Market Forces (Journal of Management, Business and Economics, College of Management Science, PAF-KIET)
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Corporate Social Responsibility and Customer Loyalty: Exploring the Role of Satisfaction and Corporate Image in the Banking Industry
Full text linkThis study aims to determine the impact of corporate social responsibility on customerloyalty and satisfaction with the mediating effect of customer satisfaction and the moderatingeffect of corporate image in Pakistan’s banking sector. The study collected 302 responsesfrom the target population. We used a self-administered questionnaire for collecting thedata of banking customers in Pakistan by employing the convenience sampling technique.The study has used the PLS-SEM technique for statistical analysis. The results reveal thatcorporate social responsibility positively influences customer satisfaction. The results alsosuggest that CSR positively affects customer satisfaction. At the same time, CSR has aninsignificant association with customer loyalty. We also found that CS stimulates customerloyalty, and corporate image promotes CL. The results suggest that customer satisfactionmediates CSR and CL. We also found that corporate image does not moderate customerloyalty. Given the importance of CSR, we suggest that banks should allocate considerableresources for CSR activities. CSR is necessary for firms’ growth and sustainability. It also,directly and indirectly, affects the brand image, loyalty, and customer satisfaction. Due to strict regulations, banks have difficulty creating product differentiation; therefore, they relyon strategies such as CSR
Impact of Financial and Non-financial Rewards on Employee Motivation and Employee Commitment among SMEs textiles sector of Karachi Pakistan
No full textSMEs in Pakistan are not performing according to their potential. Besides other factors,they do not have a well-structured rewards package, due to which the employee motivationand commitment are low. Thus, we have developed a new model to examine the effectof rewards and packages on employee commitment and motivation. We have recruitedsix enumerators to collect the data from the target population. The enumerators havedistributed 400 questionnaires, and they received 385 filled questionnaires. The authorshave used Smart PLS version 3.2 for statistical analysis. The developed model has five directand two mediating relationships. We found support for all hypotheses. The results suggestthat financial and non-financial rewards affect employee commitment and motivation.Commitment stimulates motivation. Also, employee commitment mediates (1) nonfinancialreward and motivation and (2) financial-reward and motivation. The findings are consistent with the past literature. SMEs in Pakistan do not have a well-structured HRdepartment, and they make reward-related decisions arbitrarily. Thus, we recommend thatSMEs develop a policy for rewards that is rational and unbiased. We also recommend thatthey should balance non-financial and financial rewards
Gender Differences in Response to Digital Marketing: Analyzing Purchase Intentions and Behaviors
No full textSocial media in the prevailing era has changed the attitudes and lifestyles of all individuals, especially university students. Given its importance, this study examines the impact of discount pricing, bundle pricing, and purchase intention on consumer buying behavior. It also examines the impact of social media influencers and awareness on purchase intention and the moderating effect of gender on purchase intention. The study extended the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Comparison Theory to develop a model. We empirically tested the model based on 385 responses collected from the target population. The study found that discount pricing, bundle pricing, and purchase intention promote consumer-buying behavior. It also documented that social media influencers and awareness positively affect purchase intention. We also found gender moderates (i) social media influencer and purchase intention and (ii) awareness and purchase intention. The study's contribution to the body of knowledge is that it has extended the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Comparison Theory to develop a new model. Since the "results support all the articulated hypotheses, the study has increased the generalizability of these theories." The study recommends that firms spend resources and recruit social media influencers to promote their goods. It also proposes that firms must select credible and trustworthy social media influencers. Female perceptions and attitudes toward social media influencers differ from males. Therefore, we recommend that firms select social media influencers based on the product categories
Brand Loyalty and the Mediating Roles of Brand Image and Customer Satisfaction
Full text linkIn the present competitive era, firms can’t develop and maintain a competitive edge based on physical features. Therefore, most firms use intangible aspects like brand image, which enhances customer satisfaction and promotes a sustainable relationship with customers. Given its importance, most firms focus on building and maintaining their brand image. Because of its importance, we have developed a conceptual framework that has five direct relationships and three indirect relationships. The scope of the study was focused on the branded apparel industry (J.dot). The questionnaire was administered to private universities of Karachi. We contacted 400 respondents, and 387 responded. We found that brand image does not affect brand loyalty, which is inconsistent with earlier studies. On the contrary, we found that customer satisfaction and perceived quality is positively associated with brand loyalty. Brand image and perceived quality affect customer satisfaction and brand image. Moreover, brand image does not mediate the perceived quality and brand loyalty relationship. However, customer satisfaction mediates the brand image and brand loyalty relationship. The implication for the marketers was drawn from the results. This study was limited to the J.dot apparel brand. Future studies can be carried out in other domains. The study was restricted to one city. Future studies may extend it to other cities and other countries. A comparative review may bring further insight into the brand-related elements.Keywords: Brand image, brand loyalty, perceived quality, customer satisfaction
Unemployment: A Missing Link
Full text linkDeveloping countries like Pakistan face a host of economic problems in the form of stagnant exports, low economic growth, inadequate private investment, and inefficient utilization of foreign direct investment. Given these problems, we have examined macroeconomic factors impact on unemployment in Pakistan from 1967 to 2018. We also tested the proposed hypotheses through “VAR, fully modified least squares, and Granger causality tests.†Our results suggest that exports did not stimulate jobs in Pakistan. Perhaps, Pakistan needs to diversify its exports by focusing on non-conventional value-added goods. The results also indicate that although FDI and government expenditures have created jobs, they are below expectations. Although we found that private investment has helped job creation, the effect is small compared to other developing countries. Furthermore, we find that macroeconomic factors have had little impact on unemployment in the long run
Antecedents and Mediating Role of Green Buying Behavior
Full text linkSustainability of the environment is one of the major issues both in developed and developing countries. There is an abundance of studies on green buying behavior. However, a few have studied the mediating role of green buying behavior. Thus, we have developed a new model that has five direct and three mediating relationships. This empirical research has used a snowball sampling technique for collecting the data. We distributed 400 questionnaires and received 377 valid responses. The study has used Smart PLS software for data analysis, including reliability, validity, and generating measurement and structural models. We found that green brands, green identification, and social influence are significant predictors of green buying behavior. Further, we find that the green brand image and green buying behavior promote green satisfaction. The results also suggest that green buying behavior mediates (1) green image and green satisfaction, (2) social influence and green buying behavior, (3) self-identification, and green satisfaction. We also found that consumers have a favorable attitude towards green buying behavior. However, there is a huge gap in consumers’ attitudes and actual buying behavior. Thus, marketers and practitioners need to develop strategies that would translate a favorable attitude toward actual buying behavior
An Empirical Insight into the Theory and Practices of Capital Budgeting in Pakistan
Full text linkThe study explores the different stages of the capital investment decision process and empirically investigates these stages’ mediating role. We have used firms, managers, and economic attributes as independent variables. Likewise, ROA, ROE, and EPS are used as proxies for measuring firm performance, which is the dependent variable. A survey was conducted through a self-developed questionnaire for non-financial listed firms of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). The questionnaire comprises of two parts. The first part is related to managers and firm attributes. The second part covers the nine steps of the Capex Appraisal Model (CAM). PLS-SEM was used to investigate the objectives of the study. Moreover, the results support the applicability of CAM in the corporate sector of Pakistan. For this purpose, 27 hypotheses were empirically tested, of which 21 were found to be significant. However, 6 hypotheses were not supported. The findings suggest that the “Capex Appraisal Model†is a useful approach for the corporate sector of Pakistan. Thus, firms should properly evaluate Capex decisions to enhance performance in the long run
Organizational Performance and Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Intervening Role of Organizational Learning
Full text linkMany past studies have examined the association between entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) and organizational performance (O.P.). However, these studies have not adequately addressed the mediating roles of acquisition learning (A.L.) and experiential learning (E.L.) on organizational performance. Given this gap, we have developed a new model that contains six direct relationships, three mediating relationships, and one multi-mediating relationship. The focus of the study was on Indonesian Pharmaceutical SMEs. We have collected a sample of 365 respondents non-randomly. For statistical analysis, we have used Smart PLS version 3.2. The statistical analysis includes reliability, validity, and descriptive statistics. The results confirm that acquisition learning (A.L.), experiential learning (E.L.), and entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) promote organizational performance (O.P.). We also found that entrepreneurial orientation (E.O.) impacts acquisition learning (A.L.) and innovative performance (I.P.) but does not affect organizational performance (O.P.). However, the results suggest that acquisition learning (A.L.) and experiential learning (E.L.) are positively linked. Our results also support all the mediating relationships
Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Emotional Labor Strategies
Full text linkThe study examines the direct effect of four “emotional intelligence†attributes on teachers’ job satisfaction in Karachi’s private teaching institutions. The study also investigates the mediating effects of “emotional labor strategies†on teachers’ job satisfaction. We have used the questionnaire adopted from earlier studies. We distributed 550 questionnaires to respondents, of which we received 499 useable responses. The study has used Smart PLS version 3.3 for data analysis. Our results support only six hypotheses, including two direct and our indirect. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge in the following ways. First, it has measured the effects of the four attributes of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction. Second, most studies have examined the mediating effect of emotional labor strategies on emotional intelligence and other job satisfaction antecedents. Perhaps this is the first study that has examined the direct impact of the sub-factor of emotional intelligence on teachers’ job satisfaction. Additionally, it also looks at the mediating effect of emotional labor strategies on teachers’ satisfaction. There are several implications for managers. For example, the teaching institutes should provide counseling and training to teachers for enhancing their emotional intelligence. Emotional labor strategies help individuals control and monitor their emotions; therefore, educational institutions may also encourage their teachers to adopt these strategies
Determinants of Capital Adequacy of Nigerian Banks
Full text linkA reliable banking system in developing economies like Nigeria is vital for economic progress as it facilitates the flow of funds to productive investment sectors. The capital adequacy requirement of banks is a crucial feature of the stability of the banks globally. Because of its importance, we have examined the antecedents to capital adequacy. We have used the data set of ten leading banks of Nigeria from 2007 to 2017. Our results indicate that ROA and loan to total assets are significantly associated with capital adequacy. However, we found that nonperforming loans and size are negatively associated with the capital adequacy. Our results do not support the association between macroeconomics variables and capital adequacy. Therefore, we recommend that all banking entities should reserve sufficient cash and cash equivalents as a percentage of deposits and apply aggressive risk management practices to reduce the magnitude of nonperforming loans. This study was restricted to one country. Future studies can be carried out in other countries. A comparative data set of more than one country may bring further insight into the phenomenonKeywords: Capital adequacy ratio, banks-specific determinants, macroeconomic determinants, Nigeria