Sharifah Faridah Syed Alwi

Cognitive, affective attributes and conative, behavioural responses in retail corporate branding

Purpose – The main aim of the present study is to empirically test a model of antecedents and consequences of corporate brand image (CBI) in two book retailers, one selling exclusively online, and the other selling exclusively offline in a British context.Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a survey to investigate the relationships of the antecedents and consequences of the CBI. The sample (n=511) comprised experienced customers of these two bookstores (visitors and shoppers of the site or bookstore). The antecedents of CBI which were the functional aspects of brand attributes (such as ease of use, secured web site, interactivity/building relationship, customer care and reliability) were combined with the CBI itself (emotional aspects of the corporate brand or personality traits of the company) and, further, the consequences of these emotional aspects such as customer satisfaction and loyalty were tested using a cross‐sectional study.Findings – Using two separate structural equation models, t...

Online brand attributes and online corporate brand images

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine which brand attributes need to be emphasised/addressed by retailers in order to achieve a positive representation of the corporate brand images in an online setting. Using bookstores as the research context, the researchs main aim is to investigate the association between the functional brand evaluation (represented by brand attributes in this study) and emotional brand evaluation (represented by the corporate brand image). Specific research questions are: Are there any associations between the brand attributes and corporate brand image of an online e‐tailer?; What are the most important corporate brand attributes/drivers of online corporate brand image?Design/methodology/approach – Using the brand triangle framework developed by de Chernatony and Christodoulides, the current study investigates the associations between brand attributes and corporate brand image of an online e‐tailer.Findings – The findings show that factors such as ease of use, “personali...

Online corporate brand image, satisfaction and loyalty

The personification approach (eg customers view company name as a person) has been commonly used to understand corporate brand image. Studies in the past using this approach were conducted, however, in the ‘bricks and mortar’ environment. Since the virtual environment differs from that of bricks and mortar, particularly in the absence of buildings and people, recent literatures question whether existing measures are still applicable in this context. The present study thus uses this approach to understand the corporate brand image in a strictly online setting. The research enquiry seeks to address explicitly whether a company that exists only in a virtual environment could indeed be seen as a person. The research investigates the corporate brand image of a book retailer that sells exclusively online. The research is informed by 511 responses from experienced customers of the bookstore. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify the brand images. The findings show that while the ‘Informality’ dimension has been commonly found as a weak factor in an offline context in the past, it has been indicated as a strong dimension in the present research setting. Furthermore, the previous research has consistently shown that the corporate brand image in a bricks and mortar environment is more likely to relate to consumer behaviour (loyalty) via consumer satisfaction. Interestingly, the present research discovers that corporate brand image can also have a direct positive relationship with consumer loyalty. The implications to brand image are discussed.

Segmentation and brand positioning for Islamic financial services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the different segments of consumers in the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI) and their relationship with product/brand positioning for Islamic financial services (IFS).Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews were conducted with individuals in managerial positions among the key market players in the IFSI to explore the segmentation of consumers and their buying motives.Findings – Four segments of IFS consumers emerged, namely, Religious conviction group; Religious conviction and economic rationality group; Ethical observant group; and Economic rationality group. These segmentation groups were appropriately categorized through a psychographic (value)‐based approach.Research limitations/implications – The empirical findings of this study pave the way for embarking on promising and relevant future research, which is needed to substantiate and enrich the academic understanding and managerial practice of linking market segmentation and brand p...

The link between offline brand attributes and corporate brand image in bookstores

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look into the relationship between the physical aspect of a retail store, product‐related attributes, personal interaction with customers and perceived reliability and corporate brand image in an offline or bricks and mortar context.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on 511 interviews conducted in various bookstores and uses structural equation modelling as a statistical tool for concluding the above.Findings – The paper argues that physical aspect of a retail store, product‐related attributes and personal interaction with customers will have a significant and positive direct effect on the offline corporate brand image whilst there was no significant connection between reliability and corporate brand image.Research limitations/implications – The research has been conducted in one organisation, albeit a number of bookstores were scrutinized.Practical Implications – The papers managerial contribution lies in its lessons for practitioners who want to u...

A framework to attain brand promise in an online setting

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how price and other service brand attributes (such as website attractiveness, efficiency, privacy, fulfilment) determine e‐brand promise/reputation and the e‐loyalty of shoppers in an online setting.Design/methodology/approach – Using the convenience sampling method, a survey research was carried out during a two‐day airline exhibition among experienced respondents who had purchased online tickets in the past. To identify what determines online brand reputation and its effect on e‐loyalty, structural equation modelling using the two‐step approach was performed.Findings – Fulfilment and competitive price offers have the most significant impact on e‐loyalty, with a full mediation impact (via online brand reputation), whilst website attractiveness has a partial impact. These simultaneously confirm the role of e‐brand reputation as a mediator construct and its antecedents and its relationship with e‐loyalty.Research limitations/implications – The mediation impact furth...

Branding in the Asian context: a Malaysian perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a compendium of small research studies that have been conducted in Malaysia. Issues of branding and its related constructs have gained widespread recognition amongst practitioners and academics in this country.Design/methodology/approach – Inter alia, this paper examines six facets of branding across different industries and contexts. The first study examines issues of branding in the Islamic financial services. The second paper investigates airline brand reputation. The third paper explores employer branding in the context of hotels. The fourth study explicates online brand personality in the banking sector. The fifth project evaluates the aspect of brand loyalty in the telecommunication industry and the final paper unfolds the industrial brand loyalty and ethical brand.Findings – The paper highlights six findings across six different industries in Malaysia.Originality/value – The paper gives a Malaysian perspective on branding in Asia.

Explicating industrial brand equity: Integrating brand trust, brand performance and industrial brand image

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore brand equity from multiple perspectives (tangible and intangible) and their joint consequences, namely, on industrial buyers’ brand loyalty and their long-term commitment. The aim is to provide a more comprehensive framework of the buyer’s behavioral response in the business-to-business context by integrating both trust elements and industrial brand attributes (brand performance and industrial brand image). In addition, the study explores the mediation effects of trust and brand attributes on industrial buyers’ responses such as loyalty and long-term commitment. Design/methodology/approach – Using a survey approach, the study includes respondents working in the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry in Malaysia, and data are collected in the industrial air-conditioning segment. The research model was tested with SEM. Findings – Findings show that brand performance and industrial brand image directly affect brand trust but with different ...

Managing Volunteering Behaviour: The Drivers of Donations Practices in Religious and Secular Organisations

The present research deals with donations practices and the extent to which drivers of donations practices contribute to volunteering behavior. The paper aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between volunteerism and key drivers in donating behavior and donations practices, thus allowing charities to pursue more efficient ways in which to elicit volunteer work as well as better manage fundraising practices. It is argued that gender, age, religious affiliation, compassion, altruism, egoism, and religiosity impact on the level of volunteerism of the donor.A sample of 612 Portuguese donors was selected from within a population of donors that donate regularly to charitable institutions. The key findings of the current study are grounded on the idea of interaction between the volunteering behavior of a donor and both his level of religiosity and his religious affiliation. With regard to other drivers of donations practices, it was found that both altruism and compassion are positively correlated with donor volunteerism.

Guest Editors’ Introduction: The State of the Art on Corporate Reputation: A Special Section

Abstract This article provides an overview of our special issue on corporate reputation. Our aim is to present state-of-the-art research in the management and organization context that focuses on the corporate reputation of organizations. We propose that researchers must adopt a more branding-oriented mindset and emphasize more systematically the corporate reputation concept as part of the broader organization management efforts. The special issue contains five articles from renowned scholars and it is hoped that these articles will encourage further debate in this interesting research field of corporate reputation. We thank International Studies of Management & Organization for providing us with this platform.