The role of ICT, eWOM and guest characteristics in loyalty

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez ◽  
María Fuentes-Blasco ◽  
Irene Gil-Saura

Purpose This study aims to examine how technologies contribute to consumer loyalty in the tourist industry. To achieve this objective, information and communication technology (ICT) development and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) are analysed to explore their direct and indirect effects on satisfaction and loyalty dimensions. The moderating role of customer characteristics (personal and experience-related variables) is also considered to study the complex relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study based on a questionnaire structured was developed. The survey was conducted with 386 guests from Spanish hotels. SEM methodology is applied to estimate the structural equation model and multi-group analysis. Findings Results confirm significant relationships in the sequence “ICT advancement-satisfaction with ICT-satisfaction with hotel-loyalty”, the mediating effect of eWOM and the moderating effects of the customer characteristics. Practical implications ICT can be a key element to improve loyalty and differentiate from competitors. Managers should recognise that customers will have different loyalty behaviours according to their personal characteristics and type of experience. Originality/value This paper contributes to the recent and still scanty research line on ICT advancement from the consumer perspective. The novelty lies in the relationships between ICT, satisfaction and loyalty in hotels with particular attention to WOM (both personal and electronic) and the inclusion of different moderating variables.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hüseyin Çevik ◽  
Kerem Yıldırım Şimşek

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the theoretical relationship between experience quality (EXQ), satisfaction and the behavioral intentions (BI) of Motocross World Championship spectators.Design/methodology/approachThe research data were collected from spectators who participated in the World Motocross Championship race held in Afyon, Turkey in 2018. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the relationship among the research variables.FindingsThe results showed EXQ had significant and direct effects on satisfaction and BI. In addition to this, satisfaction had a partial mediating effect between EXQ and BI.Originality/valueTo date there has been no empirical study examining the consumer behaviors of motocross event spectators. Consequently, this research provides important contributions to the literature and informs event organizers about the role of EXQ in terms of understanding the behavior of motocross event spectators.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sk. Mamun Mostofa ◽  
Mashiat Tabassum ◽  
S.M. Zabed Ahmed

Purpose This paper aims to analyse researchers’ awareness about plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection tools on the actions that they take to prevent plagiarism. It also employs a structural model that examines whether awareness of plagiarism and anti-plagiarism tools have any significant effect on the actions taken by the researchers to avoid plagiarism. Design/methodology/approach A survey questionnaire was distributed to researchers at a large public university in Bangladesh. The survey accumulated 184 valid responses. Descriptive statistics were obtained to assess researchers’ awareness about plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection tools and the actions taken by them. The reasons that may cause plagiarism were also identified. The awareness of the availability of the anti-plagiarism software that was being used by the university and its actual use by the researchers was gathered through the survey. Non-parametric Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted to investigate the differences in awareness levels and actions in terms of gender, age, discipline and current level of research. The chi-square test was carried out to examine the relationship between awareness about the availability of the anti-plagiarism software and its use by the researchers. Finally, the survey data were analysed using structural equation modeling to examine the effects of awareness of plagiarism and anti-plagiarism software on the actions taken by the researchers. Findings The study revealed that the level of awareness regarding plagiarism and impact of plagiarism detection software is generally high among the researchers. There are some significant differences between researchers’ demographic and personal characteristics and their awareness levels and actions with regard to plagiarism. The findings indicate that almost three-quarters of the researchers were aware about the anti-plagiarism tool that is being used, whereas more than half of the researchers indicated that they used the software to assess their works. The results of the structural equation model do not show a good fit, although there is strong statistical evidence that awareness about plagiarism and anti-plagiarism software has significantly impacted researchers’ actions towards preventing plagiarism. Originality/value There is no reported study on researchers’ awareness of plagiarism and its affiliated issues in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will not only provide useful insights regarding awareness about plagiarism but also assist university authorities to formulate relevant policy and take necessary actions against plagiarism in higher education institutions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nengzhi (Chris) Yao ◽  
Jiuchang Wei ◽  
Weiwei Zhu ◽  
Alexander Bondar

Purpose The conclusions on the importance of corporate response timing to a crisis have remained inconsistent. Some studies suggest that active response may reduce negative impacts, whereas managers argue that issuing official response frustrates stakeholders and thus decreases the firm value. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of external media in the response timing strategy and the consequent stock market reaction. Design/methodology/approach Based on 130 corporate crises that befell publicly listed firms in China from 2007 to 2014, this paper uses the Baidu News Search Engine and Chinese Lexical Analysis System to construct the variables of the media characteristics. A structural equation model is established to test the hypotheses. Findings The results of this paper suggest that media coverage drives response timing after a crisis. Although an official response is a burden for firms, the timing strategy has multidimensional benefits including effectively alleviating negative effects (defined as buffering effects) and repairing the market (defined as restoring effects). Moreover, the buffering effects of response timing are stronger when completeness of response is low. Originality/value This study mainly contributes to crisis communication literature by introducing the role of media in prompting managers to make timing decisions. The findings of this study provide empirical support for the importance of timing response strategy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1087-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Jihad Mohammad ◽  
Norjaya Md Yasin ◽  
Nor Liza Abdullah

Purpose This study sheds some light on factors that affect customer switching intention in the Malaysian mobile phone service industry. More particularly, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of service quality (SQ), customer satisfaction, switching cost and consumer innovativeness (CI) on service switching intention (SWI); the mediating role of customer satisfaction; and the moderating role of service switching cost on the relationship between CI and SWI. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire survey that yielded 535 responses. Using structural equation modelling approach, the partial least square software, version 3 was utilised to test the study hypotheses. Findings Results reveal that customer satisfaction, service switching cost and CI directly affect SWI. However, no significant relationship was found between SQ and SWI. Again, data supported the mediating effect of customer satisfaction as well as the moderating effect of service switching cost. Research limitations/implications It is expected that the findings from this study will enable policymakers, managers and marketers to formulate better strategies and effectively implement loyalty programs, preventing their customers from switching. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by testing switching costs as the quasi moderator. Moreover, this is a pioneer study to consider CI as the antecedent of SWI.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pérez ◽  
Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to first, propose a causal model to understand the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception formation among customers; and second, identify differences among innovative and conservative customers in that process. Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation model is tested in a sample of 1,124 banking services customers in Spain. Also, a multisampling analysis is implemented in order to determine how novelty seeking moderates the process of CSR perception formation among customers. Findings – Results confirm that customer CSR perceptions are directly and positively influenced by: the congruence between CSR initiatives and corporate profile; customer attributions of corporate motivations to engage in CSR; and corporate credibility in developing CSR initiatives. Nonetheless, while innovative customers pay greater attention to corporate credibility than conservative customers when evaluating CSR initiatives, conservative customers evaluate the congruence of CSR initiatives and their attribution of altruistic motivations to a larger extent than innovative customers. Practical implications – These findings suggest that companies should take into account customer novelty seeking when planning their CSR and communication strategies because highlighting different qualities of their CSR initiatives can have diverse effects for the success of corporate investments. Originality/value – The greatest contribution of the paper is the study of the moderating role of novelty seeking in the process of customer CSR perception formation; previous scholars had long ignored this variable when evaluating customer perceptions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. Ruiz-Alba ◽  
Anabela Soares ◽  
Miguel A. Rodríguez-Molina ◽  
Dolores M. Frías-Jamilena

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the moderating role of co-creation in the implementation of servitization strategies in the pharmaceutical industry in a business-to-business (B-to-B) context. More specifically, this investigation explores the impact of different levels of services (base, intermediate and advanced) on servitization and on performance by using co-creation as a moderating factor. Design/methodology/approach A research framework was developed and empirically tested in the pharmaceutical sector. Data collection was conducted through the online distribution of questionnaires. The final sample included 219 pharmacy stores, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings Main findings suggest that when the level of co-creation of the design of services is high, there are significant effects of servitization on firm performance. The moderating effect of co-creation is illustrated in regard to intermediate and advanced services, but results referring to the impact of intermediate services on servitization appear non-significant with a low degree of co-creation. No significant effects could be found for the impact of base services on performance and servitization for both high and low degrees of co-creation. Findings show an impact of advanced services on performance through the mediating effect of servitization when the degree of co-creation is high. Originality/value Most research concerning servitization has been done from the perspective of manufacturers and service providers. This study adds value to the literature because it was designed from a customer’s perspective. Moreover, it contributes towards the conceptualization of the servitization research strategy and business models in a B2B context. This is accomplished through the investigation of the moderating effect of co-creation on the impact of the different levels of services on servitization and on performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Cheng-Xi Aw ◽  
Jun-Hwa Cheah ◽  
Siew Imm Ng ◽  
Murali Sambasivan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine compulsive buying and its interrelationships with careful spending, loan dependence and financial trouble. This study also aims to investigate the moderating role of gender. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Two hundred and seven responses were collected using purposive sampling technique. Partial least square–structural equation modelling was performed to analyze the proposed hypotheses. Findings The salient findings are (1) careful spending negatively influences compulsive buying, (2) compulsive buying positively influences loan dependence and financial trouble, (3) loan dependence positively influences financial trouble, (4) the relationships between careful spending and compulsive buying, and between loan dependence and financial trouble differ between male and female consumers, (5) there is a sequential mediation effect between careful spending and financial trouble and (6) there are gender differences between careful spending and compulsive buying and between loan dependence and financial trouble. Research limitations/implications This study empirically validates the role of short-term money attitude, conceptualized as careful spending in compulsive buying context and how it attenuates the consequences of compulsive buying. Originality/value This study explains the serial mechanism in which careful spending can be used to counteract financial trouble of youngsters, and further looks into the differences of relationships in term of gender through multi-group analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inho Hwang ◽  
Sanghyun Kim ◽  
Carl Rebman

PurposeOrganizations invest in information security (IS) technology to be more competitive; however, implementing IS measures creates environmental conditions, such as overload uncertainty, and complexity, which can cause employees technostress, eventually resulting in poor security performance. This study seeks to contribute to the intersection of research on regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) as a type of individual personality traits, technostress, and IS.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was developed, collecting 346 responses from various organizations, which were analyzed using the structural equation model approach with AMOS 22.0 to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate support for both the direct and moderating effects of security technostress inhibitors. Moreover, a negative relationship exists between promotion-focused employees and facilitators of security technostress, which negatively affects strains (organizational commitment and compliance intention).Practical implicationsOrganizations should develop various programs and establish a highly IS-aware environment to strengthen employees' behavior regarding IS. Furthermore, organizations should consider employees' focus types when engaging in efforts to minimize security technostress, as lowering technostress results in positive outcomes.Originality/valueIS management at the organizational level is directly related to employees' compliance with security rather than being a technical issue. Using the transaction theory perspective, this study seeks to enhance current research on employees' behavior, particularly focusing on the effect of individuals' personality types on IS. Moreover, this study theorizes the role of security technostress inhibitors for understanding employees' IS behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilo Kunkel ◽  
Rui Biscaia ◽  
Akiko Arai ◽  
Kwame Agyemang

This research explored the role of athlete on- and off-field brand image on consumer commitment toward the athlete and associated team, preference by the athlete’s sponsor, and the mediating effect of consumers’ self-brand connection on these relationships. Data were collected from fans of soccer players through a cross-sectional survey promoted on social media platforms. A partial least squares structural equation model examined the direct effects of both athlete brand dimensions on athlete commitment, team commitment, and athlete sponsor preference, and the indirect effects mediated via self-brand connection. The results indicate that an athlete’s on-field image is significantly related to athlete sponsor preference, while the off-field image influences athlete commitment and team commitment. Self-brand connection is influenced by athlete off-field image and mediates the relationship between off-field image and athlete commitment. This study contributes to a better understanding of how to manage athlete brands and linkages between fans, athletes, and associated entities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 659-675
Author(s):  
Aluisius Hery Pratono ◽  
Denni Arli

PurposeThis article attempts to understand the impact of global consumer culture and ethnocentric consumerism on global citizenship by identifying the mediating effect of cultural intelligence.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed structural equation model explains the relationship between global consumer culture, ethnocentric consumerism, and global citizenship. The empirical analysis involves an online survey targeted young people in Indonesia context.FindingsThe empirical evidence broadly supports the view that cultural intelligence strengthens the impact of global consumer culture and ethnocentric consumerism on global citizenship. There is a strong tendency in this study to suggest that global consumerism will not be able to contribute to global citizenship unless cultural intelligence provides as a mediating variable. However, the results do not support the mainstream literature, which suggests that ethnocentric consumerism harms global citizenship.Originality/valueThis study extends the discussion on achieving sustainable development by examining global citizenship leads to a better understanding of consumer culture theory.


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