Ahmad Jamal

Customer satisfaction and retail banking: an assessment of some of the key antecedents of customer satisfaction in retail banking

Understanding the antecedents to and outcomes of customer satisfaction is a critical issue for both academics and bank marketers. Previous research has identified service quality, expectations, disconfirmation, performance, desires, affect and equity as important antecedents of customer satisfaction. The current paper reports findings from a survey which looked into the impact of service quality dimensions and customer expertise on satisfaction. A sample of 167 respondents took part in this study. Findings indicate that both core and relational dimensions of service quality appear to be linked to customer satisfaction. Findings also indicate that expertise is negatively related to satisfaction. The paper discusses implications for bank managers.

Islamic banking: a study of customer satisfaction and preferences in Jordan

The Islamic banking system is gaining momentum. Many international conventional banks have started to open branches which operate in accordance with the Islamic Shariah principles in some Islamic countries. The Islamic banking system is expected to face strong competition not only from the Islamic banks but also from well‐established conventional banks offering Islamic products and services. In this study, an attempt is made to assess the degree of customer awareness and satisfaction towards an Islamic bank in Jordan. A sample 206 respondents took part in this study. The analysis of their responses revealed a certain degree of satisfaction of many of the Islamic banks facilities and products. The respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with some of the Islamic banks services. Although the respondents indicated that they are aware of a number of specific Islamic financial products like Murabaha Musharaka and Mudaraba, they show that they do not deal with them.

Consumers and brands: a study of the impact of self‐image congruence on brand preference and satisfaction

Previous research indicates that the self‐image product image congruity (commonly known as self‐image congruence) can affect consumers’ product preferences and their purchase intentions. Self‐image congruence can also facilitate positive behaviour and attitudes toward products. This paper reports findings from a research study which was conducted to determine the effect of self‐image congruity on brand preference and satisfaction in the precious jewellery market in the UK. A questionnaire was sent to 500 consumers of precious jewellery in five major cities of the UK. Results indicate that self‐image congruity was a very strong predictor of consumers’ brand preferences and a good predictor of consumer satisfaction. Respondents with higher levels of self‐image congruity were more likely to prefer the brand and enjoy higher levels of satisfaction with the brand as compared to those with lower levels of self‐image congruity. The paper discusses the implications for brand managers so that they can position their brands in an effective way.

Marketing in a multicultural world: The interplay of marketing, ethnicity and consumption

Marketing as a concept pays a great deal of attention to the individual market transactions, ignoring the impact of marketing practices on society at a macro level. The paper argues that, in a multicultural marketplace, marketers and consumers of different ethnic backgrounds co‐exist, interact and adapt to each other. In doing so, consumers act as skilled navigators who frequently engage in culture swapping to sample the many tastes, themes and sounds of different cultures. Marketing facilitates this culture swapping and contributes towards tolerance and acceptance of lifestyle among consumers. However, traditional racial or ethnic segmentation could become problematic due to the fact that consumers no longer conform either individually or as a group to any one specific segment or category. The paper is based on an ethnographic study of ethnic minority and mainstream consumers in the UK.

Investigating the effects of service quality dimensions and expertise on loyalty

Purpose – Very little research has investigated the effects of service quality dimensions on customer loyalty. Also, up to now, no research has investigated the direct effect of expertise on loyalty and the moderating effect of expertise on the link between satisfaction and loyalty. This paper seeks to fill these gaps in the literature and to investigate the effects of individual dimensions of service quality in creating and enhancing customer loyalty via customer satisfaction. It also aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of customer expertise on customer loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a causal modelling approach and proposes a conceptual model after an extensive review of the literature. The paper is based on a sample of 200 bank users in Greece who completed a self‐administered questionnaire. The paper uses exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling to analyse and confirm the conceptual model proposed in this research....

Acculturation and Inter-Ethnic Consumer Perceptions: Can You Feel What We Feel?

Acculturation and ethnicity are some of the concepts that are often used by researchers to explain consumption experiences of ethnic minority consumers. The paper attempts to add a new dimension to the existing literature dealing with acculturation and ethnicity by exploring some of the feelings that are associated with ones sense of belonging to a group. The paper argues that the ethnic minority consumers experience multiple states of being which inform their interactions with their own ethnic group as well as the host society. The paper argues that there is no single ever-lasting outcome of acculturation. The paper discusses the implications of multiple states of being for marketing. The paper is based on an ethnographic study of forty-nine ethnic minority consumers in Bradford, UK.

Food consumption among ethnic minorities: the case of British‐Pakistanis in Bradford, UK

The paper explores food consumption experiences of an ethnic minority group ‐ the British‐Pakistanis in Bradford, UK. The paper looks at the way the British Pakistanis perceive their food, and at their perception of English food in the UK. In doing so the paper identifies some important generational and gender differences in food consumption experiences. The first generation of British‐Pakistanis perceive their own food to be traditional, tasty but oily and problematic. The English foods are perceived by the same generation as foreign, bland, but healthy. The young generation of British‐Pakistanis is increasingly consuming mainstream English foods while also consuming traditional Pakistani food. The paper draws on participant observation and in‐depth interviews with British‐Pakistanis in Bradford.

Exploring the effect of self-image congruence and brand preference on satisfaction: the role of expertise

Prior research has reported that self-image congruence can influence brand preference, brand satisfaction and purchase intentions. With the help of an empirical research, the paper argues that while self-image congruence may be related to satisfaction in general in the automobile market, it may not necessarily affect satisfaction judgements when customers have higher levels of expertise. The paper discusses implications for brand managers and argues to take into account customer characteristics such as customer expertise while developing positioning strategies.

Acculturation: the symbolism of ethnic eating among contemporary British consumers

In the last two decades there has been a dynamic growth in consumption of ethnic foods both in and outside home in the UK. Explores symbolic meanings associated with ethnic food consumption by native British consumers in the light of this growth. At a very broad level, an acculturation framework is applied to describe this cultural transformation of tastes from the traditional to the exotic. Starting from an initial dislike of these alien ethnic foods, argues that consumers have moved towards acculturation, and in some cases overacculturation, of these foods. Draws on participant observation of food consumption among seven English households, and on in‐depth interviews with 22 participants.

Retail Banking and Customer Behaviour: A Study of Self Concept, Satisfaction and Technology Usage

Prior research has investigated the effects of self-image congruence on satisfaction and brand preference. With the help of empirical research, the paper argues that, while self-image congruence may be related to customer satisfaction in a normal context, it may not necessarily affect satisfaction levels when customers are using technology-based self-services. Furthermore, during encounters involving self-service technologies, customers might experience satisfying or dissatisfying incidents which may not be related to their overall satisfaction and brand preference levels. The paper discusses implications for brand managers in the retail banking sector and suggests future research directions.