Mediating role of innovativeness between risk taking and performance in Indian universities: Impact of this nexus on brand image

Abstract

Purpose

With increased globalization, Indian universities are struggling to attract and retain talented academics and are exploring the ways to enhance their service performance and brand image (BI). However, there is a paucity of studies that view universities through the corporate lens. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of innovativeness in the relationships of creativity, risk taking (RT), and performance in service delivery (PSD). Another objective is to find out how this nexus affects universities’ BI.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses were collected from 280 academics working for different Indian universities. Structural analysis was performed to examine the relationships under investigation.

Findings

The results indicate that innovativeness fully mediates the positive RT – PSD relationship and that PSD positively influences BI.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study mainly augment the theory of BI by empirically linking BI and its antecedents in the context of Indian universities.

Practical implications

For enhancing a university’s BI, management is encouraged to promote RT work culture along with innovative and creative teaching methods.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few studies in India that see academia through the corporate lens. Also, it provides evidence for the importance innovativeness in enhancing BI of a university.

Citation

Gupta, M. and Acharya, A. (2018), "Mediating role of innovativeness between risk taking and performance in Indian universities: Impact of this nexus on brand image", South Asian Journal of Business Studies, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 22-40. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAJBS-09-2016-0080