• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.145-176
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• 2010

In most service organization, salespeople are the most visible representatives of the company. Salespeople are exposed to greater ethical pressures than individuals in many other jobs. In this context, the salesperson's ethical behaviour can play a critical role in the formation and maintenance of long-term buyer-seller relationships. Moreover, it can even generate liability problems for salespeople's organizations through both intentional and inadvertent statements. The purpose of this research focuses on the analysis of the role of ethical sales behaviour, as perceived by customer, in developing and maintaining relationship between the salesperson and the customer. Thus this study examines the relationship among perceived ethical sales behaviour, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and customer loyalty. The results of empirical analysis can be summarized by the following: First, perceived ethical sales behaviour had a significant direct effect on customer satisfaction, customer trust and customer loyalty. Second, customer satisfaction had a positive effect customer trust and customer loyalty. Third, perceived ethical sales behaviour had a significant indirect effect on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction and customer trust. Therefore, These finding will spawn both academic and practitioner interest in the salesperson's ethical sales behaviour and serve as a foundation for further research in this important area.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2010

Previous studies have shown that the most important factor affecting customer loyalty in the service industry is service quality. However, on the subject of whether service quality has a direct or indirect effect on customer loyalty, scholars' views apparently vary. Some studies suggest that service quality has a direct and fundamental influence on customer loyalty (Bai and Liu, 2002). However, others have shown that service quality not only directly affects customer loyalty, it also has an indirect impact on customer loyalty by influencing customer satisfaction and perceived value (Cronin, Brady, and Hult, 2000). Currently, there are few domestic articles that specifically address the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in the mobile communication industry. Moreover, research has studied customer loyalty as a whole variable, rather than breaking it down further into multiple dimensions. Based on this analysis, this paper summarizes previous study results, establishes an effect mechanism model among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the mobile communication industry, and presents a statistical test on model assumptions by using customer investigation data from Heilongjiang Mobile Company. It provides theoretical guidance for mobile service management based on the discussion of the hypothesis test results. For data collection, the sample comprised mobile users in Harbin city, and the survey was taken by random sampling. Out of a total of 300 questionnaires, 276 (92.9%) were recovered. After excluding invalid questionnaires, 249 remained, for an effective rate of 82.6 percent for the study. Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficient was adapted to assess the scale reliability, and validity testing was conducted on the questionnaire from three aspects: content validity, construct validity. and convergent validity. The study tested for goodness of fit mainly from the absolute and relative fit indexes. From the hypothesis testing results, overall, four assumptions have not been supported. The ultimate affective relationship of service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty is demonstrated in Figure 2. On the whole, the service quality of the communication industry not only has a direct positive significant effect on customer loyalty, it also has an indirect positive significant effect on customer loyalty through service quality; the affective mechanism and extent of customer loyalty are different, and are influenced by each dimension of service quality. This study used the questionnaires of existing literature from home and abroad and tested them in empirical research, with all questions adapted to seven-point Likert scales. With the SERVQUAL scale of Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988), or PZB, as a reference point, service quality was divided into five dimensions-tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy-and the questions were simplified down to nineteen. The measurement of customer satisfaction was based mainly on Fornell (1992) and Wang and Han (2003), ending up with four questions. Based on the study’s three indicators of price tolerance, first choice, and complaint reaction were used to measure attitudinal loyalty, while repurchase intention, recommendation, and reputation measured behavioral loyalty. The collection and collation of literature data produced a model of the relationship among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in mobile communications, and China Mobile in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province was used for conducting an empirical test of the model and obtaining some useful conclusions. First, service quality in mobile communication is formed by the five factors mentioned earlier: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. On the basis of PZB SERVQUAL, the study designed a measurement scale of service quality for the mobile communications industry, and obtained these five factors through exploratory factor analysis. The factors fit basically with the five elements, indicating the concept of five elements of service quality for the mobile communications industry. Second, service quality in mobile communications has both direct and indirect positive effects on attitudinal loyalty, with the indirect effect being produced through the intermediary variable, customer satisfaction. There are also both direct and indirect positive effects on behavioral loyalty, with the indirect effect produced through two intermediary variables: customer satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty. This shows that better service quality and higher customer satisfaction will activate the attitudinal to service providers more active and show loyalty to service providers much easier. In addition, the effect mechanism of all dimensions of service quality on all dimensions of customer loyalty is different. Third, customer satisfaction plays a significant intermediary role among service quality and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, indicating that improving service quality can boost customer satisfaction and make it easier for satisfied customers to become loyal customers. Moreover, attitudinal loyalty plays a significant intermediary role between service quality and behavioral loyalty, indicating that only attitudinally and behaviorally loyal customers are truly loyal customers. The research conclusions have some indications for Chinese telecom operators and others to upgrade their service quality. Two limitations to the study are also mentioned. First, all data were collected in the Heilongjiang area, so there might be a common method bias that skews the results. Second, the discussion addresses the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty, setting customer satisfaction as mediator, but does not consider other factors, like customer value and consumer features, This research will be continued in the future.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.73-84
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• 2015

Purpose - Various social issues have arisen since the beginning of the 21st century therefore, enterprises that disregarded social issues have become unsustainable, and social enterprises have appeared to address these issues. A social enterprise is a social mission-focused organization that uses a market-based strategy and has a vulnerable business structure. To be self-sustainable, a social enterprise should make consumers aware of the value that it provides and secure its profitability through consumer consumption. From this perspective, this study investigates the relationship between perceived value (utilitarian and hedonic) and loyalty, and examines how memory and attitudes play mediating roles between perceived value and loyalty. For these purposes, the author developed a structural model consisting of several variables. In this model, perceived value, which was utilitarian and hedonic, was proposed to affect the memory and attitudes toward social enterprise products, thus increasing loyalty. Therefore, memory and attitudes were proposed as core mediating variables between perceived value and loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - To analyze the proposed model, data were collected from 582 respondents and analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. To test unidimensionality and the nomological validity of the measures of each construct, we employed a scale refinement procedure. The results of the reliability test with Cronbach's α and confirmatory factor analysis warranted the unidimensionality of the measures for each construct. In addition, the nomological validity of the measures was warranted from the results of the correlation analysis. The result of the overall model analysis demonstrated a good fit (χ²=529.881, df=144, χ²/df=3.680, p-value=0.000, GFI=0.905, NFI=0.948, CFI=0.961, RMR=0.036, RMSEA=0.068). Results - The findings are summarized as follows. First, the hedonic and utilitarian value of social enterprise products had positive effects on memory and attitudes. Second, the hedonic value of social enterprise products more strongly affects memory and attitudes than utilitarian value. Third, memory and attitudes had positive effects on loyalty. Lastly, memory had a stronger effect on loyalty than attitudes. Conclusions - The purchase rate of social enterprises' products increases only if the products are included in the "information search" and "alternative evaluation" processes in consumers' purchase decision-making processes. Therefore, a social enterprise must actively promote the fact that it pursues a social value, and shares both the hedonic and utilitarian values of its products. Accordingly, because hedonic value has a more significant impact on a company and attitudes, a social enterprise should develop hedonic values for product consumption, thereby leading consumers who care about value consumption to purchase its products. Moreover, a social enterprise must maintain good memories and attitudes for consumers because memory does not change over time, although attitude does. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are as follows. This study viewed "consumer loyalty" as the success factor of social enterprises, thereby considers an "increase in sales" as the success factor. Therefore, in future studies, diverse factors, including social contribution and word-of-mouth intention, should be regarded. In addition, future studies need to thoroughly review and make assurances about the relationship between memory and attitude.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2015

Service has its aim to maximize customer loyalty for companies to improve business productivity by differentiation from the competition. Public transport services using, the needs and demands of consumers also appear very differently than in the past, looking at the service of the company eye-level of the consumer Is increasing more and more. In order to survive in this environment, companies work together to improve the level of service and ensure customer loyalty is essential. In order to improve our service. What's more, it can be said that it is important to actively participate in the work of the internal customer, employee morale boost. In order to improve customer satisfaction has a service-oriented members should respond to customers and make a good company to work also affects the internal staff to verify this service-oriented and affect. In this study, to be urban rail service orientation of the staff working in the field of operational agencies in the future to measure the impact of many companies to promote the GWP proposes to create a good business implications.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.137-145
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• 2007

Purpose of this study is to analyze degrees of oral transmission, customer satisfaction, and subscription customer's re-visitation to grasp effectiveness of CRM of construction company. Brand recognition, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty can be made to improve by CRM of construction company. Ultimately, this study is intended to improve management achievement by increasing total sales and reducing expense. 175 distribution customers and subscription customers participate in the final analysis for this study. In terms of service quality factors, state of facility, trust, response, conviction and sympathy are measured. In terms of effectiveness, customer satisfaction, oral transmission, and customer's re-visitation are measured. Considering these things, CRM of construction company can improve oral transmission, satisfaction, re-visitation of distribution customers and subscription customers. CRM of construction company can be utilized as a competitive means for management and contribute to improving management achievement in the long run. Through examining actual effectiveness of CRM of construction company in this study, it can be thought that necessity and possibility of CRM of construction company should be recognized and CRM of construction company should be developed further.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.163-173
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• 2014

Since the 1990s, the brand has established itself as an important factor to consumers. Consumers is affected by not only the product's physical properties and functions but also the sensitivity associated with the consumption or the product itself. Thus, Many studies has been very active because of the increased interest to the brand that is recognized as one of the intangible assets that create value for the company. The purpose of this paper is to provide the result of methodical analysis about the relationship among leading variables that affect on brand loyalty. Concretely, by methodically defining the relationship among perceived brand quality, customer satisfaction and brand trust, that is leading variable which affect on brand loyalty, focused on frequently used oil companies, this paper would suggest scientific and practical implications through draw a conclusion that this relationship contributes on brand loyalty. The results of empirical test are as follows. Customer perceived brand quality based on fuel quality, positively influence on customer satisfaction and brand trust. Then, customer satisfaction and brand trust positively influence on brand loyalty. According to the results of this study in the oil market, customer cannot distinguish fuel product quality itself among oil companies. Therefore it is strongly suggested that oil companies build and maintain brand loyalty on the basis of perceived brand quality, customer satisfaction and brand trust.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.5-14
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• 2011

One of the new roles of modern retail stores is to supply consumers with a memorable experience. In Korea, enhancing a store's environment so that customers remember a unique shopping experience is recognized as a sound strategy for strengthening the store's competitiveness. Motivated by this incentive, awareness of the experience-store concept is starting to increase in various categories of the retail industry. However, many experience stores, except in a few cases, have yet to derive a significant profit, explaining why Korean consumers are somewhat unfamiliar with, yet fascinated by, the experience stores that now exist in the country. Consumer satisfaction directly, and indirectly, affects a company's future profit and potential financial gain; customer satisfaction also affects loyalty. Therefore, knowing the significant factors that increase satisfaction and loyalty is essential for any company, in any field, to be able to effectively differentiate itself from the competition. Intrigued by increased competition opportunities, most Korean companies have adopted experience-store marketing strategies. When establishing the most effective processes for increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage of a new concept, companies should consider certain factors that influence consumers' ability to accept new concepts and ideas. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a theory that models how people accept new concepts. TAM proposes the following two factors that influence a person's decisions about how, and when, he or she will use a new product: "perceived usefulness" and "perceived ease of use." Much of the existing research has suggested that a person's character also affects the process for accepting new ideas. Such personal character attributes as individual preferences, self-confidence, and a person's values, traits, and/or skills affect the process for willingly consenting to try something new. It will be meaningful to establish how the TAM theory's components, as well as personal character, affect individuals accepting the experience-store concept. To that end, as it pertains to an experience store, the first goal of the study is to examine the influence of innovative factors (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) on satisfaction and loyalty. The second objective is to define the moderate effect of consumers' personal characteristics on the model. The proposed model was tested on 149 respondents who were engaged in leisure sports activities and bought sports outdoor garments and equipment. According to the study's findings, the satisfaction and loyalty of an experience store can be explained by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, with the study's results demonstrating the stronger of the two factors being "perceived ease of use." The study failed to explain the effects of a person's character on the model. In conclusion, when the companies that operate the experience stores execute their marketing and promotion strategies, they should stress the stores' "ease of use" product components. Additionally, it can be extrapolated from the study data that since the experience-store idea is still relatively unfamiliar to Korean consumers, most customers are not yet able to evaluate, nor take a position regarding, their respective attitudes toward experience stores.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.23-30
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• 2022

Purpose: The advantages of corporate social responsibility (CSR) include stronger recognition and reputation, which lead to a company's good public image, increased customer loyalty, operational cost saving, and employee retention. The purpose of the present research is to take a close look at the association between CSR and organization's value. Research design, data and methodology: The authors tried to obtain the high-quality textual data from mostly peer-reviewed journals using a PRISMA ((Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The authors was to figure out adequate solutions from limited range of the current literature (only peer-reviewed research) regarding CSR and corporate value. Results: Our investigation indicates that CSR is essential to all businesses as it ensures they keep in touch with society, retaining top personnel, and achieving top financial success. Companies and organizations can engage in four corporate social responsibility initiatives to increase value, including environmental projects, charitable work, honest labor practices, and volunteer activity. Conclusions: An organizations should be involved in the community and consider how its actions affect the environment and society. Small or large businesses are expected to lead in developing a progressive CSR program that benefits people and the environment and continuously changes depending on the social and economic environment.