identification and satisfaction.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Michon ◽  
Jean-Charles Chebat ◽  
Hong Yu ◽  
Linda Lemarié

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore female fashion shoppers’ perception and response to the mall environment. Specific objectives include a conceptual model of female fashion shoppers’ experience in a mall environment incorporating fashion orientation, store personality, shopping mall perception, shopping value, and patronage intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical testing is done with a latent path structural equation model. Data collection was carried out in a firmly controlled mall intercept survey which produced 312 usable questionnaires. Findings – Results show that shoppers’ fashion orientation hypothesized to be a personality trait is not an antecedent to the perception of the mall environment. Instead, fashion orientation moderates the perception of product and service quality, hedonic shoppers’ response, and patronage intentions. The perceived mall personality has a focussed impact on the perception of product and service quality. The mall’s sophistication image influences the perception of product quality. On the other hand, the mall’s enthusiasm image atmosphere affects the perception of service quality. Perceptions of product and service quality are correlated and trigger positive hedonic and utilitarian shopping benefits. Research limitations/implications – Because findings from this study cannot be generalized to other situations, the research should be replicated to a variety of mall formats and shopper segments. Furthermore, other fashion-orientation factors (fashion leadership, fashion interest, and anti-fashion attitude) should be considered. However, along with model complexities, increased sample sizes are also required. Future studies may also include male shoppers to investigate differences in fashion motivation and mall shopping experience. Practical implications – It is concluded that the person-place congruency theory is confirmed and that the shoppers’ fashion orientation should be included in the set of segmentation variables. Shopping malls cannot be everything to everyone without risking diluting their image. Downtown urban malls have the opportunity to adopt a well-defined positioning in order to differentiate themselves. Large suburban malls should partition themselves to remove image ambiguities. Mall managers must primarily work on the “meaning” of the mall atmosphere rather “mood.” Fashion shoppers are task oriented. Mall managers should design malls to facilitate the shopping experience with highly functional designs, simple layout, and clear signage in support of wayfinding. Originality/value – Although fashion consumers have been studied from diverse perspectives, there is limited research on the experience of fashion shoppers in a mall setting. This study partly fills this gap in the literature by investigating how female fashion shoppers respond to the shopping center environment and commit to mall patronage.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Antonio dos Anjos ◽  
Melise de Lima Pereira ◽  
Florença Fiedler Pichler Von Tennenberg

Purpose In order to offer a theoretical and empirical contribution to the theme, the purpose of this paper is to assess the tourist image of the destination Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from the tourists’ perspective. The authors specify the latent dimensions involved in the formation of the cognitive, affective, and conative image of coastal tourism destination, through which the authors can analyze and measure the construct. Design/methodology/approach The research is exploratory, descriptive, and predominantly quantitative. It uses non-probability convenience sampling, consisting of a sample of 425 tourists. Data collection were conducted in the studied destination during the summer season – 2015/2016. Findings Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the authors identified and tested the factors that comprise the image. Structural equation model evaluated the relationship that theoretically exists between the components of the image and the weight of the various components (cognitive, affective, and conative) on the overall image of the destination. Originality/value This research contributes theoretically and empirically to the discussions on the components of the destination image, in as much as it analyzes and interprets the cognitive, affective, and conative components of the image of the tourism destination Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (36) ◽  
pp. 3754-3761
Author(s):  
Sumeet Gill ◽  

The present era of eGovernance is considered as technology-driven which enhance productivity along with amplified failure rates. The process, citizens,technology, and resources are the pillars of eGovernance but the emphasis is only upon technology which postulates for the development of updated integrated eGovernance model for accomplishing future requirements. Objectives:The present study endeavors to discover the diverse vital constructs to develop an integrated eGovernance model to augment efficiency and social influence. Methods: The NeSDA and OSI methodology are taken as a basis to extract constructs of eGovernance model and attained constructs and relative relationships ascertained through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA and CFA). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is applied to develop and propose an integrated eGovernance model to augment efficiency and social influence. Findings: The empirical outcome illustrate the significant positive impact of eleven accumulated constructs on Intention to Use and Service Quality of the eGovernance initiative which ultimately augments efficiency and social influence of eGovernance initiatives. Novelty: The proposed model makes a significant contribution by integrating vital constructs on the basis of empirical outcomes and applies them to the context of the eGovernance. The suggested model will guide the policymakers and developers of eGovernance systems to focus on identified constructs to maintain and enhance efficiency and social influence. Keywords: Structural equation modeling; intension to use; social influence;competence; transparency; efficiency


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adamantios Diamantopoulos ◽  
Ilona Szőcs ◽  
Arnd Florack ◽  
Živa Kolbl ◽  
Martin Egger

PurposeDrawing on the stereotype content model (SCM), the authors investigate the stereotype content transfer (in terms of warmth and competence) from country to brand and the simultaneous impact of these two stereotypes on consumer responses toward brands.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test a structural equation model conceptualizing brand stereotypes as full mediators between country stereotypes and consumer outcomes. In addition, in a moderated mediation analysis, the authors investigate the role of brand typicality and utilitarianism/hedonism in potentially moderating the country to brand stereotype content transfer.FindingsCountry warmth and competence, respectively, impact brand warmth and competence, thus confirming the hypothesized stereotype content transfer. This transfer is found to be robust and not contingent on brands' perceived typicality of their country of origin. However, brands' utilitarian nature amplifies the positive impact of country competence on brand competence. Finally, brand stereotypes fully mediate the impact of country stereotypes on consumers' brand attitudes and behavioral intentions.Originality/valueThe authors provide the first empirical attempt that (1) explicitly differentiates between consumers' stereotypical perceptions of countries and stereotypical perceptions of brands from these countries, (2) empirically examines the transfer of stereotypical dimensions of different targets (i.e. country to brand), (3) explores boundary conditions for such transfer and (4) simultaneously considers the impact of both kinds of stereotypes on managerially relevant consumer outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 662-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora Martínez-Martínez ◽  
Juan Gabriel Cegarra Navarro ◽  
Alexeis García-Pérez ◽  
Ana Moreno-Ponce

Purpose The dynamics of tourism as both an activity and an industry, combined with the growing concerns about the environment, call for continuous efforts in seeking new approaches, tools and perspectives for the acquisition of environmental knowledge by organisations in the hospitality sector. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between environmental knowledge, organisational learning and business performance in the context of the tourism industry. Emphasis is made on understanding the process of updating the environmental knowledge base of an organisation through appropriate learning processes within the business. Design/methodology/approach Using a structural equation model, feedback received from 87 companies from the Spanish hospitality sector in a longitudinal study consisting of two distinct phases in 2008 and 2014 was studied. Findings The results of the analysis indicate that environmental knowledge has a positive impact on business performance. Also, the study found that a review of the levels of awareness about environmental problems across the organisation is required at regular intervals (in this research, six years after the initial analysis). Practical implications The focus on the hospitality sector makes this research relevant for a significant number of hotels and their supply chains around the world. Originality/value The research has addressed the challenges of sustainability and environmental performance from a perspective not previously covered in the extant literature, an approach further improved by the longitudinal nature of this study, performed over a period of six years.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Hamid Reza Ghasemian ◽  
Naser Azad ◽  
Hamid Seyedaliakbar

Purpose – The purpose of this research is analyzing the service quality in capital industrial goods sector by developing a model and new view. So the authors studied several models and articles for exploring the effective variables on service quality and tested them in Aras Haitian Machinery Company that is one of the biggest manufacturers of plastic machinery in Iran and China. Design/methodology/approach – The statistics population included all customers of Aras Haitian Company in 2012 that were scattered in whole Iran and all of them are manufacturers of industrial goods. And finally 102 customers chose by using simple random sampling method. The way of SPSS statistical analysis software was used for exploratory factor analysis and LISREL software for structural equation model (SEM). Findings – Results indicated that there were three new factors (customer perception, customer relation and specialized competencies) that affected on perceived service quality of customers in capital industrial goods sector. The findings showed that these three factors were measured by ten subdimensions through a SEM. Originality/value – This study is the first to explore the effective variables on perceived service quality in capital industrial goods sector with viewpoint of service dominant logic in Iran andalso proposed the first SEM under the rubric of industrial service quality model in this section.


Author(s):  
Aula Ahmad Hafidh ◽  
Fuadah Johari ◽  
Maimun Sholeh ◽  
Eko Suprayitno ◽  
Ngadiyono Ngadiyono

This study aims to examine the model adopted based on Muslim consumer perceptions of taxes through the zakat system. This research uses three stages of comprehensive technical analysis through demographic depiction of respondents based on distribution frequently, then tests the adopted factors using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to select and determine the number of factors and related items. In the final stage, data analysis is carried out in the form of the modeling technique using Structure Equations Model (SEM) to test the quality of the models and hypotheses produced. 152 respondents were collected who were sampled in this study, the majority of respondents are 77 Malaysian citizens  and 75  Indonesian residents. At the testing stage of the model through the Structural Equation Model (SEM), based on the results of the formation factors in the test, it can be said that only the knowledge about tax, religious, and service variables have an impact on perception toward through zakat system positively and significantly, but through testing the serviceability of a model results in a determinant coefficient of 0.668, which it was relatively strong to explaining independent variable.


Preference advertisement is a promotional system in which marketer claims the superiority of their product or brand over competing product(s) or brand, directly or indirectly. Preference advertisement helps in comparing alternative brands on bases of features, price, and other distinctive information. Brand equity is the total worth of the brand. Brand equity can be measured in two different perspective i.e. cognitive psychology is the attribute perception that is related to the awareness regarding the brand features and associations whereas another information economics is associated towards strong brand name which is created through the quality of the product and good quality generates a premium prices for the brand. In the monetary terms it’s the value that the organization expects from the brand. Preference advertisement can either be transferred directly to the brand. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of preference advertisement in building the brand equity. Therefore to achieve the objective, different analysis tools used in the study are: mean, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling technique. The finding shows that preference advertisement has a significantly positive impact on building the brand equity.


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