Cindy Qin, Prem Ramburuth and Yue Wang
A major challenge faced by MNCs is how to manage knowledge transfer between headquarters and subsidiaries located in dissimilar cultural contexts. While the impact of culture on…
Abstract
Purpose
A major challenge faced by MNCs is how to manage knowledge transfer between headquarters and subsidiaries located in dissimilar cultural contexts. While the impact of culture on knowledge transfer has been widely acknowledged, an important gap in the literature is how cultural distance (external variable) and subsidiary roles (internal variable) interact in impacting on knowledge flows in MNCs. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative model to advance understanding of the interaction between cultural distance and subsidiary roles in the knowledge transfer process within MNCs.
Design/methodology/approach
An environment‐strategy‐performance framework is developed based on a review of extant literature. A case study is used to substantiate the framework. It was conducted in an MNC in China and involved in‐depth interviews with expatriate and local managers.
Findings
Knowledge transfer in MNCs is influenced by external context (cultural distance) and internal mechanisms (subsidiary roles). The direction and magnitude of knowledge flows is related to the strategic roles of the subsidiary and is influenced by cultural distance. Negative impacts are evident where cultural distance is large, with positive impacts where cultural synergies occur. Changes in Chinese cultural values impacting on knowledge transfer are also evident.
Originality/value
The conceptual model combines internal resource and external environmental perspectives. It links literature on cross‐cultural management, subsidiary roles and MNC knowledge transfer. Furthermore, it explores linkages between culture and knowledge transfer, cultural distance and subsidiary roles, knowledge transfer and subsidiary roles. The model is operationalised in a China‐based case study.
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Yung-Cheng Shen, Heng-Yu Lin, Cindy Yunhsin Chou, Po Han Wu and Wei-Hao Yang
This study investigates the role of source familiarity in moderating the effect of service adaptive behavior (SAB) on customer satisfaction. Applying the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the role of source familiarity in moderating the effect of service adaptive behavior (SAB) on customer satisfaction. Applying the accessibility–diagnosticity framework and situated cognition theory as the theoretical basis, this research hypothesizes that when customers are familiar with the source that provides the service (i.e. brand familiarity for Study 1 and personal familiarity for Study 2), customer satisfaction responses to SAB would be more moderate than when customers are not familiar with the source. Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments manipulating SAB and the brand name familiarity (Study 1) and personal familiarity with the service staff (Study 2) as the source familiarity were conducted. Customer satisfaction as a function of source familiarity was measured to test the hypothesis that source familiarity moderates the relationship between SAB and customer satisfaction.
Findings
Compared to unfamiliar sources, familiar sources generated a more moderate response in customer satisfaction as a function of SAB. High familiarity with the brand and service staff induced top-down, memory-based processing that overrides external stimuli as the basis of satisfaction judgment; bottom-up, stimulus-based processing relying on SAB for judgment kicked in only when the source familiarity is low.
Practical implications
From a practical point of view, this study indicates the importance of SAB, especially for brands with low awareness, and alludes to the comparative importance of relationship building in service delivery processes.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by validating the role of contextual factors in influencing the impact of SAB on customer satisfaction.
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Byung Han So, Ji Hyun Kim, Yun Jeong Ro and Ji Hoon Song
The purpose of this paper is to develop a reliable and valid measurement scale of employee engagement that can be used in human resources departments in any industry field.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a reliable and valid measurement scale of employee engagement that can be used in human resources departments in any industry field.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used the measurement development process with three steps. The first step was to generate items for measuring employee engagement. For this reason, the authors proposed an integrated conceptual model based on the results of a literature review and justify the concepts from self-determination theory and person-environment fit theory as the theoretical foundation. The second step was to determine the types of questions suitable for measurement, examining the content validity. Content validity was conducted two times by the group, academic experts and business practitioners. The last step was to examine the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multi-group analysis and reliability with 352 survey responses from the South Korean business context.
Findings
Findings of the measurement scale development procedure, i.e. employee engagement, should be managed in a balanced manner in all dimensions, as it is composed of four dimensions (person engagement, work engagement, organization engagement and relation engagement) and 16 sub-factors. Additionally, organization engagement was the major factor among the four dimensions of employee engagement with the highest variance explanation. From the statistical standpoint, the employee engagement scale (EES) is possible to use in any industry field because it demonstrated not only content validity and internal consistency reliability but also the three steps of factor analysis (EFA, CFA and multi-group analysis).
Research limitations/implications
This survey was conducted with an assistant manager located in Korea. Therefore, it will be necessary to analyze both leader and employee engagement for those who live in foreign countries. The EES is useful to leaders and human resource managers because it is applicable to managing engagement levels of employees and fosters customized training programs.
Originality/value
This is the first study to develop measurement tools for employee engagement in South Korea. In addition, most studies demonstrated that individual feeling was valued to drive employee engagement. This research, however, proposes an extended concept of employee engagement for four dimensions (person, work, relation and organization) and emphasizes the important relationship between individuals and colleagues in an organization. Based on these results, a theoretically integrated model of employee engagement was developed and a practically valid measurement tool for capturing comprehensive domains of employee engagement was proposed.
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Pragya Jayaswal and Biswajita Parida
Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a new interactive technology, swiftly transforming the field of marketing. Driven by its rapid uptake in marketing practices, academic…
Abstract
Purpose
Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a new interactive technology, swiftly transforming the field of marketing. Driven by its rapid uptake in marketing practices, academic research on AR has proliferated. This study aims to offer a holistic view of the past, present and future of augmented reality marketing (ARM) scholarship by analyzing its current and evolving research profile as well as its social and conceptual structures to inspire further research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study enriches the ARM scholarship by integrating a quantitative bibliometric analysis with a chronological-thematic review and a qualitative content analysis to develop a more comprehensive understanding of this novel area and suggest future research courses.
Findings
The bibliometric analysis reveals the key performance indicators as well as the social and conceptual structure of the ARM research field. The chronological-thematic review exhibits the advancement of ARM research over time and forecasts the emerging trends for the domain. Finally, the content analysis of recent articles reveals the current research hotspots and provides future research directions.
Research limitations/implications
The database limits the selection of literature, as the information in databases such as Scopus is updated regularly, resulting in alterations in the number of articles and citations.
Practical implications
AR developers and brand managers may use this study’s findings to understand the current ARM landscape better and make strategic decisions based on AR adoption and consumption patterns.
Originality/value
This study is singular in using a mixed methods approach by integrating the findings from bibliometric and content analyses for more reliable results and to offer a holistic perspective of the ARM sector, thereby significantly advancing the field of technology-led marketing.
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Hai-Anh Tran, Yuliya Strizhakova, Hongfei Liu and Ismail Golgeci
This paper aims to examine counterfactual thinking as a key mediator of the effects of failed recovery (vs. failed delivery) on negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine counterfactual thinking as a key mediator of the effects of failed recovery (vs. failed delivery) on negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). The authors further investigate the effectiveness of using recovery co-creation in minimizing customers’ counterfactual thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
This research includes textual analysis of online reviews (Study 1) and three scenario-based experiments (Studies 2, 3a and 3b). In addition to using item-response scales, the authors analyze negative online reviews and participants’ open-ended responses to capture their counterfactual thinking.
Findings
Failed recovery (vs failed delivery) increases counterfactual thinking, which, in turn, increases negative eWOM. These mediating effects of counterfactual thinking are consistent across textual analyses and experimental studies, as well as across different measures of counterfactual thinking. Counterfactual thinking also impacts customer anger in experiments; however, anger alone does not explain the effects of failed recovery on negative eWOM. Counterfactual thinking can be minimized by co-created recovery, especially when it is used proactively.
Practical implications
The findings demonstrate the detrimental effects of counterfactual thinking and offer managerial insights into co-creation as a strategy to minimize customers’ counterfactual thinking. The authors also highlight the importance and ways of tracking counterfactual thinking in digital outlets.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to counterfactual thinking and service recovery research by demonstrating the effects of failed recovery on counterfactual thinking that, in turn, impacts negative eWOM and offering a novel way to measure its expression in online narratives. The authors provide guidance on how to use co-creation in the service recovery process to minimize counterfactual thinking.
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Pramukh Nanjundaswamy Vasist, Satish Krishnan and Prafulla Agnihotri
Social networks can not only mobilize individuals for collective action but also pose risks, potentially leading to political challenges and societal unrest. Information…
Abstract
Purpose
Social networks can not only mobilize individuals for collective action but also pose risks, potentially leading to political challenges and societal unrest. Information consumption varies across platforms, with platform characteristics influencing user interactions and information sharing; yet this has received limited attention in scholarly literature. Acknowledging platform-specific differences, this paper seeks to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms driving information diffusion on social networks in the context of geopolitical tensions.
Design/methodology/approach
The structural communication features on Twitter and Reddit are explored using schema theory and the concept of social media platform schema. Comparisons are drawn with social network analysis and content analysis of communication dynamics surrounding geopolitical tensions in India–Qatar relations, followed by the context of geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan.
Findings
The results illustrate how content-based connections on Reddit foster closer ties within subreddits but less connectivity between them, contrasting with Twitter’s profile-based connections. These distinct characteristics lead to varied information diffusion patterns and shape the diversity of opinions, influencing community structures and affecting the emotional tenor of discourse.
Originality/value
Social networks can potentially influence geopolitical events, but focusing on one platform overlooks differences in how information spreads and the influence each platform holds. Recognizing this, our comparative analysis of social networks’ structural attributes highlights their crucial roles in shaping user engagement and information diffusion. It lends theoretical support to the notion of social media platform schema with empirical insights into how users’ perceptions of these schemas impact thematic and emotional differences in platform discourse related to geopolitical tensions.
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Quynh Tran Xuan, Hanh T.H. Truong and Tri Vo Quang
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of integration quality, perceived fluency and assurance quality on brand engagement and trust, and their impacts on brand…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of integration quality, perceived fluency and assurance quality on brand engagement and trust, and their impacts on brand loyalty in the omnichannel banking setting. It further explores the critical role of personal innovativeness and demographic characteristics as moderating variables for the propositions in the research model.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey of 1,547 respondents was carried out with bank customers located in the three largest cities of Vietnam, who have already used at least two various transactional channels in the past. The results were analyzed by the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.
Findings
The findings denote that integration quality, perceived fluency and assurance quality significantly influence brand trust. Whereas, brand engagement is only affected by integration quality and perceived fluency. Further, brand engagement and trust are substantiated as critical drivers of brand loyalty in omnichannel banking. Customers with high personal innovativeness produce fewer effects of omnichannel properties on brand engagement and trust than other ones. The research context is found to be a significant moderator for the effect of perceived fluency on brand engagement.
Practical implications
This study offers several recommendations for bank managers to develop a successful omnichannel strategy that could enhance brand engagement and trust by improving integration quality, maintaining fluency across various channels and assuring security during the transactional process. It suggests various policies to improve the effectiveness of the omnichannel model towards the clients with high innovativeness.
Originality/value
This research extends the social exchange theory (SET) theory by examining the effects of omnichannel properties on brand engagement, trust and loyalty in the banking sector. The moderating role of personal innovativeness and research context is also explored.