Does brand personality and perceived product quality play a major role in mobile phone's consumers switching behaviour?

This study’s main objective is to explore the antecedents of consumer switching behaviour in the mobile industry’s context. At the same time, this study gives a closer focus on the roles that brand personality (BP) and perceived product quality play in customer satisfaction, consumer brand identification, and switching behaviour. Using a self-structured questionnaire, 381 usable responses were recorded for data analysis. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modelling were employed to analyse the data. The EFA outcome reveals that excitement, competence, and sophistication are the most significant qualities predicting BP in the mobile industry’s context. The result demonstrates that BP, indirectly through consumer brand identification and customer satisfaction, has a negative effect on consumer’s switching behaviour intention. Perceived product quality has a direct and indirect relationship with switching behaviour intention. Finally, it is revealed that BP has high impact on perceived product quality’s evaluation as well

Organizational factors and process capabilities in a KM strategy: toward a unified theory

This study aims to examine the role of knowledge management (KM) enablers on KM activities in the context of Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The effects of organizational culture, transformational leadership, organizational structure, and technology utilization as infrastructural KM enablers are examined on KM activities as knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion, application, and protection. A total of 227 responses from SMEs’ top management are used to assess the measurement and structural models applying partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that technology utilization and organizational structure are two main factors in KM activities (all structural relationships are supported). Surprisingly, organizational culture is only associated with knowledge conversion and protection and the findings indicate no relationships between organizational culture and knowledge acquisition and application. The results also indicate a positive relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge acquisition and the hypotheses on the association between transformational leadership and knowledge conversion, application, and protection are rejected. The results of importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) imply that technology utilization has the highest importance on knowledge acquisition, conversion, and protection while organizational structure has the highest importance on knowledge application. The results of IPMA also show that organizational culture has the highest performance on all KM activities. This study is amongst the few that examines the structural relationships between organizational factors and KM activities in a SME context

Task technology fit in online transaction through apps

The purpose of this chapter is to examine what aspects of task-technology characteristics are most relevant to fit, satisfaction, and continuance intention of using apps in mobile banking transactions. Applying the SEM approach to a sample of 250 Malaysians, the findings of this chapter imply that the task characteristic of transaction-based apps is more relevant than technology characteristics. The results suggest that degree of fit is highly associated with mobile apps user satisfaction. Furthermore, the higher the degree of fit, the higher is the continuance intention to use apps for online transactions. Surprisingly, the findings show that the task characteristics are not relevant to continuous intention to use apps for online transactions

The mediating influence of service failure explanation on customer repurchase intention through customers satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of explanation on customer satisfaction in the service failure stage. It seeks to better understand the dynamics of consumer repurchase intention through a mediating effect of customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was e-mailed to collect the primary data. With three reminders, this study managed to obtain 322 responses from customers who complained about their internet service in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling techniques were applied to examine both direct and mediating effects between variables. Findings Results reveal that all four dimensions of explanation have significant partial mediating effect on repurchase intention through customer satisfaction. Results also disclose that there is no significant relationship between excuse and customer satisfaction in service failure. Among all dimensions, reference and apology have higher influence on repurchase intention through customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The results are particularly valuable for managers, as it supports the role of using explanation as a practical tool for fostering positive and profitable outcomes like repeat customer purchases. Practical implications The findings of this study will help organisations rethink their explanation strategies with the eye to foster greater customer repurchase intention. Originality/value The results are particularly valuable for managers, as they support the role of using explanation as a practical tool for fostering positive and profitable outcomes like repeat customer purchases

Generation Y consumers’ buying behaviour in fashion apparel industry: a moderation analysis

Purpose The advent of media and technology has led to growing inclination among Generation Y (Gen-Y) consumers towards diverse fashion influences and they tend to dress either to fit in with their peers or to articulate self-identity and conform to the society. This trend has become a fashion dilemma and the purpose of this paper is to leverage on this matter by investigating the factors influencing the Gen-Y consumers’ attitude and purchase intention towards fashion apparel. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 250 respondents is used to assess the measurement and structural models, by applying a partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. Findings The results indicate that brand and self-identity are the factors that most shape Gen-Y consumers’ attitudes towards fashion apparel. Furthermore, brand, style, price, and social identity are the most influential factors of Gen-Y consumers’ purchase intention for fashion apparels. The findings also show that style, price, country of origin, and social identity are not relevant to Gen-Y consumers’ attitudes towards fashion apparel, and that country of origin and self-identity do not have any relationship with the Gen-Y consumers’ purchase intention. Originality/value This study is among the few attempts to investigate the Gen-Y consumers’ buying behaviour of fashion apparel based on the theory of planned behaviour, optimal distinctiveness theory, and social identity theory. PLS-multi-group analysis reveals that age, gender, and income are moderating variables of several proposed structural relationships