Impact of ethics, trust, and optimism on performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 1135-1155
Author(s):  
Christie Hough ◽  
Cameron Sumlin ◽  
Kenneth Wilburn Green

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the combined impact of the ethical environment, organizational trust and workplace optimism on individual performance. Design/methodology/approach A structural model is theorized and data from 250 individuals working for private organizations were analyzed using partial-least-squares structural equation modeling. Findings Both the ethical environment and organizational trust positively impact workplace optimism. Of the ethical environment, organizational trust and workplace optimism, only workplace optimism directly impacts individual performance. The impact of the ethical environment and organizational trust on individual performance is indirect through workplace optimism. Research limitations/implications To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to assess the combined impact of the ethical environment, organizational trust and workplace optimism on individual performance. It is important to conduct similar studies to verify these findings. Practical implications An ethical environment and organizational trust foster high levels of workplace optimism that in turn lead to improved employee performance. Originality/value The important role that workplace optimism plays within the ethical climate of organizations is theorized and assessed. This is the first empirical assessment of the mediational role of workplace optimism on the established relationships between ethical environment and individual performance, and organizational trust and individual performance.

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (04) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Yến Hoàng Hải

This study investigates the impacts of various organizational ethical climates (egoism, principle, benevolence) on individual performance of bank employees. The research is conducted on the sample consisting of employees working in the commercial banks with less than 50% of state capital in Vietnam. The total of 364 valid complete questionnaires are input into SPSS database for processing. The research model and hypotheses are tested using the technique of Structural Equation Modeling. The research results show that different perceptions on organization ethical environment would lead to different individual performance. When the employee perceives his/her ethical environment as Eegoism, productivity, quality, and work efficiency would be significantly higher than those of the environments of benevolence. No impact, however, is identified of principle ethical environment on employees’ performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 631-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim M. Awad ◽  
Alaa A. Amro

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to map the cluster in the leather and shoes sector for improving the competitiveness of the firms. Toward this end, the study is organized to examine the impact of clustering on competitiveness improvement. The influence of competitive elements and performance (Porter’s diamond) and balanced score card was utilized. Design/methodology/approach A random sample of 131 respondents was chosen during the period from May 2016 to July 2016. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to investigate the research model. This approach was chosen because of its ability to test casual relationships between constructs with multiple measurement items. Researchers proposed a two-stage model-building process for applying SEM. The measurement model was first examined for instrument validation, followed by an analysis of the structural model for testing associations hypothesized by the research model. Findings The main findings show that there is a unidirectional causal relationship between improvements of performance and achieve competitiveness and also reveal that the Palestinian shoes and leather cluster sector is vital and strong, and conclude that clustering can achieve competitiveness for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Research limitations/implications Future research can examine the relationship between clustering and innovation. The effect of clustering using other clustering models other than Porter’s model is advised to be used for future research. Practical implications The relationships among clustering and competitiveness may provide a practical clue to both, policymakers and researchers on how cluster enhances economic firms such as a skilled workforce, research, development capacity, and infrastructure. This is likely to create assets such as trust, synergy, collaboration and cooperation for improved competitiveness. Originality/value The findings of this study provide background information that can simultaneously be used to analyze relationships among factors of innovation, customer’s satisfaction, internal business and financial performance. This study also identified several essential factors in successful firms, and discussed the implications of these factors for developing organizational strategies to encourage and foster competitiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 615-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Schwepker, Jr ◽  
Christina K. Dimitriou ◽  
Todd McClure

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of formal [ethics training (ET)] and informal [psychological ethical climate (EC)] controls in reducing service sabotage (SS) and increasing employee commitment to service quality. Design/methodology/approach Data were electronically collected from a national survey of hotel/motel customer contact employees leading to a usable sample of 316 employees. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The findings indicate that ET can be used to positively influence the EC of customer contact service employees, which, in turn, reduces their SS behavior and increases their commitment to service quality. Practical implications Management should incorporate both formal (ET) and informal (EC) controls to bring about less SS and greater commitment to service quality among customer contact employees in service settings. Originality/value This research furthers the understanding of SS by finding an important variable, EC that may be used to reduce its incidence in service settings. Further, it shows that EC is an important contributor to improving ECSQ. As such, this research gives important direction for companies wishing to improve the customer service experience.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Xiao ◽  
Xiaoling Ren ◽  
Pei Zhang ◽  
Antonnette Ketlhoafetse

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine foreign participants’ service quality, satisfaction and behavioral intention during the 2016 Shanghai International Marathon, and to gain a better understanding of the impact of service quality on their satisfaction and behavioral intention. Design/methodology/approach An English questionnaire was originally designed on the basis of the literature review of service quality, overall satisfaction and re-participation intention to assess the purpose of the study. Data were collected from 308 foreign runners including 61.7 percent (n=190) of male and 38.3 percent (n=118) of the female. Structural equation modeling was employed to check the proposed model and to test the impact of service quality on foreign participants’ overall satisfaction and behavioral intention. Findings A positive correlation was captured between the following: service quality and overall satisfaction (r=0.752, p<0.01), overall satisfaction and behavioral intention (r=0.876, p<0.01), and between service quality and participants’ behavioral intention (r=0.760, p<0.01). Furthermore, the service quality of Shanghai International Marathon had an indirect effect on foreign participants’ behavioral intention. The structural model fits the data well (R2=0.823). Research limitations/implications First, the sample size was small and was just drawn from one event, which can be taken with caution in the context of the generalization of findings. Second, the results are specific to 2016 Shanghai International Marathon participants and cannot be generalized with other events in China or around the world. Practical implications The results are practical for the marathon event organizers to better understand foreign participants’ needs and improve their services. This study has a significant importance to the sports events organizers, especially the organizers of the Shanghai International Marathon in terms of a better understanding the level of their service. This study will also help the event organizers to adapt their strategies and their efforts to increase Shanghai International Marathon foreign participants’ satisfaction and intention to repurchase or to share with others. Social implications This study contributes to the foreign participant’s satisfaction literature. In fact, many studies were carried on event spectators’ satisfaction while rare studies were carried on event participants’ satisfaction, especially marathon foreign participants’ satisfaction, and this study will supplement studies related to sport events participation. This will be convenient for sports managers and scholars to better understand the impact of service quality on participants’ satisfaction and behavioral intention in the field of sports events management. Meanwhile, the results were extremely useful to Shanghai during the process of constructing a “world-famous sports city” and “modern international metropolis”. Originality/value Little literature focus on foreign participants of Shanghai International Marathon, which is important in the process of shaping city image and building world-famous city. Are foreign participants satisfied with the Shanghai International Marathon? Which aspect of the service quality is of greater value for them? What are the influencing factors of their behavioral intention and word-of-mouth communication? What are the specific impact paths among the service quality, overall satisfaction and behavioral intention variables? To examine the objectives, the study was designed to target foreign participants’ service quality, satisfaction and behavioral intention. Besides, structural equation model was applied in this study to explore the path relationship between service quality, satisfaction and behavioral intention specifically.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-410
Author(s):  
Nitin Soni ◽  
Jagrook Dawra

Purpose An open question of behavioral pricing literature is: What are the factors which influence consumers’ judgments of acquisition value and transaction value? An important framework to explain consumers’ shopping and purchase decisions is their decision-making styles. This paper aims to examine the influence of consumers’ decision-making styles, that is, perfectionistic high-quality conscious, brand conscious-price equals quality, novelty-fashion conscious, recreational-hedonistic, price conscious-value for money, impulsive-careless, habitual-brand loyal and confused by overchoice on their judgments of acquisition value and transaction value. Design/methodology/approach From the literature, a conceptual framework was formulated. Data was collected from a survey of 304 respondents. The measurement model was tested using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The structural model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The consumers’ judgments of acquisition value and transaction value vary with their decision-making styles. The measurement and structural models exhibited good fit, and 12 of the 16 proposed hypotheses were found to be significant. Research limitations/implications The respondents for this research study were urban and postgraduate students. Practical implications The results of this study can help managers personalize their promotional offers and market offerings targeted at consumers with different decision-making styles. Originality/value Behavioral pricing literature has not convincingly shown that consumers make the judgments of the two values, acquisition value and transaction value, in a purchase scenario. There is limited literature on the impact of decision-making styles on the marketing variables. The results of this study contribute to the literature by showing that consumers make the judgments of these two values, and these judgments vary with their decision-making styles. Also, this is one of only a few studies to examine the two components of the purchase value in an Indian context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Joelle ◽  
Arnaldo Coelho

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and present the process of management as viewed through the lens of spirituality at work, and to identify the influence of a spiritual environment on individual performance, mediated by job resourcefulness and moderate by affective commitment. Structural equation modeling was used. Design/methodology/approach The sample size consisted of 273 individuals from Portugal. The methodological design is quantitative. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess construct validity based on AMOS 21. Findings The results show that with the implementation of a spirituality culture, this fact increases the presence of spirituality at work and the individual performance, mediated by job resourcefulness. Research limitations/implications There are methodological limitations, because the work is based on “perceptions.” Another limitation is about spirituality at work conceptualization, considering it is still subject to different perspectives and definitions. Originality/value The findings can provide fundamental guidance for managers and academics to implement a set of practices that promote the presence of spirituality at work as a new management tool to run a company.


2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. 2893-2910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norazah Mohd Suki

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: to assess the impact of green brand positioning, consumers’ attitude toward green brands, and green brand knowledge on green product purchase intention; to investigate the influence of green brand knowledge on consumers’ attitude toward green brands; and to examine the moderating effect of green brand knowledge on the relationship between green brand positioning and green product purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was utilized to gather the data (n=300) for this study. The purposive sampling technique was used, involving respondents who practice a green lifestyle and have had green product purchasing experience. The partial least squares (PLS) method, which is a variance-based technique for the analysis of structural equation modeling, was used to analyze the data, with the assistance of the SmartPLS computer program version 2.0. Findings Based on the standardized path coefficients of the structural model from the PLS results, green brand knowledge was found to be the most significant determinant of green product purchase intention. Knowledge of green brands has caused consumers to develop positive green marketing awareness and has bolstered their interest in fortifying the environment whilst preventing its degradation. Furthermore, green brand knowledge also impacted consumers’ attitude toward green brands. However, this factor was an insignificant moderator of the impact between green brand positioning and green product purchase intention. Practical implications Green brand positioning can be used by firms and businesses to better market their products and improve consumers’ green brand knowledge and attitude toward green brands, as well as increase green brand purchase intentions. Successful green brand positioning is seen as an advantage for marketers that can be used to differentiate their products from the available competitors, giving the impression that their products are distinguishable, and thus creating more demand and generating increased intention to purchase more green products. Originality/value The empirical results of this study address the gap in the prevailing body of literature in reference to the impact of green brand positioning and consumer attitude toward green brands, as well as the effect of green brand knowledge on green product purchase intention. This study found that green brand knowledge does not moderate the relationship between green brand positioning and green product purchase intention, thus providing insight into this subject matter, which has not been clearly examined in previous studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadi Boğaç Kanadlı ◽  
Pingying Zhang ◽  
Nada K. Kakabadse

Purpose Board diversity has been a hotly debated topic in the field of corporate governance. The paper examines the role of board chairperson and its moderating effect on the relationship between job-related diversity and boards’ strategic tasks performance. The purpose of this paper is to add on our body of knowledge about the impact of job-related diversity on boards’ strategic tasks performance. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique to examine survey responses from chief executive officers (CEOs). Both the measurement model and structural model have obtained good results, supporting the appropriateness of using the SEM approach. Findings The findings suggest that there is a positive association between job-related diversity and boards’ strategic tasks performance, which is moderated by a chairperson’s leadership efficacy and the option of a former-CEO as board chair. Practical implications To achieve the intended effect of job-related diversity in boards, policymakers need to be mindful about the importance of the board chairperson. Board chairperson’s characteristics such as leadership efficacy and a former-CEO experience would amplify the positive effect of diversity. Originality/value This research paper contributes to the literature on board diversity, board leadership and strategic management of firms. Findings validated researchers’ concern about the negligence of examining moderating factors in board diversity research. Moreover, results echo the concern that board leadership research should shift the attention from structural aspects to the behavioral issues. Finally, this study is the first to show the positive influence of a board chairperson in disseminating benefits of a diverse board.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Laid Ouakouak ◽  
Michel Georges Zaitouni ◽  
Bindu Arya

PurposeMotivation constitutes a central topic for business management, because of its critical impact on job performance. Therefore, understanding whether and how the style of leadership adopted by leaders in organizations promotes and maintains employee motivation is of great interest to both scholars and practitioners. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study investigates how ethical and emotional styles of leadership influence employee motivation and thus job performance.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was conducted in the public sector in Kuwait. About 607 employees participated in this study. Structural equation modeling techniques were used for testing the causal relationships between constructs.FindingsResults of our study indicate that both ethical and emotional leaderships enhance employee motivation. Furthermore, employee motivation has a positive impact on job performance. The results also show that job performance exerts a negative effect on quitting intentions. Finally, interest in the private sector moderates the job performance–quitting intentions relationship.Practical implicationsThese findings provide theoretical contributions to the extant literature, as well as important practical implications for managers.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the role of both ethical and emotional leaderships in shaping employee behaviors. To the best of our knowledge, this research is among the few that provides initial evidence regarding quitting intentions as an outcome of the impact of ethical and emotional leaderships on employee motivation and individual performance in Kuwait.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1and2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjit Singh H.

This research explores the impact of service satisfaction, relational satisfaction, price satisfaction, and commitment on customer loyalty in logistics outsourcing relationships in Indian scenario. 254 users of logistics services from India were selected for investigating the potential linkages among the aforementioned satisfaction aspects and loyalty. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the reliability and validity of the measurement and structural model developed to study the relationship among the linkages. Findings from the study supports that logistics service satisfaction, price satisfaction, relational satisfaction and commitment do influence loyalty positively. The analysis suggests that service satisfaction is the most important antecedent having primary influence in the formation of customer loyalty. Service satisfaction also has secondary influence on loyalty by acting as a strong driver in both relational satisfaction and commitment aspects of the service dimensions. Price satisfaction though positively been driven by service satisfaction, was found to have less significant effect as a predictor of loyalty in this context. The present study suggests that relational satisfaction is the second major predictor of loyalty which also drives commitment. This research is not an end-point but an attempt to establish the linkages and the effect among the antecedents driving the building and retention of good buyer-seller relationship in logistics outsourcing.


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