• Title/Summary/Keyword: PLS Model

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The Effect of Franchise Entrepreneurial Passion on Corporate Trust, Identification, and Loyalty (프랜차이즈 기업가 열정이 기업신뢰, 일체감, 그리고 충성도에 미치는 영향)

  • Park, Heung-Jin;Han, Sang-Ho;Kim, Eun-Jung
    • The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.17-27
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    • 2017
  • Purpose - In align with the increasing competition in both online and offline franchise markets caused by the increasing impact of social networking service, entrepreneurial passion(EP) of the franchise owners has crucial impact on the stakeholders. This study proposed the customer among stakeholders has the critical influence firm's success and examined the structural relationship between entrepreneurial passion(EP) and trust, identification, and loyalty from the customer's perspective. Research design, data, and methodology - This study examines the structural relationship between entrepreneurial passion(EP), trust, identification, and loyalty from the customer's perspective. More specifically, the EP were measured using three sub-dimensions such as EP-inventing(Perceived passion for inventing), EP-founding(Perceived passion for foundting), and EP-developing(Perceived passion for developing). In order to verify the research purposes, research model and hypotheses were developed. All constructs were measured with multiple items developed and tested in the previous studies. Each item was measured on a 7 point Likert-scale anchored by '1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree'. The data were collected from 449 franchise consumers through online survey and were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and Smart PLS 3.0. statistical program. Result - The results of this study are as follows. First, EP-inventing and EP-developing have significant impacts on corporate trust. Second, EP-founding does not have significant impact on corporate trust. Third, EP-inventing and EP-founding have significant impacts on consumer identification. Fourth, EP-developing does not have impact on identification directly, but does indirectly through corporate trust as a mediator. Fifth, corporate trust and identification have significant impacts on loyalty. Conclusions - This indicates that the foodservice franchise CEOs should continuously develop new menus and service to fulfill customer needs. EP-inventing of the food franchise CEOs may enhance customer trust for higher quality of product or service, and EP-developing can also be a driving force for customer trust as it embeds belief in customers that the franchise is sustainably developing. Also, food franchise CEOs should first clarify the support process for the existing brands before developing new ones. Customers tend to lead the trend by using brands that satisfy new trends in the foodservice franchise market, and it could have identification with the trend-setting franchise. Customers do not accept if a company is different from their personal image or norms. So the franchise CEOs must create identification with customers by building corporate trust. Corporate trust influences consumer behavior and emotion, thus the franchises need to secure trust by improving product or service continuously.

Effect of Social Network Service (SNS) Users' Object Relations Factors on User Satisfaction through Pleasure and Self-efficacy (소셜네트워크서비스(SNS) 이용자의 대상관계 요인이 즐거움과 자기효능감을 통해 이용자 만족에 미치는 영향)

  • Chae, Su-in;Choi, Hyo-geun;Kwon, Do-Soon;Park, Dong-cheol
    • Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.1-16
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    • 2022
  • Social network service (SNS) using mobile or web is growing rapidly, and the emergence of various platform services is causing innovative changes in social network service (SNS). This study is to identify the target relation factors of social network users and to empirically study the causal relationship of how much these factors affect user satisfaction through pleasure and self-efficacy. To present an effective and efficient development plan in. In order to empirically verify the research model of this study, a survey was conducted with the general public who had experience using social network services (SNS). Path analysis was performed. As a result, it was possible to verify the correlation of the object relational factors on user satisfaction through pleasure and self-efficacy.First, non-excluded had a significant effect on pleasure, but did not significantly affect self-efficacy. Second, stability attachment did not significantly affect both enjoyment and self-efficacy. Third, social ability did not significantly affect both enjoyment and self-efficacy. Fourth, self-centeredness did not have a significant effect on both enjoyment and self-efficacy. Fifth, pleasure had a significant effect on both self-efficacy and user satisfaction. Sixth, self-efficacy had a significant effect on user satisfaction.

The Effect of Servicecape Experience and Evaluation on Attitudes of Smart Tourism City's Tourists (스마트관광도시 관광객의 서비스스케이프 경험과 평가가 태도에 미치는 영향)

  • Sul, Myungnam;Chung, Namho
    • Journal of Service Research and Studies
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.19-45
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    • 2024
  • As smart tourism cities are being actively introduced, efforts are emerging to understand the current situation and devise improvements from the perspective of services actually experienced by travelers. This study aimed to present directions for improving the overall service environment of smart tourism cities by introducing the servicescape perspective. It defined servicescape elements within smart tourism cities and analyzed how tourists' servicescape experiences affect their value perception, emotions, and satisfaction. The research model was designed by dividing servicescapes into physical servicescapes (cleanliness, convenience, electrical facilities) and communicative servicescapes (aesthetics and practicality of apps). A survey was conducted on 309 tourists who visited Suwon, a smart tourism city, and analyzed using Smart PLS. The analysis results showed that among physical servicescapes, cleanliness and electrical facilities had a significant impact on the evaluation of tourist destination value, while convenience had no effect. The communicative servicescape, namely the tourism app, had a significant impact on smart tourism value and overall destination value assessment. The tourism app and smart tourism value played a significant role in increasing tourists' positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions, which ultimately affected tourism satisfaction. This study confirmed the importance of tourism apps in smart tourism cities along with the importance of basic physical environments. Through this, it provides useful implications for establishing service improvement strategies for smart tourism cities.

A Study on the Effect of Location-based Service Users' Perceived Value and Risk on their Intention for Security Enhancement and Continuous Use: With an Emphasis on Perceived Benefits and Risks (위치기반서비스 사용자의 지각된 가치와 위험이 보안강화의도와 지속이용의도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 지각된 혜택과 위험을 중심으로)

  • Park, Kyung Ah;Lee, Dae Yong;Koo, Chulmo
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.299-323
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    • 2014
  • The reason location based service is drawing attention recently is because smart phones are being supplied increasingly. Smart phone, basically equipped with GPS that can identify location information, has the advantage that it can provide contents and services suitable for the user by identifying user location accurately. Offering such diverse advantages, location based services are increasingly used. In addition, for use of location based services, release of user's personal information and location data is essentially required. Regarding personal information and location data, in addition to IT companies, general companies also are conducting various profitable businesses and sales activities based on personal information, and in particular, personal location data, comprehending high value of use among personal information, are drawing high attentions. Increase in demand of personal information is raising the risk of personal information infringement, and infringements of personal location data also are increasing in frequency and degree. Therefore, infringements of personal information should be minimized through user's action and efforts to reinforce security along with Act on the Protection of Personal Information and Act on the Protection of Location Information. This study aimed to improve the importance of personal information privacy by empirically analyzing the effect of perceived values on the intention to strengthen location information security and continuously use location information for users who received location-based services (LBS) in mobile environments with the privacy calculation model of benefits and risks as a theoretical background. This study regarded situation-based provision, the benefit which users perceived while using location-based services, and the risk related to personal location information, a risk which occurs while using services, as independent variables and investigated the perceived values of the two variables. It also examined whether there were efforts to reduce risks related to personal location information according to the values of location- based services, which consumers perceived through the intention to strengthen security. Furthermore, it presented a study model which intended to investigate the effect of perceived values and intention of strengthening security on the continuous use of location-based services. A survey was conducted for three hundred ten users who had received location-based services via their smartphones to verify study hypotheses. Three hundred four questionnaires except problematic ones were collected. The hypotheses were verified, using a statistical method and a logical basis was presented. An empirical analysis was made on the data collected through the survey with SPSS 12.0 and SmartPLS 2.0 to verify respondents' demographic characteristics, an exploratory factor analysis and the appropriateness of the study model. As a result, it was shown that the users who had received location-based services were significantly influenced by the perceived value of their benefits, but risk related to location information did not have an effect on consumers' perceived values. Even though users perceived the risk related to personal location information while using services, it was viewed that users' perceived value had nothing to do with the use of location-based services. However, it was shown that users significantly responded to the intention of strengthening security in relation to location information risks and tended to use services continuously, strengthening positive efforts for security when their perceived values were high.

The Reinforcing Mechanism of Sustaining Participations in Open Source Software Developers: Based on Social Identity Theory and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Theory (오픈 소스 개발자들의 참여 의도 강화 기제 및 참여 지속 의도에 관한 연구: 사회 정체성 이론과 조직시민행동 이론에 기반하여)

  • Choi, Junghong;Choi, Joohee;Lee, Hye Sun;Hwangbo, Hwan;Lee, Inseong;Kim, Jinwoo
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.1-23
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    • 2013
  • Open Source Software Development (OSSD) differentiates itself from traditional closed software development in that it reveals its source codes online and allows anyone to participate in projects. Even though its success was in doubt, many of the open collaborative working models produced successful results. Academia started to get interested in how developers are willing to participate even when there are no extrinsic rewards for their efforts. Many studies tried to explain developers' motivations, and the pursuit of ideology, reputation, and altruism are found to be the answers. Those studies, however, focused mostly on how the first contribution is made out of a certain motivation. Nowadays, OSSD reaches at its maturity and 70% of professional developers have used or utilized open source software or code in their works. As the proportion of people experiencing OSS, the accounts from previous studies are expected to be weakened. Also, extant literature fails to explain how the motivation of participating in OSS evolves over time and experiences. Given that changing over time or over experiences is the natural in the perception of motivation, studies in an attempt to understand how the motivation changes or evolves are in need. In this study, we aimed to explain how the perception about OSS from past usage or related experiences leads to the intention to sustain OSS participations. By doing so, we try to bridge the gap between previous studies and the actual phenomenon. We argued that perceived instrumentality about OSS learned from past experiences will first affect the formation of organizational identity towards general OSS community. And once the organizational identity is formed, it will affect the one's following behaviors related to OSS development, most likely to sustain the favoring stance toward OSS community. Our research distinguishes itself from previous one in that it divides the paths from organizational identity formed to the intention to sustain the voluntary helping behaviors, by altruistic and conforming intentions. Drawing on this structural model, we could explain how organizational identity engages in forming the sustaining intention from past experiences, and that the intention to help at individual level and organizational level works at different level in OSS community. We grounded our arguments on Social identity theory and Organizational Citizenship theory. We examined our assumption by constructing a structural equation model (SEM) and had 88 developers to answer our online surveys. The result is analyzed by PLS (partial least square) method. Consequently, all paths but one in our model are supported, the one which assumed the association between perceived instrumentality and altruistic intention. Our results provide directions in designing online collaborative platforms where open access collaboration is meant to occur. Theoretically, our study suggests that organizational citizenship behavior can occur from organizational identity, even in bottom-up organizational settings. More specifically, we also argue to consider both organizational level and individual level of motivation in inducing sustained participations within the platforms. Our result can be interpreted to indicate the importance of forming organizational identity in sustaining the participatory behaviors. It is because there was no direct association between perceived instrumentality from past experiences and altruistic behavior, but the perception of organizational identity bridges the two constructs. This means that people with no organizational identity can sustain their participations through conforming intention from only the perception of instrumentality, but it needs little more than that for the people to feel the intention to directly help someone in the community-first to form the self-identity as a member of the given community.

The Effect of Herding Behavior and Perceived Usefulness on Intention to Purchase e-Learning Content: Comparison Analysis by Purchase Experience (무리행동과 지각된 유용성이 이러닝 컨텐츠 구매의도에 미치는 영향: 구매경험에 의한 비교분석)

  • Yoo, Chul-Woo;Kim, Yang-Jin;Moon, Jung-Hoon;Choe, Young-Chan
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.105-130
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    • 2008
  • Consumers of e-learning market differ from those of other markets in that they are replaced in a specific time scale. For example, e-learning contents aimed at highschool senior students cannot be consumed by a specific consumer over the designated period of time. Hence e-learning service providers need to attract new groups of students every year. Due to lack of information on products designed for continuously emerging consumers, the consumers face difficulties in making rational decisions in a short time period. Increased uncertainty of product purchase leads customers to herding behaviors to obtain information of the product from others and imitate them. Taking into consideration of these features of e-learning market, this study will focus on the online herding behavior in purchasing e-learning contents. There is no definite concept for e-learning. However, it is being discussed in a wide range of perspectives from educational engineering to management to e-business etc. Based upon the existing studies, we identify two main view-points regarding e-learning. The first defines e-learning as a concept that includes existing terminologies, such as CBT (Computer Based Training), WBT (Web Based Training), and IBT (Internet Based Training). In this view, e-learning utilizes IT in order to support professors and a part of or entire education systems. In the second perspective, e-learning is defined as the usage of Internet technology to deliver diverse intelligence and achievement enhancing solutions. In other words, only the educations that are done through the Internet and network can be classified as e-learning. We take the second definition of e-learning for our working definition. The main goal of this study is to investigate what factors affect consumer intention to purchase e-learning contents and to identify the differential impact of the factors between consumers with purchase experience and those without the experience. To accomplish the goal of this study, it focuses on herding behavior and perceived usefulness as antecedents to behavioral intention. The proposed research model in the study extends the Technology Acceptance Model by adding herding behavior and usability to take into account the unique characteristics of e-learning content market and e-learning systems use, respectively. The current study also includes consumer experience with e-learning content purchase because the previous experience is believed to affect purchasing intention when consumers buy experience goods or services. Previous studies on e-learning did not consider the characteristics of e-learning contents market and the differential impact of consumer experience on the relationship between the antecedents and behavioral intention, which is the target of this study. This study employs a survey method to empirically test the proposed research model. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to 629 informants. 528 responses were collected, which consist of potential customer group (n = 133) and experienced customer group (n = 395). The data were analyzed using PLS method, a structural equation modeling method. Overall, both herding behavior and perceived usefulness influence consumer intention to purchase e-learning contents. In detail, in the case of potential customer group, herding behavior has stronger effect on purchase intention than does perceived usefulness. However, in the case of shopping-experienced customer group, perceived usefulness has stronger effect than does herding behavior. In sum, the results of the analysis show that with regard to purchasing experience, perceived usefulness and herding behavior had differential effects upon the purchase of e-learning contents. As a follow-up analysis, the interaction effects of the number of purchase transaction and herding behavior/perceived usefulness on purchase intention were investigated. The results show that there are no interaction effects. This study contributes to the literature in a couple of ways. From a theoretical perspective, this study examined and showed evidence that the characteristics of e-learning market such as continuous renewal of consumers and thus high uncertainty and individual experiences are important factors to be considered when the purchase intention of e-learning content is studied. This study can be used as a basis for future studies on e-learning success. From a practical perspective, this study provides several important implications on what types of marketing strategies e-learning companies need to build. The bottom lines of these strategies include target group attraction, word-of-mouth management, enhancement of web site usability quality, etc. The limitations of this study are also discussed for future studies.

An Analysis of the Roles of Experience in Information System Continuance (정보시스템의 지속적 사용에서 경험의 역할에 대한 분석)

  • Lee, Woong-Kyu
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.45-62
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    • 2011
  • The notion of information systems (IS) continuance has recently emerged as one of the most important research issues in the field of IS. A great deal of research has been conducted thus far on the basis of theories adapted from various disciplines including consumer behaviors and social psychology, in addition to theories regarding information technology (IT) acceptance. This previous body of knowledge provides a robust research framework that can already account for the determination of IS continuance; however, this research points to other, thus-far-unelucidated determinant factors such as habit, which were not included in traditional IT acceptance frameworks, and also re-emphasizes the importance of emotion-related constructs such as satisfaction in addition to conscious intention with rational beliefs such as usefulness. Experiences should also be considered one of the most important factors determining the characteristics of information system (IS) continuance and the features distinct from those determining IS acceptance, because more experienced users may have more opportunities for IS use, which would allow them more frequent use than would be available to less experienced or non-experienced users. Interestingly, experience has dual features that may contradictorily influence IS use. On one hand, attitudes predicated on direct experience have been shown to predict behavior better than attitudes from indirect experience or without experience; as more information is available, direct experience may render IS use a more salient behavior, and may also make IS use more accessible via memory. Therefore, experience may serve to intensify the relationship between IS use and conscious intention with evaluations, On the other hand, experience may culminate in the formation of habits: greater experience may also imply more frequent performance of the behavior, which may lead to the formation of habits, Hence, like experience, users' activation of an IS may be more dependent on habit-that is, unconscious automatic use without deliberation regarding the IS-and less dependent on conscious intentions, Furthermore, experiences can provide basic information necessary for satisfaction with the use of a specific IS, thus spurring the formation of both conscious intentions and unconscious habits, Whereas IT adoption Is a one-time decision, IS continuance may be a series of users' decisions and evaluations based on satisfaction with IS use. Moreover. habits also cannot be formed without satisfaction, even when a behavior is carried out repeatedly. Thus, experiences also play a critical role in satisfaction, as satisfaction is the consequence of direct experiences of actual behaviors. In particular, emotional experiences such as enjoyment can become as influential on IS use as are utilitarian experiences such as usefulness; this is especially true in light of the modern increase in membership-based hedonic systems - including online games, web-based social network services (SNS), blogs, and portals-all of which attempt to provide users with self-fulfilling value. Therefore, in order to understand more clearly the role of experiences in IS continuance, analysis must be conducted under a research framework that includes intentions, habits, and satisfaction, as experience may not only have duration-based moderating effects on the relationship between both intention and habit and the activation of IS use, but may also have content-based positive effects on satisfaction. This is consistent with the basic assumptions regarding the determining factors in IS continuance as suggested by Oritz de Guinea and Markus: consciousness, emotion, and habit. The principal objective of this study was to explore and assess the effects of experiences in IS continuance, with special consideration given to conscious intentions and unconscious habits, as well as satisfaction. IN service of this goal, along with a review of the relevant literature regarding the effects of experiences and habit on continuous IS use, this study suggested a research model that represents the roles of experience: its moderating role in the relationships of IS continuance with both conscious intention and unconscious habit, and its antecedent role in the development of satisfaction. For the validation of this research model. Korean university student users of 'Cyworld', one of the most influential social network services in South Korea, were surveyed, and the data were analyzed via partial least square (PLS) analysis to assess the implications of this study. In result most hypotheses in our research model were statistically supported with the exception of one. Although one hypothesis was not supported, the study's findings provide us with some important implications. First the role of experience in IS continuance differs from its role in IS acceptance. Second, the use of IS was explained by the dynamic balance between habit and intention. Third, the importance of satisfaction was confirmed from the perspective of IS continuance with experience.

A Study on Switching Intention of Mobile Telecommunication Service User: Focused on Group Differences Based on Innovativeness (이동통신 서비스 이용자의 전환의도에 관한 연구: 개인 혁신성에 따른 집단 간의 차이를 중심으로)

  • Oh, Jong-Chul;Yoon, Sung-Joon
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.9-21
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    • 2009
  • Recently, the researches to explain Switching Behavior through Theory of Planned Behavior have been discovered. Many researches say that System factors of mobile telecommunication service(MTS) is positively associated with Switching Intention. But There is no difference of system factors between mobile telecommunication services because of IT technique Development. Thus, this study investigated whether switching cost and alternative's attractiveness influence switching intention concerning mobile telecommunication service by adopting Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as an underlying theoretical premise. The study also attempted to determine the moderating effects of personal innovativeness on switching intention. For these purposes the author has developed several hypotheses as follows: H-1. The switching cost of different MTS is associated with the attitude of MTS which is using. H-2. The switching cost of different MTS is associated with the subjective norm of MTS which is using. H-3. The switching cost of different MTS is associated with the perceived behavior control of MTS which is using. H-4. The alternative's attractiveness of different MTS is associated with the attitude of MTS which is using. H-5. The alternative's attractiveness of different MTS is associated with the subjective norm of MTS which is using. H-6. The alternative's attractiveness of different MTS is associated with the perceived behavior control of MTS which is using. H-7. The switching cost of different MTS is associated with the switching intention. H-8. The alternative's attractiveness of different MTS is associated with the switching intention. H-9. The attitude of MTS is associated with the switching intention. H-10. The subjective norm of MTS is associated with the switching intention. H-11. The perceived behavior control of MTS is associated with the switching intention. H-12. The personal innovativeness has been a moderating effects to switching intention. Data has been collected from 403 respondents for this study using a questionnaire method. The survey for the actual analysis of the research was done and analyzed with the customers who have an experience of using Mobile telecommunication service and the samples were selected among the middle and high school students who live in Seoul area, the university students who live in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheng Provinces, and the ordinary workers who are working in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The survey was done for 23 days from March 28, 2008 through April 12, 2008. The positive analysis was done with SPSS 12.0K statistics package and visual PLS program using the analysis techniques of frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and factor analysis. In addition, structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS 5.0. The data was analyzed by frequency analysis using SPSS 12.0 and structural equation modeling using AMOS 5.0. The result of the overall model analysis is as follows: Chi-Square=378.306, d.f.=107, p-value=0.0, GFI=.904, AGFI= 0.863, IFI= 0.939, NFI= 0.917, RMSEA= 0.079, TLI= 0.922. The results of the overall model analysis were coherent. The following study results were revealed: First, switching cost was related positively to attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control, three components of TPB. Second, alternative's attractiveness was related negatively to subjective norm but positively to perceived behavior control. Third, switching cost and attitude was related negatively to switching intention, while perceived behavior control was related positively to switching intention. Finally, the study found the moderating effects of personal innovativeness on switching intention. Based on the results, the study offers marketing strategic implications for mobile telecommunication service industry.

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The Effects of Relational Behaviors on Supply Chain Leadership and Financial Performance: The Role of Leader Ethicality (공급체인 리더의 관계적 행동이 리더의 리더십과 팔로워의 재무성과에 미치는 영향: 리더 윤리성의 역할)

  • Kim, Sang Deok
    • Asia Marketing Journal
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.183-208
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    • 2011
  • After more than 25 years of accumulated research evidence, there is little doubt that leadership behavior is related to a wide variety of positive individual and organizational outcomes. Indeed, leadership behavior has been empirically linked to increased employee satisfaction, organizational commitment, extra effort, turnover intention, organizational citizenship behavior, and overall employee performance. However, it is important to point out that although leadership behavior has been linked to a number of positive organizational outcomes, research regarding the antecedents of such behavior is limited. Especially there is little research dealing with the antecedents of inter-organizational leadership behavior. Supply chain leadership can be defined as the activities undertaken by the supply chain leader to influence the management programs and strategies of supply chain members. Supply chain performance is influenced by leadership of supply chain leader. Although research on supply chain leadership can be broadly categorized, many researchers have been preoccupied with analyzing supply chain leadership by the power-influence approach measuring such as control, power, and power bases. Also they have not examined the relationship between leadership and financial performance. This study has started to overcome those research gaps. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of relational behaviors on supply chain leadership, and the effect of such leadership behavior on financial performance of supply chain followers. In addition, this study also try to find out moderating variable existing in the relationship. To be concrete, First, this study develops a model of the antecedents of four conceptually distinct forms of relational behaviors such as training, fair reward, offering vision, and inter-organizational communication, and tests the hypothesized differential effects of relational behavior forms on supply chain leadership. Second, this study tests the effect of supply chain leadership on financial performance. Third, this study investigates the extent to which this leadership-performance relationship is moderated by leader ethicality. The reason why this study deals with convenience store supply chain is that there is very strong inter-dependence between a franchisor and its suppliers. Their strong inter-dependence makes their relationship as the relationship between a superior and subordinates and creates an atmosphere that leadership occur without difficulty. For the purpose of empirical testing, 217 respondents of suppliers of convenience store supply chain in Korea were surveyed and the analysis utilizing partial least square model indicated that training, fair reward, inter-organizational communication had positive effects on supply chain leadership, and such leadership had positive effect on financial performance of followers. On the other hand, offering vision had no effect on supply chain leadership. In addition, leader ethicality had moderating effect on the relationship between supply chain leadership and financial performance.

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Effect of Service Convenience on the Relationship Performance in B2B Markets: Mediating Effect of Relationship Factors (B2B 시장에서의 서비스 편의성이 관계성과에 미치는 영향 : 관계적 요인의 매개효과 분석)

  • Han, Sang-Lin;Lee, Seong-Ho
    • Journal of Distribution Research
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.65-93
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    • 2011
  • As relationship between buyer and seller has been brought closer and long-term relationship has been more important in B2B markets, the importance of service and service convenience increases as well as product. In homogeneous markets, where service offerings are similar and therefore not key competitive differentiator, providing greater convenience may enable a competitive advantage. Service convenience, as conceptualized by Berry et al. (2002), is defined as the consumers' time and effort perceptions related to buying or using a service. For this reason, B2B customers are interested in how fast the service is provided and how much save non-monetary cost like time or effort by the service convenience along with service quality. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the impact of service convenience on relationship factors such as relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. The purpose of this study is to find out whether service convenience can be a new antecedent of relationship quality and relationship performance. In addition, this study tries to examine how five-dimensional service convenience constructs (decision convenience, access convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affect customers' relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. The service convenience comprises five fundamental components - decision convenience (the perceived time and effort costs associated with service purchase or use decisions), access convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with initiating service delivery), transaction convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with finalizing the transaction), benefit convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with experiencing the core benefits of the offering) and post-benefit convenience (the perceived time and effort costs associated with reestablishing subsequent contact with the firm). Earlier studies of perceived service convenience in the industrial market are none. The conventional studies that have dealt with service convenience have usually been made in the consumer market, or they have dealt with convenience aspects in the service process. This service convenience measure for consumer market can be useful tool to estimate service quality in B2B market. The conceptualization developed by Berry et al. (2002) reflects a multistage, experiential consumption process in which evaluations of convenience vary at each stage. For this reason, the service convenience measure is good for B2B service environment which has complex processes and various types. Especially when categorizing B2B service as sequential stage of service delivery like Kumar and Kumar (2004), the Berry's service convenience measure which reflect sequential flow of service deliveries suitable to establish B2B service convenience. For this study, data were gathered from respondents who often buy business service and analyzed by structural equation modeling. The sample size in the present study is 119. Composite reliability values and average variance extracted values were examined for each variable to have reliability. We determine whether the measurement model supports the convergent validity by CFA, and discriminant validity was assessed by examining the correlation matrix of the constructs. For each pair of constructs, the square root of the average variance extracted exceeded their correlations, thus supporting the discriminant validity of the constructs. Hypotheses were tested using the Smart PLS 2.0 and we calculated the PLS path values and followed with a bootstrap re-sampling method to test the hypotheses. Among the five dimensional service convenience constructs, four constructs (decision convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affected customers' positive relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. This result means that service convenience is important cue to improve relationship between buyer and seller. One of the five service convenience dimensions, access convenience, does not affect relationship quality and performance, which implies that the dimension of service convenience is not important factor of cumulative satisfaction. The Cumulative satisfaction can be distinguished from transaction-specific customer satisfaction, which is an immediate post-purchase evaluative judgment or an affective reaction to the most recent transactional experience with the firm. Because access convenience minimizes the physical effort associated with initiating an exchange, the effect on relationship satisfaction similar to cumulative satisfaction may be relatively low in terms of importance than transaction-specific customer satisfaction. Also, B2B firms focus on service quality, price, benefit, follow-up service and so on than convenience of time or place in service because it is relatively difficult to change existing transaction partners in B2B market compared to consumer market. In addition, this study using partial least squares methods reveals that customers' satisfaction and commitment toward relationship has mediating role between the service convenience and relationship performance. The result shows that management and investment to improve service convenience make customers' positive relationship satisfaction, and then the positive relationship satisfaction can enhance the relationship commitment and relationship performance. And to conclude, service convenience management is an important part of successful relationship performance management, and the service convenience is an important antecedent of relationship between buyer and seller such as the relationship commitment and relationship performance. Therefore, it has more important to improve relationship performance that service providers enhance service convenience although competitive service development or service quality improvement is important. Given the pressure to provide increased convenience, it is not surprising that organizations have made significant investments in enhancing the convenience aspect of their product and service offering.

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