Sheng-Hsiung Chang and Chin-Wen Chang
Set in an emerging economy context, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of green consumers’ purchase behavior on organic food by analyzing the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
Set in an emerging economy context, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of green consumers’ purchase behavior on organic food by analyzing the impact of word-of-mouth (WOM) effects (i.e. tie strength, sender’s green expertise, receiver’s green expertise), conformity behaviors (i.e. normative interpersonal influence and informational interpersonal influence) on green purchase intention, and the relationship between green purchase intention and green purchase behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire completed by respondents who had purchase experience of organic food in the last six months. The specific context of this study is green consumption for organic food in Taiwan. Data collection was implemented in a convenience sampling method. Among the 578 consumers who had filled the questionnaire, 147 did not have any purchase history of organic food, resulting in a final usable sample of 431 (response rate 74.57 percent) in Taiwan. The data were collected during a five-week period in late 2015.
Findings
Through structural equation modeling analysis, data were analyzed and the empirical results indicate that tie strength, sender’s green expertise, and receiver’s green expertise have a positive influence on green consumer’s susceptibility to informational interpersonal influences and normative interpersonal influences, separately. In addition, informational interpersonal influences and normative interpersonal influences both have a positive relationship on green purchase intention, which will further positively influence the green purchase behavior.
Originality/value
This study reminds marketers of the impact of WOM effects as well as interpersonal influences on consumers. It examines the impact of tie strength, senders’ green expertise, and receivers’ green expertise on green purchase intention and green purchase behavior. This study also explores the mediation effects of green consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influences. Consumers’ susceptibility to interpersonal influence is discussed in the marketing literature. However, few prior studies have explored its effect in the green setting. Last, few attempts have discussed the relationship between green purchase intention and green purchase behavior. This study contributes to the literature by examine the relationship between green purchase intentions and green purchase behavior.
Details
Keywords
Since a teacher's identity is the result of ongoing discussion, explanation, negotiation and justification, famous education quotes were integrated into a language teacher…
Abstract
Purpose
Since a teacher's identity is the result of ongoing discussion, explanation, negotiation and justification, famous education quotes were integrated into a language teacher practicum in a teacher education program in the northwest university in Taiwan. This study aims to explore the influence of discussing education quotes on 10 English as a foreign language student teachers' professional identities. This study also aims to discuss the following research questions.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study focused on 10 student teachers' identity construction in a practicum class under one advisor. According to Merriam (1998), a case is a “thing, a single entity, a unit around which there are boundaries” (p. 27). The case was a practicum and the unit of analysis was participants' identity construction.
Findings
First, reading and discussing famous quotes was a useful “discourse” and “language” for student teachers to construct and negotiate their identities. Second, through the integration of reading and discussing quotes, participants revealed more professional identity in knowledge and expertise, particularly in English instruction in the post-test.
Research limitations/implications
This study examined the influence of discussing educational quotes of 10 students’ professional identity. However, given the nature of the study, there were some limitations. First, although the small sample size offered rich data through observation, artifacts and pre-and post-tests, it restricts our ability to generalize the results.
Practical implications
This study is highly practical (i.e. learning by discussion) and strongly interactive among the participant in a professional and social context. The conceptual framework in Figure 1 presents a theoretical framework supporting reading and discussing quotes as the discourse for the student teachers for their professional identity construction. Social context and relationship shape their professional identity (Izadinia, 2013). Student teachers spent much of their time with their cooperating teachers and administrators in their cooperating schools. In order to foster student teachers’ professional identity construction, it is recommended that student teachers should be encouraged to read and discuss educational quotes with teachers and administrators in their cooperating schools as a mean of professional dialogue and learning.
Social implications
In this study, it was argued that educational or English teaching quotes could be used as viable, effective and appropriate materials in documenting student teachers' professional identity construction out of their classroom practice in their practicum. The findings of this study derived from the nature of 10 student teachers' professional learning via discussing famous education sayings, and professional learning took place during the practicum.
Originality/value
Most of the studies reviewed above were small-scale and qualitative case studies. Some involved only one or two single cases (e.g. Antonek et al., 1997; Calandra et al., 2006; Camp, 2013). Only a few studies were analyzed and explored based on theoretical frameworks (e.g. Chasteen, 2015). No explicit references were made to any theoretical frameworks in most of the studies. This study included both qualitative (observation and artifacts) and quantitative data (pretest and posttest) to explore the influence of discussing education quotes on 10 student teachers' professional identities and reflective practices.
Details
Keywords
Consumer-generated online product reviews (OPRs) have become a crucial source of information for consumers; however, OPRs are increasingly being incentivized. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumer-generated online product reviews (OPRs) have become a crucial source of information for consumers; however, OPRs are increasingly being incentivized. The purpose of this paper is to find a method of sponsorship and disclosure that could be considered ethically sound.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quasi-experimental approach to clarifying how the method of sponsorship impacts reader perceptions of OPRs in terms of helpfulness, credibility and purchase intention. Two experiments were performed on an online platform using data from 480 participants. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance.
Findings
Meaning under the premise that sponsorship information is disclosed and not withheld from the readers, Study 1 revealed that experiential sponsorship is the best sponsorship. Study 2 revealed that featuring reviewers with greater influence in the online community increases the positive influence of disclosing experiential sponsorship on OPR persuasiveness.
Originality/value
The findings in this study provide rational incentives for firms to disclose sponsorship information, i.e. demonstrate high ethical standards in marketing. This was shown to create a win-win-win situation for consumers, firms and reviewers. Managerial implications for online marketing managers are also discussed.
Details
Keywords
This study investigated distributive justice (DJ), procedural justice (PJ) and interactional justice (IJ) in the recovery of service in the hotel industry as well as their effects…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated distributive justice (DJ), procedural justice (PJ) and interactional justice (IJ) in the recovery of service in the hotel industry as well as their effects on post-recovery satisfaction and the subsequent behavior of customers. This study also sought to elucidate the moderating effects of star ratings on these influences.
Design/methodology/approach
A field experiment design with 424 consumers using structural equation modeling was adopted to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
DJ, PJ and IJ were all shown to have a significantly positive effect on post-recovery satisfaction, which in turn has a significantly positive effect on customer loyalty and significantly negative effect on customer defection. Analysis on the moderating effects of star ratings also revealed that the relationship between DJ and post-recovery satisfaction during recovery efforts is stronger for hotels with higher star ratings than for hotels with lower star ratings. During recovery, post-recovery satisfaction was shown to be more effective in reducing customer defection from hotels with lower star ratings than from hotels with higher star ratings.
Practical implications
This study provides a reference by which hotels can match their service recovery mechanism to their star rating to retain customers and increase customer loyalty in the event of service failure.
Originality/value
This study confirms the importance of IJ in the service recovery processes in the hotel industry and provides verification that the star rating of a hotel plays a crucial role as a moderator between recovery effort and recovery effectiveness.
Details
Keywords
Wen-Chin Tsao, Ming-Tsang Hsieh and Tom M.Y. Lin
Stimulated by trends in group purchasing and online social communities, consumers are changing their shopping behavior and increasingly turning to websites for their shopping…
Abstract
Purpose
Stimulated by trends in group purchasing and online social communities, consumers are changing their shopping behavior and increasingly turning to websites for their shopping needs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how website quality influences shopping websites to create value for the customer and promote loyalty among customers, as well as moderating effects of online shopping experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected data from 275 respondents for testing against the proposed research model by means of the partial least squares (PLS) path modeling. ADANCO software was used to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement model, conduct an analysis of the goodness of model fit for the overall model, and test the hypotheses through structural modeling.
Findings
Empirical results demonstrate that system quality and electronic service quality (e-service quality) have a significant positive effect on the perceived value of consumer/seller relationship; the perceived value of the consumer/seller relationship has a significant positive effect on online loyalty; online shopping experience does not exert a moderating effect on the relationship between website quality and the perceived value of consumer/seller relationship.
Originality/value
This study applied the PLS path modeling approach using ADANCO variance-based structural equation modeling software to verify that website quality plays an important role in distinguishing a brand from other brands in e-tailing, making it an essential factor of a shopping website’s business success. This study further verified that the amount of previous online shopping experience a consumer has does not interfere with the positive influence that website quality exerts on the perceived value of the consumer/seller relationship. The above indicates that it is imperative for website managers to adopt online shopping experience of consumers as a market segmentation variable so as to enhance website quality, increase the perceived value of consumer-seller relationships, and win consumer loyalty.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine the individual contribution of intellectual capital elements to competitive advantage. It aims to explore the extent to which intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the individual contribution of intellectual capital elements to competitive advantage. It aims to explore the extent to which intellectual capital elements can explain competitive advantage in Uganda's microfinance industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression was used because of its capacity to indicate precisely what happens to the model as different predictor variables are introduced.
Findings
This study confirms that the three intellectual capital elements are strong predictors of competitive advantage and they account up to 44 percent of variance in competitive advantage. Their order of importance in explaining the variance in competitive advantage (basing on their standardized beta values) is: structural capital, human capital and relational capital.
Research limitations/implications
Only a single research methodological approach was employed and future research through interviews could be undertaken to triangulate. Furthermore, the findings from the present study are cross‐sectional, future research should be undertaken to examine the effects of these variables across time.
Practical implications
The managers of microfinance firms need to appreciate that the rise of intellectual capital in the industry is unavoidable, given the competitive and technological forces that are sweeping the twenty‐first century.
Originality/value
This is the first study that focuses on testing the individual influence of intellectual capital elements on competitive advantage in Uganda microfinance industry.
Details
Keywords
Nixon Kamukama and Tumwine Sulait
The paper examines individual contribution of intellectual capital elements to competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the weight of individual intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper examines individual contribution of intellectual capital elements to competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the weight of individual intellectual capital elements in explaining competitive advantage in Uganda’s microfinance industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Hierarchical regression was used because of its capacity to indicate precisely what happens to the model as different predictor variables are introduced.
Findings
This study confirms that the three intellectual capital elements are the strong predictors of competitive advantage and they account for 44 percent of variance in competitive advantage. However, the order of importance of these variables in explaining the variance in competitive advantage in the microfinance industry (basing on their standardized β values) is relational capital, structural capital and human capital.
Research limitations/implications
Only a single research methodological approach was employed and future research through interviews could be undertaken to triangulate the data. Furthermore, the findings from the present study are cross-sectional; future research should be undertaken to examine the longitudinal effects of intellectual capital elements.
Practical implications
The findings can help the management to intensify initiatives to encourage greater understanding and acceptance of the concept of intellectual capital that boosts competitive edge in the industry.
Originality/value
This is the first study that focuses on testing the individual contribution of intellectual capital dimensions to competitive advantage in Uganda’s microfinance institutions.
Details
Keywords
Maria Papadopoulou, Ioanna Papasolomou and Alkis Thrassou
Adding to competitive dynamics and sustainability literature, this paper aims to examine the implementation of environmental protection and sustainability initiatives within the…
Abstract
Purpose
Adding to competitive dynamics and sustainability literature, this paper aims to examine the implementation of environmental protection and sustainability initiatives within the European fast-fashion clothing industry from the perspectives of Generation X and Y consumers. The study primarily investigates whether consumers’ level of environmental consciousness impacts their purchase decisions and consumption behaviour and the consequent strategic competitiveness effects on businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach relied on multiple data collection methods. In the first stage of the study, the researchers analysed the content of the official websites of two of Europe’s leading fashion firms. In the second stage, a quantitative research approach was aimed at revealing the perceptions, attitudes and purchase behaviour of Generation X and Y consumers towards the two fashion houses and their brands.
Findings
Although European fashion manufacturers invest in sustainability and engage in environmental protection, their marketing efforts need to be more effectively managed and targeted towards their target consumer markets. The level of engagement and sensitivity of each generational group towards sustainability issues varies. Each group’s environmental consciousness, motivation and response is shaped by distinct characteristics, which, in turn, create implications for the effectiveness of sustainability efforts towards differentiation and competitiveness. Overall, consumers engage in environmental initiatives but ignore the corporate initiatives pursued by the two fashion firms and did not view them as sustainable brands.
Originality/value
The study explores the effectiveness of sustainability and environmental protection orientation as business competitive strategies in the light of environmental turbulence and social changes impacting the fast-fashion clothing industry and its relationships with its consumer markets.