Dominic Appiah

Cyber security is supportive of robotic service provision, the objective of which is to help marketers achieve their aim of providing a high level of service. Marketers need to be aware of cyber security issues and adhere to established cyber security policies. We investigate trust and commitment in relation to customer retention while assessing the mediating role of robotic service quality (RSQ). We employ a survey-based study that utilises 231 valid responses from customers in São Paulo, Brazil. To analyse the data, we used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that trust and commitment have a positive impact on customer retention. RSQ has a partial mediation effect on the relationship between the latent constructs of trust, commitment, and customer retention. Thus, it can be suggested that RSQ, which embeds trust and commitment, assists in building a loyal customer base. Marketers outside the Latin American region can benefit from the results of this study since it incorporates cyber security awareness and policy within marketing strategy implementation, ensuring that RSQ is aligned in terms of the digitalisation goals of the company.

This inquiry flags the shortage of evidence on the distinctive effect of technology use on defined learning skills. To tackle this inertia, it identifies (1) video gaming, (2) internet searching and (3) smartphone usage as ubiquitous forms of technology. Then, it characterises (1) abstract conceptualisation, (2) concrete experience and (3) reflective observation and active experimentation as dominant learning skills. Investigating a Nigeria and UK sample of 240 generation Z students, the associations are examined alongside the effects of gender and country. Based on a structural equation model, the analysis showed that although alternate uses of technology have mostly significant influences, their impact is largely negative with only internet searching having a positive effect on learning. The findings are explained through a cognitive load lens and insights are offered to learning providers to temper the appetite for technology use in instructional designs with thought and caution.

The current theory on strategy formulation is based significantly on environmental analysis and leveraging strategic capability. There is limited understanding of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social media strategies could develop the strategy formulation to improve strategic outcomes. The input into the strategic formulation process does not tend to take account of customers’ inclination for CSR practices and policies. This is particularly important for consumers who can spurn organisations that do not incorporate ethical practices in their core values. The paper aims to show that social media is an inclusive tool, because of the duplex communication techniques that enhance it, and CSR is complementary to building a robust strategic planning process. The methodology is a qualitative case study using a reflective perspective based on a complete participant role. The results demonstrate that there are challenges in operating a strategic planning process that is situated in an uncertain, volatile and dynamic business environment; it requires an integrated partnership between the inter-organisational actors and other stakeholders. Social media is the integrator of resources and CSR helps to build relationships, acting as a reinforcer of trust.

Brand loyalty literature has mainly focused on how brands perform under normal market conditions. As the business environment grows more complex, globalised, and innovative, market disruptions become more prevalent. Taking a cognition‐based approach, this paper proposes that customers identify with brands to satisfy self‐definitional needs. A social constructivist perspective, using an inductive and case study strategy, was used. Data generation was based on purposeful sampling, and participants were chosen on the basis of their “lived” experience with the use of smartphones. Four major themes were identified in the purchase of smartphones: identity, satisfaction, brand loyalty, and brand switching. Participants' views suggested that this provides them with a sense of purpose and meaning, defining who they are and why they behave in specified ways in society, which increases their self‐esteem. Brand switching occurs when customers are motivated to review available alternatives in the marketplace due to a change in competitive activities. Socially, switching occurs when a customer's belief in a brand is externally influenced within the social setting. When the boundary between the “in‐group” and the “out‐group” is impermeable and changing, group membership is not realistic; social mobility is not a viable strategy to cope with identity threats.

The ideas of service failure and recovery strategies have been transformed, due to the internet environment, from a consumer-provider perspective to a multifaceted web quality activity. The research on service failure and recovery strategies has been well-developed in terms of the consumer's viewpoint of service as well as the responsibility for recovery conventionally expected to be allotted to the marketer. On the contrary, existing research indicates that there is a limited range of understanding of consumer-website interactivity relating to online service failure and recovery strategies as well as less understanding of the highly diverse characteristics of computer-mediated marketing environments (CMMEs). The perspectives of CMMEs relate to online customer behavior as distinct from conventional behavior. In fact, providers are involved in intense activity in the online environment in terms of market competition, as customers are positioned just a click away from switching providers in the case of service failure.

The impact of identity on brand loyalty has taken precedence as an area of focus in recent marketing research. This has occurred in an era defined by technological revolution, which has created market disruptions, and there are implications for customer-brand relationships. Nonetheless, existing research has failed to acknowledge the impact of socio-psychological attributes and functional utility maximization. Knowledge that illuminates how firms can reposition themselves to sustain brand loyalty when disruptions occur in today's complex and globalized business environment is also required. The chapter presents an empirical investigation into the phenomenon of brand switching behavior among consumers in a specific competitive market, particularly in the smartphone industry. It explores how resistance could be built from an identity theory perspective, as emphasis has historically been placed on the functional utility of products at the expense of social meanings. This chapter provides consideration for market disruptions in the smartphone industry. It confirms that the literature does not capture other non-utilitarian factors such as socio-psychological benefits; hence, there are underlying factors that motivate consumers to continue buying brands they buy.