Investigating brand equity of third-party service providers

Grant, David; Juntunen, Jouni; Juga, Jari; Juntunen, Mari

Abstract

Purpose: This research applies theory and techniques from the services and marketing literature to a supply chain context consisting of a shipper or seller, a customer or buyer, and a third-party logistics service provider (3PL) to investigate corporate brand equity resulting from service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty towards the 3PL. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model was developed from the literature and tested with Finnish industrial firms using an online survey. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling to examine relationships among the four constructs. Findings: Hypothesised relationships among the four constructs in the conceptual model were supported however the relationship between loyalty and corporate brand equity was weak. Research limitations/implications: This investigatory research is based on a one country sample making transferability and generalisability to other countries difficult. Practical implications: The findings of this research should enable 3PL managers to determine service offerings that are most important to either shippers or customers, develop a service package using such offerings to satisfy needs, and thus build loyalty and corporate brand equity among both parties. Originality/value: This paper adds to our knowledge of these constructs in a supply chain context, particularly for 3PLs, and provides an interdisciplinary approach to research in the supply chain domain.

Citation

Grant, D., Juntunen, J., Juga, J., & Juntunen, M. (2014). Investigating brand equity of third-party service providers. The journal of services marketing, 28(3), 214-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-06-2012-0104

• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Jul 27, 2014
• Publication Date: May 6, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 6, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Journal: Journal of services marketing
• Print ISSN: 0887-6045
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 214-222
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-06-2012-0104
• Keywords: Third-party logistics service providers; Service providers; Service quality; Customer satisfaction; Loyalty; Corporate brand equity
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/383794
• Publisher URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/JSM-06-2012-0104
• Additional Information: Authors' accepted manuscript of article published in: Journal of services marketing, 2014, v.28 issue 3.
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017