Environmental Consciousness and Relation Quality in Islamic Business: Impact on Firm Performance
Subject Areas : Business ManagementHossein Emari 1 , Hossein Vazifehdoust 2 , Hashem Nikoomaram 3
1 - Department of Commerce Management, Bonab Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bonab, Iran
2 - Department of Commerce Management, Tehran Research and Science Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - 5. Department of Commerce Management, Tehran Research and Science Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Public Relations, social responsibility, Consumer Attitude, Environmental Consciousness, relationship quality,
Abstract :
This mixed method study aims to compare the effect of EC and RQ on customer attitude in Islamic context in three stages. In first and second stages, The Islamic environment consciousness (IEC) and Islamic Relationship Quality (IRQ) were operantionalized based on the grounded theory. In third stage, the impact of IEC and IRQ on consumer attitude were examined using a quasi-experimental design. The findings from the first two stages indicated that IRQ comprised three components and twelve constituent subcomponents and that IEC included two components with seven constituent subcomponents. In the third phase of the study, the conjoint analysis technique was initially employed to select three scenarios from nine possible scenarios. Further, statistical analyses of the research data revealed significant effects of IEC and IRQ on consumer attitude: significantly more positive consumer attitudes were found in firms with higher IEC and higher IRQ compared to firms with lower or no IEC and IRQ. It was also found that the two public relation tools were not significantly different from the consumer perspective. The study is significant because it operationalized IEC and IRQ and offers implications for academicians and managers who intend to investigate their business relationship performance in terms of such Islamic context-specific constructs. Moreover, the innovative use of scenarios in measuring the consumers’ attitudes offers upstream research as an alternative to downstream studies of EC which render redundant information about environmental behavior of companies.
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Ann, G., Zailani, S., & Wahid, N. (2006), A Study on the Impact of Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS) Certification Towards Firm’s Performance in Malaysia. Management ofEnvironmental Quality, 17(1), 73-93.
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Boles, J. S., Johnson, J. T., & Barksdale, H. C. J. R. (2000), How Salespeople Build QualityRelationships: A Replication and Extension. Journal of Business Research, 48(1), 75-81.
Carter, C., & Rogers, D. (2008), A Framework of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Moving Toward New Theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 38(5), 360-387.
Chan, H. K., He, H., & Wang, W. (2012), Green Marketing and Its Impact on Supply Chain Management in Industrial Markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 41, 557-562.
Cohen, M., Fenn, S., & Naimon, J. (1995), Environmental and Financial Performance: Are TheyRelated?. Nashville: Vanderbilt University.
Crosby, L. A., Evans, K. R., & Cowles, D. (1990), Relationship Quality in Services Selling:An Interpersonal Influence Perspective. Journal of Marketing, 54(3), 68-81.
Dwyer, F. R., & Oh, S. (1987),Output Sector Munificence Effects on the Internal PoliticalEconomy of Marketing Channels. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(4), 347-58.
Gummesson, E. (1987), The New Marketing: Developing Long Term Interactive. Long Range Planning, 20(4), 10-21.
Hair, J., Black, W., Babin, B., & Anderson, R. (2009), Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. Hall: Pearson PrenticePublishers.
Hamilton, J. (1995), Pollution as News: Media and Stock Market Reactions to the Toxics Release Inventory Data. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 28(1), 98-113.
Hart, S., & Ahuja, G. (1996), Does it Pay to be Green? An Empirical Examination of theRelationship between Emission Reduction and Firm Performance. Business Strategy and theEnvironment, 5(1), 30-7.
Hashemi, S., & Mozaffari, S. (2010), A Comparison of Communication Skills and Life Quality between Physically Active and Physically Inactive Academic Staff Members of Islamic Azad University in East Azerbaijani Province. A Journal of Scientific Studies on Management, 3(12), 7-32.
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., & Gremler, D. D. (2002), Understanding RelationshipMarketing Outcomes: an Integration of Relational Benefits and Relationship Quality. Journal of Service Research, 4(3), 230-47.
Hewett, K., Money, R. B., & Sharma, S. (2002), An Exploration of the Moderating Role of BuyerCorporate Culture in Industrial Buyer-Seller Relationships. Journal of the Academy ofMarketing Science, 30(3), 229-39.
Klein, J., & Dawar, N. (2004), Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumers’ Attributions and Brand Evaluations in a Product-Harm Crisis. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 21(3), 203-17.
Lee, S., & Kim, S., & Choi, D. (2012), Green Supply Chain Management and Organizational Performance. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 112(8), 1148-1180.
Liu, S., & Kasturiratne, D., & Moizer, J. (2012), A Hub-And-Spoke Model for Multi-Dimensional Integration of Green Marketing and Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Industrial Marketing Management, 41, 581-588.
Rabipor, M., & Samadiwand, M. (2010), Management Ethics from the Perspective of Verses and Traditions. A beyond management, 4(15), 211-228.(In Persian)
Raminmehr, H., & Charsetad, P. (2016), Quantitative Research Method with Structural Equation Modeling. Tehran, Termeh Publishers.(In Persian)
Sana, R. S., & Rian, B. Z. (2011), Corporate Social Responsibility or Cause-Related Marketing? The Role of Cause Specificity of CSR. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 27-39.
Selden, L. (2005), On Grounded Theory - With Some Malice. Journal of Documentation, 61(1), 114-129.
Wahba, H. (2008), Does the Market Value Corporate Environmental Responsibility? An Empirical Examination. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(2), 89-99.
Weyandt, A. J., & Da Costa, S. R. R., Nunes, M. L., & Gaspar, A. (2012), Social Responsibility of Fish Processing Companies Located in Portugal and Spain. Social Responsibility Journal, 8(1), 100-113.
Woo, G. K., & Cha, Y. (2002), Antecedents and Consequences of Relationship Quality in HotelIndustry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 21(4), 321-38.
Zee, R. B., & Sheikh, S. R. (2011), Corporate Social Responsibility or Cause-Related Marketing? The Role of Cause Specificity of CSR. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 76-88.
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Ahmed, N., Montagno, R., & Firenze, R. (1998), Organizational Performance and Environmental Consciousness: An Empirical Study. Management Decision, 36(2), 57-62.
Ann, G., Zailani, S., & Wahid, N. (2006), A Study on the Impact of Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS) Certification Towards Firm’s Performance in Malaysia. Management ofEnvironmental Quality, 17(1), 73-93.
Aragon-Correa, J., & Rubio-Lopez, E. (2007), Proactive Corporate Environmental Strategies:Myths and Misunderstandings. Long Range Planning, 40(3), 357-381.
Athanasopoulou, P. (2009), Relationship Quality: A Critical Literature Review and ResearchAgenda. European Journal of Marketing, 43(5/6), 583-610.
Azorin, J., & Cortes, E., Gamero, M., & Tari, J. (2009), Green Management and Financial Performance: A Literature Review. Management Decision, 47(7), 1080-1100.
Boles, J. S., Johnson, J. T., & Barksdale, H. C. J. R. (2000), How Salespeople Build QualityRelationships: A Replication and Extension. Journal of Business Research, 48(1), 75-81.
Carter, C., & Rogers, D. (2008), A Framework of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Moving Toward New Theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 38(5), 360-387.
Chan, H. K., He, H., & Wang, W. (2012), Green Marketing and Its Impact on Supply Chain Management in Industrial Markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 41, 557-562.
Cohen, M., Fenn, S., & Naimon, J. (1995), Environmental and Financial Performance: Are TheyRelated?. Nashville: Vanderbilt University.
Crosby, L. A., Evans, K. R., & Cowles, D. (1990), Relationship Quality in Services Selling:An Interpersonal Influence Perspective. Journal of Marketing, 54(3), 68-81.
Dwyer, F. R., & Oh, S. (1987),Output Sector Munificence Effects on the Internal PoliticalEconomy of Marketing Channels. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(4), 347-58.
Gummesson, E. (1987), The New Marketing: Developing Long Term Interactive. Long Range Planning, 20(4), 10-21.
Hair, J., Black, W., Babin, B., & Anderson, R. (2009), Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. Hall: Pearson PrenticePublishers.
Hamilton, J. (1995), Pollution as News: Media and Stock Market Reactions to the Toxics Release Inventory Data. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 28(1), 98-113.
Hart, S., & Ahuja, G. (1996), Does it Pay to be Green? An Empirical Examination of theRelationship between Emission Reduction and Firm Performance. Business Strategy and theEnvironment, 5(1), 30-7.
Hashemi, S., & Mozaffari, S. (2010), A Comparison of Communication Skills and Life Quality between Physically Active and Physically Inactive Academic Staff Members of Islamic Azad University in East Azerbaijani Province. A Journal of Scientific Studies on Management, 3(12), 7-32.
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., & Gremler, D. D. (2002), Understanding RelationshipMarketing Outcomes: an Integration of Relational Benefits and Relationship Quality. Journal of Service Research, 4(3), 230-47.
Hewett, K., Money, R. B., & Sharma, S. (2002), An Exploration of the Moderating Role of BuyerCorporate Culture in Industrial Buyer-Seller Relationships. Journal of the Academy ofMarketing Science, 30(3), 229-39.
Klein, J., & Dawar, N. (2004), Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumers’ Attributions and Brand Evaluations in a Product-Harm Crisis. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 21(3), 203-17.
Lee, S., & Kim, S., & Choi, D. (2012), Green Supply Chain Management and Organizational Performance. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 112(8), 1148-1180.
Liu, S., & Kasturiratne, D., & Moizer, J. (2012), A Hub-And-Spoke Model for Multi-Dimensional Integration of Green Marketing and Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Industrial Marketing Management, 41, 581-588.
Rabipor, M., & Samadiwand, M. (2010), Management Ethics from the Perspective of Verses and Traditions. A beyond management, 4(15), 211-228.(In Persian)
Raminmehr, H., & Charsetad, P. (2016), Quantitative Research Method with Structural Equation Modeling. Tehran, Termeh Publishers.(In Persian)
Sana, R. S., & Rian, B. Z. (2011), Corporate Social Responsibility or Cause-Related Marketing? The Role of Cause Specificity of CSR. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 27-39.
Selden, L. (2005), On Grounded Theory - With Some Malice. Journal of Documentation, 61(1), 114-129.
Wahba, H. (2008), Does the Market Value Corporate Environmental Responsibility? An Empirical Examination. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(2), 89-99.
Weyandt, A. J., & Da Costa, S. R. R., Nunes, M. L., & Gaspar, A. (2012), Social Responsibility of Fish Processing Companies Located in Portugal and Spain. Social Responsibility Journal, 8(1), 100-113.
Woo, G. K., & Cha, Y. (2002), Antecedents and Consequences of Relationship Quality in HotelIndustry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 21(4), 321-38.
Zee, R. B., & Sheikh, S. R. (2011), Corporate Social Responsibility or Cause-Related Marketing? The Role of Cause Specificity of CSR. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 76-88.
