Corporate image and reputation as drivers of customer loyalty

ABSTRACT: Prior research suggests that corporate image and reputation can contribute to relationship marketing and customer loyalty. However, little empirical evidence support the influence of these constructs on customer loyalty. This study investigates the influence of corporate image ?comprised of functional and emotional aspects? and reputation on customer loyalty. A structural equation model is developed to test the research hypotheses. The study was tested using data collected from a sample of Spanish consumers in a service setting. Results show that functional and emotional image have a positive influence on corporate reputation. Similarly, corporate reputation has a positive influence on customer loyalty. This study may help managers use their resources more effectively by focusing on corporate image and reputation as the greatest strategic assets to enhance customer loyalty

Effect of reducing groundwater on the retardation of redox-sensitive radionuclides

Laboratory batch sorption experiments were used to investigate variations in the retardation behavior of redox-sensitive radionuclides. Water-rock compositions were designed to simulate subsurface conditions at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), where a suite of radionuclides were deposited as a result of underground nuclear testing. Experimental redox conditions were controlled by varying the oxygen content inside an enclosed glove box and by adding reductants into the testing solutions

Corporate reputation past and future: a review and integration of existing literature and a framework for future research

The concept of corporate reputation is steadily growing in interest among management researchers and practitioners. In this article, we trace key milestones in the development of reputation literature over the past six decades to suggest important research gaps as well as to provide contextual background for a subsequent integration of approaches and future outlook. In particular we explore the need for better categorised outcomes; a wider range of causes; and a deeper understanding of contingencies and moderators to advance the field beyond its current state while also taking account of developments in the macro business environment. The article concludes by presenting a novel reputation framework that integrates insights from reputation theory and studies, outlines gaps in knowledge and offers directions for future research

Demystifying Adaptive Selling – Exploring Salesperson Attributes and Service Behaviors

Services organizations face ever-increasing customer demands and competition, especially in face-to-face retail sales encounters, hence it is extremely important to ‘recruit the right kind’ of salespeople and give them the ‘right kind of training’ to better serve and satisfy their customers. However, there is little research that combines these two perspectives in the adaptive selling context. We address this gap with a comprehensive model including four salesperson characteristics (attractiveness, communication ability, expertise and trustworthiness) as antecedents, three service performance behaviors (service manner, extra role and need identification) as mediators and three important outcome behaviors (willingness to disclose, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions) as consequences. We also test this model using a field-survey with actual customers in a retail setting in Hong Kong. Our findings help demystify the adaptive selling by unraveling the customer evaluation and judgment processes

Enhancing Brand Commitment through Social Responsibility Associations: A Two-Path Moderated Model

Social responsibility has become a cornerstone marketing policy, enabling brand differentiation in a high-growth market. By distinguishing between symbolic and utilitarian associations of social responsibility, our study identifies two levers for consumer brand commitment. We posit that utilitarian associations enhance consumer brand commitment by strengthening consumer trust in a context imbued with fear and skepticism about the consequences of consumption for health. We also argue that brands can encourage consumer commitment through their environmental and philanthropic engagements by conveying values with which consumers can identify. This second commitment lever is argued to be particularly effective for consumers with strong social/environmental personal norms. We empirically test our research model on a sample of regular consumers of organic food brands validating the two pathways from social responsibility to brand commitment. The moderating role of consumers’ personal norms on the process was also confirmed regarding the philanthropic dimension but not the environmental one. Contributions and implications of these findings are presented in the discussion part