Development and Validation of Consumers' Need for Ingredient Authenticity (CNIA Scale)

ABSTRACT

Concepts from country-of-origin, the authenticity concept, and ingredient branding make up the essential literature for this scale development. This study intends to develop a scale specifically to measure consumers' motivation to seek for ingredient authenticity. While studies on authenticity have heavily looked into brands, this study aims to uncover consumers' motivations of ingredient authenticity of the raw materials and artisan skills of the products. Four studies were undertaken to develop and validate this scale. The research adopted the Churchill's (1979) method of scale development. The methods for scale development and its implications are also highlighted.     

Does Psychological Contract Violation Moderate the Impact of Severity and Recovery Satisfaction on Boycott? An Analysis of Halal Violation

Halal violation is a critical issue in the Islamic market, but little is known on its impact on the Muslim consumer. Thus, this study investigates the effect of psychological contract violation (PCV), recovery satisfaction, and severity of halal violation on product boycott. The moderating role of PCV in the relationship between recovery satisfaction and seriousness of a violation on the product boycott is also examined. Data collected from a sample of 360 customers were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results show that recovery satisfaction, severity, and PCV significantly influence product boycott and PCV significantly moderates the relationship between recovery satisfaction and product boycott. This study provides new insights into the relationships among recovery satisfaction, the severity of the halal violation, psychological contract violation, and product boycott and helps the managers to design recovery action toward halal violation.     

Application of Relationship Investment Model in Predicting Student Engagement towards HEIs

Using the Relationship Investment Model, this study examines the effects of satisfaction, relationship investment dimensions, and alternative attractiveness on student commitment and, consequently, on student engagement towards higher education institutions (HEIs). This research adopts the positivism, quantitative, and deductive approaches. Data were gathered from a sample of 250 students through the street-intercept systematic sampling and were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that satisfaction and student direct investment significantly affect student commitment, which in turn influences student engagement towards HEIs. While the findings provide guidance to HEIs in designing an effective engagement program that will ensure their relevance in the competitive educational world, this research is limited by several factors, which will require refinement and replication in future research.     

Relating the Zone of Tolerance to Service Failure in the Hospitality Industry

The purpose of this study was to explore the zone of tolerance concept in relation to perceptions of service encounters, specifically when service failures are likely to occur. A simulated restaurant experience consisting of a series of dining service encounters was conducted with a sample of academic staff and research students. Results showed that individuals have different perceptions with different variability in their zone of tolerance; individuals appear to have a larger zone of tolerance when dealing with negative encounters and a narrower zone of tolerance for positive encounters. In addition, an initial negative encounter predisposes customers to future negative encounters. Failure is seen as a difficult concept to judge as individuals have diverse perceptions of what constitutes a failure and when it starts. Further research directions are proposed.     

Determining the Key Factors of Customer–Brand Relationship Investment Dimensions: Insights From Malaysian Mobile Phone Users

This study aims to empirically test a scale to measure the dimensions of relationship investment. An exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted on a sample of 150 mobile phone customers, whereas a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on a sample of 539 customers. The results identified 2 dimensions each for customer and brand investment and validated the measurement items for each dimension. Thus, this study offers a sound scale for potential use in future studies and a useful tool for companies to use to diagnose and plan for an effective engagement strategy.