دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی تحقیقات تجربی پیشداوری و عواقب ارزش گذاری برند داخلی - الزویر 2018

ABSTRACT

This study investigates whether and how management commitment to internal branding would stimulate prosocial service behaviors. Through its conceptual model, this study posits internal brand equity as the intervening mechanism which links management commitment to internal branding to role-prescribed customer service, extra-role customer service and cooperation. Data were gathered from a sample of flight attendants in Iran. According to the results stem from structural equation modeling, management commitment to internal branding positively affects internal brand equity. In turn, internal brand equity positively associates with role-prescribed customer service, extra-role customer service and cooperation. Results further revealed that, internal brand equity acts as full mediator in the relationship between management commitment to internal branding and extra-role customer service as well as partial mediator in the relationships between management commitment to internal branding and role-prescribed customer service and cooperation. In light of social influence theory, this study contributes to internal branding literature through its empirical evidence and managerial implications.

8. Limitations and implications for future research

This study significantly contributes to service branding literature by investigating the impact of MCIB on three organizationally valued forms of PSBs namely role-prescribed customer service, extra-role customer service and cooperation, incorporating IBE as the mediating mechanism. Specifically, the mediating role of IBE in the abovementioned relationship is consistent with the recent claim that mediating mechanisms would help in explaining management practicesemployee performance association (Ellinger et al., 2013; Malhotra and Ackfeldt, 2016). Against its strong contribution, however, some limitations are linked to the findings.

First, this study used role-prescribed customer service, extra-role customer service and cooperation as indicators of PSBs among flight attendants. However, due to its determining effect, the phenomenon of PSBs needs broader investigation. That is, mentoring, knowledge sharing and compassion can be also investigated as other neglected types of prosocial behavior (Bolino and Grant, 2016). Second, future research may advantage from incorporation of alternate mediating mechanism to contribute to the processes through which management commitment influences employee job behaviors. Organizational commitment and perceived organizational support are prudent mediating variables which may link management commitment to PSBs. Third, this study used respondents' demographics as control variable. However, it appears that several moderating mechanism may influence the effectiveness of internal branding on employees attitudes and behaviors (e.g. Burmann et al., 2009a,b; Matanda and Ndubisi, 2013; Punjaisri and Wilson, 2011). Fourth, even though this study used a time-lagged study from multiple data sources, its findings may be prey for common method bias. To ensure that common method bias was not a significant issue, Harman's (1976) one-factor test was conducted to assess the common method variance.