Measuring the supply chain competitiveness of e-commerce industry in Indonesia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the supply chain competitiveness of the e-commerce industry in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a multi-criteria decision-making model based on the analytic hierarchy process. Four main criteria are used to measure the supply chain competitiveness, i.e. cost, differentiation, sustainability and infrastructure.FindingsThe findings of this study show that cost is the most important criterion with a degree of importance of 33.19%, followed by infrastructure of 29.40%, differentiation of 27.96% and sustainability of 9.45%. It shows that the internally controlled strategy contributes about 70% of supply chain competitiveness. The internal infrastructure criterion that consists of software and hardware contributes 65.92% to the whole infrastructure criterion. The internal infrastructure then contributes 19.38% to supply chain competitiveness. Therefore, the internally controlled strategies and internal infrastructure contribute up to 90.08% to the supply chain competitiveness of e-commerce in Indonesia. This result implies that to attain the supply chain competitiveness, the company must carry out strategies focusing on the performance such as cost, differentiation, sustainability as well as on the internal infrastructure such as software and hardware.Research limitations/implicationsIn this paper, the authors limited their study to the business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) players because these two platforms have been experiencing a very rapid growth. While e-commerce business can take many platforms besides B2B and B2C, the future research should include other platform such as consumer to consumer as well. Because the focus in this study is more the information and material flows, it will be of great interest if the future research covers the platform of mobile payment as well that guarantee the ease of cashflows within supply chains. Also, with the occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic when this paper was written, in the near future, it is then of great interest to incorporate the pandemic context into the proposed model used in this study. The further study should analyze long-term changes happened as the result of pandemic such as behavioral changes of online shopping from customer side or shift in e-commerce supply chain infrastructure and inventory practice.Practical implicationsWith this study, it is expected that it can be determined which criteria contribute the most to the supply chain competitiveness of the e-commerce industry in Indonesia that will be useful for industry player.Originality/valueE-commerce development in Indonesia is still facing serious challenges. The multi-criteria decision making approach used in this research lays a foundation of how supply chain competitiveness is determined based on the judgment of experts coming from major companies within the supply chain.

THE DETERMINANTS OF HOUSE BUYERS' PURCHASE DECISIONS IN KOTA BHARU, KELANTAN

The issue of unsold homes in Malaysia has recently caused the housing developers great anxiety. The nationwide issue of unsold homes was caused by the fact that more homes were built than were purchased by customers. As a result, it is important to figure out what factors can influence potential homebuyers to make a purchase. In order to better understand this issue, the study's objective was to determine the factors that influence homebuyers' decisions in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The study specifically sought to ascertain whether variables including quality, price, location, promotion, and corporate image had an effect on consumers' decisions to purchase homes. Since the nation was dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak, which made face-to-face questionnaire distribution on the ground nearly impossible to carry out, 382 respondents from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, participated in this study through questionnaires disseminated using the Google Form technique. This study used the Principal Axis Factor and Promax Rotation to evaluate the instruments. Before doing a bootstrapped regression analysis, all seven multiple regression assumptions were examined and verified. The findings showed that only location and promotion variables were positive and significantly influencing the house buying decision. These findings led to a number of strategy recommendations that helped the industry develop the best plans for boosting upcoming sales. It is hoped that by identifying the variables influencing homebuyers' purchasing decisions, housing developers can get an understanding of this phenomenon and be better able to plan and build homes that will live up to buyers' expectations. © 2023 by MIP.

Tourist Behavior in the Cruise Industry Post-COVID-19: An Examination of Service Quality, Corporate Image, and Intentions to Pay and Revisit

The COVID-19 outbreak has had detrimental consequences on the cruise industry due to the suspension of commercial cruise trips, and these effects remain apparent in Saudi Arabia. The offered service quality (SQ) in the post-COVID-19 era seems to be a critical element for improving customer experiences and satisfaction, enhancing destination attractiveness, increasing revenue, and maintaining repeat business. The current study aimed to assess the impact of service quality on tourists' satisfaction and corporate image as well as the intention to pay for cruise trips and revisit the destination among 315 tourists in Saudi Arabia. Service quality was measured using five subscales of the SERVQUAL scale, including reliability, tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Tourists' satisfaction was significantly influenced by four domains of SQ, whereas the intention to pay more, intention to revisit the destination, and corporate image were significantly predicted by ≤3 domains of SQ. The study's findings can help the cruise industry to improve its offerings and create more personalized and engaging experiences that meet the changing needs of customers in the recovery period after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Considering Covid-19 Treatments as Applied to Facility Seating: Developing a Methodology to Examine Adverse Surface Color Effects

During Covid-19, a facility management researcher/instructor team examined potential effects of various disinfectant treatments on the surface appearance of furniture currently located in their academic facility. Treatments (i.e., bleach wipes, alcohol wipes, disinfectant sprays and UltraViolet wands) are used by students, staff, faculty, visitors, facility managers and custodians in an effort to reduce spread of Corona. Further, EMist© with Vital Oxide treatments were regularly applied by University-contracted facility maintenance staff during study period. While procedures exist for measuring color change regarding light exposure and changes due to abrasion, no current published methods were found regarding surface color before and after Covid-19 intervention treatments. Researchers/instructors anticipate findings from study would inform facility management and other courses. They anticipate results would allow generalizability to hospitality and healthcare. Changes in surface color of upholstered furniture in facilities may be extremely negative regarding interior aesthetics, corporate image, and replacement costs. Therefore, it was determined there was a great need to study the effects of treatments and inform facility stakeholders. Researchers posited that Covid-19 intervention treatments may alter surface color of upholstered furniture over time. The purpose of the study was to develop methodology to examine color degradation that may be caused by agents used in common disinfecting practices. Three seating pieces (drafting chair, drafting stool, classroom chair) made of different materials were studied. Five treatments were applied to each furniture piece at regular intervals over an 8-week period. Researchers measured color before and after treatments. The procedures were photo-documented and videotaped to capture treatments in-process and to support future educational presentations. Preliminary findings revealed limited variability in color changes. Future research should consider other seating and room-finish materials, disinfectants and treatments, facility types, and timeframes.

Take-off, turbulence and turnaround

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore the evolving nature of the work of cabin crew in a Scandinavian carrier in three eras, drawing on theories of gender and emotional labour.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on ethnographic data from fieldwork, interviews and documents.FindingsFrom being a feminized and temporary occupation for young, upper- and middle-class women in the 1970s, the occupation became a full-time job and with greater diversity of cabin crew. Today there are signs of the job becoming a precarious and temporary one of demanding and devalorized work in a polarized and class-divided labour market. Changing circumstances impact on the emotional labour requirement and terms and conditions at work.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation is that the research design was not initially longitudinal in the sense that the author does not have exactly the same kind of data from each era. The author has, however, been involved in this field for two decades, used multiple methods and interacted with different stakeholders and drew on a unique data material.Practical implicationsThe development in aviation is contributing to new discriminatory practices, driving employee conditions downwards and changing the job demands. This development will have practical consequences for the lives and families of cabin crew.Social implicationsThe analysis illustrates how work ‘constructs' workers and contributes in creating jobs that are not sustainable for the employees. Intensification of work, insecurity and tougher working conditions also challenge key features in the Nordic model such as proper pay, decent work and a life-long employment. Much indicates that the profession is again becoming a temporary one of demanding work with poor working conditions in a polarized and class-divided labour market.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the literature on emotional labour, gender and the evolving nature of the work of cabin crew. The unique data material, the longitudinal aspect of the research and the focus on a single network carrier are good in charting changes over time.

How Does Multinational Corporations' CSR Influence Purchase Intention? The Role of Consumer Ethnocentrism and Consumer Ambivalence

Given the increasingly strained relationship between humans and the environment, green marketing has become a necessity for the sustainable development of society. In this context, this paper seeks to explore the influence of multinational enterprises' green marketing behavior on Chinese consumers' green consumption willingness. Through reviewing the related theories and deeply analyzing multinational corporations' CSR, a theoretical model of multinational corporations' CSR and consumer purchase intention has been built in this paper based on consumers' perceptions. The paper provides empirical research on the multinational corporations' CSR, corporate image, consumer ambivalence, and purchase intention, and offers a hypothesis of the relationship between the four. Consumer ethnocentrism can significantly negatively regulate the relationship between corporate image and consumers' willingness to buy and further negatively regulate the process of establishing the corporate social responsibility system of multinational corporations.

The mediating impact of airlines' image in relation of corporate social responsibility and customers' loyalty: An empirical in Vietnam

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) towards sustainable development has been identified as a marketing philosophy that businesses in developed countries should pursue in the post-Covid-19 era as these practices deal with urgent global social and environmental challenges. Such efforts contributing to sustainable development will enhance corporate image and reinforce strong bonds with customers. In developing countries like Vietnam, how CSR affects consumer behaviour and the mechanism regulating the relationship between CSR and consumer behavior are the research gaps that have not been widely investigated. This study explores the relationship between CSR and customer loyalty, with the emphasis on the mediating role of corporate image. Focusing on the Vietnamese aviation industry, the author surveyed 514 passengers and analyzed them using structural equation modeling. Our findings show that CSR has a positive impact on corporate image and customer loyalty. In addition, CSR also affects customer loyalty through enhancing corporate image. Research results have provided research implications and management implications for the future. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Factors influencing green hotel revisit intentions after the COVID-19 in Bangladesh

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing customers' revisit intentions of green hotels after the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the existing literatures and interviews of 404 respondents visiting hotels after the pandemic. The partial least square structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data.FindingsThe findings show that green attitude, green personality and personal norms significantly influence post-COVID-19 green hotel revisit intentions.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study may be useful to hotel operators in formulating focused business strategies improving customers' green hotel revisit intentions and coping with the new normal business environment of the hospitality industry.Originality/valueThe study presents a unique case highlighting how the hospitality business is changing after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study provides important insights for industry operators by integrating attitudes, personality and norms of the customers in examining the green hotels revisit intentions.

Afforestation intentions for mitigating carbon emissions in the post-COVID-19 perspective: the case of green hotel visitors in Bangladesh

PurposeThis study aims to explore green hotel visitors' afforestation intentions by extending the theory of planned behavior, including post-COVID-19 personal norms (PCPN) and post-COVID-19 environmental concerns (PCECs). Moreover, this study examines the mediating effect of PCECs from the post-COVID-19 perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on existing literatures and collection of 384 usable responses using the convenience sampling technique. The partial least square structural equation modeling is used to analyze data using Smart PLS3.3.3.FindingsThe findings reveal that post-COVID-19 afforestation attitudes, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC) and PCPN significantly influence post-COVID-19 afforestation intentions (PCAI) and PCECs. Further, PCEC partially mediates the between post-COVID-19 afforestation attitudes, SN, PBC and PCPN and PCAI.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study may be useful to green hotel operators in formulating business strategies enhancing visitors' positive perceptions toward green hotels and afforestation intentions coping with new normal environment and hospitality industry.Originality/valueThis research presents a distinguished case highlighting how the green hotel guests' perceptions toward afforestation for mitigating carbon emissions are changing because of COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides crucial insights for green hotel practitioners by integrating post-COVID-19 afforestation attitudes, SN, PBC, PCPN and PCEC of green hotel visitors in examining PCAI.

A multidimensional and hierarchical model of banking services and behavioral intentions of customers

PurposeBanking services encounter major challenges in determining customer's psychometric behavioral intentions. Scholars suggest that a theoretical approach to better understand the key constructs of service marketing, such as service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, corporate image and behavioral intentions, is critical to bank performance. The present study aims to design and test a comprehensive multidimensional and hierarchical model of service quality with higher-order psychometric constructions and their mediation effects in the model.Design/methodology/approachData from a self-administered structured questionnaire are analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.FindingsEmpirical results confirm that multidimensional and hierarchical service quality are best suited to assess overall banking service quality, in which outcome, interaction and environment quality are the important primary dimensions, with each of them having several subdimensions. Service quality is the significant antecedent of behavioral intentions, customer satisfaction, corporate image and perceived value. Customer satisfaction and service quality are the best determinants of behavioral intentions. In addition, customer satisfaction, perceived value and corporate image are complementary variables, having significant mediation effects on the relationship between service quality and behavioral intentions.Originality/valueAs a maiden study in the context of emerging economies, this research integrates a comprehensive service quality theory and valuable customer loyalty constructs, which are crucial to banks' financial performance, bolstering evidence for the theoretical pitch. This study also provides managers with a clear idea of how they can develop sustainable service marketing strategies and policies on the psychometric perceptions of customers, thereby leading banks to achieve long-term goals.

Influence of Corporate Governance on Firm Value: Sequential Mediating Role of CSR and Organizational Identification

Corporate Governance (CoGv) has gained significance with an increase in the number of enterprises and has evolved with several prescriptions from scholars and broader audiences (shareholders and stakeholders). Another reason for this growing significance can be attributed to the pressing social and environmental concerns that these enterprises share. This study focuses on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India. It proposes a conceptual model and attempts to provide insight into the role of corporate governance in enhancing Firm Value (FV). Some studies have established a positive relationship between these two variables. However, this relationship can be further enhanced by variables such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Organizational Identification (OI). The proposed conceptual model has been empirically tested to check whether these variables have contributed to enhancing FV. The study uses Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) along with SmartPLS. It provides empirical evidence on the mediating influence of CSR and OI and the mediating effect between CoGv and FV. Based on the findings, theoretical and managerial implications are also proposed.

Impact of corporate social responsibility performed by Turkish banks related to COVID-19 on customer satisfaction and loyalty

Çalışmanın amacı, Covid 19 döneminde bankaların sağladığı destekleri değerlendirmek ve tüketici tercihlerine etkisini araştırmaktır. Bu doğrultuda KSS değişkenlerinin (ekonomik, yasal, etik, hayırsever) ve kurumsal etkileşimlerin (kurumsal imaj, KSS güveni, kurumsal değerlendirme) tüketici tercihleri ​​(müşteri memnuniyeti, müşteri sadakati) üzerindeki etkileri araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk uygulamaları gösteren banka müşterilerinden veriler toplanmıştır. Türkiye'de toplam 346 veri toplanmıştır. Amos 22.0 programında doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ve yol analizi yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları, KSS değişkenlerinin kurumsal imaj, güven ve değerlendirme üzerindeki etkisinin kanıtlandığını göstermiştir. Ekonomik ve etik sorumluluklar kurum imajını olumlu etkilerken, yasal ve hayırsever sorumluluklar tüketicilerin güvenini artırmaktadır. Ayrıca yasal sorumluluklar tüketicilerin bankaları değerlendirmesini olumlu yönde etkilemektedir. Sonuçlar ayrıca kurumsal imaj, güven ve değerlendirmenin müşteri memnuniyetini ve sadakatini etkilediğini doğrulamaktadır. Bu çalışma ile banka müşterilerinin kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk bileşenlerine yönelik tercihlerini ortaya koyarak, kriz zamanlarında bankaların bu yöndeki davranışlarını iyileştirmek mümkün olacaktır.Alternate : The study aims to evaluate the support provided by banks in the COVID-19 era and to investigate the effect on consumer preferences. In this direction, the effects of CSR variables (economic, legal, ethical, philanthropic) and corporate interactions (corporate image, CSR trust, corporate evaluation) on consumer preferences (customer satisfaction, customer loyalty) were investigated. The study collected data from bank customers who showed corporate social responsibility practices;in total, 346 data were collected in Turkey. Confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were performed in the Amos 22.0 program. The results of this study demonstrated that the impact of CSR variables on corporate image, trust and evaluation had been proven. While economic and ethical responsibilities positively affect the corporate image, legal and philanthropic responsibilities increase consumers' trust. In addition, legal responsibilities positively affect consumers' evaluation of the banks. The results also confirm that corporate image, trust and evaluation affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. With this study, it will be possible to improve the behaviour of banks in this direction in times of crisis by revealing the preferences of bank customers for corporate social responsibility components.

From surviving to co-creating: the effects of the reshaped physical and social servicescape on customer citizenship behavior

The pandemic has reshaped customer perceptions of the new normal with both the physical and social service environments. Surprisingly, however, how reshaped servicescape design affects customers, especially their value co-creation behaviors, has not been studied. Drawing on value co-creation and signaling theory, this research aims to examine the comprehensive effects of the physical servicescape (signages, partitions, and spatial density) and the social servicescape (other customer misbehavior) on customer citizenship behavior and revisit intention via the mediating roles of perceived competence, perceived ethicality, and other customer trust. This study conducts two between-subjects experimental design studies with both written and pictorial manipulations in restaurant and retail store contexts to increase generalizability for services marketing. Signages and other customer misbehavior promote customer citizenship behavior through perceived competence and ethicality while partition shows the mixed results on customer perceptions. This paper contributes to servicescape and customer citizenship literature by identifying how the servicescape affects customer citizenship behavior via customers' perception. The findings of this current study also offer practical guidance as to how firms can be more strategic in design choices.

Guest editorial: Corporate social responsibility and COVID-19 global crisis: managerial and financial perspectives in developed and emerging countries

[...]management behavior plays a crucial role in developing CSR strategies. [...]with the development of new theoretical constructs and new models, it is necessary to better understand the dynamics and critical factors of the relationship between CSR and company performance as well as the context in which they operate (Lin et al., 2019;Surroca et al., 2010). In developed countries, CSR has become an important element for firms, as CSR strategies enhance their competitiveness and corporate reputation (e.g. Becker-Olsen et al., 2006;Aguilera et al., 2007). [...]of particular interest – in terms of context influences – are also countries considered as fastest-developing, such as BRICS, CIVETS, Next Eleven, and MINT, in which different cultural and social aspects can influence CSR strategies in different ways compared to developed countries (e.g. Aguinis and Glavas, 2019;Sardana et al., 2020). [...]this special issue aimed to attract rigorous research studies from scholars all over the world, contributing to enrich theoretical and practical knowledge about CSR, helping scholars – as well as executives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), emerging market SMEs, multinationals enterprise (MNEs) and emerging market MNEs (EM-MNEs) – to navigate through, overcome and learn from the COVID-19 global crisis.

Role of perceived corporate social responsibility in the nexus of perceived cause-related marketing and repurchase intention in emerging markets

Purpose>This study aims to evaluate the impact of perceived cause- related marketing (perceived-CRM) on the repurchase intention (CRIN). Besides, brand image (BIMA) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) connect this relationship as mediating variables. Especially, the role of perceived corporate social responsibility (perceived-CSR) contributed to this nexus between perceived-CRM and BIMA, perceived-CRM and CSAT in emerging economies.Design/methodology/approach>The paper follows a quantitative approach. Based on a comprehensive literature review on perceived-CSR, perceived-CRM , BIMA, CSAT and repurchase intention, the authors evaluate the impact of those constructs on repurchase intention in an emerging market. The study sample was composed of 395 responses covering customers of consumer goods. The study uses the Smart PLS-SEM version 3.3.2 to analyze the data.Findings>The findings revealed significant contributions to the extant CRM literature in some ways. This study's outcomes contribute to extending the existing literature on CRM and CSR. Specifically, the extension focuses on the mediating and moderating effects of BIMA, CSAT and perceived-CSR, respectively, in the relationship between perceived-CRM and CRIN. Moreover, the novelty of this study lies in providing a new approach to the influence of perceived-CRM on CRIN, with the mediating of BIMA, CSAT and moderating effects perceived-CSR integrated into a conceptual model.Practical implications>From a management perspective, the contribution of this study plays a very important role in strategic planning to enhance competitive advantage and improve business performance on a sustainable basis. This sustainability is founded on an insight into how changes in contextual factors affect the perception and consumer behavior of millennials in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market, especially in a context of Covid-19 global crisis. It is important to emphasize that genuineness and transparency in all activities and communications are a prerequisite in today's sensitive context. The application of acquired insight into practice will help businesses operating in the consumer sector improve brand reputation and CSAT. As a result, this leads to enhanced competitive advantage of the business in the market, improved market performance and ultimately to an improvement in the overall performance of the enterprise.Originality/value>This is the first study that explores the moderating role of perceived CSR on the nexus between perceived-CRM with brand image (BIMA) and CSAT to the best of our knowledge. Besides, the study also discovers the mediating role of BIMA and CSAT between perceived-CRM and repurchase-intention in an emerging economy. Findings in this study provided additional evidence to the increasingly important roles of perceived-CRM and perceived-CSR in creating win-win relationships with customers, aiming to solve specific social causes jointly. Further, the perceived-CRM and perceived-CSR mechanisms help businesses enhance their intangible assets and competitive advantages through enhanced BIMA and stronger CRIN. In the current context, the business environment is changing rapidly due to many factors that lead to increased competition at a global level. Therefore, improving competitive advantage is a mandatory condition for businesses to survive and develop sustainably.

Literature Review and Research Prospect on the Drivers and Effects of Green Innovation

With increasing and global environmental and climate problems, green innovation has become an important means to solve the environmental crisis. With the increasing practice of green innovation in enterprises, scholars at home and abroad have discussed the drivers and effects of green innovation from different perspectives. Based on an analysis of 119 articles about the drivers and effects of green innovation in top international journals from 2006 to 2021, this paper tries to find the consistencies and contradictions of research conclusions and to explore the possible research opportunities, sorting out the main theoretical mechanisms of the existing research on the drivers and effects of green innovation, pinpointing the consistency of these theoretical perspectives in explaining the different drivers and effects of green innovation, and putting forward research prospects. The results show that the drivers of green innovation include two kinds of factors: environment and organization. The pressure of external environment and system drives enterprises to adopt green innovation practices to cater to isomorphic factors, to obtain more environmental performance, and to improve organizational legitimacy. The lack of development resources, such as knowledge and technology, within an organization drives enterprises to carry out green innovation practices and enhance organizational competitive advantage by learning and absorbing new external knowledge, new technology and other resources. In addition, resource-based view and institutional theory are two commonly used theoretical perspectives, and their theoretical logic obtains consistent support in explaining the drivers and effects of enterprise green innovation.

RECONCEPTUALISING THE FOCUS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

One of the objectives of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Principles of Corporate Governance is to create an inclusive society by nurturing a commercial environment rooted in trust, transparency and accountability. In creating a socially inclusive environment, the acceleration of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and its applicability in South African companies must be borne in mind. This acceleration has precipitated a shift in the manner in which South African businesses operate in several ways. For example, various South African companies have embraced several digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. The use of these technologies has highlighted the inequality that has plagued South African companies. Additionally, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has widened the digital divide in South African companies. This article highlights the importance of South African companies incorporating information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure as a key corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. The article further argues that CSR initiatives targeting ICT infrastructure could benefit the South African economy and society during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the authors will demonstrate how the stakeholder approach is vital for corporate growth in South Africa. The authors also argue that concerted efforts by companies to build more ICT infrastructure could lead to a more inclusive society which could promote an efficient economy that attracts investors and enhances domestic and international trade.

Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty of Private Banking Companies in Peru

This study aimed to determine the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer satisfaction and loyalty in the Peruvian private banking sector. A total of 390 bank consumers fulfilled an online survey. It evaluated the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR), customer satisfaction (CS), and customer trust (CT) on customer loyalty. The results suggest that CSR and customer satisfaction, through customer trust, have a positive effect on customer loyalty. The model explained 63.6% of customer loyalty. Outcomes of the bootstrapping test showed that the path coefficients were significant. The research findings may help bank managers to understand customers’ satisfaction and trust, which can create a preference and loyalty for their firms. The study’s novelty is based on the use of the partial least square structural equation modeling technique (PLS-SEM) to evaluate CSR in the financial sector in Peru.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Service Quality in Higher Education in Egypt

The higher education sector is currently facing new challenges that have never been previously experienced because of increased global competitiveness, advances in technology, and the rise in the numbers of universities that offer students a broader range of courses to choose from. Students are the customers and main stakeholders in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) (Abbas, 2020). Hence, it is essential to investigate student perceptions of service quality (SQ) in HEIs. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the SQ in HEIs in Egypt from students' perspectives through the following research question: Has COVID-19 pandemic influenced the different dimensions of service quality in higher educational institutions? The paper aims to shed light on the impact of an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic on higher education services, as it deliberates on the challenges and responses in the short/medium term through customers' or students' perspectives as the main stakeholders of the educational process. The question that the paper addresses is accompanied by several hypotheses that evaluate the influence of COVID-19 on different dimensions of service quality in the learning context.

Corporate social responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic: a sequential mediation analysis

Purpose>This paper aims to examine the influence of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) on purchase intention in the short-term and corporate reputation in the long-term while taking into consideration of the mediating role of brand image and customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach>The research sample comprising 482 participants was selected at random. Hierarchical multiple regression and the PROCESS Macro for SPSS were used to test the proposed hypotheses.Findings>Perceived CSR was found to have significant direct and mediated effects of purchase intention and corporate reputation through brand image and customer satisfaction. The proposed causal chain is pivotal for understanding how CSR perceptions influence, as well as shape purchase intention and perceived reputation.Research limitations/implications>There are three major implications. First, it is important for consumers to be able to perceive CSR initiatives, to consider them as a strategic investment. Second, firms must develop strategies that promote CSR as being positive for society and the environment, as well as for the firm. Third, perceived CSR is an important predictor in the causal chain of relationships that promote brand image and customer satisfaction, which contributes to reputation and purchase intention. One of the major limitations of this study, although COVID-19 is an ongoing global pandemic in this study, is that cross-sectional data were collected within a single economy. Hence, a longitudinal study with samples from other economies in the region may be conducted to compare and generalize the findings.Social implications>At a time when corporate objectives are predominantly designed to satisfy stakeholder interests and to increase return on investment, there is mounting social pressure on shifting managerial mindsets to address issues such as poverty, health and well-being, education for all, social equality, unhealthy consumption, hedonic advertisements, global peace and environmental concerns. Marketing has been criticized for its narrow focus on fulfilling the social needs of a particular target market while ignoring society at large, and this study argues that, through responsible marketing, firms can improve their reputation and at the same time can promote sustainable living.Originality/value>Direct and mediated relationships that have previously been studied separately are considered together in a serially mediated unified model. This approach provides a better understanding of how perceived CSR can transform purchase intention and reputation.