This study contributes to the current dearth of knowledge on the potential of social media as a marketing tool in industrial settings, by focusing on factors that determine social media adoption by B2B organizations. A conceptual model, which draws on the technology acceptance model and resource-based theory, is developed and tested using quantitative data from B2B organizations in the UK. Findings suggest that perceived usefulness of social media within B2B organizational contexts is determined by image, perceived ease of use and perceived barriers. Additionally, the results show that adoption of social media is significantly affected by organizational innovativeness and perceived usefulness. The moderating role of organizational innovativeness is also tested but no support is found. The findings of the study are further validated via nine qualitative interviews with B2B senior managers, yielding additional interesting and in-depth insights into the drivers of social media adoption by B2B organizations.

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on eloyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring eloyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers' e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage.Keywords: e-loyalty, e-satisfaction, e-trust, customer behaviour, e-commerce, critical review, framework The penetration of the Internet in marketing and e-commerce settings has influenced, to a great extent, the entire business world. From the customer's viewpoint, it has created new and possibly less costly ways of participating in commercial activities [182]. From the business perspective, market globalization, along with the decreasing effectiveness of offline marketing, has motivated organizations to shift their plans to include Internet marketing [120]. Hence, consumers have increasingly favoured online shopping [166], gradually leading more Business-to-Customer (B2C) companies to establish an Internet presence in an effort to attract new and maintain existing customers for long-term profitability [203]. Building and maintaining brand loyalty has been a central theme of marketing theory and practice in traditional consumer marketing [71]. For this reason, businesses should be more interested in keeping long-lasting relationships with their customers than in accumulating occasional exchanges [17]. Presently, the notion of brand loyalty has been expanded to include online loyalty (also known as e-loyalty or website loyalty). The online shopping world has completely changed the relationship between customers and retailers. The minimal cost to a customer to switch brands (compared to the high costs for companies to acquire new e-customers) just...

The concept of loyalty has received much consideration from both academics and practitioners in various industries and is a predominant research topic in the banking industry. Identifying the factors that affect customers' decision to take out a loan from a particular bank has become an essential asset for many banks in their effort to attract new customers and to maintain existing ones. The purpose of the present study is to identify factors that influence Greek customers' decision to take out a loan from commercial banks. A number of variables (demographics, service quality and satisfaction) have been examined as potential factors influencing customers' decision to take out a loan. A randomly selected sample of Greek citizens (n=277) was chosen in order to test our hypotheses. A questionnaire with self-determined scales was created after ensuring the instrument's validity through confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression results show that personal marital status, customer service, shop design and interest rates are the most significant predictors of taking loans. Several managerial implications suggest bank managers should focus on giving loans to single individuals as well as change their interest rates policies by decreasing rates for all kinds of loans, especially housing loans.

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Purpose -Every unexpected and sudden event (crisis) operates as a threat for an organization's reputation. British Petroleum (BP) came face to face with a crisis on 20 April 2010 when an explosion in the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig caused a huge oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico. The present case study aims to describe BP's serious communication mistakes with its stakeholders managing a serious hit to BP's reputation.Design/methodology/approach -The present case study attempts to provide a detailed outline of BP's communication failures by conducting in-depth investigation of secondary data (newspapers, audiovisual material, social network sites).Findings -BP's crisis communication was a weak link in its crisis management strategy. The lessons to learn are various, both for practitioners and researchers. Practitioners should learn from the leadership, culture and public relations (PR) mistakes made by BP and avoid them in a crisis of their organisation. They should select those strategies that foster their organization's strengths and correct its weaknesses in order to take advantage of external opportunities and counter external threats.Originality/value -This study could be a valuable asset in communication literature, since BP's PR strategies during this oil spill have not been studied extensively. The communications solutions BP took during the crisis were examined and certain strategies BP should have followed in order to avoid its failed PR plan are suggested, which can help both practitioners and researchers to learn from BP's mistakes and give more attention to communication strategies, which are of critical essence to all crises.