Attitudinal and demographic determinants of diet quality and implications for policy targeting

Background:  Poor diet quality is a major public health concern that has prompted governments to introduce a range of measures to promote healthy eating. For these measures to be effective, they should target segments of the population with messages relevant to their needs, aspirations and circumstances. The present study investigates the extent to which attitudes and constraints influence healthy eating, as well as how these vary by demographic characteristics of the UK population. It further considers how such information may be used in segmented diet and health policy messages. Methods:  A survey of 250 UK adults elicited information on conformity to dietary guidelines, attitudes towards healthy eating, constraints to healthy eating and demographic characteristics. Ordered logit regressions were estimated to determine the importance of attitudes and constraints in determining how closely respondents follow healthy eating guidelines. Further regressions explored the demographic characteristics associated with the attitudinal and constraint variables. Results:  People who attach high importance to their own health and appearance eat more healthily than those who do not. Risk-averse people and those able to resist temptation also eat more healthily. Shortage of time is considered an important barrier to healthy eating, although the cost of a healthy diet is not. These variables are associated with a number of demographic characteristics of the population; for example, young adults are more motivated to eat healthily by concerns over their appearance than their health. Conclusions:  The approach employed in the present study could be used to inform future healthy eating campaigns. For example, messages to encourage the young to eat more healthily could focus on the impact of diets on their appearance rather than health.

Shopping motives as antecedents of e-satisfaction and e-loyalty

Customer loyalty is fundamental to the profitability and survival of e-tailers. Yet research on antecedents of e-loyalty is relatively limited. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the effect of motives for online shopping on e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. A structural equations model is developed and tested through data from an online survey involving 797 customers of two UK-based e-tailers focussing on hedonic products. The results suggest that convenience, variety seeking, and social interaction help predict e-satisfaction, and that social interaction is the only shopping motive examined with a direct relationship to e-loyalty. Data also show that e-satisfaction is a strong determinant of e-loyalty. These findings are discussed in the light of previous research and avenues of future research are proposed.

The efficacy of shopping value in predicting destination loyalty

Recognizing the importance of tourism's experiential aspects, this research examines how hedonic and utilitarian values relate to tourist's overall shopping experience satisfaction and destination loyalty. Study findings suggest both hedonic and utilitarian shopping values are strongly linked to overall shopping satisfaction. Overall shopping satisfaction fully mediates utilitarian shopping value's effect on destination repatronage intention (DRI), destination word-of-mouth (DWoM), and partially mediates hedonic shopping value's (HSV) effect on DRI and DWoM. Study results advance consumer behavior theory and offer managerial implications for retailers operating in a rapidly maturing tourism destination in Turkey's Mediterranean region.

Brand equity, brand loyalty and consumer satisfaction

This study aims to investigate the mediating effects of consumer satisfaction on the relationship between consumer-based brand equity and brand loyalty in the hotel and restaurant industry. Based on a sample of 378 customers and using structural equation modelling approach, the five dimensions of brand equity—physical quality, staff behaviour, ideal self-congruence, brand identification and lifestyle-congruence—are found to have positive effects on consumer satisfaction. The findings of the study suggest that consumer satisfaction partially mediates the effects of staff behaviour, ideal self-congruence and brand identification on brand loyalty. The effects of physical quality and lifestyle-congruence on brand loyalty are fully mediated by consumer satisfaction.

Litigation against fracking bans and moratoriums in the US: exit, voice and loyalty

A number of US states, counties and municipalities have responded to the public health and environmental concerns surrounding fracking by imposing bans or moratoriums on unconventional oil and gas drilling. These restrictions have, in recent years, given rise to litigation challenges by oil and gas companies and by property owners deprived of potential revenues. The current article begins by examining precisely who has litigated. Have large companies dominated or is it mostly smaller independents? Is there a difference in litigation rates between private and public companies? The article then considers how Hirschman’s ideas of exit, voice and loyalty might apply in the context of bans and moratoriums and further explores some of the factors that may have driven litigation in the area.

Visitor loyalty in sport tourism: an empirical investigation

This paper reports research regarding the relationship between consumer loyalty, satisfaction,and novelty seeking, including an analysis of these constructs as reflected in the published literature. A telephone survey was conducted of 500 city residents, focusing on their visitation of special events, including sporting events. It was found that satisfaction was somewhat positively related to interest in attending the same sporting event, and the intention to actually visit the sporting event again. However, novelty seeking was virtually unrelated to both interest in attending the same sporting event, and the intention to actually visit the sporting event, and unrelated to satisfaction. Novelty seeking in general, or in relation to special events particularly,performed similarly as a predictor. Further research is needed to clarify the role of other moderating variables, such as the feeling of involvement in sporting events, and to investigate segmentation aspects which might be operating in relation to specific sporting events and tourists.

An empirical investigation of customer satisfaction and loyalty across two divergent bank segments

Customer satisfaction is an important indicator for customer loyalty, and numerous studies have identified the benefits that customer loyalty delivers to an organisation. Nevertheless, research also suggests that satisfied customers still defect. This study investigated the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions within the Australian banking industry for two distinct customer segments, retirees and university students. Results indicate no significant difference in the satisfaction levels of either group; however, there were differences with respect to two of the five behavioural intentions dimensions: loyalty and switch. Satisfaction was found to have a significant impact on three of the five behavioural intentions dimensions: loyalty, pay more and external response, suggesting that management should initiate service policies aimed at securing improvements in customer satisfaction. However, there are also other constructs at work aside from satisfaction in determining future behavioural intentions.

Testing the factor structure of the behavioral-intentions battery: an empirical study of the Australian banking industry

The five-factor ‘Behavioural-Intentions Battery’ was developed by Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996), to measure customer behavioural and attitudinal intentions. The structure of this model was re-examined by Bloomer, de Ruyter and Wetzels (1999) across different service industries. They concluded that service loyalty is a multi dimensional construct consisting of four, not five, distinct dimensions. To date, neither model has been tested within a banking environment. This research independently tested the ‘goodness of fit’ of both the four and five-factor models, to data collected from branch bank customers. Data were collected via questionnaire with a sample of 348 banking customers. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted upon the two opposing factor structures, revealing that the five-factor structure has a superior model fit; however, the fit is ‘marginal’.

Student satisfaction : impact of age and gender on satisfaction among international postgraduate students from Asia

Customer satisfaction is a core-marketing concept. It is considered as a major outcome of marketing activity and serves to link processes, culminating in purchase and consumption with post-purchase phenomena such as attitudinal change, customer retention, repeat purchase, brand loyalty, positive word-of-mouth communication. Student satisfaction is a strategic factor in developing a competitive advantage in the highly attractive and globally competitive international education market. Market forecasts indicate a seven-fold increase in the number of students seeking higher education overseas by 2025 and given the competitiveness of the industry, universities will need to focus on variables influencing student satisfaction in order to address areas where improvements in service quality are required.

A sample of 371 postgraduate students from China, India, Indonesia and Thailand, is investigated. The study highlights the development of a scale to measure international postgraduate student satisfaction. The scale demonstrates the importance of four predominant factors influencing university choices - Education Resources; Communication and Guidance; Customer Value and Study Outcomes; and Image, Prestige and Recognition. Using logistic regression and chi square testing, this paper investigates the impact of age and gender on satisfaction among international postgraduate students from four Asian countries studying in universities in Victoria, Australia, on theses factors. The results indicate that age has a positive relationship with satisfaction among postgraduate students while the influence of gender has no effect on influencing satisfaction among postgraduate students from Asia.

Loyalty program attributes and their influence on retail customer satisfaction

This paper empirically examines the extent to which loyalty program attributes explain variations in satisfaction with the retail offer. Two dimensions of loyalty program attributes are introduced including hard attributes and soft attributes. Store satisfaction is examined in terms of the elements of the retail offer. The results suggest that emphasis on hard and soft attributes enhance customer satisfaction with a retailers’ merchandise, trading format, customer service and customer communication. Additionally, hard attributes have a more significant influence than soft attributes on satisfaction with all elements of the retail offer excluding merchandise.

Loyalty to the profession? A study of Australian financial planners

The purpose of this paper is to examine the demographic variables of age and gender in conjunction with three independent variables: Internal versus external locus of control personality dimension, individualist versus collectivist personality dimension, and perceived environmental uncertainty and to relate same to the professional commitment (PC) of financial planners in Australia. A questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 312 financial planners nationally, with a 36% response rate and statistically significant results. At the 90% confidence level (p=0.10) respondents over the age of 35 demonstrated no difference between their levels of professional commitment than did those under the age of 35, while at the same level of confidence, females demonstrated a statistically significant higher level of PC than did their male counterparts. Respondents with an external locus of control displayed lower levels of PC (p=0.10) that those with an internal locus of control. These findings contribute to our understanding of the professional commitment of financial planners, and are important from a public policy perspective in an era of increasing attention to, and likely increased regulation of, the financial planning industry.

Exploring the relationship between customer loyalty to the service worker and customer citizenship behaviors to the service organization

This paper conceptualizes the positive relationship between customer loyalty to the service worker (personal loyalty) and customer citizenship behaviors to the service organization including: positive word of mouth; suggestions for improvements; customer participation in activities; benevolent acts of service facilitation; customer policing; customer flexibility; customer voice and displays of relationship affiliation.