Soon-Ho Kim, Min-Seong Kim and Dong Hun Lee
Coffee shops are becoming more aware that brand loyalty can be an effective strategy for securing a competitive edge in business. To supplement current understanding of the…
Abstract
Coffee shops are becoming more aware that brand loyalty can be an effective strategy for securing a competitive edge in business. To supplement current understanding of the importance of coffee shop branding, this study investigates the role of personality traits and congruity in the formation of brand loyalty. This study finds that personality traits have direct effects on congruity and customer satisfaction, the two defining factors of brand loyalty. Overall, our results suggest that the interaction of personality traits, congruity, and satisfaction is essential to the process of influencing coffee shop customers’ brand loyalty.
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Hector Bajac, Miguel Palacios and Elizabeth A. Minton
The purpose of this paper is to understand how congruence influences product evaluations in an international Latin culture context, as moderated by the public vs private nature of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how congruence influences product evaluations in an international Latin culture context, as moderated by the public vs private nature of the product and user-image vs product-personality congruence.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were recruited from two universities in Spanish-speaking, Latin cultures: Spain – Latin Europe (n=340) and Uruguay – Latin America (n=400). All participants were asked to indicate product-personality congruence (i.e. congruence between one’s self and the product) and user-image congruence (i.e. congruence between a product’s typical user and the product) for two private and two public products.
Findings
Two types of congruence (product-personality and user-image) positively influence brand evaluations more for publicly consumed than for privately consumed brands for consumers in both Latin cultures, with effect sizes being greater than prior research in other cultures.
Research limitations/implications
This research supports congruence theory in showing that similarity between a consumer and a brand leads to more favorable attitudes. Limitations include the sole use of student subjects and examination in only two countries of Latin culture.
Practical implications
Regardless of a brand’s personality, brands should seek consumers with similar personality traits, especially in Latin cultures.
Originality/value
This research addresses several limitations in prior research by examining both publicly and privately consumed products in one study, exploring congruence across Latin cultures, and testing products not confounded by addictive properties.
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P.C.M. Govers and J.P.L. Schoormans
Beyond their functional utility products have a symbolic meaning. Parts of this symbolic meaning are accounted for by concepts like brand personality and product‐user image, which…
Abstract
Purpose
Beyond their functional utility products have a symbolic meaning. Parts of this symbolic meaning are accounted for by concepts like brand personality and product‐user image, which describe the symbolic meaning associated with the brand or product class. However, the physical product also carries symbolic meaning. That part of the symbolic meaning that refers to the physical product itself, and is described with human personality characteristics, is called product personality. The purpose of this article is to show that product personality positively influences consumer preference through a congruence effect.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐phase study was conducted. In the first phase, product‐personality congruence was measured. The second phase was used to establish user‐image congruence.
Findings
The results indicate that people prefer products with a product personality that matches their self‐image. Moreover, this positive effect of product‐personality congruence is found to be independent of the user‐image congruence effect.
Originality/value
Previous research has shown that product variants can be designed to have a specific personality. This study has shown that product‐personality congruence has a positive effect on consumer preference.
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The literature on product design/development (PD) has attempted to understand the consumer but has not provided a comprehensive framework for product marketers and designers…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature on product design/development (PD) has attempted to understand the consumer but has not provided a comprehensive framework for product marketers and designers. Thus, this paper aims to compile and link the main topics in the literature on PD to create a foundation for strategic development in this field.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopted a “fit-for-purpose” methodology, a cross-referencing method and a meta-narrative approach that are appropriate for reviewing studies in a field involving complex topics and areas in which the literature is still developing.
Findings
To enhance the quality of product development, there is a need for PD strategy based on a clear understanding of many factors: the consumer; the complex interrelations among a product’s values, dimensions and personalities; PD theories; and other related variables.
Practical implications
This study found that PD studies should concentrate more on codifying strategies to enhance product development success. This is particularly important in view of consumers’ varied and changeable tastes in the global market and the differing insights of product marketers and designers.
Originality/value
This comprehensive systematic review is a unique study that contributes to future business-to-consumer and business-to-business research by compiling scattered and hidden strategies, theories and variables in the PD/development literature.
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Quality function deployment (QFD) is a suitable tool for understanding the expectations of hotel guests from services provided to them and designing the new one. It is also a…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a suitable tool for understanding the expectations of hotel guests from services provided to them and designing the new one. It is also a well-known technique for improving service and product quality in general. First applied by Yoji Akao in 1960, the idea behind QFD is to understand the customer needs and determine the problem which might be associated with product or service provided by an enterprise. The purpose of this paper is to present how check-in operations in hospitality business can be improved with the help of QFD.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, deep interview was employed as main data gathering instrument. Once customer expectations were assessed, a House of Quality scheme was established. Consequently, the QFD matrix was being analyzed as a whole.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that customers do not want to wait in queue or for any process on the front desk.
Originality/value
The research contributes to the literature a new technical term on hospitality industry, “Voice of Hotel.”
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The purpose of this paper is twofold: to incorporate the symbolic relationships among the attributes of customer requirements (CRs) and engineering characteristics (ECs) as well…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: to incorporate the symbolic relationships among the attributes of customer requirements (CRs) and engineering characteristics (ECs) as well as to factor in the values numerically to enhance the prioritization process for an improved, comprehensive quality function deployment (QFD) analysis. The aim is to develop the concept of assimilating and factoring in the often-ignored interrelationships among CRs and ECs utilizing the weighted average method for the CR and EC correlations with overall calculations.
Design/methodology/approach
After a brief literature review of the methods utilized, the research paper discusses the framework for the correlation triangle challenge and introduces a novel mathematical solution utilizing triangle values in conjunction with computed initial raw weights for CRs and initial priority scores for ECs. The capability and applicability of the proposed model are demonstrated with a real-life example.
Findings
Through the proposed technique, the roof and the interrelationship triangle's signs and symbols are translated into numerical values for each permutation of ECs and CRs, and then the prioritization values are processed and finalized. The proposed model successfully modifies and removes vagueness from an otherwise overlooked part of the QFD process.
Practical implications
The illustrated case study aptly proves that the proposed methodology yields more revealing and informative outcomes for engineers and designers, thus adding much-needed reliability to the outcome and its analysis. The validation conducted through the rank comparison endorses the premise, and the results obtained reflect the strength and accuracy of the progressive QFD as a product planning tool.
Originality/value
The research article proposes a fresh and unique QFD approach that solves typical procedural complications encountered in a regular QFD. Whereas the traditional methods neglect the interrelationships among CRs and ECs, this new methodology employs them in an improved, numerical way by incorporating them in quantitative analysis, which leads to judicious and improved decision-making.
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To identify QFD best practices and understand factors that contribute to successful QFD application.
Abstract
Purpose
To identify QFD best practices and understand factors that contribute to successful QFD application.
Design/methodology/approach
A field research study is presented that summarises the use of QFD in a number of companies operating in Brazil. The paper reports multiple case studies conducted in organizations that have already achieved maturity in QFD implementation.
Findings
The study identified areas of QFD best practice such as the development of matrices and voice of customers, interaction with other organizational practices (e.g. TQC system and other methods and techniques), and less traditional QFD applications (concept definition, strategic planning, and developing a global product). The study also identifies QFD implementation success factors related to organizational characteristics (e.g. management support for QFD and cross‐functional involvement in QFD project), data sources (e.g. existing data sources and QFD‐driven data sources), and QFD tools and techniques such as use of advanced phases of quality deployment (e.g. development of different matrices, comprehensive QFD, integration of analytical techniques and QFD).
Practical implications
A useful source to be used by organizations that have been implementing QFD for product development or for those that plan to employ the method.
Originality/value
The paper offers practical and applied information on QFD implementation while identifying areas of best practice within a variety of situations. It will be useful for both academics and practitioners.
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Franklin Velasco, Omar S. Itani and Paul Cajina
Companies around the world have included ecolabels as a marketing strategy to convince consumers to choose products with lower environmental impact. However, the literature lacks…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies around the world have included ecolabels as a marketing strategy to convince consumers to choose products with lower environmental impact. However, the literature lacks a consensus on the effectiveness of ecolabels in persuading consumers to choose green products. The present meta-analysis addresses this gap by first evaluating the net persuasion effect of using ecolabels and second by investigating the role of cultural orientations, operationalized at the country level, in this effect.
Design/methodology/approach
This cross-cultural meta-analysis analyzed data from 26,116 consumers across 18 countries, encompassing 75 papers published between 1995 and 2023. Univariate and meta-regression analyses were utilized.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the presence (vs absence) of ecolabels has a medium positive persuasion effect. Findings show cultural orientations moderate the persuasion effect of ecolabels in that the effect is stronger in countries with high power distance, individualism, masculinity (motivation towards achievement and success) and uncertainty avoidance orientation, which create contingent conditions to ecolabels’ persuasion. In addition, results show other methodological factors that affect ecolabel persuasion. Contributions and implications of the findings are discussed.
Originality/value
This meta-analysis is distinctive for its global scope, including diverse countries and cultures. It addresses a crucial gap in ecolabel persuasion research, providing insights that reconcile discrepancies in existing studies. It offers practical implications for businesses and policymakers while laying the groundwork for future cross-cultural research in this field.
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Xiaobo Chen, Yanfeng Ding, Clark A. Cory, Yingwen Hu, Kuo-Jui Wu and Xiaoyi Feng
The purpose of this paper is to propose a subcontractor selection model to fully consider the impact of construction enterprise demands on subcontractor selection. The objectives…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a subcontractor selection model to fully consider the impact of construction enterprise demands on subcontractor selection. The objectives are to understand the translating process of specific enterprise demands to the evaluating criteria and the weight calculation process.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-stage model of subcontractor selection was designed based on quality function deployment (QFD), analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and improved grey correlation analysis (IGCA). In the proposed model, specific enterprise demands are translated by the QFD method, and the weights of the criteria are determined by the IGCA. The AHP is used to quantify the exporters' experience and construct the judgment matrix, which is used as inputting of the grey correlation analysis.
Findings
The proposed model provides a feasible process for subcontractor selection by fully considering the actual requirements of the project. By combining the company requirements and project requirement to put forward the requirements of the target subcontractor, the selection process ensures that the selected subcontractor and the project have a higher “fit”
Originality/value
Few researches on construction subcontractor selection have taken into account the “voice” of the company's stakeholders. Therefore, this paper designs a three-stage construction subcontractor selection model by introducing QFD to achieve the transmission of “voice” in the subcontractor selection process, so as to take full consideration of the project objectives and the needs of the company's stakeholders. Meanwhile, in order to decrease the subjective of weight calculation, this paper designs an AHP-IGCA allocation method to determine the weight of relevant indicators. By integrating the proposed weight calculation method and QFD method, the subcontractor selection results become more reasonable and objective.
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Value congruence (VC) (the similarity between personal and object‐relevant values (such as a product or service)) rarely appears in studies of services, despite its importance for…
Abstract
Purpose
Value congruence (VC) (the similarity between personal and object‐relevant values (such as a product or service)) rarely appears in studies of services, despite its importance for affective commitment. Existing research also neglects moderator variables. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of VC on affective commitment to service brands and examine the moderating effects of selected psychological, situational, and demographic characteristics in two services contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Four retail clothing brands and four major bank brands provide input for the empirical research. In total, 1,037 respondents completed an online questionnaire with items pertaining to VC, affective commitment, preference for consistency (PFC), switching costs (SC) and demographics.
Findings
The positive impact of VC on affective commitment is stronger when the levels of PFC and SC are higher. Demographic characteristics of consumers, including gender, age, and education, do not moderate the effect of VC on affective commitment.
Practical implications
Increasing VC for all consumers may not be sufficient to secure consumer affective commitment. Instead, service providers should focus on consumers with high levels of PFC or create situations with high SC.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates how PFC, SC and demographics moderate the relationship between VC and affective commitment.