The effect of self expressive value and perceived value on Malaysian cosmetic brand loyalty: the mediating role of brand identification & word of mouth / Norzalita Abd Aziz and Hafaz Ngah.

Competition in the cosmetic industries is stiff as more industrial players are striving to capture the market in Malaysia. Cosmetics play a crucial role in addressing image or presentation to others. There is a dearth of information concerning consumers’ perception of the Malaysian Cosmetic Brand (MCB). This article aims to understand how Self-Expressive Value (SEV) and Perceived Value (PV) relate to Brand Identification (BI) and Word of Mouth (WOM) among consumers. Using a self-administered questionnaire contributed to a total of 261 usable respondents and the PLS results indicate that there is a significant relationship between PV and SEV on BI and WOM while BI and WOM meditate the relationship between PV and SEV with Customer Loyalty. This article provides some insights on current local consumers perception and behaviour towards Malaysian cosmetic brands. Thus, MCB marketers need to emphasise the value of their products and reflect consumers’ self-expressive value that will enhance their brand identification and WOM among consumers which may lead to loyalty among users

The Influence of Travel Web Sites Effectiveness on Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Malaysian Travellers’ Perspective

There is growing reliance on the web sites for promotion of tourism and travel related product/services. Thus, identification of travel web site effectiveness attributes based on traveller/internet users’ expectation is necessary. This paper explores the travel web site effectiveness attributes and their relationships with the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of Malaysian travellers. Here an attempt is made in the context of explaining internet users’ beliefs using Technology Acceptance Model with data collected from 679 internet users/travellers. Factor analysis results indicate three dimensions of travel web effectiveness were derived, namely: i) technical adequacy & customization, ii) system quality & specific content and iii) web appearance. In testing the model, multiple regression results show that the above dimensions have positive influence on individual extrinsic motivation (perceived usefulness). Meanwhile, web appearance and technical adequacy & customization have positive influence on intrinsic motivation (perceived ease of use and enjoyment) of travel web sites

Social Support, Trust and Purchase Intention in Social Commerce Era

Due to increasing numbers of purchases in theonlineindustry has created trust as a critical path in an online environment. In fact, it is more critical when trust has identified as crucial in online commerce. Consumers are reluctant to have a purchase intention when they distrust towards the website.Consumers nowadays, who represent the future buyers, seem to have reasons how they can trust in online commerce and ultimately lead them to have purchase intention. Drawn from social support theory, trust and purchase intention, this research empiricallyis to test which characters of social support (emotional and informational support) have significant influence purchase intention and to test whether the trust has a significant influence on purchase intention.Furthermore, to test the mediatingeffects oftrust in social commerce.The research conducted in thequantitativeapproach and used non-probability (convenience sampling) by using questionnaire surveys. A correlation and multiple regression analyses were applied. A total of 200 respondents participated. Our results shed some lights on social commerce literature. The result confirms that there is a relationship between social supports such as emotional and informational support on purchase intention. Finding also revealed that trust as fully mediates the relationship between the variables. This research canentirelycontribute to the literature by providing and introducing to both marketers and consumers by identifying the factors influencing purchase intention in social commerce

Exploring the effect of Internet marketing orientation, Learning Orientation and Market Orientation on innovativeness and performance: SME (exporters) perspectives

This study explores the relationship between Internet Marketing Orientation, Market Orientation, Learning Orientation, Innovation Capabilities and Performance. The study also investigates the role of Internet Marketing Orientation integration in the linkage between Market Orientation-Innovativeness and Learning Orientation-Innovativeness. From an analysis of usable survey data from 101 Bumiputera SMEs-Exporters, three dimensions of Market Orientation (Customer Focus, Inter-Functional Coordination, Information Dissemination), two dimensions of Learning Orientation (Shared Knowledge, and Vision and Commitment to Learning), one dimension of Internet Marketing Orientation and one dimension of Innovation Capabilities and Performance are extracted from the factor analysis results. The results of regression analysis show that Customer Focus, Shared Knowledge and Vision, and Internet Marketing Orientation directly influenced SMEs’ Innovation Capabilities. However, Internet Marketing Orientation is more influential in developing innovation capabilities among SMEs compared to others. While, Shared Knowledge and Vision is the crucial factor in enhancing the business performance among SME (exporters). The relationship among a firm's Internet Marketing Orientation, Learning Orientation, Market Orientation and Innovation Capabilities and Performance are considered a crucial research area in developing countries. The implications for Malaysian SMEs are discussed

Developing brand ambassadors: the role of brand-centred human resource management

In this paper, we propose the role of brand centered human resource management (HRM) in supporting the internal branding initiative toward the development of brand ambassadors in organizations.By brand ambassadors, we mean employees who are not necessarily involved in sales or marketing job, but who are also partly responsible for the promotion of the organization brand to external stakeholders, such as customers. Because the brand ambassadors are expected to live the brand and project the correct image of the company brand, it is vital that they understand and accept the brand value proposition. In order to help them do their job well in delivering the brand promise, it is essential that brand-centered HRM is instituted.Brand-centered HRM refers to the HR-related practices, such as hiring, training and development, performance appraisal, and compensation, to name a few, that are implemented to make employees produce positive attitude and behaviors toward the brands of the firm (Chiang et al., 2012).When the employees are able to play the role of good brand ambassadors to the external customers, it is expected that customers’ brand experience will be enhanced, resulting in customer brand loyalty.In essence, brand-centered HRM is key toward the accomplishment of brand success and survival in the marketplace as the external branding and internal branding strategies are aligned

Understanding The Relationships Of Program Satisfaction, Program Loyalty And Store Loyalty Among Cardholders Of Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs have increasingly attracted interest in both academic marketing research and practice. One major factor that has been increasingly discussed is loyalty. In this study we examine the influence of cardholders' satisfaction on loyalty (program loyalty and store loyalty) in a retail context, namely, in department stores and superstores. Data were collected from 400 cardholders of a retail loyalty program in Klang Valley, Malaysia via the drop-off-and-collect technique. Structural modelling techniques were applied to analyze the data. The results indicated that program satisfaction is not related to store loyalty (share-of-wallet, share-of-visit and store preference). However, loyalty to the program (program loyalty) plays a crucial intervening role in the relationship between program satisfaction and store loyalty. The study underscores the principal importance of program loyalty in the retail loyalty program

Behavioural consequences of customer perception on emotional labour among airline service employees

Managing employees’ acting or emotional labour strategies is crucial for service organizations to develop a sustainable competitive advantage, such as the airline industry which is seeing fierce competition.This study examined the role of such strategies in enhancing the service experience of customers, resulting in customer loyalty intention (CLI) and subsequent engagement in positive word-of-mouth (WOM).Three-hundred sets of questionnaires were completed by airline passengers, who were approached at random, in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.A series of analyses was performed to determine the factors that significantly influence the airlines customers’ outcomes. The findings showed that perceived employee deep acting and perceived surface acting were significantly related to perceived customer orientation (PCO) and perceived service quality (PSQ), but in different directions. PCO and PSQ were observed to influence CLI, which was found to affect significantly WOM. We also discovered the partial mediator of CLI in both the relationships between PCO, PSQ, and WOM. Our findings suggest the need for airline managers to devise relevant strategies in enhancing the appropriate emotional displays by employees during service encounters because they affect customers’ behavioral responses

How does financial communication affect millennials’ online shares purchase intention?

The main aim of this article is to identify the influence of online financial communication disseminated through social media on brand attitude and the intention of millennials to purchase Shariah-compliant shares in Malaysia. A convenience sampling procedure using online questionnaires was used to test seven hypotheses based on prior literature. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique and the SmartPLS 3 tool was used to analyse this study. The findings of this study highlighted that user generated content (UGC) and firm generated content (FGC) positively influence brand attitude. By incorporating the theory of reasoned action and the signalling theory, the result showed a contradictive outcome to previous literature. UGC has no direct effect on the purchase intention of Shariah-compliant online stocks. This study suggests that companies should further comprehend the branding of their companies with the use of their official social media pages by increasing a positive attitude towards their brand

Service Quality and Value Affecting Parents' Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions in a Childcare Centre Using a Structural Approach

Abstract: This study proposes and tests an integrative model to examine the relations among service quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioral intention in a childcare centre in Malaysia. The data for this research were collected from 201 parents who sent their children to childcare centre. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques, the results reveal the direct effects of service quality on perceived value and satisfaction. Both perceived value and parent's satisfaction toward the childcare are significant determinants of behavioral intentions. However, service quality has an indirect effect on loyalty when mediated by perceived value and satisfaction. These findings contribute to the understanding of parent behavior, providing researchers and practitioners with insights into how effectively to manage a childcare centre