Scott Keith W Weaven

E‐retailing by banks: e‐service quality and its importance to customer satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the measurement of e‐service quality for e‐retail banking, the importance of e‐service quality dimensions to e‐retail bank customers, and the relationship between e‐service quality and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – Results are drawn from a self‐completed survey of a convenience sample of 200 Australian respondents who regularly use online banking facilities. Factor analysis and regression analysis are used to ascertain factor structure and determine the impact of e‐service quality dimensions on satisfaction.Findings – A four‐factor solution (E‐ServQual) represented by “personal needs”, “site organisation”, “user‐friendliness” and “efficiency” is found, with all factors rated as important. E‐ServQual is found to be a predictor of overall customer satisfaction with banking performance, but “efficiency” is not found to be predictive. Overall satisfaction is lower than overall e‐service quality.Research limitations/implications – The Aust...

Can banks improve customer relationships with high quality online services

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of online service quality on the level of customer delight and on the development of customer relationships.Design/methodology/approach – A self‐complete survey was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 200 Australian respondents who use online banking. Factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the proposed model of relationships.Findings – Online service quality has no impact on customer delight, e‐trust or the development of stronger relationships with customers. It does have a relationship to e‐loyalty. However, the “efficiency” dimension of online service quality is related to e‐trust and also indirectly to relationship strength through e‐trust. The “personal need” and “site organization” dimensions of online service quality are related to e‐loyalty, with “personal needs” exhibiting the strongest impact. Customer delight has no relationship to online service quality, nor e‐trust, relationship strength...

Multicultural influences on group learning: a qualitative higher education study

Although the literature examining the usefulness of group projects is extensive, the link between cooperative learning, group performance and skills transfer in multicultural contexts remains unclear. Focus groups were conducted with a sample of 107 international and domestic postgraduate and undergraduate marketing students to investigate this link. Results confirm that group work facilitates the development of interpersonal skills, cross‐cultural collaboration and higher‐level learning. While there is the promise of transfer of learning to other situations, group learning effectiveness appears conditional on instructors preparing, coaching and debriefing students as to the expected benefits associated with participation in group projects throughout the semester. In addition, limited differences were observed between how international and domestic students responded to group activities, although this may (in part) be due to subtle differences in preconceived attitudes to group learning activities from the outset.

Franchisee personality: An examination in the context of franchise unit density and service classification

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make the first attempt to examine franchisee personality within the context of alternative franchisee ownership structures (single unit versus multiple unit ownership) and service type (standardised versus customised). Design/methodology/approach – A self‐report mail survey was used in the paper to collect data from a random sample of 363 franchisees drawn from 83 franchise groups. Personality was represented by the Big‐Five personality traits (IPIP‐B5 scales), two dimensions of Empathy (IRI scales of empathic perspective taking and empathic concern) and Emotional Intelligence (EIS). Two separate between‐subjects MANOVAs were conducted for each of the independent variables. Findings – Significant differences were found between franchisee ownership groups on four personality measures (conscientiousness, emotional stability, empathic perspective taking and emotional intelligence) and service type groups on two measures (extraversion and empathic perspective taking). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed. Research limitation/implications – Future research should investigate the personality of franchisors and different types of franchisees within the context of organisational outcomes such as franchisee performance, commitment, organisational learning and intention to remain and grow within the network (within different international settings). Originality/value – This paper supplements the channels literature by using standard personality measures to differentiate franchisees that are likely to engage in different behaviours within franchise systems.

Investment incentives for single and multiple unit franchisees

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the motivational incentives driving franchising choice from the franchisees perspective and, in particular, to investigate a comparison of single and multiple unit franchisee incentives.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was adopted to gain a clearer picture of the salient issues influencing an individuals evaluation of franchising options. Both single and multiple unit franchisees within the McDonalds restaurant chain were interviewed.Findings – Major contrasts were identified between single and multiple unit franchisees with regard to their motivations for entering franchising. In addition, franchisees who were previously employed were found to be different from those who were self‐employed.Research limitations/implications – Because it is difficult to identify potential multiple unit franchisees prior to joining a franchise, it was necessary to interview existing franchisees for this research. It is possible that the...

Predicting Multiple Unit Franchising: A Franchisor and Franchisee Perspective

Abstract This paper examines the current status of multiple unit franchising in Australia. A review of previous research in the United States highlights some characteristics that may be unique to the Australian setting such as the age and size of franchise systems, the “hands on” involvement and experience of existing franchisees, monitoring cost effects, the use of franchisor performance evaluation and reward techniques, and the governance structure of franchise systems. Consideration has been given to both academic and trade literature in developing a set of propositions that predict the likely adoption of multiple unit franchising strategies within the Australian context. These propositions explain multiple unit franchising in terms of the franchisor (growth, firm characteristics, contiguity, strategy, agency cost effects and corporate structure), the franchisee (experience and involvement at the store level), and the franchisor/franchisee relationship (intrafirm conflict). Both the model and propositions will be empirically tested in the near future.

Influence of personality traits on perceived relationship quality within a franchisee‐franchisor context

Purpose – This is the first attempt to examine the theoretical and empirical linkages between franchisee personality traits and franchisee‐franchisor relationship quality.Design/methodology/approach – A self‐report online survey was used in this research to collect data from a random sample of 225 franchisees drawn across 80 franchise systems. Personality was represented by the Big Five personality traits (IPIP‐B5 scales) and relationship quality was conceptualized as a 23‐item second‐order construct (incorporating trust, commitment and relationship satisfaction). Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships.Findings – Four of the five personality dimensions had the predicted effect on the outcome variable of relationship quality. Dimensions of “agreeableness”, “conscientiousness”, “emotional stability” had a positive effect on relationship quality, while “extraversion” had a negative effect on the dependent variable. Implications of these results are discussed.Research limitations/...

New perspectives on the causes of franchising conflict in Australia

Purpose – Although Australian franchising sector regulation promotes system disclosure and provides for mandatory conflict mediation, there is some concern that inequities exist within the conflict management process. From 2006 to 2008 no less than four government inquiries into franchising took place in Australia in an attempt to resolve problems occurring in the sector. A major issue was that of the perceived imbalance of power in the franchisor‐franchisee relationship, which often results in conflict between the two parties. The purpose of this paper is to extend the conflict literature in dyadic exchange relationships through investigating the causes of conflict from the franchisor and franchisee perspectives.Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory research is undertaken to identify the major causes of franchising conflict. Face‐to‐face interviews are conducted with 24 franchising experts, such as lawyers and mediators, to draw upon their considerable experience in the sector.Findings – The key find...

Factors influencing governance choice and human resource management within services franchising networks

This research provides a better understanding of the factors driving the choice of governance structures and human resource management (HRM) practices within services franchising arrangements. A qualitative multiple case study approach was favoured so as to obtain a clearer picture of the main issues and parameters. Nineteen franchisors using predominantly pure franchising, predominantly pure company-owned, plural, and predominantly multiple unit growth strategies were interviewed. Major contrasts have been identified, suggesting that system size, industry maturity and the nature of market demand impacts upon the choice of system governance structure. Generally, less mature and smaller networks rely upon predominantly single unit franchising strategies and less sophisticated HRM practices to foster local market innovation, build brand value and support rapid unit growth, while predominantly company owned strategies are favoured in environments of low competition and minimal demand uncertainty. In comparison, more mature systems use hybridised franchising forms and sophisticated HRM strategies to accommodate the competing demands of local market innovation, systemwide adaptation and system uniformity.

Value creation through knowledge management in franchising: a multi-level conceptual framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative systems model of knowledge management (KM) across the franchisor-franchisee-customer triad. The conceptual development of this paper focuses on the areas of knowledge development, knowledge transfer and knowledge use within the context of dyadic monitoring, and key relational outcomes (partner congruence, relationship quality, perceived conflict, opportunism), and performance results (franchisor, franchisee and customer welfare). Design/methodology/approach – This paper critically reviews the relevant literatures in order to address three conceptual goals exemplified by the following research questions. How does knowledge development and organizational learning effectively facilitate knowledge transfer and knowledge usage in franchise systems? What role does monitoring play in the relationship between the knowledge management processes and the welfare of franchisors and franchisees? How does the process of knowledge management (development, ...