Etik Marka Algıları ve Marka Sadakati ile Marka Seçim Yönelimi üzerindeki Etkileri: Duygusal Marka Bağlılığının Arabulucu Rolü

Geçtiğimiz on yıllık dönemde, şirketlerin icraatları müşterilerin erişiminde bulunan teknolojik gelişmeler sayesinde her zamankinden daha şeffaf bir hale gelmiştir. Bahsekonu şeffaflık, toplumun ahlaki ve etik değerlerini karşılamayan şirketlerin müşteriler tarafından farkedilmesini sağlamaktadır. Söz konusu şirketler ağır bir şekilde eleştirilmekle kalmayıp, işçi hakları, çalışma şartları, çocuk işçiliği, düşük ve eşit olmayan ödenek ve diğer etik olmayan faaliyetlerini düzeltmek amacıyla kurumsal işlem yapmadıkları takdirde boykot edilmektedirler. Global bir spor giyim kuruluşu olan Nike, 1970li yıllardan bu yana üçüncü dünya ülkelerindeki taşeron fabrikalarında uyguladığı iddia edilen etik dışı icraatları sebebiyle çeşitli eleştirilere maruz kalmaktadır. Bahsekonu kuruluş, eleştiri konusu olan etik sorunlara değinmek amacıyla kurumsal düzeyde birtakım programlar ve icraatlar gerçekleştirmiştir. Bu araştırma, Nike’ın etik imajını iyileştirmek amacıyla gerçekleştirdiği yatırımlar ve kurumsal programlar sonrasında müşterilerin Nike’ı etik bir marka olarak algılayıp algılamadıklarını incelemektedir. Araştırma ayni zamanda etik marka algılarının, duygusal marka sadakati, marka bağlılığı, ve marka seçim yönelimleri ile ilişkisini incelemektedir. Bunun yanı sıra, marka bağlılığının etik marka algıları, marka sadakati ve marka seçim yönelimi üzerindeki arabulucu rolü araştırılmaktadır. Nicel olan bu araştırma, Kuzey Kıbrıs’ta öğrenim gören 400 uluslararası öğrenci üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiş ve veriler PLS-SEM kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, etik marka algılarının, duygusal marka bağlılığı ve marka sadakati üzerinde olumlu bir etkisi olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Buna karşın, farklı markalara hızlı geçiş yapmalarıyla bilinen öğrencilerin, içgüdüsel satın alıcı olmaları sebebiyle, etik marka algılarının marka seçim yönelimleri üzerinde bir etkisi olmadığı görülmektedir. Araştırma, duygusal marka bağlıluğının, marka sadakati ve marka seçim yönelimleri ile olumlu bir ilişki içerisinde olduğunu ve ayrıca etik marka algıları, marka sadakati ve marka seçim yönelimleri ilişkisi açısından bir arabuluculuk rolüne sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Makalede sonuçlar ve araştırma bulgularının yansımaları tartışılmaktadır.

Ethical Brand Perceptions and Their Impact on Brand Loyalty and Brand Choice Intentions: Mediating Role of Emotional Brand Attachment

In recent decades, with the technological advancements available to customers, companies’ actions are more transparent than ever and customers are aware of companies that does not meet society’s moral and ethical values. Those companies are heavily criticized and even boycotted unless they do take corporate actions to address their unethical practices, whether it is labor rights, work conditions, child labor, low and unequal pay or others. Nike, a global sportswear corporation, has suffered from claims regards unethical practices in their subcontracted factories in third world countries since 1970ties, and has implemented several programs and actions at corporate level to address those ethical issues. This study looks at whether after investments and corporate programs dedicated to improve Nikes ethical image, customers do perceive Nike as ethical brand. Moreover, it also investigates the relationship ethical brand perceptions have on emotional brand attachment, as well as brand loyalty and brand choice intentions, and looks at mediating role of emotional brand attachment in ethical brand perceptions and brand loyalty and brand choice intentions relationship. The study was quantitative in its nature, and was conducted on 400 international studies studying in universities in Northern Cyprus, and obtained data was analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study results reveal that ethical brand perceptions does have a positive effect on emotional brand attachment, as well as brand loyalty. In contrast, ethical brand perceptions does not impact brand choice intentions, as students are known to be impulse buyers that quickly switch to other brands. Emotional brand attachment does positively relate to brand loyalty and brand choice intentions, and also is a mediator in ethical brand perceptions and brand loyalty and brand choice intentions relationship. The results are discussed and implications drawn from the findings of the study. 

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