Developing the nomological network of perceived corporate affinity for technology: A three essay ...

161 Pages·2015·1.44 MB·English

by  David Earl Fleming

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
12-7-2009
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David Earl Fleming
University of South Florida
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Fleming, David Earl, "Developing the Nomological Network of Perceived Corporate Affinity for Technology:
A Three Essay Dissertation" (2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1630
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Developing the Nomological Network of Perceived Corporate Affinity for Technology:
A Three Essay Dissertation

by

David Earl Fleming

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Marketing
College of Business
University of South Florida

Major Professor: Paul Solomon, Ph.D.
Andrew Artis, Ph.D.
Richard Plank, Ph.D.
Michael Coovert, Ph.D.
Sajeev Varki, Ph.D.
James Hensel, Ph.D.

Date of Approval: December 7, 2009

Keywords: sales, services, technology, congruity, self-directed learning

© Copyright 2010, David E. Fleming
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my family. Without their support, none of this
would have been possible. To my wife, Sarah, thank you for the sacrifices you have
made and your patience throughout this journey. To my parents, I thank you for always
being supportive and willing to do whatever you could to make this journey easier.
Finally, this dissertation is dedicated to my children, Ryan and Rachael, for whose future
all of this was done.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to all of the people who had a hand in me getting through the Ph.D.
process. I am thankful to Dr. Paul Solomon, my dissertation chair, for paving the way for
me through the program so that I could attain my desired goals. I thank Dr. Andrew Artis
for serving as a mentor and sounding board for the last seven years; your advice and
feedback helped me avoid and overcome many obstacles. Also, I would like to
acknowledge my original committee members, Dr. Richard Plank and Dr. Michael
Coovert, for the effort and time they spent helping me complete this dissertation and
whose expertise improved the quality of the research. I also want to thank Dr. Sajeev
Varki and Dr. James Hensel for agreeing to serve on my dissertation committee when the
need arose. I would like to acknowledge Wendy for making sure I always got everything
in on time. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Eric Harris for serving as a friend, mentor,
and cheerleader, and for encouraging me to go beyond my comfort zone and get a Ph.D.
Table of Contents

List of Tables v
List of Figures vi
List of Appendices vii
Abstract viii
Chapter 1 1
Introduction 1
Research on Technology in Services and Sales 2
Personification of Firms 11
Importance of Perceived Attitudes 12
Employee Learning 13
Purpose 14
Research Questions 14
Theory 15
Contributions to Marketing 18
Academicians 18
Managers 20
Organization of Dissertation 22
References 24
i
Chapter 2 How Managers Influence Employee Perceptions of the Firm 31
Introduction 31
Literature Review
Communications Theory 33
Service Marketing 36
Technology Perceptions 38
Model Development 41
Methods 47
Sample 47
Measures 50
Analysis/Findings 50
Discussion 57
Implications 57
Academic 57
Managerial 59
References 61
Chapter 3 Employee Perceptions and Its Effect on Their Use of Self-Directed Learning 67
Introduction 67
Literature Review 69
Self-Directed Learning 69
Affinity for Technology 72
Model Development 74
Method 78
ii
Sample 78
Measures 79
Analysis/Findings 80
Confirmatory Factor Analysis 80
Structural Equation Models 83
Nested Regression Models 87
Discussion 91
Contributions 93
Future Research 95
References 96
Chapter 4 The Effect of Customer Perceptions on Service Outcomes 102
Introduction 102
Literature Review 104
Personification of Firms 104
Individual Perceptions of Technology 105
Self-Congruity 109
Service Experience 110
Service Outcomes 112
Model Development 113
Methods 118
Sample 118
Measures 120
Analysis 121
iii
Findings 123
Confirmatory Factor Analysis 123
Structural Equations Models 127
Parcel Models 130
Nested Regressions 132
Discussion/Limitations 134
Implications 136
Academic 136
Managerial 137
References 139
About the Author End Page

iv
List of Tables

Table 1. Technology in the Services Literature 4
Table 2. Technology in the Sales Literature 8
Table 3. Customer Contact Employee Demographics 49
Table 4. Manager Demographics 49
Table 5. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results 52
Table 6. Structural Equation Model Result 55
Table 7. Nested Regression Results 56
Table 8. Demographics 79
Table 9. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results 82
Table 10. Structural Equation Model Results 85
Table 11. Nested Regression Results 90
Table12. Hypothesis Results 93
Table 13. Demographics 119
Table 14. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results 126
Table 15. Structural Equation Model Results 129
Table 16. Parcel Model Results 132
Table 17. Nested Regression Findings 133
Table 18. Hypothesis Outcomes 135
v
List of Figures

Figure 1. Schramm Model of Communication 35
Figure 2. Conceptual Model 46
Figure 3. Hypothesized Model 47
Figure 4. Empirical Model 78
Figure 5. Conceptual Model 118
vi