Mark M.H. Goode

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.

Measuring customer satisfaction in the fast food industry: a cross‐national approach

In todays ever‐increasing globalization of services and brands, service‐oriented businesses need to attend to the satisfaction of their customers both domestically and abroad while transcending unique cultural differences from country to country. This study provides a cross‐cultural comparison of service satisfaction of fast food establishments in four English‐speaking countries. It is based on data collected from customers of five globally‐franchised fast‐food chains, using a previously developed service satisfaction instrument. The study reveals two empirically derived, cross‐cultural fast‐food customer satisfaction dimensions: satisfaction with the personal service and satisfaction with the service setting. Should future research support this studys findings, the measurement of cross‐cultural service satisfaction among franchised brands and services could aid business managers’ efforts to assess the quality of the services they provide across national boundaries and on a more real time, practical basis.

Measuring transaction-specific satisfaction in services: are the measures transferable across cultures?

Purpose – This study examines the equivalence of the use of a customer satisfaction survey in four culturally divergent contexts.Design/methodology/approach – It is based on 6,776 responses collected from fast food customers in Greece, Jamaica, the UK and the USA.Findings – The results reveal that the similarities in the measurement of satisfaction in these contexts are more than the differences, and suggest that the development of measures to examine and compare consumer satisfaction across cultures and languages is, indeed, feasible.Research limitations/implications – The data reveal considerable promise that rather simple, cross‐cultural measures can be identified and used to gain valuable insight about the viability of business products and services. This implies that researchers might be able to use the same instruments for measurement in different contexts. However, additional research is necessary to firmly support the suitability of the consumer‐related measures across cultures that were the focus...

The effects of free banking on overall satisfaction: the use of automated teller machines

At present banks and building societies cross‐subsidize certain types of accounts, namely student accounts, from profits made in other areas of their business. The banks and building societies offer free or subsidized banking in an attempt to attract and retain new business from people who may have higher earning capacity in the future. Most banks in the UK offer a free £400 overdraft and lower interest rates/charges on loans (7 per cent against 18.9 per cent) services and overdrafts over this level to students. Tests a hypothesized model which is designed to measure the effects of free banking on perceived overall satisfaction attached to the use of automated teller machines (ATMs) for bank services. Overall, a number of important differences were found between students and “normal” customers with regard to confidence, charges and frequency of use.

Structural equation modelling of overall satisfaction and full use of services for ATMs

Tests an hypothesized model which measures the overall satisfaction gained from, and the full spectrum of services attached to, the use of automated teller machines (ATMs). Sees overall satisfaction as the end result of a combined number of antecedents. Uses a LISREL model to test the structural effects of a number of exogenous variables (i.e. expectations and perceived risk) on a number of latent variables (desires congruency, self‐congruity, perceptions of relative influence and behavioural intentions) to a number of endogenous variables (satisfaction, recommendations to others, full use of services and the frequency of use). Overall, establishes a number of important structural links within the model which suggest that if banks wish to increase customers’ overall satisfaction and the usage of available services they must target factors which directly affect customers’ expectations and perceived risk.

Servicescape matters – or does it? The special case of betting shops

Purpose – The concept of servicescape and its effect on consumer behaviour has been studied extensively in numerous areas of retailing. However, the role of servicescape in non‐traditional service settings has received comparatively little attention. The aim of this paper is to fill in some of this research gap by testing the effects of servicescape (ambience, layout and functionality) on consumer behaviour within UK betting shops, as part of the wider UK gambling industry.Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve this objective an exploratory research methodology was chosen. Firstly, three betting shops in the same metropolitan area were chosen as the base for interviews with managers and structured observations. This was complemented by fifty semi‐structured customer interviews from the same three betting shops. The use of these different methods allowed triangulation and validation of the results.Findings – The key finding of this paper are that customers in betting shops appear to be unaffecte...

Intra-functional conflict: an investigation of antecedent factors in marketing functions

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to contribute empirical evaluation of the factors, behaviours and processes that lead to intra‐functional conflict, and in so doing to contribute to theory building on these issues, which have important contemporary relevance for theorists and practitioners.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 1,000 firms was conducted to elucidate the associations between both functional and dysfunctional intra‐functional conflict and a number of intra‐ and extra‐organisational variables.Findings – Evidence was found indicating that participative decision making (positively), heterogeneity and centrality of marketing (both negatively) are linked to functional intra‐departmental conflict, while leadership quality of senior staff, team spirit and risk‐taking proclivity are positively associated with functional intradepartmental conflict and negatively with dysfunctional intra‐departmental conflict. No support was found for the claims that departmentalisation and organisation si...

Perceived price fairness and price decay in the DVD market

Purpose – This study aims to examine perceived price fairness, actual pricing and price decay in a short‐life cycle market; namely DVD films.Design/methodology/approach – The prices of six UK retailers for a range of films released over the last 18 months were examined and compared with the perceived perception of fair price of a questionnaire sample of over 500 UK adults.Findings – Consumers perceive a DVD to lose value of more than 50 per cent in the first year, but this price decay is not reflected in the actual pricing of the DVDs. Prices for newer DVDs are relatively consistent between retailers of the same channel type, but there are large price differentials for older and/or more specialised items.Research limitations/implications – This study is exploratory in nature, and a larger scale study of the phenomenon of price decay of digital short‐life cycle products such as DVDs is desirable.Practical implications – The findings suggest that there is a considerable gap between actual prices and perceiv...

The Bluetooth Enigma: Practicalities Impair Potential: Awareness is High. Can Usage Be Higher?

ABSTRACT This article analyzes young peoples attitudes toward Bluetooth Proximity Marketing, their intention to use it, and the barriers that deter consumers from using this technology. Awareness and knowledge of this technology are very high; key barriers to use appear to be that Bluetooth uses up battery power too quickly and that consumers distrust the technology owing to privacy concerns. Positive attitude, which includes peer influence and fun/excitement, also is an important factor governing the future intention to use the technology. Significant gender differences in adaptation and intention also were discovered. Managerial implications and suggestions for further research are discussed at the end of this study.

Modelling Satisfaction with Automated Banking Channels

Abstract The aim of this paper is to apply a new technique, i.e., Variable Precision Rough Set Theory (VPRS) to explaining consumer satisfaction with automated banking channels. VPRS is a new development on the original Rough Set Theory (RST) (for a discussion of RST see Slowinski et al. (1997) or Dimitras et al. (1999), for a discussion of VPRS see Ziarko, 1993a or 1993b), that not only estimates deterministic rules like RST (If … then …) but also probabilistic rules as well. The major advantage of these rules is that marketing managers can easily understand them, and this allows these managers to focus limited resources on meeting or exceeding the needs of particular consumers. A fairly simple model is used in this paper to illustrate the use of VPRS, which links overall satisfaction from ATMs to nine exogenous variables.This paper is divided into five parts, the first of which is a brief introduction to the technique of Rough Set Theory. The second describes developments in RST, VPRS and the literature on customer satisfaction. The third section describes the methodology and data collection. The fourth section analyses the empirical results derived from applying the VPRS model. Finally the last section discusses the results and managerial implications of the results obtained from this study and its implications for marketing management. To date VPRS has only been applied to a very small number of business research environments (see Beynon et al. (2001) or Beynon and Peel (2002)).