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The study explores the dynamics among communal-brand connections, corporate reputation, customer satisfaction and their collective influence on service loyalty within the retail customer segment of commercial banks.

Hypotheses are proposed for a parallel and serial-mediated model, in which corporate reputation and customer satisfaction mediate the influence of communal-brand connections on service loyalty. Data are collected from a sample of retail customers of commercial banks in a European country.

Findings indicate that individuals who perceive a strong affiliation with a brand that emphasises community engagement are more likely to demonstrate loyalty to that brand. Results highlight the need for managers allocate resources to cultivate community initiatives that foster communal-brand connection in their drive to improve service loyalty.

A non-representative sample was collected, with a focus on a limited set of variables and employing a unidimensional measure of service loyalty. Additionally, the significance of communal-brand connection may vary across brands, warranting replication studies among smaller banks.

Recognition of communal-brand connection as an important driver of customer loyalty suggests that customers are motivated by intrinsic positioning factors related to the community. As part of their positioning, commercial banks can leverage their marketing and communication efforts to foster community development, thereby enhancing customer identification, connection and narratives that foster belongingness among customers.

The model of direct and mediated model of communal-brand connection on service loyalty has not been previously explored. Moreover, the research is conducted among retail bank customers that representing a context seldom considered in the domain of brand communities.

We explore how NGO’s local entrepreneurial initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs can compensate for weak state policies for women in a context of male-dominated socio-cultural norms.

We use the case of a local entrepreneurial initiative launched in the Atlas region of Morocco, the Empowering Women in the Atlas Initiative (EWA). We collected data through 51 semi-structured interviews of women entrepreneurs in three cooperatives which exploit the natural resources of their region to establish a social venture. Our data are longitudinal as they were collected at two time periods: before and after the initiative.

The findings of this study suggest that local entrepreneurial initiatives can have a significant impact on rural women entrepreneurs’ empowerment. The improved perception of empowerment has not only helped them develop capacities to leverage the business opportunities linked to the natural resources of their region, but it has also increased their status and role within their family and community.

We make recommendations for policymakers to encourage this type of initiative to compensate for the absence of supporting policies geared toward women.

Our study is one of the first to look at empowerment as a policy instrument to develop women entrepreneurial activities in rural areas of developing countries. Our paper uses a unique hierarchical perspective and a multidimensional framework for analyzing social cooperative ventures and rural women entrepreneurs’ empowerment. Our paper unravels interesting insights for women entrepreneurs’ narration strategies.