In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service... more In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service quality is crucial for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Service quality is an important strategic weapon in retail contexts, particularly in developing defensive marketing strategies. The measurement of service quality in a retail setting is somewhat different from the measurement of service quality in other pure service settings. The most widely known and discussed scale for measuring service quality -SERVQUAL- has not been successfully adapted to and validated in a retail store environment. The ‚retail service quality scale‘ (RSQS) [1] has been validated in the USA, Hong Kong, and Korea, but not in other cultural settings. Only a limited number of studies have attempted to measure service quality in retail settings, so there is a significant gap in the literature regarding this area of research. The present study addresses this gap by applying the RSQS among 648 customers ...
Using a resource-based view and dynamic capabilities approach, this study investigates both the i... more Using a resource-based view and dynamic capabilities approach, this study investigates both the internal and external factors influencing competitive advantage in the hotel industry. For this purpose, we examine how organizational capabilities may lead to customer relationship building and in turn to competitive advantage. We further test the moderation role of market dynamism on the relationship between organizational capabilities and customer relationship building, and also investigate the mediation effect of customer relationship building on the association between organizational capabilities and competitive advantage. A questionnaire-based study was conducted among hotel employees in Northern Cyprus to test the conceptual model. A set of approaches was applied to detect common method bias and test the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships between the variables, and bootstrapping analysis wa...
African Journal of Business Management, Jul 31, 2011
The present study investigates bank selection criteria of customers in Romania. A total of 248 ba... more The present study investigates bank selection criteria of customers in Romania. A total of 248 bank customers responded to the bank selection instrument in two main cities of Romania: Bucharest and Constanta. "The number of ATM (automatic teller machines) booths" has been found to be the most important selection criteria for bank customers from Romania. This study has also shown that providing extensive ATM services, availability of telephone and internet banking, giving personal attention to customers, reputation and image of the banks, confidentiality of the bank for customer records, appearance of staff to be presentable and the number of branch offices around the country are all the most important factors that Romanian people give attention to. Finally, the results of this study have also shown that Romanian people give little attention to mass media advertisement, gifts provided by banks, fast and efficient service and recommendation by other people in their environment. Finally, bank selection criteria statistically differ across cities and income levels in Romania. This shows that people in different cities and in different income groups have different preferences of bank selection criteria in Romania.
This study aims at investigating discriminating factors of low and high performance small and med... more This study aims at investigating discriminating factors of low and high performance small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in terms of the perception of the SME owners/managers about profit goal achievement in North Cyprus. The study employs the recent and only available micro-data from Manufacturing Industry’s Profile and Expectations Surveys (2009 and 2010) initiated by Chamber of Industry and conducted by Small Business Development and Research Centre (SBDRC). Surveys’ sample covers approximately 70% of the companies in the manufacturing sector. Findings of the Discriminant Analysis (DA) indicates that performing (competitive) manufacturing firms are those who have more competent entrepreneurs, low labor unit cost, high capacity utilization and growth phases of companies. Variables like age of owners/manager, age of the firms, number of employees, target market (domestic or foreign), legal structure of the enterprise, investment on technology and quality have not been statisti...
In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service... more In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service quality is crucial for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Service quality is an important strategic weapon in retail contexts, particularly in developing defensive marketing strategies. The measurement of service quality in a retail setting is somewhat different from the measurement of service quality in other pure service settings. The most widely known and discussed scale for measuring service quality -SERVQUAL- has not been successfully adapted to and validated in a retail store environment. The ‚retail service quality scale‘ (RSQS) [1] has been validated in the USA, Hong Kong, and Korea, but not in other cultural settings. Only a limited number of studies have attempted to measure service quality in retail settings, so there is a significant gap in the literature regarding this area of research. The present study addresses this gap by applying the RSQS among 648 customers ...
Attracting and enrolling international students have become the primary concern of marketing effo... more Attracting and enrolling international students have become the primary concern of marketing efforts of higher education institutions. For this purpose, understanding the decision-making process of students is vital. This study examines the information sources, requirements, and choice factors of international students who study their higher education in an emerging higher education destination. This study is conducted through a quantitative approach, based on both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A survey was conducted with students who enrolled at a state university for the first time. University websites are identified as the most used sources of information. According to the study’s findings, job and scholarship opportunities are identified as the first and most crucial concern of international students. This study is of particular significance for higher education institutions in emerging higher education destinations to better underst...
This study develops an empirical model to test the effect of internal branding and brand-oriented... more This study develops an empirical model to test the effect of internal branding and brand-oriented leadership on employees' service recovery performance and turnover intention, with a particular emphasis on psychological contract as a mediator. Using a quantitative approach, questionnaire responses were collected from frontline employees of four-and five-star hotels in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Statistical analyses were performed using the SmartPLS software. The results of the statistical analyses showed internal branding and brand-oriented leadership positively influence psychological contracts. Moreover, the results suggest that hotels need to establish effective internal branding mechanisms to relay their brand messages through internal communication, training, briefings, and meetings. It was observed that, in general, a psychological contract guarantees a partial complementary mediation between internal branding and brand-oriented leadership on service recovery performance and turnover intention.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of customers' attitudes towards tradit... more The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of customers' attitudes towards traditional and social media marketing on brand trust and purchase intention. Reviewing the extant literature unveiled that the subject of traditional versus social media marketing in the airline market is not sufficiently studied. Thus, we studied the mentioned subject in Turkey because the aviation sector has shown noteworthy improvements due to a significant increasing volume of e-commerce, not only on the passenger side but also on the cargo side as well. On the other hand, thanks to the passenger demand growth since starting the recent century, the Turkish airline industry leads a giant contribution to the enlargement of the global economy due to the increasing number of connections and falling air transport costs. Data was gathered in Istanbul airports from 341 passengers of the airlines of Turkey to compare the impact of traditional and social media marketing on brand trust and purchase...
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2019
Purpose This study aims to present a unique perspective on the application of the theory of plann... more Purpose This study aims to present a unique perspective on the application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in the context of the green lodging industry via configurational modelling of three TPB dimensions in formulating hotel visitors’ behavioural responses. Attitude towards behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are the three indicators of TPB used to predict guests’ continued intention to use and recommend green hotels on Cyprus, a Mediterranean island with a fragile ecological system. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey is used to evaluate the study’s objectives. A total of 320 guests of green hotels were approached between June and July 2017 and invited to participate. Among them, 260 valid cases were obtained and used for data analysis. The structural model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM), the configurational model was assessed using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and the necessar...
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2017
This study aims to consider the effects of organizational human and physical resources on custome... more This study aims to consider the effects of organizational human and physical resources on customer relationship quality. It also investigates the effect of market and environmental dynamism as external factors in these associations. Furthermore, this study evaluates the mediation effect of customer relationship quality between applied resources and competitive advantage. Methodology: This research was implemented in North Cyprus. The number of hotel employees who participated was 297 with response rate of 85%. Convenience sampling method was considered for data collection of this study. Questionnaire was prepared in English and subjected to back-translation process afterwards. Nine employees were considered for the pilot study. Psychological separation and Harmans' single factor test were conducted as procedural and statistical potential remedies of common method bias. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach' alpha were applied to check existence of validity and reliability of questionnaire. Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between variables and the method of Baron and Kenny (1986) was considered to evaluate mediation effects. Results: Findings indicated that managerial competence, employees' trait competitiveness and physical resources affect customer relationship quality positively. There is also a positive relationship between customer relationship quality and competitive advantage. Results showed that customer relationship quality fully mediates the relationship between managerial competence and competitive advantage; it also partially mediates the relationship between trait competitiveness and competitive advantage and also between physical resources and competitive advantage. Findings showed that environmental dynamism doesn't moderate the relationship between predictors and customer relationship quality, whereas market dynamism moderates the association between managerial competence and customer relationship quality as well as the relationship between trait competitiveness and customer relationship quality. However, market dynamism doesn't moderate the relationship between physical resources and customer relationship quality. The theoretical contribution: While several studies have focused the effect of various factors on customer behavior and organizational performance; there is still a paucity of empirical study to consider the effects of human and physical factors at the same time on organizational outcomes. This study evaluates this issue with a broader view and considers both internal and external factors to better understand which environment is more affective of organizational performance. Furthermore, North Cyprus is an island destination (Katircioglu et al., 2007) and they differ in notion of tourism image (Tasci et al., 2007). Therefore, there is still a need to study about success and failure factors in this kind of tourism destination. Practical implications: As the role of managers and employees are important in building a high quality relationship with customers, it is critical to hire competent managers and employees with a competitive spirit in the organization. To make new recruitments, motivation and personality of the applicants need to be considered. To enhance competition among employees, managers can apply different strategies such as setting an award and promotion system. Furthermore, for an organization to adapt to the market dynamism, managers have to understand the market and their competitors, make a plan, and hire qualified staff and so on. Participation in training courses is necessary to understand and learn more about employees, competitors and the market environment.
PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore whether there are statistically significant difference... more PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore whether there are statistically significant differences in the influence that various career‐choice factors may have on a decision to choose accounting and non‐accounting majors in Iran. The findings derived from this study could assist accounting educators and professional accounting bodies to understand the reasons why students may want to choose an accounting major. In this regard, the findings could help accounting academics and the policy makers in the accounting sector in Iran and in other similar countries develop appropriate strategies to attract proper students into the accounting programs and to recruit bright accounting graduates into the accounting profession.Design/methodology/approachAt the univariate level, t‐tests of significant differences were performed in order to investigate the similarities and differences between the accounting and non‐accounting students with respect to the importance placed on the career‐choice facto...
Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 2008
Nepotism, cronyism and favoritism are unprofessional practices giving preferential treatment to r... more Nepotism, cronyism and favoritism are unprofessional practices giving preferential treatment to relatives and friends in employment. For this study a survey was carried out with 576 respondents working in the banking industry in northern Cyprus. An analysis was then conducted to assess the impact of these practices on job stress, job satisfaction, and intention to quit behavior of employees, as well as word of mouth comments in their workplaces. Results of this study show that nepotism, favoritism and cronyism create job stress in the workplace and this increases dissatisfaction of the staff about their organizations. Nepotism has the greatest negative effect on job stress.
Journal of Business Economics and Management, 2010
Globalisation has resulted in businesses extending their market coverage to include international... more Globalisation has resulted in businesses extending their market coverage to include international markets, which has provided customers with an ever‐expanding choice of domestic and foreign purchase options. It has thus become critical for marketers to ascertain the perceptions and attitudes of consumers regarding their acceptance of foreign products. The most commonly used instrument for this purpose is the ‘Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale’ ('CETSCALE') (Shimp and Sharma 1987), which has been validated in several developed economies, but which has not been applied and validated in many developing economies. The present study addresses this gap by applying ‘CETSCALE’ among 484 consumers in the developing market of North Cyprus. The study confirms the scale's validity and reliability in the setting of North Cyprus. Consumers’ ethnocentrism is shown to be positively related to intention to purchase domestically produced goods. The study also analyses the relationshi...
In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service... more In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service quality is crucial for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Service quality is an important strategic weapon in retail contexts, particularly in developing defensive marketing strategies. The measurement of service quality in a retail setting is somewhat different from the measurement of service quality in other pure service settings. The most widely known and discussed scale for measuring service quality -SERVQUAL- has not been successfully adapted to and validated in a retail store environment. The ‚retail service quality scale‘ (RSQS) [1] has been validated in the USA, Hong Kong, and Korea, but not in other cultural settings. Only a limited number of studies have attempted to measure service quality in retail settings, so there is a significant gap in the literature regarding this area of research. The present study addresses this gap by applying the RSQS among 648 customers ...
Using a resource-based view and dynamic capabilities approach, this study investigates both the i... more Using a resource-based view and dynamic capabilities approach, this study investigates both the internal and external factors influencing competitive advantage in the hotel industry. For this purpose, we examine how organizational capabilities may lead to customer relationship building and in turn to competitive advantage. We further test the moderation role of market dynamism on the relationship between organizational capabilities and customer relationship building, and also investigate the mediation effect of customer relationship building on the association between organizational capabilities and competitive advantage. A questionnaire-based study was conducted among hotel employees in Northern Cyprus to test the conceptual model. A set of approaches was applied to detect common method bias and test the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships between the variables, and bootstrapping analysis wa...
African Journal of Business Management, Jul 31, 2011
The present study investigates bank selection criteria of customers in Romania. A total of 248 ba... more The present study investigates bank selection criteria of customers in Romania. A total of 248 bank customers responded to the bank selection instrument in two main cities of Romania: Bucharest and Constanta. "The number of ATM (automatic teller machines) booths" has been found to be the most important selection criteria for bank customers from Romania. This study has also shown that providing extensive ATM services, availability of telephone and internet banking, giving personal attention to customers, reputation and image of the banks, confidentiality of the bank for customer records, appearance of staff to be presentable and the number of branch offices around the country are all the most important factors that Romanian people give attention to. Finally, the results of this study have also shown that Romanian people give little attention to mass media advertisement, gifts provided by banks, fast and efficient service and recommendation by other people in their environment. Finally, bank selection criteria statistically differ across cities and income levels in Romania. This shows that people in different cities and in different income groups have different preferences of bank selection criteria in Romania.
This study aims at investigating discriminating factors of low and high performance small and med... more This study aims at investigating discriminating factors of low and high performance small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in terms of the perception of the SME owners/managers about profit goal achievement in North Cyprus. The study employs the recent and only available micro-data from Manufacturing Industry’s Profile and Expectations Surveys (2009 and 2010) initiated by Chamber of Industry and conducted by Small Business Development and Research Centre (SBDRC). Surveys’ sample covers approximately 70% of the companies in the manufacturing sector. Findings of the Discriminant Analysis (DA) indicates that performing (competitive) manufacturing firms are those who have more competent entrepreneurs, low labor unit cost, high capacity utilization and growth phases of companies. Variables like age of owners/manager, age of the firms, number of employees, target market (domestic or foreign), legal structure of the enterprise, investment on technology and quality have not been statisti...
In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service... more In the highly competitive retail sector, the provision and measurement of superior retail service quality is crucial for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Service quality is an important strategic weapon in retail contexts, particularly in developing defensive marketing strategies. The measurement of service quality in a retail setting is somewhat different from the measurement of service quality in other pure service settings. The most widely known and discussed scale for measuring service quality -SERVQUAL- has not been successfully adapted to and validated in a retail store environment. The ‚retail service quality scale‘ (RSQS) [1] has been validated in the USA, Hong Kong, and Korea, but not in other cultural settings. Only a limited number of studies have attempted to measure service quality in retail settings, so there is a significant gap in the literature regarding this area of research. The present study addresses this gap by applying the RSQS among 648 customers ...
Attracting and enrolling international students have become the primary concern of marketing effo... more Attracting and enrolling international students have become the primary concern of marketing efforts of higher education institutions. For this purpose, understanding the decision-making process of students is vital. This study examines the information sources, requirements, and choice factors of international students who study their higher education in an emerging higher education destination. This study is conducted through a quantitative approach, based on both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A survey was conducted with students who enrolled at a state university for the first time. University websites are identified as the most used sources of information. According to the study’s findings, job and scholarship opportunities are identified as the first and most crucial concern of international students. This study is of particular significance for higher education institutions in emerging higher education destinations to better underst...
This study develops an empirical model to test the effect of internal branding and brand-oriented... more This study develops an empirical model to test the effect of internal branding and brand-oriented leadership on employees' service recovery performance and turnover intention, with a particular emphasis on psychological contract as a mediator. Using a quantitative approach, questionnaire responses were collected from frontline employees of four-and five-star hotels in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Statistical analyses were performed using the SmartPLS software. The results of the statistical analyses showed internal branding and brand-oriented leadership positively influence psychological contracts. Moreover, the results suggest that hotels need to establish effective internal branding mechanisms to relay their brand messages through internal communication, training, briefings, and meetings. It was observed that, in general, a psychological contract guarantees a partial complementary mediation between internal branding and brand-oriented leadership on service recovery performance and turnover intention.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of customers' attitudes towards tradit... more The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of customers' attitudes towards traditional and social media marketing on brand trust and purchase intention. Reviewing the extant literature unveiled that the subject of traditional versus social media marketing in the airline market is not sufficiently studied. Thus, we studied the mentioned subject in Turkey because the aviation sector has shown noteworthy improvements due to a significant increasing volume of e-commerce, not only on the passenger side but also on the cargo side as well. On the other hand, thanks to the passenger demand growth since starting the recent century, the Turkish airline industry leads a giant contribution to the enlargement of the global economy due to the increasing number of connections and falling air transport costs. Data was gathered in Istanbul airports from 341 passengers of the airlines of Turkey to compare the impact of traditional and social media marketing on brand trust and purchase...
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2019
Purpose This study aims to present a unique perspective on the application of the theory of plann... more Purpose This study aims to present a unique perspective on the application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in the context of the green lodging industry via configurational modelling of three TPB dimensions in formulating hotel visitors’ behavioural responses. Attitude towards behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are the three indicators of TPB used to predict guests’ continued intention to use and recommend green hotels on Cyprus, a Mediterranean island with a fragile ecological system. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey is used to evaluate the study’s objectives. A total of 320 guests of green hotels were approached between June and July 2017 and invited to participate. Among them, 260 valid cases were obtained and used for data analysis. The structural model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM), the configurational model was assessed using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and the necessar...
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2017
This study aims to consider the effects of organizational human and physical resources on custome... more This study aims to consider the effects of organizational human and physical resources on customer relationship quality. It also investigates the effect of market and environmental dynamism as external factors in these associations. Furthermore, this study evaluates the mediation effect of customer relationship quality between applied resources and competitive advantage. Methodology: This research was implemented in North Cyprus. The number of hotel employees who participated was 297 with response rate of 85%. Convenience sampling method was considered for data collection of this study. Questionnaire was prepared in English and subjected to back-translation process afterwards. Nine employees were considered for the pilot study. Psychological separation and Harmans' single factor test were conducted as procedural and statistical potential remedies of common method bias. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach' alpha were applied to check existence of validity and reliability of questionnaire. Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between variables and the method of Baron and Kenny (1986) was considered to evaluate mediation effects. Results: Findings indicated that managerial competence, employees' trait competitiveness and physical resources affect customer relationship quality positively. There is also a positive relationship between customer relationship quality and competitive advantage. Results showed that customer relationship quality fully mediates the relationship between managerial competence and competitive advantage; it also partially mediates the relationship between trait competitiveness and competitive advantage and also between physical resources and competitive advantage. Findings showed that environmental dynamism doesn't moderate the relationship between predictors and customer relationship quality, whereas market dynamism moderates the association between managerial competence and customer relationship quality as well as the relationship between trait competitiveness and customer relationship quality. However, market dynamism doesn't moderate the relationship between physical resources and customer relationship quality. The theoretical contribution: While several studies have focused the effect of various factors on customer behavior and organizational performance; there is still a paucity of empirical study to consider the effects of human and physical factors at the same time on organizational outcomes. This study evaluates this issue with a broader view and considers both internal and external factors to better understand which environment is more affective of organizational performance. Furthermore, North Cyprus is an island destination (Katircioglu et al., 2007) and they differ in notion of tourism image (Tasci et al., 2007). Therefore, there is still a need to study about success and failure factors in this kind of tourism destination. Practical implications: As the role of managers and employees are important in building a high quality relationship with customers, it is critical to hire competent managers and employees with a competitive spirit in the organization. To make new recruitments, motivation and personality of the applicants need to be considered. To enhance competition among employees, managers can apply different strategies such as setting an award and promotion system. Furthermore, for an organization to adapt to the market dynamism, managers have to understand the market and their competitors, make a plan, and hire qualified staff and so on. Participation in training courses is necessary to understand and learn more about employees, competitors and the market environment.
PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore whether there are statistically significant difference... more PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore whether there are statistically significant differences in the influence that various career‐choice factors may have on a decision to choose accounting and non‐accounting majors in Iran. The findings derived from this study could assist accounting educators and professional accounting bodies to understand the reasons why students may want to choose an accounting major. In this regard, the findings could help accounting academics and the policy makers in the accounting sector in Iran and in other similar countries develop appropriate strategies to attract proper students into the accounting programs and to recruit bright accounting graduates into the accounting profession.Design/methodology/approachAt the univariate level, t‐tests of significant differences were performed in order to investigate the similarities and differences between the accounting and non‐accounting students with respect to the importance placed on the career‐choice facto...
Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 2008
Nepotism, cronyism and favoritism are unprofessional practices giving preferential treatment to r... more Nepotism, cronyism and favoritism are unprofessional practices giving preferential treatment to relatives and friends in employment. For this study a survey was carried out with 576 respondents working in the banking industry in northern Cyprus. An analysis was then conducted to assess the impact of these practices on job stress, job satisfaction, and intention to quit behavior of employees, as well as word of mouth comments in their workplaces. Results of this study show that nepotism, favoritism and cronyism create job stress in the workplace and this increases dissatisfaction of the staff about their organizations. Nepotism has the greatest negative effect on job stress.
Journal of Business Economics and Management, 2010
Globalisation has resulted in businesses extending their market coverage to include international... more Globalisation has resulted in businesses extending their market coverage to include international markets, which has provided customers with an ever‐expanding choice of domestic and foreign purchase options. It has thus become critical for marketers to ascertain the perceptions and attitudes of consumers regarding their acceptance of foreign products. The most commonly used instrument for this purpose is the ‘Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale’ ('CETSCALE') (Shimp and Sharma 1987), which has been validated in several developed economies, but which has not been applied and validated in many developing economies. The present study addresses this gap by applying ‘CETSCALE’ among 484 consumers in the developing market of North Cyprus. The study confirms the scale's validity and reliability in the setting of North Cyprus. Consumers’ ethnocentrism is shown to be positively related to intention to purchase domestically produced goods. The study also analyses the relationshi...
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