Dee K. Knight

Examining the effects of role stress on customer orientation and job performance of retail salespeople

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine causal relationships between role stress, customer orientation, selling orientation, and job performance of retail salespeople.Design/methodology/approach – The sample (n=259) was salespeople in eight units of a national department store located in the USA. Participants in the clothing, accessories, shoe, and home furnishings departments completed self‐administered questionnaires. To test the hypotheses, structural equation was employed using AMOS 4.0.Findings – Role stress (i.e. role conflict and role ambiguity) affected customer orientation and also had direct and indirect effects on job performance mediated by customer orientation. The impact of role conflict was negative on customer orientation, but positive on selling orientation and job performance.Practical implications – Retail managers are instrumental in creating a culture conducive to the practice of customer orientation and the degree to which retail salespeople experience role stress.Originali...

Brand analysis of a US global brand in comparison with domestic brands in Mexico, Korea, and Japan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how consumers in three countries (Mexico, South Korea, and Japan) perceive a US global brand versus domestic brands and their marketing efforts. There has been an increasing number of global brands and corresponding competition among global retailers. At the same time, markets in the world are becoming complex, and consumers in many markets demand localized marketing and branding strategies.Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses are developed based on the brand analysis framework that consists of brand‐specific associations (emotional value, perceived quality), general brand impressions (brand awareness, brand image), and brand commitment (brand loyalty, purchase intention).Findings – The results revealed significant main effects of country and brand type (global v. domestic) on brand‐specific associations, general brand impressions, and brand commitment. Interactive effects also existed on brand‐specific associations, general brand impressions, a...

The Impact of Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness and Nationality on Generation Y's Retail Patronage Behaviors: Investigating American and Taiwanese Consumers

ABSTRACT Generation Y (Gen Y) consumers are now one of the most influential buying segments in U.S. history. This article empirically assesses the extent to which American Gen Y consumers and same-aged Taiwanese consumers’ need for uniqueness serves as a meaningful discriminant across retail patronage behaviors for branded apparel products. Results indicate a great deal of similarity between the two cultures’ need for uniqueness. Empirical findings reveal that consumers’ need for uniqueness does influence retail patronage behaviors. The implications of the similarities and differences between American Gen Y consumers and their Taiwanese counterparts serve as potential managerial mechanisms for building and sustaining retail patronage in a globalization era.

Modeling Brand Equity of a U.S. Apparel Brand as Perceived by Generation Y Consumers in the Emerging Korean Market

This study examined causal relationships among brand awareness, brand perceptions, and purchase intention by focusing on Korean Generation Y (Gen Y) consumers. A total of 235 usable questionnaires were obtained from college students in major cities in South Korea. Structural and measurement models using a correlation matrix with maximum likelihood was estimated using LISREL 8.53. Findings indicated that Korean consumers’ perceptions of the U.S. apparel brand consisted of three dimensions: perceived quality, prestigious image, and emotional value. Brand awareness was significantly related to three factors of brand perceptions among Korean Gen Y consumers. Brand awareness, especially, affected the prestigious image of a U.S. apparel brand in the Korean market. In addition, emotional value had a positive effect on purchase intention for the U.S. apparel brand among Korean Gen Y consumers. Findings provide implications for brands and retailers developing entry strategies into the Korean fashion market.

A Path Analytic Exploration of Consumer Information Search in Online Clothing Purchases

This study identified types of information source, and explored a path model for consumer information search by shopping attributes in the context of online decision making. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires during regularly scheduled classes. A total of 219 usable questionnaires were obtained from respondents who enroll at universities in the southwestern region of the United States. For data analysis, factor analysis and path model estimation were used. Consumer information source was classified into three types for online clothing purchases: Online source, Offline retail source, and Mass media. Consumers were more likely to rely on offline retail source for online clothing purchases, than other sources. In consumer information search by shopping attributes, online sources were more likely to be related to transaction-related attributes(e.g., incentive service), whereas offline retail source(e.g., displays in stores, manufacturer`s catalogs and pamphlets) were more likely to be related to product and market related attributes(e.g., aesthetics, price) when purchasing clothing online. Also, the path model emphasizes the effect of shopping attributes on traditional retailer search behavior, leading to online purchase intention for clothing. This study supports consumer information search by attributes, and discusses a managerial implication of multi-channel retailing for apparel.

Learning Style Preferences: Implications for Web-Based Instruction

The objective of this paper was to profile the learning style preferences of merchandising students and to demonstrate how Web-based instructional strategies can accommodate their unique preferences. The framework was based on Felder and Silvermans (1988) model that identifies four dichotomous bipolar learning style dimensions (i.e., active or reflective, sensory or intuitive, visual or verbal, and sequential or global). To develop learning style profiles, students (N = 340) enrolled in three undergraduate merchandising courses completed the 44-item Index of Learning Styles (ILS). The majority of merchandising students were active, sensing, visual, and sequential learners. A model, Adapting Web-Based Instruction to Accommodate Student Learning Style Preferences, was developed detailing specific Web-based instructional strategies that could be incorporated across the merchandising curricula.

Indian consumers’ mall patronage intentions: impacts of shopping motivations, subjective norms, materialism, and self-efficacy

While Indian malls are proliferating, 80% are ailing. Why is this? There are a number of possible explanations, including the inability to compete with unorganized retailers and an inadequate understanding of the evolving influences that impact Indian consumer behavior. Using a mall intercept technique, this study investigated antecedents to Indian consumers’ mall patronage intention. SEM analysis suggests that the impacts of motivation, subjective norms, materialism and self-efficacy on mall patronage intention reflect evolving Indian consumer behavior.