Malliga Marimuthu

Perceived justice in service recovery and switching intention: Evidence from Malaysian mobile telecommunication industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justices on switching intentions.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered on distributive, procedural, interpersonal, informational justices and switching intentions by means of a survey from prepaid mobile subscribers in Malaysia.Findings – The results show that the effects of procedural justices on switching intentions were stronger than distributive and informational justices. However, the results did not indicate a significant relationship between interpersonal justice and switching intentions.Research limitations/implications – The paper examines only one service context; consequently, the results cannot be generalized for other services in the industry.Practical implications – The results of this study are useful for Malaysian marketing practitioners in the overly saturated and highly competitive mobile telecommunication industry.Originality/value – Unlike prev...

The impact of firm reputation on customers’ responses to service failure: the role of failure attributions

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the influence firm reputation on behavioral intentions and to examine the moderating role of failure attributions in the relationship between firm reputation and behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approach – The sample used in this study consists of 127 airline passengers in an airport in Iran. The data were collected via a structured survey.Findings – Based on the findings firm reputation has a significant and positive relationship with behavioral intention. Additionally, hierarchical regression analyses confirmed the moderating role of failure attributions in the relationship between firm reputation and behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implications – This study examines only one service context; consequently, the results cannot be generalized to other service industries.Practical implications – By understanding the important role of firm reputation, service organizations understand that carefully building and maintaining reputation is para...

Readiness to Adopt E-Business Among SMEs in Malaysia: Antecedents and Consequence

The adoption of the Internet as a business strategy tool is becoming an important way for firms to expand their business through innovative strategies. This study provides an insight concerning the factors that influence the adoption of the Internet to support business activities, also known as e-business among SMEs in Malaysia. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between e-business adoption and the business performance of the SMEs. Using a structured survey questionnaire, a usable response was received and statistically analyzed from 177 SMEs that currently use e-business. The research found that organizational characteristics, technology characteristics and environmental characteristics influence e-business adoption and that the adoption of e-business has a direct influence on the business performance of the SMEs. The findings of this study can aid and encourage the SMEs in developing countries to build a competitive advantage by using the Internet in their business strategy practices.

Relationships of perceived justice to service recovery, service failure attributions, recovery satisfaction, and loyalty in the context of airline travelers.

This study examines the relationships between perceived justice with service recovery (distributive, procedural, interactional, and informational), failure attributions (stability and controllability), recovery satisfaction, and loyalty. We collected data on perceived justice, failure attribution, recovery satisfaction, and customer loyalty through a survey of 263 airline passengers in Malaysia who experienced a service failure and subsequently a service recovery within the past year. The results reveal a significant relationship between perceived justice and recovery satisfaction in terms of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Recovery satisfaction had a significant effect on customer loyalty. The inclusion of failure attributions of stability and controllability as moderators indicates that both stability and controllability moderated the relationship between perceived justice and recovery satisfaction in terms of procedural, interactional, and informational justice, implying that the lower the stability and controllability of service failure, the stronger the positive relationship between procedural and informational justice and recovery satisfaction. These results have important implications for marketing theory and management.

Influence of perceived service fairness on relationship quality and switching intention: an empirical study of restaurant experiences

Restaurants and dining out are an important part of the tourism industry and are a major business in their own right. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived service fairness, relationship quality, and switching intention in fine dining restaurants. Data were collected through a convenience sampling method from 164 customers from only fine dining restaurants in the northern region of West Malaysia (Kedah, Perak, Penang, and Perlis States). Unlike all previous studies which have focused exclusively on the role of justice in service failure and recovery, this study considers all-inclusive service delivery contexts. The results of this study showed that all the dimensions of perceived service fairness have a significant relationship with switching intention. In addition, perceived service fairness has a positive relationship with trust in all dimensions except for outcome fairness. Moreover, the results found that among the perceived service fairness dimensions, only procedural fairness and interactional fairness had a positive relationship with commitment and price fairness; outcome fairness was not related to commitment. Finally, the results confirmed the negative and significant relationship between relationship quality (trust and commitment) on switching intention. Managerial implications of these findings are briefly discussed.

Why do satisfied customers defect? A closer look at the simultaneous effects of switching barriers and inducements on customer loyalty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to go beyond satisfaction as an indicator of customer loyalty and propose a holistic model of service switching in a mobile internet setting. The model, which reflects both barriers and inducements of switching, is developed based on the “mooring” and “pull” concepts in the migration literature. Design/methodology/approach Focusing on Generation Y mobile internet subscribers, the study analyzed a total of 417 usable questionnaire responses. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research model. Findings The results show that first, satisfaction and switching barriers (i.e. a focal firm’s marketing innovation initiatives, switching costs, inertia, and local network effects) are positively related to customer loyalty; second, switching barriers have a stronger influence on customer loyalty compared with satisfaction; third, switching inducements (i.e. competitors’ marketing innovation initiatives, alternative attractiveness, variety-seeking tendencies, and consumers’ susceptibility to social reference group influence) is negatively related to customer loyalty and the relationship is weaker when perceived switching barriers are high. Originality/value This study empirically validates multidimensional scales of switching barriers and inducements from a more nuanced perspective, and specifies them as reflective-formative type II models. This study is among the first to use opposing dimensions to measure switching barriers and its counterpart. Hence, it illustrates how the two contrasting mechanisms can coexist in the minds of mobile internet subscribers.

Effects of Stability and Controllability Attribution on Service Recovery Evaluation in the Context of the Airline Industry

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationships between service recovery, stability and controllability attribution, recovery satisfaction, and customer loyalty. We collected data on service recovery, failure attribution, recovery satisfaction, and customer loyalty through a survey of airline passengers in Malaysia. The results indicate significant positive relationships between service recovery dimensions and recovery satisfaction, and between recovery satisfaction and customer loyalty. Both stability and controllability were negatively related to recovery satisfaction. The results provide support for the moderating effects of service failure attribution (stability and controllability) in the recovery process dimension. By recognizing the important role of stability and controllability attribution and its negative effects, service management should become highly involved in facilitating appropriate service recovery to satisfy customers after a failure. The results have important implications and suggest some interesting avenues for future research.

The relationship of service failure attributions, service recovery justice and recovery satisfaction in the context of airlines.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of failure attributions (stability and controllability) and service recovery justice (i.e. distributive justice, interactional justice, and procedural justice) to recovery satisfaction and the moderating relationship of service recovery justice on the link between failure attributions and recovery satisfaction in the context of airline. Data were gathered by means of a survey from airline passengers who experienced a service failure and subsequently a service recovery within the past year. The findings of this study suggest that stability and controllability have a negative relationship with recovery satisfaction. The results also indicate that distributive and procedural justices have a positive relationship with recovery satisfaction. Additionally, the results found that among service recovery justice dimensions, only distributive and procedural justice moderate the relationship between stability and recovery satisfaction. Moreover, only procedural satisfaction moderates the relationship between controllability and recovery satisfaction. Managerial implications of these findings are briefly discussed.

Corporate Social Responsibility to Reflect Organization’s Corporate Identity: A Content Analysis

The authors propose corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a useful element in reflecting an organization’s corporate identity (CI) to its target audiences. The inclusion of CSR highlights organization’s role as a ‘good’ citizen in society and is the basis for any beneficial exchanges between the parties. Content analyses on CSR of 10 top ranked Malaysian companies supported this proposition.

SMEs Performance: Leveraging Marketing Process Through E-Business

The importance of the Internet in supporting business applications and attaining competitive advantage through the electronic business e-business process is widely acknowledged. However, many SMEs have been slow in adopting the Internet and even those SMEs that have adopted the technology have not fully utilized it to support their business applications. The reason behind this scenario could be the lack of awareness concerning the necessity and possibility of adopting e-business for specific functions along the value chain. Thus, the aims of this study are to investigate the extent of Internet marketing practices to support business applications among SMEs in Malaysia as well as the outcome of Internet marketing implementations on the business performance of SMEs. The results indicate that the usage of Internet varies across the marketing practices and is likely to influence business performance.