Complaint-handling as antecedent of customer engagement: do consumer characteristics matter?

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Cambra-Fierro ◽  
Iguacel Melero-Polo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of customer engagement resulting from complaint-handling processes. The authors will also analyze the extent to which consumer demographics play a moderating role in this context. Design/methodology/approach To this end, the study analyzes the Spanish mobile phone sector based on a survey of individuals who filed a complaint and were provided with a solution by their mobile carrier. Data analysis was carried out using SmartPLS structural equation software. Findings The findings indicate that effective complaint-handling processes result in engaged customers. Moreover, socio-demographic variables such as age and gender do not have a significant impact on post-complaint-handling satisfaction or on customer engagement levels. Research limitations/implications This study has focused on only one industry – the mobile phone sector – which in Spain exhibits particular characteristics. Practical implications Firms which effectively employ complaint-handling strategies when service failures occur can count on an increase in customer engagement which, theoretically, will boost company value and have a positive impact on business performance. Originality/value The small body of research in this area assumes initial customer satisfaction. No evidence was found of the existing literature assessing customer engagement in dissatisfied customer contexts.

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soundararaj Ajitha ◽  
V.J. Sivakumar

Purpose There is a significant growth in the consumption of new luxury fashion brands in developing price-sensitive markets like India. Not only does this growth demonstrate how the “new” luxury brands have become a success, but is also illustrative of the perception and practice of style and status among the middle classes. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the consumer’s attitude for buying a branded product entails the need for uniqueness and self-monitoring. It also contends that gender and age moderate the consumer’s attitude. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a self-monitored survey to collect the data from the customers of new luxury fashion retail brand stores in Chennai, India for empirical validation of the model. Data collected from 394 new luxury brands shoppers were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The need for uniqueness and self-monitoring had significant positive influences on social-adjustive attitude and value-expressive attitude. However, the relationship between self-monitoring and value-expressive attitude was weak when compared to other relationships. Significant differences were seen in the strengths of the relationships between gender and age. Originality/value New luxury is significantly different from traditional luxury. Analyses regarding age group, gender and attitude can provide unique understanding related to new luxury trends, especially in a price sensitive and emerging market like India. This would help managers in segmenting the market based on consumer demographics, and devise strategies based on their characteristics to influence their attitudes and other behavioural patterns.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anitha Acharya

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to check for the effects of brand familiarity, customer brand engagement and self-identification on word-of-mouth (WOM) communication.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of the literature regarding brand familiarity and customer brand engagement CBE) was conducted and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results revealed that brand familiarity had a positive impact on CBE; self-identification also had a positive impact on WOM communication.Research limitations/implicationsThe model was tested in the context of service sector; future research may investigate in different context.Practical implicationsThe framework advances insight into customer engagement and service dominant logic, which, despite having been recognized for their significant theoretical fit, have remained largely disparate in the literature.Originality/valueThis study is among the first few attempts to examine the impact of brand familiarity on different dimensions, namely, cognitive, affective and activation dimensions of CBE. This study contributes to a more detailed description of the brand familiarity construct and improves understanding of WOM communication. The study provides implications for practitioners and marketers.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashi K. Shahi ◽  
Atul Shiva ◽  
Mohamed Dia

PurposeThis research study explores the adoption of integrated sustainable SCM practices in the textile industry in India and its impact on the firm's business performance.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis was carried out using the partial least squares structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 3.3.2.FindingsIt was found that the demand-side sustainability initiatives of the large firms and the internal sustainability practices of the small firms directly impacted their business performance. It was also found that the suppliers' sustainability initiatives had a direct and positive impact on the internal sustainability of the firm, which in turn had a direct and positive impact on the demand-side sustainability in the Indian textile industry.Originality/valueThe findings emphasize the distinctive role of each dimension of the integrated sustainable SCM on the firm performance in the Indian textile industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhao Li ◽  
Min Wei

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of hotel servicescape on customer citizenship behaviors “CCBs” by addressing customer engagement as a mediator and gender as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach A total of 619 questionnaires were collected from hotel customers. Structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis. Findings Customer engagement mediates the effects of physical and social servicescapes on CCBs of providing feedback to an organization, making recommendations and helping other customers. Moreover, the indirect effects of physical servicescape on the three types of CCBs through customer engagement are stronger for male than for female customers, whereas no significant gender difference is observed in those effects of social servicescape on these types of CCBs through customer engagement. Research limitations/implications This study can help hotels promote the three types of CCBs and customer engagement by creating wonderful physical and social servicescape elements. The major limitation is that this study collected survey data outside the hotel environment. Originality/value This study enriches current knowledge on the servicescape-driven responses by exploring how hotel servicescape elements affect the three types of CCBs through customer engagement. Additionally, the different moderating roles of gender in the indirect influences of servicescape elements on these types of CCBs are presented.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarra Berraies ◽  
Manel Hamouda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of customer empowerment (CE) on financial performance and the role of innovation and customer satisfaction as mediating variables in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach To empirically test the conceptual model and research hypotheses, data were collected through a survey from 216 branches of 14 commercial banks in Tunisia. Results were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate a significant and a positive impact of CE on firms’ financial performance. Customer satisfaction, exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation mediate the relationship between CE and firms’ financial performance. Practical implications These findings provide useful insights for practitioners, particularly bank managers who can improve their financial performance, customer satisfaction and innovation by empowering their customers and integrating them in the products and/or services conception process. Conclusions emphasize practices to be encouraged within banks such as services customization which are acquired by customers themselves, the expression of opinions, customers’ needs and the interaction among bank customers. Originality/value Several studies in the literature have studied the CE and its impact on business performance. However, few research studies have focused on the variables that mediate this relationship. So far, this paper not only integrates mediating variables such as customer satisfaction and innovation to study the link CE-firm performance but also makes the distinction between exploitative and exploratory innovation which is seldom made by researchers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1607-1625
Author(s):  
Anita Gaile ◽  
Ilona Baumane-Vitolina ◽  
Erika Sumilo ◽  
Daina Skiltere ◽  
Ricardo Martin Flores

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the differences in the values and behaviours of employees and entrepreneurs and to develop guidelines for employers to foster entrepreneurial thinking in their organisations. Design/methodology/approach To determine individual behaviours, the authors used the career adaptability scale developed by Savickas and Porfelli (2012), complemented with the statements regarding relationships in the workplace and reward, designed by Gattiker and Larwood (1986). The individual values were evaluated by Schwartz’s individual value framework. The career success of individuals was defined by income level and job satisfaction. Data from a sample of 473 respondents were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings This paper reveals that there are differences in the behaviours and the values of employees and entrepreneurs. Employees are more concerned with relationships at the workplace, rewards and confidence, whereas entrepreneurs focus solely on relationships. Self-direction value has a direct positive impact. Universalism, conformism, achievement, stimulation and safety have indirect positive effects on career success for employees. There is no specific individual value driving career success for entrepreneurs. Originality/value This paper follows the recent trends in organisational culture development whereby organisations seek to incorporate the entrepreneurial mindset at all levels of the organisation. Until now, there has been scarce empirical evidence on the differences between entrepreneurial and employee values. This research provides evidence that the value gap between these two distinct groups is considerable enough to question the ability of the average employee to adopt the entrepreneurial behaviour required by modern organisations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Qu ◽  
Lishan Shen ◽  
Xiaona Bao

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how the software outsourcing teams, namely, vendors, transfer effective knowledge to enhance team performance; it reports on a study of transactive memory system (TMS) theory and makes deep analyses and discussions about the influence of the cooperative behaviors of TMS on software outsourcing team’s performance under the framework of three behavioral characteristics dimensions – specialization, credibility and coordination. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an empirical study based on investigation interviews to 28 software outsourcing teams and data of questionnaire surveys on 124 software outsourcing teams; structural equation model is used to test the data we collected. Findings – This paper finds that both credibility and coordination have a significantly positive impact on knowledge transfer and project success, whereas specialization has a significant negative impact on project success. The results of data analysis show that TMS is an effective coordination mechanism. Originality/value – The conclusion of the study can help us understand the coordination mechanism of knowledge transfer in software outsourcing team and provide theoretical support and paradigm reference for vendors in China to accumulate knowledge and improve the success rate of projects in the context of software project development.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Mancilla ◽  
José Ernesto Amorós

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the differentiated impact of factors that influence the propensity to entrepreneur in a sample of people in Chile. A distinction is made between individuals that live in primary cities and secondary cities. The differentiating factors are socio‐cultural aspects (reference models – positive examples of entrepreneurs – and perception of social fear of failure) and the gender of the individual. Design/methodology/approach For the research data from the survey used in Chile by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for the years 2010 and 2011 were used. A logit model was used to determine the differentiated impact of the analysed factors and interactions were done using the method proposed by Corneliâen and Sonderhof (2009). Findings These showed that the fact that an individual lives in a secondary city decreases his entrepreneurship probability. The positive impact that the reference models have is weaker in women. Contrary to what was expected, the negative impact of the fear of failure perception is weaker in women. Practical implications These results have the implications to suggest focused public policies and differentiations that consider the socio‐cultural, territorial (focused in cities) and gender aspects. Originality/value The research contributes by giving empirical evidence of the existence of the negative impact of living in a secondary city and of differentiated effects of socio‐cultural factors from the gender perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Ahmad Al-Hawari ◽  
Shaker Bani-Melhem ◽  
Faridahwati Mohd. Shamsudin

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.


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