This study aims to use a social exchange perspective to investigate the influence of organizational justice on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to use a social exchange perspective to investigate the influence of organizational justice on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Design/methodology/approach
Survey and interview data were collected from a sample of insurance firm sales representatives in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was deployed to explore the relationship between organizational justice, trust, supervisor–subordinate guanxi and OCB.
Findings
The findings offer important theoretical, managerial and social implications for life insurers’ human resource managers.
Practical implications
Organizational justice is a primary influence on OCB, which is connected with the underlying mediating mechanism of trust (trust in supervisor and trust in subordinate) and supervisor–subordinate guanxi (i.e. off-the-job activities).
Social implications
Subordinates can enhance guanxi with their supervisors to create a more harmonious working environment, creating mutual trust. The results suggest that supervisor–subordinate guanxi is based on long-term social exchange. How to balance fairness and efficiency is an import question for decision-makers.
Originality/value
This study’s examination of the role of trust and supervisor–subordinate guanxi in mediating the relationship between organizational justice and OCB expands the organizational behavior literature into a different industry (life insurance) and cultural context (Taiwan).
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This study explores the mediating effects of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and service quality orientation (SQO) on market orientation, selling orientation, and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the mediating effects of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and service quality orientation (SQO) on market orientation, selling orientation, and policyholder retention in non-life insurance services. Additionally, it offers important recommendations for non-life insurers in Taiwan for policy development and improving policyholder retention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a sample of policyholders belonging to the top five non-life insurance companies in Taiwan. The data were then analyzed with structural equation modeling.
Findings
RMO and SQO mediate the effects of the salesperson’s market orientation on policyholder retention. Thus, RMO and SQO are key factors influencing policyholder retention. Consequently, high levels of market orientation should be maintained to increase RMO and SQO, strengthening the retention rate of non-life insurance policyholders.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is its cross-sectional nature. In the future, researchers should collect data from other countries and service industries (e.g. banks, securities, and other financial institutions), expand to different insurance contexts (e.g. life insurance), and conduct longitudinal studies or experimental research.
Practical implications
The results of this study can act as a guide for providers of non-life insurance services. Based on the research results, we recommend decision-makers pay increased attention to increasing policyholder retention rates by strengthening their firm’s RMO and SQO.
Originality/value
Few studies have investigated the relationships among market orientation, selling orientation, RMO, SQO, and policyholder retention in non-life insurance services within Asian contexts in general and specifically in Taiwan. Thus, this study’s theoretical contributions, managerial implications (especially for decision-makers), and the proposed future research directions represent timely and valuable additions to the literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of disclosure of sales compensations on insurance brokers’ intention to make inappropriate product recommendations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of disclosure of sales compensations on insurance brokers’ intention to make inappropriate product recommendations.
Design/methodology/approach
This research examines the insurance brokers’ intention to make inappropriate product recommendations through an application of the theory of planned behavior. Surveys are used as the research instrument, and the hypotheses are tested with a between-subjects experimental design. One case of mandatory disclosure and one case of non-mandatory disclosure are compared in the research.
Findings
The results indicate that the disclosure of sales compensations is significantly associated with the subjective norms from the official authority and perceived behavioral control (PBC). The results of this study also indicate that, when the disclosure is mandatory, the PBC has a stronger effect on the insurance brokers’ intention to make biased product recommendations than dose the attitude and subjective norms. When the disclosure is non-mandatory, however, the subjective norms have a stronger effect on the insurance brokers’ intention.
Originality/value
The impacts of compensation disclosures on the financial professionals’ product recommendations have been less examined. This study could make a contribution to the literature by providing some empirical observations from the views of Taiwan’s life insurance brokers.
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This study explored the antecedents and mediators of word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior in the life insurance industry and investigated how to increase policyholders' positive WOM…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored the antecedents and mediators of word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior in the life insurance industry and investigated how to increase policyholders' positive WOM communication.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of life insurance policyholders in Taiwan is surveyed. These respondents were chosen using purposive sampling. The author sent out 650 questionnaires to customers of the top six life insurance firms in Taiwan in proportion to each firm's market share as follows: Cathay (200), Fubon (150), Nan Shan (120), Shin Kong (80), China (60), and Taiwan (40). A total of 338 usable questionnaires were returned. Structural equation modeling was performed to estimate the influence of the identified antecedents of WOM communication.
Findings
The results support the proposed model and hypotheses, indicating that customers' positive evaluations of functional quality and technical quality help drive positive WOM communication. Corporate image and trust also play partial mediating roles.
Practical implications
Decision-makers should note that functional quality, technical quality, corporate image, and trust are antecedents of WOM communication. Functional quality and technical quality are the main factors influencing policyholders' perceptions. Therefore, life insurance firms must understand policyholders' quality expectations. Managers should also pay increased attention to promoting favorable WOM communication through strengthening corporate image and trust.
Originality/value
This was the first study to examine WOM communication in Taiwan's life insurance industry. Few studies have investigated the mediating effects of corporate image and trust in the relationships of functional and technical quality with WOM. The findings reveal the importance of WOM to the marketing of life insurance, providing new information for life insurance practice and theory.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of commercial long-term care insurance (LTCI) in long-term care (LTC) services, and to elucidate the mediating roles of service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of commercial long-term care insurance (LTCI) in long-term care (LTC) services, and to elucidate the mediating roles of service quality and relationship satisfaction in the relationship between customization and loyalty. In addition, this study offers important recommendations for policy makers in formulating policy aimed at supporting the industry and regulating its customer relationships in life insurers in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
Study participants were policyholders of life insurance in Taiwan with experience in purchasing commercial LTCI. They were investigated through in-depth interviews and surveys. The hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of variance.
Findings
The findings of this study are important for policy makers in formulating policy aimed at supporting the industry and regulating its customer relationships.
Originality/value
This study represents the first attempt to investigate the role of LTCI in LTC services in Taiwan. Likewise, this study improves our understanding of the main issues relating to the effect of customization on policyholder loyalty, and the partially mediating role of service quality and relationship satisfaction in the insurance marketing context.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influential factors of the antecedents of relationship quality (RQ), RQ, and long-term relationship orientation between the members…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influential factors of the antecedents of relationship quality (RQ), RQ, and long-term relationship orientation between the members that constitute the insurance marketing channel.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses in-depth interviews as well as a survey to examine long-term relationship orientation between life insurers and insurance intermediaries in Taiwan.
Findings
Results indicate that antecedents of RQ (customer orientation, expertise, similarity, and contact intensity) have a positive effect on RQ. Relationship qualities (trust, satisfaction, and commitment) have a positive effect on the long-term relationship orientation. The antecedents of RQ have a positive effect on the interaction of long-term relationship orientation through mediating effects of RQ.
Originality/value
It fills a gap in the literature by explores the long-term cooperative relationship between life insurers and insurance intermediaries based on the RQ perspective. Further, previous studies have focused on the automobile, food, electronic information, textile, and financial industries. Few studies have looked at insurance marketing outsourcing from a RQ perspective. Thus, this study will be useful to decision makers in the insurance industry seeking to improve their supplier-distributor relationships.
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Feng-Cheng Tung and Tsu-Wei Yu
The purpose of this paper is to develop a greater understanding of the effect of innovation leadership (participative, supportive, and instrumental) on supervisory-rated employee…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a greater understanding of the effect of innovation leadership (participative, supportive, and instrumental) on supervisory-rated employee creativity through greater employee regulatory focus (i.e. promotion and prevention).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from dyads of 103 employees and employee supervisors working in Taiwan’s high-tech industry. A structural equation modelling approach was used to examine the relationship posited in this study.
Findings
Results reveal that both participative and supportive leadership are positively associated with the creativity of supervisory-rated subordinates when those subordinates adopted a focus on promotion. The data also show that these relationships are partially mediated by employee promotion focus. At the same time, the positive relationship between instrumental leadership and employee creativity is fully mediated by employee prevention focus.
Originality/value
The results of this study show that participative and supportive leaders cultivate employee promotion focus, which then enhances employee creativity. Instrumental leaders will induce employee prevention focus, which also enhances employee creativity. These findings imply that when enhancing employee creativity, employees with a promotion focus are more suited to participative and supportive leaders, while employees who do not have a promotion focus may be more suited to leaders who provide these employees with specific instructions on the rules, regulations, and procedures to follow to accomplish given tasks and common goals.
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The purpose of this study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by investigating partnerships between life insurers and insurance intermediaries, the effects of these…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study attempts to fill the gap in the literature by investigating partnerships between life insurers and insurance intermediaries, the effects of these partnerships, and the parties' willingness to cooperate.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in a survey of general managers of the insurance intermediaries in Taiwan and were analysed using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. A structural equation modelling approach is employed to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The paper finds that partnership components, communication strategies, conflict resolution approaches, and market orientation are related to partnership performance. The paper also finds that willingness to continue cooperation increases with partnership performance. The results have implications for managers of life insurers and their intermediaries.
Originality/value
This research is one of the first studies to conceptualize and empirically examine the partnerships of life insurers and insurance intermediaries. Theoretically, a specification of the linkages between characteristics of the partnership, communication strategies, conflict resolution approaches, the market orientation of the partners, the partnership's performance and both parties' willingness to continue cooperation can provide a useful framework for future research. Practically, this study offers insights into how to proactively manage partnerships in order to improve partnership performance, willingness to continue cooperation and avoid the damaging costs inherent in failure.
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Tsu-Wei Yu and Feng-Cheng Tung
The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of insurer trust and salesperson trust, as well as the relationships between insurer, salesperson, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of insurer trust and salesperson trust, as well as the relationships between insurer, salesperson, and customer loyalty in order to build a conceptual model which investigates the relationships of insurer trust and salesperson trust, and finds ways to build trust and customer loyalty in the non-life insurance industry in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected from the customers of non-life insurers’ policyholder service centres and were analysed using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was to assess the proposed research model empirically.
Findings
This study finds that firm size did not have a significant effect on insurer trust. Customer trust in the insurer was negatively but not significantly related to customer trust in the salesperson. Additionally, when relatives or friends are insurance salespersons; it is easy to build trust with them.
Originality/value
This study provides non-life insurers with new avenues for promoting and marketing their insurance.
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This paper aims to examine the impact of salespeople’s subjective person-job fit on the salespeople’s intention to quit. Moreover, this study further investigates how the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of salespeople’s subjective person-job fit on the salespeople’s intention to quit. Moreover, this study further investigates how the subjective person
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job fit could be influenced by the cooperative learning and support in the organization. Person-job fit is an important issue for salespeople’s career development. However, the antecedents of salespeople’s person-job fit seem to have been under-investigated in the management literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey is used as a research instrument, and Taiwan’s full-time life insurance salespeople took part in the investigation. The hypotheses were tested by using partial least squares and structural equation modeling tool (SmartPLS 2.0).
Findings
The results confirmed that poor subjective person-job fit would significantly increase the salespeople’s intention to quit. Yet, the results also suggested that cooperative learning and organizational support are the mechanisms that reduce this problem.
Originality/value
This study provided the initial discussions about the effect of cooperative learning and organizational support on the salespeople’s subjective person-job fit.