This research explores the interconnections between telecommunications service attributes and service providers’ reputation and image and the implications for subscribers’ recommendations and switching intentions. The study, based on survey data from 402 subscribers, proposed a number of hypotheses related to these variables and test using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of data analysis revealed that ease of call, reputation, service quality and customer service influence perceptions of image. In addition, providers’ reputation is not only a significant determinant of recommendations but also holds promise as a lock-in variable to hedge against subscribers switching. It is suggested that investments in telecommunication firms’ image may be necessary but may not be sufficient to attract subscribers to partner with the firm in enlarging their subscribers’ base.
AbiodunA.J.OyeniyiO.J.OsibanjoO.A. (2012). Determinants of customer loyalty and recommendations to others in the Nigerian telecommunication industry.ANVESHA Journal of Management,5(3), 1–8.
2.
AkbarM.M.ParvezN. (2009). Impact of service quality, trust and customers satisfaction on loyalty.ABAC Journal,29(1), 24–38.
3.
AydinS.ÖzerG. (2005). The analysis of antecedents of customer loyalty in the Turkish mobile telecommunication market.European Journal of marketing,39(7/8), 910–925.
4.
BarnettM.L.JermierJ.M.LaffertyB.A. (2006). Corporate reputation: The definitional landscape.Corporate Reputation Review,9(1), 26–38.
5.
BrownT.J.BarryT.E.DacinP.A.GunstR.F. (2005). Spreading the word: Investigating antecedents of consumers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions and behaviors in a retailing context.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,33(2), 123–138.
6.
CaruanaA. (2004). The impact of switching costs on customer loyalty: A study among corporate customers of mobile telephony.Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing,12(3), 256–268.
7.
ChunR. (2005). Corporate reputation: Meaning and measurement.International Journal of Management Reviews,7(2), 91–109.
8.
DeephouseD. (2000). Media reputation as a strategic resource: An integration of mass communication and resource based theories.Journal of Management,26(6), 1091–1112.
9.
DickA.S.BasuK. (1994). Customer loyalty: Toward an integrated conceptual framework.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,22(2), 99–113.
10.
EshghiA.HaughtonD.TopiH. (2007). Determinant of customer loyalty in the wireless telecommunication industry.Telecommunication Policy,31(2), 93–106.
11.
FombrunC.J.GardbergN.A.SeverJ.M. (2000). The reputation quotient: A multi-stakeholder measure of corporate reputation.Journal of Brand Management,7(4), 214–255.
12.
GerpottT.J.RamsW.SchindlerA. (2001). Customer retention, loyalty, and satisfaction in German mobile cellular telecommunication market.Telecommunication Policy,25(4), 249–269.
13.
GhobadianA.SpellerA.JonesM. (1993). Service quality and concept models.International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management,11(9), 43–66.
14.
GrönroosC. (2001). The perceived service quality concept–a mistake?Managing Service Quality,11(3), 150–152.
15.
HuL.T.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives.Structural Equation Modeling,6(1), 1–55.
16.
IsmailI.HaronH.IbrahimD.N.IsaS.M. (2006). Service quality, client satisfaction and loyalty towards audit firms: Perceptions of Malaysian public listed companies.Managerial Auditing Journal,21(7), 738–756.
17.
KangG.D. (2006). The hierarchical structure of service quality: Integration of technical and functional quality.Managing Service Quality,16(1), 37–50.
18.
KheiryB.AlirezapourM. (2012). The effect of satisfaction, trust and switching barriers service provider on customer loyalty (Mobile phone users of Iran cell company in Iran).Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences,6(12), 52–60.
19.
KimM.K.ParkM.C.JeongD.H. (2004). The effects of customer satisfaction and switching barrier on customer loyalty in Korean mobile telecommunication services.Telecommunications policy,28(2), 145–159.
20.
KremelbergD. (2011). Practical statistics: A quick and easy guide to IBM® SPSS® statistics, STATA, and other statistical software. SAGE Publications.
21.
LaiF.GriffinM.BabinB.J. (2009). How quality, value, image, and satisfaction create loyalty at a Chinese telecom.Journal of Business Research,62(10), 980–986.
22.
LeeJ.LeeJ.FeickL. (2001). The impact of switching costs on the customer satisfaction-loyalty link: Mobile phone service in France.Journal of Service Marketing,15(1), 35–48.
23.
LeeR.MurphyJ. (2005). From loyalty to switching: Exploring the determinants in the transition. Unpublished paper. University of Western Australia, Australia.
24.
MorganN.A.RegoL. L. (2006). The value of different customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics in predicting business performance.Marketing Science,25(5), 426–439.
25.
NeadleD. (1964). The relationship of corporate image to product behaviour.The Public Opinion Quarterly,28(2), 293–302.
26.
Nigerian communication commission. (2014). Subscriber/ teledensity data. Retrieved 14 April 2014, from http://www.ncc.gov.ng
27.
OyeniyiO.J.AbiodunA.J. (2010). Switching cost and customers loyalty in the mobile phone market: The Nigerian experience.Business Intelligence Journal,3(1), 111–121.
28.
ParasuramanA.ZeithamlV.A.BerryL.L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multi-items scale for measuring consumers perceptions of service quality.Journal of Retailing,64(1), 12–40.
29.
RindovaV.P.FombrunC. (1999). Constructing competitive advantage: The role of firm-constituent interactions.Strategic Management Journal,20(8), 691–710.
30.
RindovaV.P.WilliamsonI.O.PetkovaA. P. (2010). Reputation as an intangible asset: Reflections on theory and methods in two empirical studies of business school reputations.Journal of Management,36(3), 610–619.
31.
RobertsP.W.DowlingG.R. (2002). Corporate reputation and sustained superior financial performance.Strategic Management Journal,23(2), 1077–1093.
32.
SathishM.KumarK.S.NaveenK.J.JeevananthamV. (2011). A study on consumer switching behaviour in cellular service provider: A study with reference to Chennai.Far East Journal of Psychology and Business,2(2), 71–81.
33.
SchwaigerM. (2004). Components and parameters of corporate reputation: An empirical study.Schmalenbach Business Review,56, 46–71.
34.
ShabbirH.PalihawadanaD.ThwaitesD. (2007). Determining the antecedents and consequences of donor-perceived relationship quality—A dimensional qualitative research approach.Psychology & Marketing,24(3), 271–293.
35.
SureshchandarG.S.RajendranC.AnantharamanR.N. (2002). Determinants of customer perceived service quality: A confirmatory factor analysis approach.Journal of Services Marketing,16(1), 9–34.
36.
WeiweiT. (2007). Impact of corporate image and corporate reputation on customer loyalty: A review.Management Science and Engineering,1(2), 57–62.
37.
WooK.S.FockH.K. (1999). Customer satisfaction in the Hong Kong mobile phone industry.Service Industries Journal,19(3), 162–174.
