Exploring interventions to curb workplace deviance: lessons from Air India

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-585
Author(s):  
Pooja Malik ◽  
Usha Lenka

Purpose In a world of fast-changing markets, corporate brand is the heart and soul of a company. A company’s employees are crucial in nourishing a successful corporate image. Eventually, organizations require committed employees who orient their energy and drive the company toward a shared vision. However, employees’ deviant behavior can cripple the organization’s brand image. Given this fact, the purpose of this study is to offer strategies that can play a vital role in overcoming destructive deviance and in turn fostering the pavement for building a strong corporate brand image. Design/methodology/approach Given the purpose, this study used systematic review of literature to analyze the newspaper articles that reported the cases of deviant behaviors exhibited by employees of “Air India” and were published between 2015 and 2017. Further, this study used document analysis to identify and categorize the various forms of deviant behaviors exhibited by employees of Air India. Findings The current study asserted four chief interventions, namely, talent management strategies, resilience, workplace spirituality and mindfulness to overcome destructive deviance and promote constructive behavior among employees of Air India. Research limitations/implications The present study offers vital implications for organizations to curb the escalating deviant behavior among employees in the hospitality industry. These interventions might lay a significant pavement for fostering positive emotions among employees, which in turn could play a crucial role in enhancing service quality and building a strong brand image. Originality/value Given the mounting cases of deviant behavior among employees, the present study draws attention to the necessity for a shift in the generic organizational strategies and instigates organizations to integrate the study’s strategies to curb deviant behavior and in turn build a strong corporate image.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Ren ◽  
Zhining Wang ◽  
Ngan Thuy Collins

PurposeThis study focuses on an emerging deviant behavior at the team level and investigates when and why the team level processes reduce team expedient behavior. Anchored on the input–process–outcome (I–P–O) theoretical framework for studying team effectiveness, it conceptualizes and tests a research model where servant leadership and team-based human resource management (HRM practices) serve as a team-level input that interacts to influence the process of team reflexivity and ultimately reduces team expedient behavior as the outcome.Design/methodology/approachData are from 109 teams involving a total of 584 employees and analyzed at the team level.FindingsThe findings provide empirical support that team-based HRM practices positively moderate the relationship between servant leadership and team reflexivity and that team reflexivity transforms the influence of servant leadership into reduced team expedient behavior. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe participants in this study were drawn from diverse backgrounds (n = 584), and they were nested within 109 teams. Therefore, the authors were cautious of making claims that the findings would apply to every team in the context of China. The authors acknowledge that the research design of this study is not the strongest to test for causal relationship.Practical implicationsThe findings show the synergistic role of servant leadership and team-based HRM practices and suggest organizations have both in place to mitigate deviant behaviors by teams. The study also suggests organizations develop and promote an environment where team members are motivated and encouraged to share their ideas, openly discuss experiences and set up forward plans.Social implicationsOrganizations should focus on training their leaders of the behaviors such as supporting followers, enhancing subordinates' commitment to the collective goal and emphasizing the equality between themselves and subordinates. Organizations need to increase their awareness that the teams are more likely to perform their tasks by the means prescribed by the organizational rules if they communicate, discuss and get modeling or feedback from other teams.Originality/valueThis study enriches research on team-based HRM practices, which so far have received limited attention, and deserves further investigation. It sharpens the underlying mechanism that translates team-level input of leadership and HRM to the desired outcomes of reduced expedient behavior by introducing the role of team reflexivity. The study adds to the growing research on workplace deviance by addressing team-level expedient behavior.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingji Fan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of China’s image as a country on consumers’ evaluations of brands. Drawing on the literature pertaining to country images and country-of-origin effect, a research model was developed to evaluate country image, corporate image and brand image. Design/methodology/approach To test the model and investigate the effects of country, corporate and brand image on brand attitude and purchase intention, a survey was conducted that examined Korean consumers’ attitudes toward well-known Chinese brands. Findings China’s country image was found to comprise four dimensions: political image, economic image, citizen image and country relationship image. Country image had a direct positive effect on brand attitude, and through brand attitude, country image had an indirect positive effect on purchase intention. Corporate image and brand image had a positive effect on brand attitude and a direct positive effect on purchase intention. In addition, country image had a positive effect on corporate image, while through corporate image, country image had an indirect positive effect on brand image. Originality/value These findings not only offer theoretical evidence for research on China’s country image, but also provide empirical evidence to support the “going global” strategies of Chinese enterprises.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufan Li ◽  
Weichen Teng ◽  
Tien-Tien Liao ◽  
Tom M.Y. Lin

PurposeThe recent rise of economic nationalism intensifies consumers' patriotic attitudes toward goods or services and thus encourages enterprises to build patriotic brand images. Nevertheless, few studies have discussed how a patriotic brand image is developed. The purpose of this study aims to fill the gap by examining whether and how a positive corporate image helps a domestic brand establish a patriotic brand image and in turn enhances consumers' purchase intentions in relation to domestic brand products.Design/methodology/approachA research model identifying the antecedents of patriotic brand image (the components of corporate image) is proposed and empirically tested using structural equations with a questionnaire investigating Taiwanese college students' attitudes toward Taiwanese smartphone brands. Three competing models are also proposed and tested to confirm the appropriateness of the research model.FindingsIn addition to the widely recognized impact of perceived quality on purchase intentions, patriotic brand image is found to be effective in enhancing local consumers' intentions to purchase domestic brand products. To shape a patriotic brand image, perceived quality, perceived corporate ability and perceived corporate integrity are the direct approaches, while perceived corporate social responsibility works through perceived corporate integrity, and perceived employer brand enhances only perceived corporate social responsibility.Research limitations/implicationsPotential sampling (college students) and subject (smartphones) biases may limit the generalizability of the presented findingsPractical implicationsWhile patriotic appeals have long been used in marketing communication, they are also likely to precipitate negative brand associations (e.g. nationalism), offending consumers in other countries. By contrast, the development of a positive corporate image serves as an implicit and neutral approach to building a patriotic brand image and can help domestic brands attract local consumers with less harm to foreign markets.Originality/valueThis study is one of notably few studies discussing patriotic brand image and its impacts on purchase intentions. This study also identifies the antecedents of patriotic brand image and how each of them affects patriotic brand image. The findings can help guide domestic brands in building a patriotic brand image.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Nisar Khattak ◽  
Roxanne Zolin ◽  
Noor Muhammad

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to examine the catalytic impact of perceptions of politics in organizations on the relationship between perceived unfairness and deviant behavior at work. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed research model, the authors collected field data in a public sector university located in Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan. A two-wave questionnaire was distributed to 400 employees. In the first wave, the questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ perceptions of perceived injustice and organizational politics. After two weeks, the second wave of data collection was conducted by sending another questionnaire to the same respondents to collect data on their organizational and interpersonal deviance. Findings Empirical findings revealed that perceived interactional injustice results in interpersonal deviance, and perceived distributive and procedural injustice results in organizational deviance. Moreover, the direct relationship between perceived injustice and deviant behaviors was stronger when the perception of politics factor was high. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to test the detrimental effect of perception of politics on deviance in a public organization in Pakistan.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-68
Author(s):  
Sharifah Alwi ◽  
Norbani Che-Ha ◽  
Bang Nguyen ◽  
Ezlika M. Ghazali ◽  
Dilip M. Mutum ◽  
...  

Purpose This study attempts to ascertain the essential dimensions and components of university brand image, including the cognitive attributes (service/educational quality) and affective attributes (corporate brand image) of the university. Design/methodology/approach The study develops, explores and presents a student-consumer behavioral response model based on students’ experiences at university, exploring the relationship between these attributes with satisfaction and behavioral response [word-of-mouth (WOM)]. Findings Findings reveal that both branding aspects – brand experience and corporate brand image – follow a rational thought process first before an affective component is then taken into account, resulting in brand promise and loyalty. The study identifies several important cognitive brand image attributes and experiences that guide brand positioning for the Malaysian market, linking these to satisfaction and WOM. Research limitations/implications It was conducted in a single case-university and future research could replicate this in other schools/institutions. Cross-validation to other private institutions lies outside the scope of this study. Furthermore, although the study has identified specific attributes of university brands, they tend to be seen or interpreted as overall for both brand experiences and corporate brand image attributes because of the reflective nature of the construct, and also they tend to be seen as higher order rather than at individual levels. Further research is needed to analyze these dimensions using a quantitative approach at individual levels and testing the conceptual model as presented in the conceptual model. The study is focused on one Asian market (Malaysian students in X University) chosen for its potential growth in the future. Practical implications The present study contributes to the identification of specific students’ needs and attributes including courses and modules, reputable schools, the environment (e.g. campus – near to lecturer, international), helpful lecturers and the university location. Addressing the right brand attributes enhance and clarify the positioning aspect of the university brand, while simultaneously addressing the needs and wants of consumers. For example, by understanding the culture – consumer buying behavior within this setting, marketers or school administrators can identify exactly, which behaviors could be changed and by which mechanism i.e. talking to sponsors, and introducing activities to increase visibility/image in Malaysia. Interacting with sponsors can influence them toward sending students to X instead of to other universities in the UK. Originality/value The study contributes to theoretical knowledge in at least two different ways: by identifying possible corporate brand image attributes and experience that guide brand positioning (for the Malaysian market), and by exploring the relationship between these attributes and satisfaction and behavioral response (WOM) as proposed in the study’s conceptual framework. The study has identified the specific attributes that influence Malaysian students’ early interest in selecting X University via, for example, a recommendation from existing students at X, their sponsors, employers, the courses or modules X offers and location – in London. The study further revealed that corporate brand image attributes of business schools (cognitively and effectively) enhance corporate brand differentiation and positioning (Rauschnabel et al., 2016).


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Törmälä ◽  
Saila Saraniemi

Purpose This study aims to examine the roles of business partners in co-creating a corporate brand image. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts different business partners’ perspectives to analyse corporate brand co-creative actions through a case study within a business-to-business company (B2B SME) context. Interviews with the case company’s manager and key business partners were used as the primary source of empirical data. Findings The study suggests a typology of seven roles which business partners adopt in corporate brand image co-creation: co-innovator, co-marketer, brand specialist, knowledge provider, referee, intermediary and advocate. The study also highlights the management of co-creative relationships in corporate brand image co-creation in the context of business partners. Practical implications This study increases the understanding of the complexities and dynamics related to corporate brand image construction and helps managers size the potential of business partner relationships in corporate branding and manage co-creative brand partner relationships. Originality/value The roles are examined by applying a conceptual framework built by combining branding research in a novel way with the role theory. The study also provides a multi-stakeholder perspective to brand co-creation.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pantea Foroudi ◽  
Mohammad Mahdi Foroudi ◽  
Maria Palazzo ◽  
Bang Nguyen

Purpose The airline aviation industry is both capital-intensive and competitive. Hence, the evolution of the sector needs original marketing strategies. To study the relationships between corporate branding and corporate image, taking into account two views, namely, corporate strategy and corporate expression in airline identity, this paper aims to analyze the main indicators of the corporate branding that affect the outcomes of the corporate image. Design/methodology/approach To inspect the theories, the foundational configural model was assessed through the perceptions of 395 employees in Indian aviation companies. By using complexity theory, this study matched the concept of equifinality and it examined the data via a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings Findings show that corporate strategy positively influences the corporate image and corporate expression. Corporate expression offers the verbal and visual facets of a brand. Surprisingly, the paper shows that there is no link between corporate expression and corporate image. It also suggests that corporate expression, including corporate community, corporate promise and corporate personality, are all components of a corporate brand and do not influence the corporate image. Finally, the study highlights that corporate image positively affects superior business performance, which influences superior retailer preference. Research limitations/implications The study identifies the corporate identity’s indicators (corporate strategy and corporate expression) that affect the corporate image, which results in stronger, superior business performance and retailer preference. It suggests that managers in the airline industry should follow the recommendations of this research by adopting more objective and fairer procedures to attain superior business performance and retailer preference. In addition, the continued growth and the financial impact of the airline sector require the use of pioneering branding strategies. Future study is needed in various nations to advance the generalizability of the research findings. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper is the first to study corporate brand, its sub-dimensions (corporate strategy and corporate expression) and their individual links to brand image, which involves experience, relationships and visual identity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 498-514
Author(s):  
Anas Al Qudah ◽  
Ahmed Bani-Mustafa ◽  
Ahmed Yamen

Purpose In this study, the authors aim to investigate the control of corruption (COC) mechanism and the rule of law (ROL) in mediating the effect of culture on terrorism financing. Thus, whether the COC and the ROL can mediate the effect of culture on terrorism financing across 78 countries has been examined. This study can provide additional evidence about the importance of having good institutional quality to hinder any deviant behavior like terrorism financing. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is used to test the mechanism of the ROL and COC in mediating the effect of culture on terrorist financing (TF). This research tries to investigate the indirect path of culture in TF through COC and ROL and to examine the role of institutions in motivating or demotivating the deviant behaviors. Findings The results revealed that COC and ROL completely mediate the relation between culture and TF. This supports the postulation that there is an indirect relationship between culture and TF. Also, the results indicate that ROL is more powerful than COC, as a governmental tool, in controlling TF. Originality/value This paper highlights the fact that, according to authors’ research, this is the first study, to the best of their knowledge, that tests the mechanism of the ROL and COC in mediating the effect of culture on TF actions and money laundry.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy M.K. Cheung ◽  
Randy Yee Man Wong ◽  
Tommy K.H. Chan

PurposeOnline disinhibition is one of the key factors leading to the occurrence of cyberaggression, cyberbullying and various forms of deviant behaviors in the online environment. To understand the composition of online disinhibition, this study aims to conceptualize online disinhibition and develop a measurement instrument for online disinhibition.Design/methodology/approachWe followed a rigorous procedure to develop and validate the multidimensional instrument of online disinhibition in three phases: item generation, measurement development and instrument testing.FindingsWe developed a 23-item online disinhibition scale and identified six key dimensions: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjections, dissociative imagination and minimization of authority.Practical implicationsThe online disinhibition instrument is an accessible and easily administered measure that can be used as a checklist for systems designers and administrators to evaluate the level of online disinhibition among users. It offers systems design information on how to prevent and combat online deviant behaviors on platforms.Originality/valueThis work provides a rich conceptualization of an online disinhibition instrument that can serve as a springboard for future work to understand online deviant behaviors. The newly developed measurement instrument of online disinhibition also adds to the repository of rigorous research scales in this area.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hoppe

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the symbolic facet of perceived employer brand image (PEBI) as an antecedent of favourable brand-related identification and employee behaviours, namely, corporate brand identification (CBI) and brand citizenship behaviours (BCB).Design/methodology/approachA standardized questionnaire was used. Data collection occurred at a maximum care hospital in Germany (N= 366). Structural equation modelling was used in the data analysis.FindingsA direct link between PEBI and BCB was theoretically derived from social exchange theory and could be empirically confirmed. In addition to a direct relationship, a mediated relationship based on social identity theory was outlined. PEBI influences BCB via CBI. The mediated pathway accounts for 70 per cent of the variance.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the impact of symbolic job offerings on favourable brand-related employee attitudes and behaviours should lead practitioners to focus on increasing employees’ perceptions of the employer’s prestige and sincerity, for example, by strengthening employee target group-oriented communications about corporate social responsibility or increasing out-group salience when communicating organizational achievements.Originality/valueThis paper transfers the concept of organizational attractiveness, organizational identification and favourable employee behaviours to a corporate brand focus. It is the first integration of the symbolic dimension of the instrumental-symbolic framework in an internal branding context.


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