CSR marketing outcomes and branch managers' perceptions of CSR

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of bank branch managers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in CSR marketing outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper proposes a causal model establishing that managers’ perceptions of CSR influence the perception of CSR held by the branch’s customers, which in turn directly affects customer satisfaction, customer trust, customer engagement and customer loyalty. The unit of analysis in this quantitative study is the bank branch. Two questionnaires were administered: one to branch managers and another to five customers in each branch. Findings Branch managers’ perceptions of CSR have a marked influence on customers’ perceptions of CSR, which again have a notable impact on the relationship variables studied: customer satisfaction, customer trust, customer engagement and customer loyalty. Research limitations/implications The sample was taken from two banks in the same country (Spain) and only five customers were interviewed in each branch. The type of customers analyzed should be taken into account since a growing number of customers now carry out all of their banking online and are less likely to visit their branch. Practical implications The results highlight the importance of adopting socially responsible actions not only in the bank as a whole, but also in individual branches. It would, therefore, seem crucial for high level bank executives not only to involve branch managers in the bank’s CSR strategy, but also to empower them to undertake CSR actions that involve the customers and local community with which they interact. Originality/value First, the paper reveals the differences within the same organization in the way its CSR strategy is implemented. Second, intermediary figures or supervisors are shown to have a key role in ensuring the organization’s CSR strategy is effective. Third, the study emphasizes the importance of customers’ perception of CSR in achieving the main outcomes of relationship marketing (satisfaction, trust, engagement and loyalty). Fourth, the methodology applied in the study is innovative in its construction of dyads in which the branch is the unit of analysis, enabling a comparison between the manager’s perceptions of CSR with that of five customers from the same branch. Fifth, the findings add to the knowledge of a particularly relevant sector in the recent economic crisis, namely, the retail banking industry

Self-perception of age as a criterion for segmentation of older adults’ involvement

Una búsqueda importante en el campo del envejecimiento ha demostrado que existe una tendencia generalizada a que los adultos mayores mantengan identidades de la edad cognitiva que corresponden a las personas más jóvenes. De acuerdo con la opinión popular de que "uno es tan viejo como realmente se siente", existe evidencia de que estas autoconcepciones de la edad pueden ser mejores predictores de la participación, la actitud y el comportamiento hacia los productos que la edad cronológica. Si bien las autopercepciones de la edad en adultos mayores se han estudiado ampliamente, poco se sabe sobre cómo esto puede afectar su grado de participación con los productos publicitados. En este estudio demostramos, utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) y una muestra de 1018 observaciones, que la edad cognitiva es un criterio de segmentación superior a la edad cronológica en el estudio del grado de participación de adultos mayores en el producto.An important search in the field of aging has shown that there is a generalized tendency for older adults to maintain identities of cognitive age that correspond to younger people. In agreement with the popular view that “one is as old as one really feels” there is evidence that these self-conceptions of age can be better predictors of involvement, attitude and behavior towards products than the chronological age. Although self-perceptions of age in older adults have been widely studied, little is known about how this may affect their degree of involvement with advertised products. In this study we demonstrate, using structural equations models (SEM) and a sample of 1018 observations, that cognitive age is a segmentation criterion superior to chronological age in the study of older adults’ degree of involvement with the product

Service quality in a post-crisis context: emotional effects and behaviours

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of service quality dimensions as determinants of the emotional and relational behaviours experienced by the client in bank branches in the post-crisis context experienced by Spanish financial institutions. Design/methodology/approach – Data taken from a total of 1,125 customers were analysed through structural equations modelling (EQS6.1) to test the relationships of the proposed model’s variables. Findings – The results support the hypotheses stated, with the exception of the influence of a service quality dimension (servicescape) on emotions during the service. In fact, the dimensions of the service quality of an intangible nature (personnel, outcome and social) are determinants of the positive emotions and relational behaviours of clients around the service provided by the branches. For its part, servicescape quality, of a more tangible nature, exerts indirect influence on the other dimensions that compose the quality of service. Practical implications – This paper provides senior bank executives established evidence on the degree of influence of the different dimensions in relation to the quality of service in the bank branch. Furthermore, it emphasises the importance of emotional factors during service as essential elements in strengthening customer–staff relationships under a non-transactional dynamic. Originality/value – This paper has adopted an analytical holistic, theoretical and empirical perspective on the impact of the different dimensions of service quality (servicescape, personnel, outcome and social) as well as to the emotions experienced by banking customers during services and its lasting effect on customer engagement and customer advocacy

El resultado internacional de las nuevas empresas. Una visión relacional asociada a la orientación al mercado de la red.

This paper delves into the study of the factors that influence the international competitive position of international new ventures, and consequently, their international performance. By combining international entrepreneurship and marketing disciplines, this work attempts to emphasise the importance of relational knowledge by the influence of network market orientation on the international results obtained by these firms through the mediating effect of competitive advantages. The approach was used to test our hypotheses. The results obtained, using structural equations models and multi-sample analysis, confirm that network market orientation is a determining factor for new ventures to achieve superior international results. This influence is observed indirectly with the mediating effect on the differentiation- and cost-based competitive advantages developed by these firms. This study extends previous international entrepreneurship research, including insights from the marketing discipline on antecedents of international new ventures competitiveness and success in foreign markets. In addition, the results obtained encourage entrepreneurs in the international context to consider the explicit value of other factors different from experiential knowledge, which the company acquired gradually with increasing its experience in the foreign market, to realize the potential value of relational knowledge associated to network market orientation as an antecedent for the achievement of competitive advantages in the international market

Service Quality and Customer Loyalty in a Post-Crisis Context. Prediction-Oriented Modeling to Enhance the Particular Importance of a Social and Sustainable Approach

Research into the influence of service quality on customer loyalty has typically focused on confirming isolated direct causal influences regarding particular dimensions of quality, usually undertaken in the context of positive, firm-customer relations. The present study extends analysis of these factors through a new lens. First, the study was undertaken in a market context following a crisis that has had far-reaching consequences for customers’ relational behaviors. We explore the case of the Spanish banking industry, a sector that accurately reflects these new relational conditions, including a rising demand for more socially responsible banking. Second, we propose a holistic model that combines the effects of four key factors associated with service quality (outcome, personnel, servicescape and social qualities). We also apply an innovative predictive methodological technique using partial least squares (PLS) and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) that enables us not only to determine the direct causal effects among variables, but also to consider different scenarios in which to predict customer loyalty. The results highlight the role of outcome and social qualities. The novelty of the social qualities factor helps to underscore the importance of social, ethical and sustainable practices to customer loyalty, although personnel and servicescape qualities must also be present to improve the predictive capability of service quality on loyalty

Network Market Orientation, Knowledge Management and Born Globals’ Competitiveness

This chapter studies the influence of network market orientation (NMO) on Spanish Born Globals’ (BGs) competitiveness. The study analyses the contribution of a specific knowledge-based dynamic capability, namely absorptive capability, as a key mediator variable between NMO and competitiveness, finally influencing the international performance achieved by this particular type of firm. Results from testing the structural equation model proposed confirm that NMO facilitates the development of an absorptive capability in BGs and that this capability, in turn, influences the firms’ capacity to exploit the new relational knowledge, thus improving their competitiveness and international performance

Environmental Sustainability and the Hospitality Customer Experience: A Study in Tourist Accommodation

Academic research on sustainability in the hospitality industry is scarce and fragmented, and requires a general structure to lend coherence to its approach. There is a need for empirical research to fathom the question of environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry and to study the interaction between the two concepts. This paper aims to close these gaps by establishing the nature of the relationship between customers’ perceptions of the environmental practices in tourism accommodation and their customer experiences and levels of satisfaction. The working hypotheses, based on a review of the literature on environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry, are tested in an empirical study of 412 Spanish customers who stayed in various types of tourist accommodation. The main conclusion is that the relationship between environmental sustainability and customer experience in the hospitality industry can be demonstrated. This paper also validates a measurement scale based on the most accepted dimensionality of the construct: cognitive (think), affective (feel), behavioral (act), sensory (sense) and social (relate)

The influence of entrepreneurial and market orientations in the performance of belgian an spanish international new ventures

This paper aims to further the study of the factors that influence the international competitive position of international new ventures, and consequently, their international performance. We specifically analyse the role of entrepreneurial and market orientations in the international competitiveness of these firms. Data were collected in Spanish and Belgian international new ventures. The structural equations models approach was used to test our hypotheses, followed by a multi-sample analysis to generalise the results. Both the Spanish and the Belgian samples evidence a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation Furthermore, both entrepreneurial and market orientations have a positive and significant effect on the firm’s international competitive position. Finally, international competitive position is positively and significantly related to international performance. The study therefore appears to suggest that early intervention in international markets through the development of entrepreneurial behaviour is an incentive for international new ventures to foster market oriented activities; namely, to commit to systematically understand and anticipate the express and latent needs of their clients, together with the plans and capacities of their competitors, through information acquisition and evaluation processes. Furthermore, the research also appears to indicate that the conjunction of these two orientations is a key factor if international new ventures are to develop superior competitive positions and achieve positive performances in international marketsEste trabajo trata de avanzar en el estudio de los factores que influyen en la posición competitiva internacional de las nuevas empresas internacionales y, en consecuencia, en sus resultados internacionales. Concretamente se analiza el papel de las orientaciones emprendedora y al mercado en la competitividad internacional de dichas empresas. Los datos fueron recopilados de nuevas empresas internacionales españolas y belgas. El contraste de las hipótesis se ha efectuado mediante el planteamiento de modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Además con el objeto de generalizar los resultados obtenidos, se ha procedido al contraste del modelo a través de un análisis multi-muestra. Tanto en la muestra española como en la belga se observa una relación positiva y significativa entre la orientación emprendedora y la orientación al mercado. Además, la orientación emprendedora y la orientación al mercado tienen un efecto positivo y significativo en la posición competitiva internacional de la empresa. Finalmente, la posición competitiva internacional se relaciona positiva y significativamente con los resultados internacionales. Por lo tanto, en este trabajo parece deducirse que el hecho de operar precozmente en mercados internacionales mediante el desarrollo de comportamientos emprendedores, es un acicate para que las nuevas empresas internacionales promuevan actividades orientadas al mercado. Esto es, adquirieran el compromiso de comprender, de manera sistemática y anticipada, tanto las necesidades expresas como latentes de sus clientes, así como los planes y capacidades de sus competidores a través de procesos de adquisición y evaluación de información. Además, de este trabajo también parece desprenderse que la conjunción de estas orientaciones es clave para que estas empresas desarrollen posiciones competitivas superiores y obtengan resultados positivos en mercados internacionale

Competitiveness through strategic orientation

The aim of this paper is to further the study of the factors that infl uence the international competitive position of international new ventures and, consequently, their international performance. Specifi cally, we analyze the role of entrepreneurial and market orientations in the international competitive position of such fi rms. Data were collected at Spanish and Belgian international new ventures. The structural equations model approach was used to test our hypotheses. Both the Spanish and the Belgian sample revealed a positive and signifi cant relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation. Furthermore, both orientations have a positive and signifi cant eff ect on the international competitive position of such fi rms. Finally, any fi rm’s international competitive position is positively and signifi cantly related to its international performance. The study therefore appears to indicate that, when it comes to international new ventures, the conjunction of these two orientations is a key factor to attaining a superior competitive position and a positive performance in international markets

Marketing capabilities: do they matter in INVs?

This paper examines the influence that marketing capabilities developed in international new ventures can have on their international performance and international geographical diversification. Rapid entry in foreign markets is also highlighted as a factor contributing to the development of marketing capabilities in international new ventures. The central concept advanced in the paper is that international new ventures generate competitive advantages associated with early internationalisation that derive from their influence on the development of marketing capabilities in these firms. The study ’s conclusions provide new keys for the literature on entrepreneurship and marketing, and will contribute to improve our understanding of how new international ventures behave