PurposeThis paper aims to examine the roles of corporate social responsibility (a non service‐related concept) and perceived service quality (a service‐related concept) in determining the attitudinal and behavioral loyalty of customers in the retail banking sector in Bangkok, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe study is quantitative in nature using the responses of 275 bank customers who answered a survey questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using partial least squares (PLS), a variance‐based structural equation modeling method.FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a significantly strong and positive association with attitudinal loyalty. Perceived service quality mediated the relationship between CSR and repeat patronage intentions (behavioral loyalty). Direct effects were reported between perceived service quality and both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. A positive relationship between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty was demonstrated.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results are clear and have strong salience for the retail banking industry, future research should take into account the specific industry context within the national culture.Practical implicationsThe study provides a set of findings relating to CSR initiatives and perception of service quality that could be readily incorporated into banks' corporate strategic plans.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates an empirical operationalization of CSR initiatives measured from the customers' point of view, and from which banks could learn for corporate strategy development.

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how social responsibility initiatives can influence perceived service quality and brand effect from the perspective of retail banking customers in Bangkok, Thailand. The paper also aims to examine the impact of trust as a mediating variable between perceived service quality and brand effect.Design/methodology/approachThe study is quantitative in nature, using the responses of 275 bank customers to a closed‐end questionnaire administered on a face‐to‐face basis by trained fieldworkers. The data analysis is performed by partial least squares (PLS), a second generation statistical SEM variance‐based modeling technique.FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives influence service quality perceptions and also examine CSR's impact on trust and affective attitudes of customers towards their banks. The study's hypothesized relationships were principally supported, i.e. perceived service quality is positively associated with brand effect mediated by trust. CSR initiatives play an important role in perceived service quality, which in turn, influences trust and brand effect. Finally, CSR is shown to be directly related to brand effect.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results are clear and have strong salience to the retail banking industry in Thailand, applications of the findings beyond Thailand should take into account other factors such as the nature of retail banking industry, the perception, behavior and demographics of retail banking customers as well as the strategic focus of retail banking toward CSR.Practical implicationsThe study provides a set of findings relating to CSR initiatives that could be readily incorporated into a bank's corporate plan.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, their study proposes an exhaustive review of CSR activities a company could use to best match its stakeholders' interests. Also the paper demonstrates the contribution of advanced modeling methodology to understanding key relationships in the financial services sector.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between independent and interdependent self-construal and attention to social comparison information (ATSCI) on professional career women's fashion clothing conformity. Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 207 professional career women aged 21-50 living in London and New York were interviewed using a structured questionnaire via the internet. Findings -A partial least square analysis found that interdependent self-construal has strong and positive relationships with ATSCI, and that this construct, in-turn, has a strong and positive relationship with motivation to conform. Independent self-construal has a significant, but unhypothesized, relationship with ATSCI. However, independent self-construal is significantly negatively related to conformity motivation. Research limitations/implications -A limitation of the study includes the reliance on internet self-administered data collection method. Practical implications -The integrations of the individuals into, and their interactions with, the fashion adoption process is a phenomenon very relevant to marketers in identifying patterns of individual and social influences on fashion clothing tastes. Originality/value -The findings are valuable because they apply, for the first time, four important psychological constructs to the subject field of professional career women's fashion choices.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine attitudinal and behavioral shopping patterns related to hypermarket shopping in an Asian market, which has undergone a revolutionary transition from traditional to modern trade food retailing in the past decade. The first class includes shopping enjoyment, risk aversion, price signaling, innovativeness, trust and future purchase intentions. The second group of behavioral shopping patterns includes advocacy, time, and money spent shopping.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 244 shoppers was interviewed across Bangkok using a structured questionnaire through face‐to‐face personal interviews.FindingsThe study finds that grocery shoppers tend to be more risk averse when time pressured, but less risk averse if they are innovative. Bangkok Thais score high on innovativeness and shopping enjoyment and are more frequent patrons of hypermarkets than other grocery store formats. While a particular aspect of hypermarket grocery shopping behavior is found to relate to advocacy and future loyalty intentions, it does not contribute to enhanced store trust.Research limitations/implicationsWhile Thailand is part of Southeast Asia, not all countries share the same cultures or consumer behavior. Similarly, as Bangkok is a mega city, it cannot be said to represent rural parts of the country.Practical implicationsAs the majority of modern retailers are owned and managed by western countries, the format is relatively new in most Asian markets. Their growth has not evolved naturally and may result in cross‐cultural consumer behavior conflicts, thus findings help extant or new retailers better understand consumer behavior. Because of high risk aversion, private label brands may require that stores develop greater trust among consumers, perhaps through sampling or building awareness of the concept behind private label. Thai hypermarket shoppers appear driven more by convenience than by time pressure. Because they tend to shop in groups and enjoy this experience, retailers may want to consider more of the experiential or social aspects involved in shopping, rather than purely functional offerings.Originality/valueBy applying predominantly western theories to a developing Asian market, their generalizability can be tested.