The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Customer Commitment and Trust in the Retail Sector

The present paper aims at confirming the influence of CSR policies on building up customer relationship through improving trust and commitment, and at the same time to study the influence of these values on satisfaction and loyalty. To achieve this purpose, a causal model that establishes the relationship between those variables has been developed and empirically tested. In order to verify the proposed hypothesis a structured survey was developed. The survey was given to a sample of 501 customers (valid responses) of modern distribution retail stores (supermarkets and hypermarkets) in Spain. All hypotheses are supported, thus confirming that the consumer perception on CSR policies carried out by the retailer influence on trust and consumer commitment to the company. As these variables affect satisfaction and loyalty, these results also confirm the indirect influence of CSR on customer satisfaction, through these relational variables. Therefore CSR is an essential tool for developing a long-standing relationship between the customer and the company. The originality is that there are very few works that address the study of the relationship between CSR and relational variables commitment and trust. The sample, consumers of retail establishments, is another originality. And the value is that CSR improves the competitiveness of retailing companies through the relational variables

Assessment of maximum likelihood PCA missing data imputation

Maximum likelihood principal component analysis (MLPCA) was originally proposed to incorporate measurement error variance information in principal component analysis (PCA) models. MLPCA can be used to fit PCA models in the presence of missing data, simply by assigning very large variances to the non-measured values. An assessment of maximum likelihood missing data imputation is performed in this paper, analysing the algorithm of MLPCA and adapting several methods for PCA model building with missing data to its maximum likelihood version. In this way, known data regression (KDR), KDR with principal component regression (PCR), KDR with partial least squares regression (PLS) and trimmed scores regression (TSR) methods are implemented within the MLPCA method to work as different imputation steps. Six data sets are analysed using several percentages of missing data, comparing the performance of the original algorithm, and its adapted regression-based methods, with other state-of-the-art methods.Research in this study was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds from the European Union through grant DPI2011-28112-C04-02 and DPI2014-55276-C5-1R, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grant ECO2013-43353-R.Folch Fortuny, A.; Arteaga Moreno, FJ.; Ferrer, A. (2016). Assessment of maximum likelihood PCA missing data imputation. Journal of Chemometrics. 30(7):386-393. https://doi.org/10.1002/cem.280438639330

Missing Data Imputation Toolbox for MATLAB

[EN] Here we introduce a graphical user-friendly interface to deal with missing values called Missing Data Imputation (MDI) Toolbox. This MATLAB toolbox allows imputing missing values, following missing completely at random patterns, exploiting the relationships among variables. In this way, principal component anal- ysis (PCA) models are fitted iteratively to impute the missing data until convergence. Different methods, using PCA internally, are included in the toolbox: trimmed scores regression (TSR), known data regres- sion (KDR), KDR with principal component regression (KDR-PCR), KDR with partial least squares regression (KDR-PLS), projection to the model plane (PMP), iterative algorithm (IA), modified nonlinear iterative partial least squares regression algorithm (NIPALS) and data augmentation (DA). MDI Toolbox presents a general procedure to impute missing data, thus can be used to infer PCA models with missing data, to estimate the covariance structure of incomplete data matrices, or to impute the missing values as a preprocessing step of other methodologies.Research in this study was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds from the European Union through grant DPI2011-28112-C04-02 and DPI2014-55276-C5-1 R, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grant ECO2013-43353-R.Folch Fortuny, A.; Arteaga Moreno, FJ.; Ferrer, A. (2016). Missing Data Imputation Toolbox for MATLAB. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems. 154:93-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemolab.2016.03.019S9310015

Investigación inter e intra-variable del valor percibido: un modelo causal de segundo orden y satisfacción cognitiva y afectiva

El valor percibido es axiomática y epistemológicamente clave para el Marketing. Su investigación es rica y profunda respecto a su dimensionalidad (análisis intra-variable) y a su relación con satisfacción y lealtad (inter-variable). Como contribución a la abundante literatura sobre medición del valor percibido en servicios turísticos, este trabajo propone un modelo causal que abarca las perspectivas inter e intra-variable, y propone el valor percibido como segundo orden y la cadena valor-satisfacción-lealtad, con una bifurcación de la satisfacción en afectiva y cognitiva. El modelo es testado con PLS sobre una muestra de 340 huéspedes de hotel en la Comunidad Valenciana, hallando contribuciones significativas de ocho dimensiones de valor (eficiencia, excelencia, estatus, estima, entretenimiento, estética, ética y escapismo) sobre el valor percibido como segundo orden. Aunque alguna dimensión contribuye más modestamente (ética y estatus), la riqueza de la variable valor queda refrendada, además de la dualidad cognitivo-afectiva en la cadena valor-satisfacción-lealtad.Value is axiomatically and epistemologically crucial for the Marketing thought. Accordingly, research on perceived value is rich and deep both in its multidimensionality (intra-variable perspective) and its relationships with other variables (inter-variable). For contributing to the abundant research on value in tourism, this works proposes a causal model encompassing both inter and intra-variable approaches, where value is a second order construct, and where satisfaction is bifurcated into cognitive and affective satisfaction, within the value-satisfaction-loyalty chain. The model is tested with PLS upon a sample of 340 hotel guests, in the Region of Valencia. Significant links are found between eight value dimensions (efficiency, excellence, status, esteem, entertainment, aesthetics, ethics and escapism) on the second-order value construct. Although some dimensions have lower effects (ethics and status), the richness of value dimensionality is proven, as well as the duality cognitive-affective of the value-satisfaction-loyalty chain

Integrando marketing experiencial y service dominant logic: creación de un índice de co-creación de valor interactivo y contextual

El Valor Percibido es crucial para dos aproximaciones claves en Marketing: el Marketing Experiencial y el Service Dominant Logic (SDL), Sin embargo, la segunda no parece haber integrado toda la riqueza de la primera. Por ello, este trabajo, tras revisar la aproximación al Valor Experiencial (en general, y según Holbrook) y el SDL y la noción de co-creación de Valor, propone ejes argumentales de relación y un modelo conceptual integrador de sendas propuestas. El estudio empírico plantea un índice de co-creación de Valor, soportado por un modelo estructural de orden jerárquico. que es testado con PLS en 240 huéspedes de hotel. Los resultados permiten refrendar que la co-creación de Valor es a) interactiva al reagrupar recursos (empresa, empleados y consumidores), y b) contextual al variar con el nivel de estudios (inversamente) y con la frecuencia viajera. Todo ello ayuda a concluir sobre las posibilidades inexploradas de integración del Valor experiencial y el SDL.Value is a notion crucial for both Experiential Marketing and Service Dominant Logic, although the latter has not always entirely integrated the former. This work revises both perspectives: namely, Experiential Value in general, and more precisely through Holbrook; and SDL alongside with the notion of value co-creation, and finds conceptual axes around which to build a conceptual Model of integration of both frameworks. Based on this, empirically, a value-based index of co-creation is built, upon a higher order structural model, and tested among 340 leisure tourist at hotels. Results show that cocreation is a) interactive as regrouping three origin of resources (the firm, the employees and the consumer) and b) contextual, as it varies by subjects and circumstances (by education level (reversely) and travelling frequency). Conclusions address the potential of conceptual and methodological integration of both Experiential Value and SDL

Desarrollo y validación de una escala formativa de grado de avance tecnológico en hoteles desde la perspectiva del huésped

La rápida evolución de las Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación (TIC) ha supuesto un cambio radical en las condiciones de mercado para las empresas turísticas, ofreciendo nuevos instrumentos para la gestión y para añadir valor a la experiencia del cliente en el establecimiento. Sin embargo, el desarrollo de escalas para la medición del grado de avance tecnológico de la empresa turística ha recibido escasa atención en la investigación académica. Por ello, el objetivo del presente trabajo es, por una parte, realizar una revisión de las principales propuestas conceptuales para el estudio de las TIC en las empresas turísticas, y por otra, desarrollar y validar una escala formativa para la medición del grado de desarrollo de las TIC en hoteles, a partir de las percepciones de una muestra de huéspedes de hoteles españoles.The rapid evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has involved a radical change in the market conditions for tourism companies, offering new tools for management and adding value to the customer experience in the establishment. However, the development of scales for measuring the degree of technological advancement of tourism companies has received scant attention in academic research. Therefore, the objective of the present work is, first, to carry out a review of the main conceptual proposals for the study of ICT in tourism companies, and second, to develop and validate a formative scale for the measurement of the degree of development of ICT in hotels, based on the perceptions of a sample of Spanish hotel guests.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia ECO2013-43353-RMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia ECO2016-76553-

Different levels of loyalty towards the higher education service: evidence from a small university in Spain

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) operate in a competitive environment in which the universities must address issues of customer satisfaction and loyalty. This process requires that educational institutions carefully analyse the key factors contributing to student loyalty in all its dimensions and develop strategies accordingly. Customer loyalty is a consistent commitment deeply held by customers to re-purchasing and/or recommending the product or service. This paper aims at understanding the different levels of student loyalty towards HEIs through an empirical study run with 705 graduate students from a small University. According to the students' personal and situational characteristics (age and choice of degree course), we expect significant differences in the level of loyalty. We may also draw conclusions about the management of HEIs in terms of positive word of mouth among students

Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Vaccine in Spain

Different analyses show that the design of vaccination policies should especially protect the most vulnerable social groups, since the level of acceptance is determined by the population’s knowledge, attitude and concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The objective of this work will be to detect the most socially vulnerable groups with respect to COVID-19 and to analyze the factors that influence predisposition to vaccination. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) on the Effects and Consequences of Coronavirus (Study 3346 of December 2021). Sociodemographic variables (sex, age, employment status, studies and subjective class identification) were extracted, as well as the answers to the questions indicating the attitude towards vaccination, corresponding to questions 7,8,10 and 11 of the study. The most vulnerable group was lower class women (self-perceived), under 45 years of age with lower educational level, unemployed or performing unpaid work in the home. Most of them are not predisposed to vaccinate only because of the obligation to do so, mainly due to lack of belief in the power and efficacy of vaccines, as well as fear of health risks/collateral side effects. The lower vaccine uptake in this vulnerable population group may be due to a lack of awareness and lower trust in the authorities, as well as the benefits of the vaccine, which could be related to a lack of policy targeting the most socially vulnerable populations.The results of this article are part of a project funded by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) through the call “Subvenciones para formación e investigación en materias de interés para el organismo para el año 2022”. Call code: BDNS: 609943.Psicologí

Older Adults and Positive Mental Health during the Second and Sixth COVID-19 Waves in Spain

The spread of the COVID-19 virus was a worldwide phenomenon, which was unprecedented in modern times. The restriction measures can be perceived as a heavy burden for mental health during this period, particularly for some groups. The aim of this study is to examine a positive mental health model across ages, where a moderated mediation model is proposed involving sex differences and confidence in coping with COVID-19. Two independent samples were studied during the second and sixth waves in Spain: n = 2861 and n = 2462, respectively. The main conclusions can be described as follows: (i) while age was not related to mental health during the second wave, a positive relationship was found between it and the sixth one; (ii) age was positively related to the confidence in coping with COVID-19 during both of the waves; (iii) women showed worse scores for the variables in the study than the men did during the second wave, but this pattern was reversed in the sixth one; (iv) after a moderated mediation model on the relationship between age and positive mental health in terms of confidence in coping with COVID-19 and sex, an interaction was found for the second wave but not for the sixth one. These results suggest that older adults and women would develop more strategies and resources for a positive mental health across time.The results of this article are part of a project funded by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) through the call “Subvenciones para formación e investigación en materias de interés para el organismo para el año 2022”. Call code: BDNS: 609943.Educació