Norjaya Mohd Yasin

Does image of country‐of‐origin matter to brand equity?

– The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of brands country‐of‐origin image on the formation of brand equity., – To accomplish this, the brand equity of household electrical appliances, particularly televisions, refrigerators and air‐conditioners, in the Malaysian market is examined. A conceptual framework in which brands country‐of‐origin image is postulated to influence the dimensions of brand equity, which is made up of brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand associations. These dimensions, in turn, influence brand equity. Data were collected from consumers of household electrical appliances using probability sampling., – Factor analysis conducted on brand equity dimensions, produced three factors namely, brand distinctiveness, brand loyalty, and brand awareness/associations. The regression analysis results show that brands country‐of‐origin image positively and significantly influences dimensions of brand equity. The results also show that brands country‐of‐origin image influences brand equity, either directly or indirectly, through the mediating effects of brand distinctiveness, brand loyalty and brand awareness/associations., – The study investigates brand equity of durable goods of three product categories namely television, refrigerator and air‐conditioner. It only considers brands country‐of‐origin image as one of the sources of brand equity. The conceptual framework does not take into consideration factors that moderate the influence of antecedent of brand equity on brand equity., – Producers of household electrical appliances should put greater emphasis in creating brand loyalty for their products. The good image of brands original country should be highlighted in order to enhance the overall image of the brand. Favorable country image can also be capitalized in brand‐naming strategy., – This is paper important in identifying the sources of brand equity.

What factors influence online brand trust: evidence from online tickets buyers in Malaysia

This study examines online brand trust and its influencing factors in the specific context of online air ticket buyers in Malaysia. Summarizing academic literature on online brand trust drivers, it was found that there is a need to conduct research on online brand trust. Accordingly our hypotheses is that word-of-mouth, online experience, security/privacy, perceived risk, brand reputation and quality information have significant influence on online brand trust. Our hypothesis is being tested in terms of mentioned variables, on online airline ticket buyers in Malaysia. Using survey methodology, data was collected from 289 online air ticket buyers through questionnaire; validity and reliability tests and causality analysis (multiple regression analysis) had been conducted. According to the findings of the study, security/privacy, word-of-mouth, online experience, quality information and brand reputation appear to have a significant and positive relationship with online brand trust. The results are compared with earlier findings and limitation and further research are discussed. This study provides insightful understanding of consumers online brand trust.

The influence of market orientation on marketing competency and the effect of internet‐marketing integration

The Internet technology has been recognised as a key business resource and is increasingly being used and integrated into firm’s marketing activities. This study explored the relationship between market orientation and marketing competency and investigated the role of the Internet marketing integration in the market orientation‐marketing competency linkage. From an analysis of a survey data from 47 manufacturing firms involved in exporting and 33 travel agencies, four dimensions – Providing Customer Value, Competitor Orientation, Management Commitment and Customer Retention were extracted from factor analysis result of market orientation. However, this study found that Competitor Orientation and Management Commitment influenced marketing competency of the firm. Compared to the previous study, the integration of the Internet marketing did not seem to moderate the influence of market orientation on marketing competency. In addition, the Internet‐oriented profiles of the Malaysian exporters and travel agencies were constructed using characteristics in terms of its size, age in operations, the importance of different regional market to the firm, level of market orientation, and market area responded, which can be used for future research.

Determining the Key Factors of Customer–Brand Relationship Investment Dimensions: Insights From Malaysian Mobile Phone Users

This study aims to empirically test a scale to measure the dimensions of relationship investment. An exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted on a sample of 150 mobile phone customers, whereas a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on a sample of 539 customers. The results identified 2 dimensions each for customer and brand investment and validated the measurement items for each dimension. Thus, this study offers a sound scale for potential use in future studies and a useful tool for companies to use to diagnose and plan for an effective engagement strategy.