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1 – 10 of 21Walid Chaouali, Nizar Souiden and Christian M. Ringle
Considering the scant scholarly research on elderly customers’ behaviors, this study aims to investigate elderly customers’ reactions to service failure. Additionally, it takes…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the scant scholarly research on elderly customers’ behaviors, this study aims to investigate elderly customers’ reactions to service failure. Additionally, it takes into account customers’ emotions and abilities to cope with stressful situations and achieve successful problem-solving complaining. In particular, future time perspective, wisdom and emotional intelligence were examined to delineate their impacts on the elderly’s responses to service failures.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in a French city through mall-intercept interviewing. In total, 240 respondents participated, based on their retrospective service failure experience. PLS-SEM was used to analyze the data.
Findings
Both wisdom and emotional intelligence were found to directly and positively impact problem-solving complaining. Future time perspective, however, only had an indirect effect on problem-solving complaining through wisdom and emotional intelligence.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to shed some light on how elderly customers constructively react to service failures. To this end, it uses future time perspective, wisdom and emotional intelligence, as well as their interrelationships, to explain elderly customers’ problem-solving complaining.
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Bernard Korai and Nizar Souiden
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study that investigates the historical roots of quantitative paradigm hegemony over the qualitative paradigm in marketing using…
Abstract
Purpose
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study that investigates the historical roots of quantitative paradigm hegemony over the qualitative paradigm in marketing using a critical lens. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thoughtful reflections among marketing scholars so that the dialog among paradigms expands, the stale paradigmatic debates disappear, and the marketing discipline evolves and contributes to the actual functioning of markets and the welfare of society.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is conducted in the light of foucauldian genealogy through the analysis of historical materials that Foucault called discourses, a set of languages, systems of thinking and governality techniques that determine how individuals or organizations come to be disciplined. In this paper, the concept of discourse mainly refers to visible rituals and practices by which marketing researchers have been psychologically and behaviorally shaped to reproduce and perpetuate a hypothetical-deductive mainstream within their discipline.
Findings
This paper intends to stimulate a dialog among marketing scholars about expanding paradigms so that stale debates disappear, and marketing disciplines proves their scientific status by better contributing to the functioning of markets and the welfare of society. As an evolving social science, marketing requires new theory, new concepts and new research methods.
Originality/value
The intellectual contribution of this paper lies in its intention to alert marketing researchers about the danger we are exposing our discipline to by promoting imperialist traditions and standardization of thinking.
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Nizar Souiden, Riadh Ladhari and Walid Chaouali
This study is a systematic review of mobile banking services. Its main objective is to provide a state-of-the-art review of this particular growing type of services. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is a systematic review of mobile banking services. Its main objective is to provide a state-of-the-art review of this particular growing type of services. It inventories and assesses the most significant determinants of and barriers to consumers' adoption of mobile banking. Moreover, it identifies the most common consequences of this adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
By using three major academic databases (ABI/INFORM global, Web of Science and Business Source Premier), this paper selected 76 manuscripts and produced a systematic review that exposes the main theories, conceptual frameworks and models used to explain consumers' adoption of mobile banking.
Findings
The results show that the TAM (technology of acceptance model), followed by the UTAUT (unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology), are still the main conceptual frameworks and models adopted and adapted by scholars to explain consumers' use or intention of using mobile banking. Using the vote counting method, a myriad of antecedents and consequences that are frequently used in the literature of mobile banking are reported. These were categorized into five main perspectives: (1) m-banking attributes-based perspective, (2) customer-based perspective, (3) social influence-based perspective, (4) trust-based perspective and (5) barriers-based perspective.
Originality/value
An integrated model regrouping and relating the five perspectives is proposed, leading to intriguing implications for both academics and practitioners.
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Nizar Souiden, Riadh Ladhari and Liu Chang
The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnocentrism and animosity in a special context of two societies that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographical characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnocentrism and animosity in a special context of two societies that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographical characteristics. In particular, it first investigates the relationships between Chinese ethnocentrism and animosity toward Taiwan, and then it examines the impact of these two factors on the Chinese perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their purchase intent.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 605 respondents from China, data were analyzed by structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results show that although Chinese animosity toward Taiwan is moderate, it is significantly driven by ethnocentrism, which has a significant and negative effect on willingness to buy, but not on the perception of Taiwanese brand quality. The Chinese animosity toward Taiwan, however, has negative and significant effects on their perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their intention of purchasing Taiwanese brands.
Research limitations/implications
The immense size of the country has impeded the representativeness of the authors’ sample and the generalizability of the results. Also, the study covers only one type of product.
Practical implications
Forming partnerships with local Chinese businesses and developing strong ties with local communities could be considered as a solution to minimize or circumvent the effect of animosity and might help foreign companies appear more “local.”
Originality/value
In contrast to past studies that investigated ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of countries presenting several differences (e.g. China vs USA), this study investigates the effect of ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of two countries (China and Taiwan) that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographic characteristics. Despite the strong ties between the two countries, the Chinese have a certain animosity, though moderate, toward Taiwan and consequently are less inclined to buy Taiwanese brands. This implies that Chinese animosity toward a country may be toned down or pronounced, depending on whether they have strong or weak ties with that country.
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Bernard Korai and Nizar Souiden
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the service literature by investigating post-consumption evaluation in the context of unwanted services. In particular, it intends to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the service literature by investigating post-consumption evaluation in the context of unwanted services. In particular, it intends to delineate the main characteristics of funeral services.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the lack of substantive literature on funeral services, a qualitative exploratory design was used from in-depth interviews with ten managers of funeral services companies in Quebec (Canada).
Findings
The study shows that compared to other traditional services, funeral services are characterized by their strong emotiveness, non-recurrence, irreversibility, uncommonness, high level of symbolism and personalization and emotion control of the service provider. The study also argues that funeral services quality is strongly dependent on funeral houses’ integrated logistics, proximity and integrity.
Practical implications
Because of consumers’ lack of competency, funeral companies need to guide and educate consumers about the criteria they should use to evaluate the service quality. Because funeral consumers are strongly emotion-driven at the purchase time, funeral services providers should find the right balance of emotions to express. Thus, more staff training is needed.
Originality/value
Because funeral services are emotionally challenging and deal with grief and distressed clients, the present study contributes in shedding light on service quality assessment in the funeral industry. Although they have some characteristics of traditional services (intangibility, perishability and variability), funeral services are also different in many ways.
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Samiha Mjahed Hammami, Nizar Souiden and Abdelfattah Triki
This paper aims to explore and conceptualize service recovery as an organizational capability. It proposes a new construct labeled knowledge-enabled recovery effectiveness (KERE).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore and conceptualize service recovery as an organizational capability. It proposes a new construct labeled knowledge-enabled recovery effectiveness (KERE).
Design/methodology/approach
Measures capturing the KERE construct were developed through domain identification, item pool generation using focus group interviews with managers involved in complaint management and content expert validation.
Findings
A first pool of 73 items was generated and then reduced to 37 items. Focus group interviews confirm the theoretical relevance of the KERE construct. Recovery culture, recovery process and internal recovery resources are the different components of a firm’s knowledge that serve as inputs, or as a source of a firm’s service recovery capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
A quantitative study is needed in future research to assess the KERE’s construct structure and validity.
Practical implications
Managers may use the proposed scale to foster effective and relevant marketing strategies by setting clear policies that consider service recovery as a knowledge-based activity rather than a control targeted activity.
Originality/value
This research demonstrates the mutual dialogue between service recovery and knowledge-based capabilities. Also, it proposes a new concept labeled KERE and a raw scale to further understand firms’ aptitude in service recovery.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Islamic beliefs in moderating consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions of conventional and Islamic life insurance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Islamic beliefs in moderating consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions of conventional and Islamic life insurance. Second, it investigates the role of Islamic beliefs in moderating the relationship between the attitude toward conventional/Islamic life insurance and purchase intentions of these types of services.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was administered online in a Muslim liberal country where both types of insurance are offered. Based on a total sample of 207 responses, ANOVA tests and a structural Equation Modeling were used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
Results show that: the higher (lower) the Islamic beliefs of individuals, the less (more) favorable their attitude will be toward conventional life insurance and the more (less) favorable their attitude will be toward Islamic life insurance; the higher (lower) the Islamic beliefs of individuals, the weaker (stronger) their purchase intentions for conventional life insurance will be and the stronger (weaker) their purchase intentions for Islamic life insurance will be; and Islamic beliefs moderate the relationships between attitudes and purchase intentions of life insurance.
Practical implications
Because they play a significant role in moderating consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions of conventional and Islamic life insurance, Islamic beliefs can be used as a meaningful criterion to segment the life insurance markets in (less conservative) Muslim countries. This would help insurance companies to better target their services. In a case where two segments coexist (i.e. individuals scoring low on Islamic beliefs vs individuals scoring high on Islamic beliefs), insurers should weigh different strategic options by targeting one of the two segments or both of them. Perhaps the main issue occurs when an insurer attempts to target both segments. In this case, managers should be aware of the confusion that they might create in the mind of their clients (or potential clients). Concurrently offering two types of life insurance (conventional and Islamic) may put the insurers’ credibility at stake.
Originality/value
Earlier studies report that in Muslim countries, the demand for life insurance is weak or negatively correlated with religion. The majority of these studies consider religion as a macro indicator (i.e. at the country level) when explaining the demand for such services. The present study further clarifies the nature of the relationship between religion and the demand for life insurance by: examining the role of Islamic beliefs (as one of the main dimensions of Muslims’ religiosity) at the micro level (i.e. at the consumer level); and investigating the moderating role of Islamic beliefs in explaining attitudes and purchase intentions of conventional and Islamic life insurance in a less conservative Muslim country.
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This paper aims to examine the impact of recall crisis management on the manufacturer's image, consumers' loyalty and future purchase intentions. More specifically, this research…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of recall crisis management on the manufacturer's image, consumers' loyalty and future purchase intentions. More specifically, this research aims to clarify the types of recall strategies that companies put forward, as well as their impact on consumers' behaviors and perceptions of the manufacturer's image.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study focuses on vehicle users who have either experienced automobile recalls or heard them discussed. Data were collected via car‐related web sites. The final sample comprises 573 people. The direction and strength of the relationships between various consumers' attitudes toward the different recall methods and their purchase intention are assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
Results show that recalls contested by manufacturers have a significant negative impact on manufacturers' image, as well as on consumers' loyalty and purchase intentions. On the other hand, voluntary recalls or improvement campaigns have a significant positive impact on the manufacturer's image, as well as consumers' loyalty and purchase intentions.
Research limitations/implications
Proactive strategies are the best solution to avoid a loss in consumer loyalty to the manufacturer during a recall crisis. In the contrary, manufacturers' adoption of reactive strategies harms their image, as well as consumers' loyalty. This translates into a negative impact on future purchase intentions and manufacturers' market share. This study concludes by recommending appropriate strategies to limit possible negative effects of product recalls.
Research limitations
Some variables (such as media, the degree of severity of recalls and the frequency of recalls) are not investigated in this study. Additionally, the research is limited to the automobile industry. Other industries that also experience recalls (such as the pharmaceutical industry) might be considered in future research in order to confirm the consistency of the research findings.
Originality/value
The approach adopted by the current research is relatively different from earlier studies that directly link the types of recalls to the danger perceived by consumers that in turn affects their purchase intentions. In the current study, recalls indirectly impact purchase intentions principally via the manufacturer's image and brand loyalty. Additionally, the originality of this research stems from the fact that the manufacturer's image is considered as part of the changeable legacy of the company that itself may be affected by the “crisis situation,” not a stable asset.
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Nizar Souiden, Norizan M. Kassim and Heung‐Ja Hong
The paper aims to investigate both Western and Eastern corporate branding thoughts and examine the interrelation among four corporate branding dimensions (i.e. corporate name…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate both Western and Eastern corporate branding thoughts and examine the interrelation among four corporate branding dimensions (i.e. corporate name, image, reputation and loyalty) and their joint impact on consumers' product evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on extensive literature, a model of consumers' product evaluation that includes the major determinants of corporate branding is proposed. Based on a sample of 218 Japanese and American consumers, structural equation modeling and general linear model analyses are used to test hypotheses.
Findings
The research reveals that Japanese and American consumers have different perceptions with respect to the effect of corporate image and corporate loyalty. The corporate name was found to have a significant impact on corporate image and corporate reputation was found to have a significant affect on corporate loyalty. The corporate reputation is also found to be a mediator of the corporate image's effect on consumers' product evaluation.
Practical implications
The paper suggests that marketers should carefully consider the corporate name when designing their branding strategies. Marketers are also called on to adapt their corporate branding approaches to fit each marketing environment and enhance corporate loyalty to reduce the switching behavior of consumers.
Originality/value
The paper clarifies the interrelation among the four corporate branding dimensions and shows that consumers of different cultures do not perceive in the same way the impact of corporate branding determinants.
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