Levels Of Affective Commitment Research Articles

Leadership Styles and Their Effect on Employee Productivity in Zambia’s Parastatal Organizations: A Case Study of Lusaka

Leadership is the ability to influence adapted the setting so that everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems. Leadership is an ability meaning a leader has a capacity to do something through talent and skill. this research will investigate the different leadership styles and their effect on the employees’ productivity of Zambia Railways and its employees. The study explored the problem in an interpretative view and investigation, using a descriptive approach which uses focus group, interviews. The research design used both qualitative and quantitative research approach. Qualitative research design focused on open ended questions from which responses from key informants was collected for narration purposes as well. Qualitative research emphasised the understanding of verbal narratives. Quantitative research focused on closed ended questions from which responses given were non-verbal. Data collection was done using self-administered questionnaires as part of data collection from the employees. The interviews scheduled and structured for the key informants was strictly based on the interview guide. Data collected from both open and closed ended questions emanating from questionnaires administered to the respondents was analyzed by the use of a computer software known as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16). With regard to qualitative data collected from the key informants, a narrative report was employed as obtained from them. Then findings of the study has demonstrated that positive relationships between leadership styles and organisational productivity. Overall findings from this study suggest that participative and democratic leadership behaviours do play important roles in determining levels of affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: CASE STUDY IN A CONSULTATION COMPANY

Objective: To Analyze the relationship between human resources management and organizational behavior, in light of the analysis of high-performance work practices and workers' organizational commitment. Theoretical Framework: This study focuses on the “high performance work practices” (Pfeffer, 1998; Becker, et al. 2001) which refer to a set of practices that aim to select, develop, and retain workers, especially the most innovative ones, to maximize the organization's performance. Method: A case study was carried out in an innovation and technology consultancy organization, based on the application of a questionnaire survey on the components of organizational commitment (Nascimento et al., 2008) and the perception of workers regarding high performance work practices (Esteves, 2008). The sample is mainly composed of male professionals, between 26 and 34 years old and with a undergraduate or bachelor’s degree. Results and Discussion: The results show some consistency with previous empirical studies: high performance work practices are present in this type of organization; professionals are affectively committed to the organization; there are significant correlations between high performance work practices and organizational commitment, especially at the level of affective commitment. Research Implications: Assists in the design and implementation of practical human resources management strategies for managers, which contribute to the formulation of management systems focused on organizational commitment behaviors of professionals in the context of the consultancy sector. Originality/Value: It is a pioneering study developed in a national context on the two constructs in the consulting sector, contributing to the literature by highlighting the importance of a relational and reflective approach to the importance of organizational behavior. Its relevance and value is evidenced by the support it gives to the design of management systems and practices based on organizational behavior.

Financial stress and quit intention: the mediating role of entrepreneurs’ affective commitment

AbstractOne primary reason why entrepreneurs abandon their entrepreneurial goals is due to pressing financial difficulties. In one experimental and two field studies, we investigated the relationship between entrepreneurs’ financial stress and their intention to quit their businesses. In line with the challenge–hindrance stressor (CHS) framework, all three studies showed a positive link between financial stress and quit intention, both concurrently and over time. Furthermore, drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), we found support for affective commitment (but not continuance commitment) to the entrepreneurial endeavors as a mediator of the relationship. The findings provide novel insights into financial stress as a relevant entrepreneurial hindrance stressor and the role of the emotional bond formed (and dissolved) between entrepreneurs and their jobs as the mediating mechanism. Practical suggestions include considering the affective commitment levels of entrepreneurs to enhance consultancy and decision-making in entrepreneurship.

The Influence of Commitment to Change and Change-Related Behaviour among Academics of Malaysian-Islamic Higher Learning Institutions

The implementation of change in higher learning institutions is rapidly becoming a norm. Academics have to grapple with the changes imposed in order to remain relevant. With the introduction of the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013–2025) and other factors, academics in higher learning institutions have had to change and ensure that change is sustainable. In line with this, one of the issues in the area of organisational change is commitment to change. The purpose of this paper is to determine the link between the academics’ level of commitment to change and change-related behaviour in selected Islamic higher learning institutions in Malaysia. A survey method was applied, and questionnaires were distributed. Responses from 103 respondents were analysed using PLS-SEM. Results indicated that academics’ level of affective commitment to change has an influence on cooperation and championing, while continuance commitment to change only influenced compliance. Normative commitment to change only has an influence on cooperation. Other than being the only study that focuses on Malaysian-Islamic higher learning institutions in studying commitment to change, the results of this research also provide insights on the behavioural outcomes of commitment to change, which is crucial for the success of change implementation.

Radiographers’ organisational commitment and occupational stress: First Covid-19 wave

IntroductionRadiographers, like many health professionals, are in a high-risk group for succumbing to workplace demands beyond their ability to cope, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in occupational stress. Occupational stress has been linked to poor organisational commitment. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to evaluate radiographers’ organisational commitment and occupational stress after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA mixed method approach entailed data collected from purposively sampled Australian radiographers working during the first COVID-19 wave. The quantitative phase used an online commitment questionnaire, and 21 semi-structured individual virtual interviews were conducted in the qualitative phase. Data interpretation and analysis used statistical and thematic approaches. ResultsThe quantitative data revealed a higher level of continuance than affective and normative commitment. Whereas the qualitative findings showed participants high levels of affective commitment to their occupation and, together with leadership support, working collectively towards a positive outcome. ConclusionDespite the variety of occupational stressors that arose during the COVID-19 crisis, Australian radiographers enjoy a high level of occupational and organisational commitment. Implications for practiceRadiographers' organisational commitment represents their emotional and psychological attachment to their workplace, and radiographers experiencing occupational stress represent high levels of psychosomatic distress and burnout. Therefore, considering radiographers’ organisational commitment and occupational stress is essential in the delivery of services, quality of patient care and radiographers well-being.

Are Millennials Different? A Time-Lag Study of Federal Millennial and Generation X Employees’ Affective Commitment

Stereotypes about Millennials permeate conversations about public management, often without evidence. Based on generational theory and psychological contract theory, this study hypothesizes and empirically compares affective commitment levels of U.S. federal Millennials and Generation Xers. This study uses a time-lag design with data from the 2011 Federal Viewpoint Survey and the 2004 Federal Human Capital Survey to investigate Millennials and Generation Xers under 30 years old and untangle the generational difference effect while controlling for the age difference. The findings show that Millennials reported slightly higher levels of affective commitment in comparison with Generation Xers (contrary to common stereotypes). This study also reports null findings or the absence of evidence for the differences regarding how managerial practices (support for work–life balance, financial rewards, and meaningful work) influence their affective commitment. In addition, federal employees belonging to the Millennial generation reported work interests differing from the common stereotypes. This study advances public management scholarship regarding affective commitment of generations and young employees, as well as contributing evidence about generational differences in an under-studied field: the public sector. Practically, the findings help reduce erroneous stereotypes and foster effective and equitable management of the public workforce.

Perceived benefits of training, individual readiness for change, and affective organizational commitment among employees of national jordanian banks

This study aimed to examine how employees’ perceived benefits of training impact their level of affective organizational commitment through investigating the mediating role of individual readiness for change in National Jordanian banks. The study sample included 451 employees from 16 banks in Jordan. Stratified random sampling was used for the selection of the study participants, and data were collected using a self-administered written questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was conducted to analyze the collected data and test the study hypotheses, which were developed according to the social exchange theory and psychological contract theory. The analysis provided strong evidence for the contentions of the social exchange theory, whereby employees’ affective commitment to their banks was found to be positively influenced by their perceptions of the job-, career, and personal-related benefits of training. Moreover, individual readiness for change was shown to be positively influenced by employees’ perceived benefits of training, and employees’ affective organizational commitment was positively influenced by their readiness for change. Finally, individual readiness for change was found to act as a mediating variable between employees’ perceived benefits of training and their level of affective commitment to their banks. The current study provides bank management teams with a comprehensive understanding of employees’ affective organizational commitment as a potential outcome of training and provides evidence for the relationship between the two variables.

Well-Being Implications of Unaccepted Voice for Voicers: Negative Affect and Insomnia as Outcomes

Employees express voice in order to improve the status quo of their work units and organizations. However, sometimes employee voice attempts are not accepted by managers or violate group norms with regards to voice expression. When voice is unaccepted, it may not only negatively impact the effectiveness of their work units and organization, but also may take a toll on voicer well-being. Drawing from the appraisal theory of discrete emotions (Roseman, 1984, 1991, 1996), we examine the well-being implications of unaccepted voice for voicers. In a 10-day within-person study of 113 full-time employees, we found that employees experienced higher levels of fear and, subsequently, were more likely to suffer from insomnia at night, when their voice was rejected by their supervisors. In addition, we found that these effects of supervisory voice rejection on fear and insomnia were stronger for employees who had lower levels of affective commitment to their organization. Also, we found that employees were more likely to feel frustrated when their voice violated group or organizational norms, and this effect was stronger for employees who were higher in affective commitment.

The Relationships among Supervisor Support, Affective Commitment, and Altruistic Behavior

Purpose:The main purpose of this study is to research the mediating effect of “employees’ affective commitment to the organization” in the relationship between “perceived supervisor support” and “these employee’saltruistic behavior”.Design/methodology/approach:Dataset of the study consisted of 215 questionnaires gathered from nurses working in two private hospitals in Ankara.SPSSstatistical programwas used for data entryand analyses. “Hierarchical regression” and “Sobel test”analyses were employedfor hypothesis-testingin this study.Findings:According to the analysis results in terms of participants in this study, nurses’ perception of support from immediate supervisors directly affects their affective commitment to the hospital in a significant and positive way. And then, their affective commitment has a direct, significant and positive effect on their altruistic behavior. In addition, perceived supervisor support affectsnurses’ altruistic behavior in a significant and positive way both directly and indirectly through their affective commitment. Therefore, nurses’ affective commitment to the hospital has a partial mediating role in the mechanism established within the scope of the study.Discussion:In this study, answer is sought for the question of “is it possible to contribute to the hospital through the enhancing effects of an increase in nurses’ perception level of supervisor support on their levels of affective commitment to the hospital and altruistic behavior?”. According to the research results, it is possible to contribute to the hospital thanks to the mechanism established in this study.

Study of institutional and professional loyalty features in future engineers

Introduction. Increasing professional loyalty attracts to the organization not only specialists that are qualified, but also committed employees that are involved, interested, motivated for long-term relations with the organization, those of high moral convictions that contribute to the adequate moral decisions in complicated professional backgrounds. The purpose of the study is to study the institutional loyalty, involvement in professional activities, as well as ideas about the organization of engineering students working in the profession and studying in the master’s program. Materials and methods. The study involved 196 students of the University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in St. Petersburg (98 females and 98 males) studying under the “Construction” Master’s program and working in the construction industry. The average age of the research subjects was 23 years, the average work experience in the current organization was 1 year 3 months. Methods: Utrecht Engagement Scale by A. Bakker, W. Shaufeli; WACMQ method (Workplace affective commitment multidimensional questionnaire) by Morin A. J. S. to measure the level of affective commitment to the workplace; test of unfinished sentences “For me, the organization is…”. Methods of mathematical statistics: Pearson correlation analysis, cluster analysis (Ward’s method), Student’s t-test for independent samples. Results. The results of the study allow to identify new facts of institutional loyalty of young specialists working in the construction industry and not having extensive professional experience. It has been determined that the degree of “involvement” in professional activities among the respondents, like energy, commitment, absorption in activities is not fully expressed. The respondents tend to have a pragmatic attitude towards their organizations. First of all, they see the organization as a platform for career growth and professional experience. At the same time, the employees demonstrate an ambivalent emotional attitude towards the organization: both positive and negative. Young people will be committed to their organization if it provides them with the opportunity to fully pursue what they love and promote their careers (r= 0.25, р ≤ 0.01). The older the employee, the more diligently he or she solves the problems of the organization, the more client-oriented and loyal to the profession he or she becomes (r= 0.15, р ≤ 0.01). The employee’s negative emotions in relation to his or her work reduce his or her professional loyalty and commitment to the organization in which he or she works (r= – 0.14, р ≤ 0.05). Conclusion. The employees’ institutional loyalty is the organization’s competitive advantage. However, the institutional loyalty of an employee may fail to be formed if it is not fed as early as at the stage of training at an educational institution when forming professional commitment.

Role of affective commitment in the relationship between emotional labor and life satisfaction in nurses.

This study investigated relationships between hospice nurses' emotional labor, life satisfaction, and affective commitment (moderator). We started with the assumption that displaying real emotions rather than faking them may increase life satisfaction. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey data analysis. A total of 322 nurses participated in the study. Hayes' process examined the moderation relationship predicting emotional labor and life satisfaction. The results showed that emotional labor partially affected life satisfaction. However, those effects varied at different levels of affective commitment and interestingly diminished at a high level. Nurse leaders should understand and transform the surface emotional setting of nurses to more profound acting emotions and then to natural emotional responses, which otherwise can generate emotional conflict causing unsatisfactory life.

Features of the organizational commitment of working students of a technical university

Introduction. The relevance of the problem stated in the article is due to the fact that in today's dynamically developing socio-economic conditions, one of the competitive advantages of organizations is the presence of committed employees. Often, young people who are still studying at a university and have not received a profession can be employees. In this regard, the need to consider various aspects of the organizational commitment of working students is actualized, since there are not enough studies on this issue. The purpose of the empirical study was to study the commitment to the organization in which students of the architectural and civil engineering university work. Materials and methods. The study involved 127 people studying at the St. Petersburg University of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the university and working in various organizations. Of these, 59 people are full-time students, 68 people are students of the correspondence department, the average age was 21.6, the average length of service in the current job was 2 years. The study of the content of the personal meaning of the organization was carried out using a modified version of the technique of J. Sacks «Unfinished sentences». To determine the degree of actual commitment, a projective test-drawing "I am in the organization" was used. To measure the level of involvement in professional activities, the Utrecht scale of involvement by A. Bakker, W. Shaufeli was used. The level of affective commitment to the workplace was determined using the WACMQ (Workplace affective commitment multidimensional questionnaire) methodology Morin A. J. S. Results. The average level of indicators of involvement in professional activities was revealed: energy (M=21.2; SD=7), devotion (M=17.1; SD=7.1), absorption in activities (M=21.8; SD=7, one). Working students are more committed to a career (M=28.0; SD=7.1), and then to clients (M=25.1; SD=7.3). Reliably significant differences were found between full-time and part-time students: full-time students are more committed to colleagues, clients and careers (p ≤ 0.05–0.001). For students, the personal meaning of the organization is to receive positive emotions, in creativity, a pragmatic attitude towards the organization, is characterized by a career orientation, is ambivalent. 66% of students showed a high level of actual commitment, 21% of students show a low level, 13% show an average level of commitment to their organization. Correlation analysis revealed links between indicators of commitment to the organization: a pragmatic attitude towards the organization and the presence of career prospects increase the commitment of an employee to the organization (r=0.24; p≤0.01). With an increase in work experience, the commitment to the profession (r=0.20; p ≤ 0.05), the organization (r=0.22; p ≤ 0.05) increases and immersion in activities increases (r=0.27; p ≤ 0 .01). With increasing age, immersion in activities increases (r=0.27; p≤0.01) and commitment to the client decreases (r=-0.18; p≤0.05). Factor analysis showed the presence of signs of organizational commitment inherent in working students: devotion (0.76), actual commitment (0.79), energy (0.69). Conclusion. The results can be applied in organizations when developing measures aimed at forming, maintaining, increasing the organizational commitment of employees, when planning organizational changes, to attract young professionals to the organization, etc.

The Impact of Participation in Service Company’s Socially Responsible Activities on Employee’s Affective Commitment

Employees’ perspectives of the company’s social responsibility (SR) and the company’s SR impact on employees have so far been given little attention in research. This gap is surprising since it is well known to what extent employees affect overall companies’ results. They have a crucial role in SR activities implementation, so it is important for management to define employees’ roles in SR activities implementation carefully. This paper explored the influence of employees’ participation in SR activities on their affective commitment to service companies. The main hypothesis was that participation in SR activities has a significant positive impact on employees’ affective commitment. The goal was to show that employees who participated in SR activities were more committed than employees who did not participate in SR activities. The data were collected through a questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the level of affective commitment between employees who participated in SR activities and those who did not participate in them. Less than half of respondents participated in SR activities, so a suggestion for managers was to share the positive experience of participation in SR activities and invite employees to participate more.
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Customer helping and advocacy behaviours within dyadic financial service relationships: a gift-giving perspective

PurposeThis study aims to examine customer helping and advocacy behaviours within dyadic financial service relationships involving customers and fellow customer helpers.Design/methodology/approachThe gift-giving literature was used to propose a customer-to-customer interaction model, which was tested and cross-validated among electronic banking customers in South Africa (n = 404) and Australia (n = 244). Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to respondents who are users of electronic banking services and who previously received help with the service from a fellow customer. Data analysis included multi-group structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings support the view that selected source credibility dimensions may influence greater affective commitment towards fellow customer helpers at various levels. Subsequently, further altruistic gift-giving in the form of customer helping and advocacy behaviours may result from higher levels of affective commitment. Feeling secure in their relationships with fellow customer helpers, customer recipients of help are likely to further socialise other customers who may share a common interest in the service category (e.g. electronic banking), but do not necessarily support the financial service provider of the customer.Originality/valueThe findings extend the conceptual domain of affective commitment and shed light on the factors contributing to the development of strengthened bonds between customers and fellow customer helpers within dyadic financial service relationships. Additionally, greater financial service socialisation and use may be achieved when the helping and advocacy behaviours of customer helpers are not restricted to a specific service provider. Subsequently, the current investigation advances knowledge of the underlying processes involved in motivating these desired service outcomes and behaviours.

Engaged but exhausted: Work-related wellbeing profiles of South African employees

Organizations and colleagues alike benefit from dedicated employees who are immersed in their work and energetically pursue their tasks. Unfortunately, this may come at a price for employees who may burn out. Organizations are, therefore, confronted with a responsibility to assist employees in striking a balance between eagerly engaging in their tasks and taking care of their wellbeing. Before designing and implementing interventions, it is valuable to identify how engagement and burnout components cluster within individuals and whether these different combinations have different implications for employees. The study aimed to explore whether burnout and work engagement combine within individuals to form different burnout-engagement profiles. The study also aimed to examine the implications of different profiles for employees’ psychological distress, affective commitment, and turnover intention. Among 1048 South African employees, latent profile analysis highlighted five distinct burnout-engagement profiles: Burned-out, Risky, Moderately balanced, Stars, and Workaholics. The Burned-out reported higher levels of psychological distress than the Risky. Still, both reported higher levels than the Moderately balanced, who also reported higher levels of psychological distress than the Stars. The Burned out and the Workaholics reported equal levels of psychological distress. The Stars reported the highest levels of affective commitment, followed by the Workaholics, the Moderately balanced, and the Risky, with the lowest levels reported by the Burned-out. The Burned-out reported the highest levels of turnover intention, followed by the Risky, the Workaholics, and the Moderately balanced, with the lowest levels reported by the Stars. Limitations, recommendations for future research and practical implications are discussed.

Deciphering in-store-online switching in multi-channel retailing context: Role of affective commitment to purchase situation

Customers today make a trade-off between online and offline channels to purchase fashion items. The purpose of this research is to examine whether affective commitment to a purchase situation impacts consumers' channel choice (online store or in-store) for fashion purchases. Two between-subjects’ experimental studies were designed to test hypotheses. Binary logistics regression, chi-square test, two-way ANOVA and PROCESS Macro were used to test hypotheses. The findings of study 1 showed that in a high affectively committed purchase situations, consumers prefer to purchase fashion items in-store whereas in low affectively committed purchase situations, they prefer online. Further, hedonic benefits mediate the association between affective commitment and channel selection. Study 2 re-confirmed the findings of study 1 and showed that customer channel choice varies between high and low affective commitment levels depending on customer innovation seeking tendency. This study enriches the multi-channel literature and provide several implications to multi-channel fashion retailers.

Relationship among affective commitment, occupational stressors, and calling of psychiatrists in Shanghai.

The aim of the study is to investigate the levels of affective commitment, occupational stressors and calling in psychiatrists in Shanghai and try to find the relationship among 3 variables in the participants.We enrolled 81 participants using a survey with a combination of demographic information, affective part of organizational commitment questionnaire, portion of the scale for occupational stressors on clinicians and the calling and vocation questionnaire. Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were applied to probe into the relationship among the three variables. t Test and nonparametric test were utilized to compare the differences between the groups of individuals who were divided according to the demographic information.The mean score of the affective commitment, occupational stressors and calling of Shanghai psychiatrists were all at a moderate level. The scores in affective commitment had a significantly negative relationship with that of the occupational stressors, especially in the respect of organization and management, occupational interest, and development of work. Whereas the scores of calling revealed a remarkably positive connection with affective commitment. In addition, demographic groups under comparison, individuals who were >35 years’ old, male, or have worked for >10 years are more likely to suffer from higher occupational development and interpersonal relationship stress.We found that the levels of affective commitment, occupational stressors and calling in psychiatrists in Shanghai were all moderate. These people who were men, >35 years’ old, and had >10 years of work experiences had suffered from higher levels of occupational stressors, especially occupational development and interpersonal relationship stress. The affective commitment was positively correlated to the calling while negatively associated to the occupational stressors in Shanghai psychiatrists. For stronger bond for the psychiatrists, strengthen the calling and lessen the occupational stressors are required. These results provide some ideas for enhancing the occupational commitment of psychiatrists and conducting psychological interventions in a timely manner henceforth more effectively.

Changes in Psychosocial Perspectives Among Physical Activity Leaders: Teacher Efficacy, Work Engagement, and Affective Commitment

Purpose: This study examined changes in physical education teachers’ psychosocial perspectives after participating in a yearlong professional development about Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programming. Method: Twenty-three intervention teachers attended a workshop in Year 1 and received one academic year of technical assistance and mentorship, and 30 control teachers only attended a workshop in Year 2. Both groups completed pre- and post-self-reported measures on teacher efficacy, work engagement, and affective commitment. Results: At posttest, intervention teachers reported significantly higher levels of affective commitment, and a significant positive relationship was revealed between affective commitment and the degree to which before-school physical activity was implemented. More experienced teachers (>20 years) reported significantly higher levels of the work engagement subscale of vigor at posttest. Discussion/Conclusion: Participating in a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program professional development may positively influence teachers’ job commitment levels and invigorate more experienced teachers, which may relate to Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program implementation.

Knowledge sharing behaviour of overqualified repatriates

PurposeOrganizations send their employees for international assignments so as to develop their international working experiences, their global knowledge and skills. These employees are then expected to return to their home countries (hereof known as repatriates) to share their newly gained knowledge or skills with their colleagues. This practice would benefit the organization's performance to some extent. Nonetheless, past literature had pointed out that many of such repatriates tend to leave their respective organizations as a result of not being able to fully utilize their newly acquired knowledge and skills, which led them to perceive that they were overqualified. This occurrence could lead to a loss of valuable knowledge for their organization. Aiming to address this issue at hand, the current study focuses on examining of the antecedents that could influence these repatriates' knowledge sharing behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a research framework which was developed from three aspects of interest–perceived overqualification, affective commitment and the moderating effect of repatriation support practices on knowledge sharing behaviour of repatriates. Structural model analysis was carried out to assess 152 useable data which were collected from returning corporate repatriates in Malaysia. The SmartPLS 3.0 software was applied.FindingsRepatriates with highly perceived overqualifications tend to exhibit low affective commitment. The impact of their perceived overqualification on knowledge sharing behaviour was fully mediated by their affective commitment. Repatriation support practice was found to strengthen the positive relationship between affective commitment and knowledge sharing behaviour.Originality/valueThe use of the relative deprivation theory showed that the outcome derived from this study could serve as an insight for organizations to understand how those repatriates' perception of overqualification influences their level of affective commitment, and subsequently, the extent to which they share knowledge upon returning.

Moderating effect of brand commitment on apparel brand prestige in upward comparisons

ABSTRACT This study explores the location effect on consumers’ perceptions of a particular apparel brand’s prestige when a fashion store is operated adjacent to the apparel boutiques of other prestigious brands. It also aims to examine variations in this effect according to consumers’ brand commitment levels. Via a survey conducted in Japan, the influence of prestige disparity between a particular apparel brand and adjacent brands on perceived brand prestige was assessed across different store location frames. The data reveal that a consumer perceives a particular brand prestige to be higher than before when the prestige of its adjacent brand is moderately higher than its own (assimilation), while this effect disappears once the prestige disparity becomes large. The data also suggest that the assimilation effect is more obvious when a consumer’s calculative brand commitment is high, while the influence of his/her affective commitment level is insignificant. These results suggest that managers should assess whether the prestige disparity is adequate between their brands and adjacent ones and take note of calculative commitment levels of target consumers to predict the location effect on their brand equities.