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Gabriel Sperandio Milan, Luiz Antonio Slongo, Luciene Eberle, Deonir De Toni and Suélen Bebber
The purpose of this paper is to analyze customer loyalty in the context of existing relationships between Brazilian banking service provider and its customers in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze customer loyalty in the context of existing relationships between Brazilian banking service provider and its customers in the context of B2C (Business-to-Consumer) relationships. Hence, a theoretical model was proposed and tested with banking services private individual customers taking into account perceived value, service provider reputation, financial bonding tactics, structural bonding tactics, social bonding tactics and switching costs as customer loyalty determinants.
Design/methodology/approach
A multivariate statistical approach with structural equations modeling was used in a 505 customer sample of the one prominent bank in Brazil.
Findings
Results indicate that the proposed theoretical model confirming a satisfactory fit, presenting a good explanatory power (R2=0.738) and supporting that perceived value influences the service provider reputation; financial bonding tactics, structural bonding tactics and social bonding tactics influence perceived value; service provider reputation influences switching costs; switching costs influence customer loyalty and the social bonding tactics influence customer loyalty.
Practical implications
The results evidenced in the present research could serve as benchmarking for other researchers or managers connected to the financial service sector (or bank service) when looking for a better understanding about the antecedents of customer loyalty, adapting strategies and actions to stimulate and generate better market and economic–financial results for the institutions of this sector.
Originality/value
Finding out which constructs better explain customer loyalty, and its possible relations, is something relevant for the banking sector, once it can generate more effective managerial insights, positively making an impact in a customer portfolio performance, or the financial institution itself, from the construction, maintenance and strengthening of the relationships with customers.
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Philosophers and political theorists have long warned of the “perils of dogmatism” for public discourse and identified intellectual humility as a necessary corrective. Sufficient…
Abstract
Philosophers and political theorists have long warned of the “perils of dogmatism” for public discourse and identified intellectual humility as a necessary corrective. Sufficient intellectual humility encompasses at least four elements: openness to error, recognition of bias, recognition of intellectual parity in interlocutors, and avoidance of recourse to authority. Religions seem to present obstacles on all four fronts, particularly when actors embody more conservative renderings of a given religion’s repertoire. As such, a case involving different groups of religious exclusivists engaging one another on topics that directly interact their deepest faith commitments and political visions presents a useful test case for our theories of intellectual humility. This chapter considers conservative protestants engaging in public discourse with Muslims about whether or not Muslim and Christian understandings of “loving God” and “loving neighbor” have sufficient overlap to support political cooperation. The results of the dialogue effort were a mixture of controversy and cooperation. For evangelicals, the engagement produced sharp conflict and yet helped to shift the community’s plausibility structures, opening further the possibility of fruitful public discourse and strategic action in cooperation with Muslims. The analysis suggests a conceptualization of practical intellectual humility that emphasizes recognition of the other.
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Shailendra Kumar and Sanghamitra Choudhury
This manuscript attempts to provide answers regarding questions such as whether or not it is legitimate to describe and characterise humanoid robots as legal entities and…
Abstract
Purpose
This manuscript attempts to provide answers regarding questions such as whether or not it is legitimate to describe and characterise humanoid robots as legal entities and individuals. The purpose of this paper is an attempt to answer this question using philosophical principles.
Design/methodology/approach
This manuscript uses text analysis to investigate answers to this question by examining thoughts put forth by respected theorists, classical philosophers, and psychologists.
Findings
The text dives further into the concept that artificial intelligence (AI) systems deserve to have their own unique identities, highlighting the significance of building a relationship with them that is meaningful. This is due to the fact that, just as every star in the sky at night radiates with its own special brightness, our AI counterparts should likewise vibrate with individuality. This will allow them to build connections that shed light on the human experience that we all share.
Originality/value
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that AI robots are not only lifeless things but rather the result of humans directing their psychological resources into something significant. This is a significant and innovative endeavour. This activity is noteworthy because it extends beyond individuals’ immediate surroundings.
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The use of direct mail in American political campaigns is examined. Direct mail has the capacity to attract and retain the loyalty of targeted groups, more so than other mediums…
Abstract
The use of direct mail in American political campaigns is examined. Direct mail has the capacity to attract and retain the loyalty of targeted groups, more so than other mediums. The planning of a direct mail campaign and deficiencies in current direct mail strategies are also examined.
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Matthew Tingchi Liu, Yongdan Liu, Ziying Mo and Kai Lam Ng
Travel websites allow tourists to share their thoughts, beliefs and experiences regarding various travel destinations. In this paper, the researchers demonstrated an approach for…
Abstract
Purpose
Travel websites allow tourists to share their thoughts, beliefs and experiences regarding various travel destinations. In this paper, the researchers demonstrated an approach for destination marketing organisations to explore online tourist-generated content and understand tourists' perceptions of the destination image (DI). Specifically, the researchers initiated an investigation examining how the destination image of Macau changed during the period of 2014–2018 based on user-generated content on travel websites.
Design/methodology/approach
Web crawlers developed by Python were employed to collect tourists' reviews from both Ctrip and TripAdvisor regarding the theme of “Macau attraction”. A total of 51,191 reviews (41,352 from Ctrip and 9,839 from TripAdvisor) were collected and analysed using the text-mining technique.
Findings
The results reveal that the frequency of casino-related words decreased in reviews by both international and mainland Chinese tourists. Additionally, international and mainland Chinese tourists perceive the DI of Macau differently. Mainland Chinese tourists are more sensitive to new attractions, while international tourists are not. The study also shows that there are differences between the government-projected DI and the tourist-perceived DI. Only the “City of Culture” and “A World Centre of Tourism and Leisure” have built recognition with tourists.
Originality/value
Given the easy accessibility of online information from various sources, it is important for destination marketing organisations to analyse and monitor different DI perspectives and adjust their branding strategies for greater effectiveness. This study uncovered the online DI of Macau by using text mining and content analysis of two of the largest travel websites. By analysing and comparing the differences and relationships among the frequently used words of tourist-generated content on these websites, the researchers revealed some interesting findings with important marketing implications.
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This study aims to examine the impact of retailers’ bankruptcy filings on consumers’ perception of risk, perceived quality, consumer trust and purchase intentions, as well as the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of retailers’ bankruptcy filings on consumers’ perception of risk, perceived quality, consumer trust and purchase intentions, as well as the moderating effect of brand reputation and brand price level on the impact of retailers’ bankruptcy filings.
Design/methodology/approach
This experiment used a 2 × 2 × 2 fractional factorial design. Of the 180 questionnaires collected through the Qualtrics survey platform, 165 responses were considered valid and used in the study.
Findings
The results of this study showed that bankruptcy filing can decrease consumers’ intent to purchase from the company. The results also revealed a significant positive relationship between brand reputation, trust and purchase intention.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical investigation of the negative implications of corporate bankruptcy on consumer behavior in the retail sector. Therefore, this study can contribute to a better understanding of how bankruptcy filings by apparel retailers may affect consumer perception and purchase behavior.
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In 1967, Robert N. Bellah famously argued that there existed an “American Civil Religion,” which was distinct from churchly religion and captured the “transcendental” dimension of…
Abstract
In 1967, Robert N. Bellah famously argued that there existed an “American Civil Religion,” which was distinct from churchly religion and captured the “transcendental” dimension of the American project. In this chapter, I revisit the civil religion concept and reconstruct it along more Weberian lines. Specifically, I argue that the civil religion tradition is one of three competing traditions for thinking about the proper relationship between religion and politics in America; the other two are religious nationalism and liberal secularism. Whereas liberal secularism envisions a complete separation of the religious and political value spheres, and religious nationalism longs for their (re)unification, civil religion aims for a mediating position of partial separation and productive tension. Following Bellah, I argue that the two central strands of the civil religion tradition have been covenant theology and civic republicanism. The body of the chapter sketches out the development of the tradition across a series of national foundings and refoundings, focusing on the writings of leading civil theologians from John Winthrop and John Adams through Abraham Lincoln and John Dewey to Martin King and Barack Obama. The conclusion advances a normative argument for American civil religion – and against liberal secularism and religious nationalism. I contend that liberalism is highly inclusive but insufficiently solidaristic; that religious nationalism is highly solidaristic but insufficiently inclusive; and that only civil religion strikes a proper balance between individual autonomy and the common good.
Qiuwen Ma, Sai On Cheung and Shan Li
Integrated project delivery (IPD) project that does not use multiparty agreement is identified as IPD-ish. The use of IPD-ish arrangement by incorporating integration practices in…
Abstract
Purpose
Integrated project delivery (IPD) project that does not use multiparty agreement is identified as IPD-ish. The use of IPD-ish arrangement by incorporating integration practices in conventional contract can be viewed as the part of the adoption process of IPD. Moreover, inappropriate integration practices invite new forms of risks and the absence of multiparty agreement adds to the challenges of risk management in IPD-ish projects. This study discusses such challenges and proposes the use of joint risk management to address the potential pitfalls in IPD-ish arrangement.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed research method was applied. First, the criticality of IPD-ish general and integration-specific risks was examined through a survey. Second, a real IPD-ish project was used to exemplify the use of joint risk management (JRM) to manage IPD-ish risks.
Findings
Two types of risks, namely integration risks (IRs) and general risks (GRs), are identified in IPD-ish projects. Two major findings for the IRs: (1) the most critical IRs are related to unbalanced incentivization and inefficient multidisciplinary teams; and (2) only team formation related pre-contract JRM strategies affect IRs. As for the GRs, the most critical ones are associated with design issues and can be effectively mitigated by post-contract JRM.
Originality/value
Using IPD-ish arrangement is an inevitable part of implementation of full IPD. This happens as many change-averse owners would like to test the integration principles using a conventional contract that they are familiar with. In fact, success in IPD-ish would pave the path for further adoption of IPD. This study offers insight into categorization of risks in IPD-ish projects. Appropriate use of post-contract and organization related pre-contract JRM would improve the chance of teasing out the values of IPD through IPD-ish arrangements. Care should be taken to introduce some contracting integration initiatives, such as risk/reward sharing incentive.