Sanjit Kumar Roy

Generic technology‐based service quality dimensions in banking: Impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the generic service quality dimensions of technology‐based banking and to examine the effect of these dimensions on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – The generic service quality dimensions are identified using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Next the reliability and validity of the factors and customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS 16.0 s/w. The related hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling using AMOS 16.0.Findings – The paper identifies four generic service quality dimensions in the technology‐based banking services – customer service, technology security and information quality, technology convenience, and technology usage easiness and reliability. It was found that customer service and technology usage easiness and reliability have positive and significant impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. It was also found t...

Service quality dimensions of hybrid services

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the dimensions of service quality in the case of hybrid services.Design/methodology/approach – The service quality dimensions are identified using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Next the reliability and validity of the factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS.Findings – The paper identifies nine service quality dimensions in the hybrid services – customer service, staff competence, reputation, price, tangibles, ease of subscription, technology security and information quality, technology convenience, and technology usage easiness and reliability.Practical implications – The various dimensions of service quality should be viewed as the levers of improving perceived service quality in the minds of its current customers. Identifying the service quality dimensions in hybrid contexts can offer service providers valuable insights regarding on which aspects of the service to focus in order to improve customer satisfaction, loyalty,...

The mediating impact of stickiness and loyalty on word-of-mouth promotion of retail websites: A consumer perspective

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to develop and empirically test a model which examines the relationship between e-servicescape dimensions, website quality dimensions, website stickiness, website loyalty and word-of-mouth (WOM). The role of WOM in influencing consumer behaviour is documented in literature. However, despite its growing importance, research on the antecedents of WOM in the e-retail context is sparse. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by circulating the questionnaire using an online survey from the graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a large university in the northeastern USA. Out of 660 questionnaires distributed, 509 were usable. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings – Results show that website stickiness and website loyalty are two different constructs which form the immediate antecedents of WOM. Results also show the indirect effects of e-servicescape and website quality dimensions on WOM. Practi...

Dimensional hierarchy of trustworthiness of financial service providers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify the underlying dimensions of trustworthiness of financial service providers in the Indian retail banking sector and to model trustworthiness as a set of second‐order factors. The study replicates and extends the work of Ennew and Sekhon in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approach – Using the trustworthiness scale developed by Ennew and Sekhon this study identifies six first‐order factors of trustworthiness for retail bankers in India using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Then the study modeled trustworthiness as a set of three second‐order factors using second‐order confirmatory factor analysis.Findings – The first‐order factors obtained for trustworthiness of retail bankers are customer orientation, integrity and honesty, communication and similarity, shared values, expertise, and ability and consistency. The second‐order confirmatory factor analysis resulted in three higher order factors namely, competency, openness and benevolence.P...

Value co-creation with Internet of things technology in the retail industry

ABSTRACT Internet of things (IoT) is a novel paradigm that aims to bridge the digital world with the real world. With the rapid advancements in Internet and communication technology, we are witnessing the dawn of a new era of the IoT in various industries. The retail industry is at the forefront in embracing the IoT, which is expected to change the way customers experience shopping. Drawing on the service-dominant logic, this study proposes that customer interaction with IoT retail technology results in value co-creation. Responses are collected from 289 users of IoT technology in the retail setting. Results of partial least square (PLS) structural equation modelling reveals that ease of use, superior functionality, aesthetic appeal and presence are key determinants of value co-creation for IoT retail technology. Results also show that value co-creation influences customers’ continuance intentions and word-of-mouth intentions. The findings of this study have key implications for retailers in delivering superior customer experience. The limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Internet entrepreneurship and “the sharing of information” in an Internet-of-Things context: The role of interactivity, stickiness, e-satisfaction and word-of-mouth in online SMEs’ websites

Purpose For entrepreneurs operating in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) environment, it is essential to monitor more systematically, both the interaction with the consumers and the sharing of information among the consumers. The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents of word-of-mouth (WOM) in the online SME’s context in terms of consumers “citing the site” to peers in personal communications. A research model integrates the determinants of retail website-specific positive WOM communication, and proposes that WOM about a particular website is influenced by: site-level variables, that is, website quality and interactivity; and consumer-level variables, these being the site user’s satisfaction with and commitment to the website. The research advances the study of IoT entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from graduate and undergraduate students with business and entrepreneurship majors from a reputed school in the Northeast region of the USA, using an online survey. The hypotheses were then tested with SEM using AMOS 18.0. Findings Findings suggest that in an IoT context, WOM is influenced by a variety of factors of which the e-satisfaction and attitude toward website constructs play important roles. The study highlights the importance of the e-satisfaction construct and its metrics. E-satisfaction is not only a critical outcome metric, but also a primary predictor of customer e-loyalty, measured in terms of the customer’s positive attitude, stickiness and propensity to spread positive WOM. Originality/value The paper contributes to the entrepreneurship and IoT literature with a comprehensive framework of information sharing, interactivity and WOM, showing that specific antecedents drive consumers to cite and advocate for a website to fellow customers. The framework helps retail SME entrepreneurs in the IoT context to design appropriate strategies to influence website visitors’ endorsement of the site to fellow customers.

Perceptions of fair treatment in financial services: Development, validation and application of a fairness measurement scale

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to derive, test and validate a comprehensive, inclusive measure of perceptions of fairness in consumers of financial services, as current attempts to measure fairness in a broad-based multi-dimensional manner are underdeveloped. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative approach where a large-scale sample of the perceptions of financial services consumers is taken in three periods. Subsequently, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are used to analyse the data. Findings – Fairness comprises three distinct but related elements, namely, procedural, interactional and distributive fairness, and further sub-dimensions are also apparent. The measurement scale exhibits a high degree of validity and reliability and represents a robust measure of fairness perceptions. Research limitations/implications – Previous conceptual suppositions as to the multi-dimensional nature of fairness are strongly supported. A comprehensive scale is provided for fellow researchers t...

Alternative Models of Trustworthiness of Service Providers

ABSTRACT The structure and dimensionality of the trustworthiness construct are important theoretical and practical issues. Building on the work of Ennew and Sekhon and based on a sample of 625 respondents, this research identifies a six-factor structure of trustworthiness of service providers in the retail banking sector: customer orientation, integrity and honesty, communication and similarity, shared values, expertise, and ability and consistency. After assessing the reliability and validity of this factor structure, the study also compares the five alternative models of trustworthiness. Results indicated that the trustworthiness model with the six first-order factors has the best model fit. Higher order confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify three second-order trustworthiness factors, which are competency, openness, and benevolence. The various dimensions of trustworthiness are viewable as levers of improving a banks trustworthiness in the minds of its current and potential customers.

Measuring customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE): an investment attractiveness perspective

Place branding has increasingly gained attention in last the two decades. However, there is a lack of measuring instrument for place branding effectiveness and subsequent place brand equity. This study develops a measurement instrument for customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE) for a place from the investment attractiveness perspective. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis were used which resulted in an 11-item CBPBE scale. The dimensions of the scale consist of brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. The study makes both theoretical and managerial contributions by offering a refined scale for the measurement of CBPBE which provides a tool for effective place branding activities and strategies.

Predicting Internet banking adoption in India: a perceived risk perspective

The emergence of Internet banking has transformed the banking systems across the globe. As a channel to market, Internet banking allows geographical constraints to be overcome by offering various products and services at lower customer costs. An understanding of the factors influencing customer adoption of Internet banking is both relevant and timely. This study integrates technology acceptance model and perceived risk theory in understanding Internet banking acceptance among Indian bank account holders. Specifically, this study categorizes perceived risk as external risk and internal risk, and examines its influence on customer beliefs and adoption of Internet banking. Using two-step predictive analytics of structural equation modeling and artificial neural network analysis, the 270 responses reveal that both external risk and internal risk inhibit customer acceptance of Internet banking. More importantly, neural network analysis reveals that perceived ease of use and external risk are two important factors determining how well Internet banking is accepted by customers. The implications of the study findings and future research directions are presented.