Sustainability through the lens of the professional adviser: the case for brand trust

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stoica ◽  
Thomas M. Hickman
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Distribution Channel ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Brand Trust ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mind

Purpose This investigation builds on two domains. First, professional service providers, such as dentists and veterinarians, represent an understudied link in the distribution channel. Their recommendation of products, such as toothpaste and pet food, are impactful to their clientele. Second, for consumers, sustainability is growing as a motivating factor in product consideration. Consequently, brands committed to sustainability want to promote their products accordingly to connect with the consumer. The purpose of this study is to determine how to trust in sustainable brands is built in the mind of professional service providers, as they are influential in their clients’ decision process. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model that predicted how brand trust of sustainable products is built in the mind of the professional service provider using a sample of 457 veterinarians. Findings Results revealed that trust in sustainable brands is built via professionals’ expertise in sustainability and their perception of the importance of sustainability. Additionally, the perception of altruistic motivations had a positive impact on brand trust while the perception of strategic motivations had no influence on trust in sustainable brands. Originality/value Previous studies typically examine sustainability in an organizational context or as a brand consideration factor for consumers. This research focuses on professional service providers, who operate independently of the organization, alongside the formal distribution channel. The study examines how their perception of sustainability importance and their perceived motives of brands engaging in sustainability activities impacts their trust in sustainable brands.

Analyzing dynamic capability in teamwork

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Valio Dominguez Gonzalez ◽  
Tatiana Massaroli Melo
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Dynamic Capability ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Service

Purpose This study aims to analyze the relationship between the intrinsic characteristics of the teams that perform specialized industrial services in multi-units and dynamic capability. Design/methodology/approach This study was developed from a survey conducted in 188 multi-unit industrial service providers and data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique of partial least squares. Findings The results indicate the two constructs act differently on dynamic capability. While the infrastructural construct influences the capability of knowledge absorption, generation and adaptation, the construct related to the willingness to share and integrate knowledge has a positive impact on the capability of knowledge generation and storage. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by the choice of only one industrial sector – in the case of this study, the service industry. Future studies will include other industries and a more diverse sample of firms. Originality/value This research analyzes the process of dynamic capability development in the context of multi-unit service provision. The context of multi-unit industrial service provision is peculiar when compared to other organizations. In the context, knowledge is absorbed, generated and adapted by individuals organized into teams that work in customer’s units. Service providers play a key role in the development of dynamic capabilities regarding knowledge storage, acting as knowledge repositories.

B2B brand equity: investigating the effects of human capital and relational trust

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galina Biedenbach ◽  
Peter Hultén ◽  
Veronika Tarnovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Relational Trust ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of human capital and relational trust on business-to-business (B2B) brand equity.Design/methodology/approachData collection was conducted among the clients of one of the Big Four auditing firms in Sweden. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized effects.FindingsThe results demonstrate positive effects of human capital and relational trust on the core dimensions of brand equity. In the context of the professional services, human capital was found to have a stronger direct impact than relational trust on brand associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty.Practical implicationsThe study provides practical recommendations for marketing managers on how to consider the nature of B2B brand equity and its determinants in developing successful branding strategies. The findings indicate that although relational trust has a positive impact on brand equity, it draws on the clients’ positive perceptions of the service providers’ human capital. Thus, investments that generate positive perceptions of a service provider’s human capital will strengthen its competitive position. Leading to the creation of relational trust and having a strong impact on the dimensions of brand equity, human capital is a strategic asset that needs careful management.Originality/valueThe study advances extant knowledge on B2B brand equity by examining contextual conditions and factors that are critical for building strong brands in industrial markets. The study demonstrates that clients’ perceptions about the knowledge, skills and abilities of service providers are more important than relational trust for enhancing B2B brand equity.

Relation between Chinese consumers’ ethical perceptions and purchase intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 670-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif Javed ◽  
Ma Degong ◽  
Talat Qadeer
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Brand Trust ◽  
Ethical Perceptions ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Mediating Role

Purpose Most business-related studies on ethics focus on consumers in developed western economies but ignore developing economies. Therefore, to fill this void in the literature and address the concerns of prior studies, the purpose of this paper is to examine the ethical perceptions of Chinese consumers as an example of effective and efficient management of company/brand strategies in an economy experiencing rapid socioeconomic growth. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 328 Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions based on their ethical perceptions toward Apple and P&G through mediating (i.e. consumer–corporate identification (CCI) and brand trust) and moderating (i.e. consumer gender, age, education and residence) effects. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the constructs and overall model. Findings The ethical perceptions of consumers translate into purchase intentions, both at the corporate and product brand levels. Similarly, a significant direct relationship between CCI and brand trust reveals that corporate-level ethical identification is a trivial matter to customers, although these perceptions do apply to product brands under a corporate umbrella. Furthermore, to identify target groups of Chinese consumers who are receptive to ethical appeals, moderating variables were found to be useful. Originality/value The results confirm that the mediating role of CCI is more influential in the context of Chinese consumers’ ethical perceptions, followed by brand trust. In relation to demographics, ethical perceptions affect CCI and brand trust more positively in females and highly educated consumers in China. Similarly, the relationship between consumers’ ethical perception and their trust in brand is revealed more influential in urban residents than they do in rural. This broadens the applications and contexts of this research model. The results provide managerial guidance on enhancing potential ethical perceptions.

Does employee willingness to take risks affect customer loyalty? A moderated mediation examination of innovative behaviors and decentralization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Ahmad Al-Hawari ◽  
Shaker Bani-Melhem ◽  
Faridahwati Mohd. Shamsudin
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Innovative Behaviors

Purpose This study aims to build on the trait activation and interactionist perspective theories to investigate the effect of frontline employees’ (FLEs) willingness to take risks on hotel guest loyalty by assessing the mediating role of their innovative behaviors. It also examines whether decentralization strengthens the positive impact of willingness to take risks on innovative behavior and, subsequently, customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected multilevel data from various sources – hotel FLEs (n = 183), hotel operation managers (n = 46) and hotel guests/customers (n = 266) – from five-star hotels operating in Dubai. Structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro (version 3.5) were used to analyze the data. Findings The findings showed that willingness to take risks indirectly (via innovative behaviors) affects guest/customer loyalty positively. This effect is strengthened when the hotel is decentralized. Practical implications This study provides insight into how hotel managers can foster customer loyalty. More specifically, they can do so by establishing employees’ innovative behaviors triggered by employees’ positive personality traits and by giving employees more autonomy. Originality/value The present study addresses recent calls to investigate the positive impact of FLEs’ personality traits, attitudes and behaviors on customer loyalty.

Utilizing the Push-Pull-Mooring-Habit framework to explore users’ intention to switch from offline to online real-person English learning platform

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Hsin Chen ◽  
Ching-Jui Keng
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Perceived Price ◽  
Real Person

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an extended Push-Pull-Mooring-Habit (PPMH) framework in order to better understand users’ intention of switching from offline to an online real-person English learning platform service. Design/methodology/approach Based on 301 valid responses collected from an online survey questionnaire, structural equation modeling was employed to examine the research model. Findings The causal model was validated using SmartPLS 3.0, and all study hypotheses were supported. The results show that push effects (learning convenience, service quality and perceived price), pull effects (e-learning motivation, perceived usefulness), mooring effects (learning engagement, switching cost and social presences) and habit effects (relationship inertia) all significantly influence users’ switching intentions from offline to an online real-person English learning platform. Practical implications The findings should help online English learning service providers and marketers to understand the intention of offline English learning users to switch to an online real-person English learning platform, and develop related theories, services and regulations. Originality/value The present study extends the prior research of an online real-person English learning platform by providing PPMH as the general framework and demonstrating its efficacy in explaining user switching intentions.

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.

Relationships between leadership, motivation and employee-level innovation: evidence from India

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1363-1379
Author(s):  
Vishal Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type

PurposeIntegrating the behavioral theory of leadership, the componential theory of creativity and the self-determination theory (SDT), the study tests the relationships between leadership, work motivation (intrinsic motivation, integrated extrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation) and employee-level innovation (innovative work behavior and innovation outcomes) in a work setting.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a survey questionnaire from 493 scientists working in India's largest civilian research and development (R&D) organization. The structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used to test the hypothesized relationships between the study variables.FindingsThe study found evidence for positive relationships between leadership, employee autonomous motivation (intrinsic and integrated extrinsic motivation) and employee-level innovation. The study shows that extrinsic motivation is positively related to innovation only when the value of rewards is integrated to one's sense of self (integrated extrinsic motivation). Extrinsic motivation, otherwise, is not related to innovation.Research limitationsThe study was cross-sectional, so inferences about causality are limited.Practical implicationsFirst, while extrinsic motivation is considered bad for innovation, the study provides evidence that integrated extrinsic motivation complements intrinsic motivation and encourages employee-level innovation. Second, the study shows that leaders can aid the process of development of autonomous motivation by displaying positive behaviors. Third, the study validates the mediating role of autonomous motivation for the leadership–innovation relationship.Originality/valueThe study provides an insight into the underlying process through which leaders can impact innovation at the workplace. To the best of the author's knowledge, such a study is the first of its kind undertaken in an organizational context.

Building trust by signaling trustworthiness in service retail

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husni Kharouf ◽  
Donald J. Lund ◽  
Harjit Sekhon
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Customer Trust

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of retailer trustworthiness in driving customer trust and the subsequent impact on loyalty. The authors position trustworthiness as a mediator in the link between retail strategies and the development of trust. They model customer loyalty to the service retailer as a function of the trust created through trustworthy perceptions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors validate their model using 420 survey responses from customers in a service retail setting. Nine research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Alternate models are estimated, and the results provide support for the theory-based trustworthiness mediation model. Findings – Trustworthy behaviors first build trustworthiness, which then translates into customer trust and ultimately has a positive impact on both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the importance for retailers to signal their trustworthiness to build customer trust and loyalty. Researchers should measure trustworthiness perceptions when examining customer relationships and managers should plan strategically to develop both trust and trustworthiness with their customers. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to investigate the mediating effect of trustworthiness on customer loyalty in service settings. While past research has investigated dimensions of trustworthy behaviors, none has included a measure of trustworthiness perceptions and consumer trust in the same theoretical model. The results of the research provide important insights for both researchers and managers.

Impacts of city personality and image on revisit intention

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-bumm Kim ◽  
Sanggun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
City Image ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Image ◽  
Revisit Intention ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the causal relationships of city personality and city image, together with the possible effect of city image on the revisit intention of visitors, through empirical validation, so that some meaningful implications can reveal to city planners and marketers how the city tourists can be affected by the personality and image of the city. Design/methodology/approach – This study offers an integrated approach to understanding the relationship between city personality and city image. The research model investigates the relevant relationships among the underlying dimensions of city personality and city image by using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Data obtained from a sample of 302 respondents drawn from a web-based survey in South Korea were analyzed with AMOS program. Findings – The results of this empirical study indicate that city personality positively or negatively affect city image depending on the nature of constructs. Positive relationships are found to exist between excitement as well as sophistication personality and dynamic image of city. On the contrary, the relationship between sincerity personality and dynamic image is negative. All the specific three images of city: dynamic, specific, and static image show positive impact on revisit intention of city tourists. Originality/value – The empirical results of this study provide tenable evidence that the proposed SEM designed to consider city personality and city image, and revisit intention simultaneously is acceptable. Even though in the previous literature, researchers tried to explain the relationship between city personality and city image, the conceptual model and empirical studies pertaining to causal relationships among those constructs have not been thoroughly examined. It is believed that this study has a substantial capability for generating more precise applications related to city tourism, especially concerning city personality and city image.

The effects of knowledge creation process on organizational performance using the BSC approach: the mediating role of intellectual capital

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 802-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamhossein Mehralian ◽  
Jamal A. Nazari ◽  
Peivand Ghasemzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeKnowledge is a key success factor in achieving competitive advantage in the current fast-paced and uncertain economic environment. Several studies in the literature have analyzed the relationship between knowledge creation (KC) and organizational success; however, the mechanisms by which KC leads to accumulation of intellectual capital (IC) and thereby affects various dimensions of organizational performance are understudied. The purpose of this paper is to examine how KC and IC and their relationship influence key dimensions of organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachA research model was developed and tested based on the literature in the areas of KC, IC and organizational performance. This study uses a survey sent to companies in an intensive knowledge-based industry. The balanced scorecard (BSC) approach was used to measure the key dimensions of organizational performance.FindingsThe results from structural equation modeling (SEM) on 470 completed questionnaires received from the pharmaceutical companies in Iran reveal that KC activities lead to the accumulation of organizational IC and IC has a crucial and positive impact on the BSC. Furthermore, the results from the path analysis indicate that IC mediates the effects of KC on the BSC.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study contribute to the extant literature on the relationship between knowledge and organizational performance by demonstrating that knowledge and KC lead to performance when organizations utilize KC activities and leverage them to accumulate IC. Once used effectively, IC will result in a better performance in the knowledge-intensive environments.Originality/valueThis is the first study that investigates how KC contributes to firm performance by incorporating the mediating impact of IC on the BSC. The proposed model and results will help organizations to identify the mechanisms through which KC initiatives improve organizational performance.

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