| The purpose of this dissertation is to incorporate an affect component in the general model of switching barriers and customer retention.; Utilizing a two wave, matched sample survey of approximately 1200 cellular telephone service consumers, data have been collected for the above constructs. Primary analysis consists of developing a strutural equation model to evaluate the main effects of both the newly introduced affect construct and the replicated brand switching barrier and customer satisfaction constructs, as well as the relationship effects of each of these constructs.; The four major constructs in the model, Customer Retention, Brand Switching Barriers, Satisfaction, and Affect, are found to be reliable and discriminating constructs. The dependent construct, Retention, was asked of respondents in three different manners, and the results were internally consistent across question modes. With a longitudinal matched sample across four months, actual behavior was compared to stated intention and found to be consistent as well.; A confirmatory factor analysis done on each of the three independent constructs, Barriers, Satisfaction, and Affect, showed that the three constructs were reliable across the two waves. In addition, the data fit the constructs remarkably well.; A structural equation model utilizing the data as observed variables and the constructs as latent variables produced a model that showed the impact of affect on the previously developed brand switching model.; The six main hypotheses are supported, providing a better understanding of the relationship between an expanded model of brand switching, containing both brand switching barriers and affect in addition to the traditionally used measure of customer satisfaction. There was a positive relationship between satisfaction and retention, and also a positive relationship between barriers and retention, indicating that businesses can utilize both constructs to maintain customers. In addition, there was a positive relationship between affect and retention, indicating that this construct also merits consideration in the marketing mix. The correlations between affect and the other two independent constructs were positive, indicating that a high level of affect increases the effectiveness of barriers and the effectiveness of satisfaction on the retention construct.; Future research utilizing the general brand switching model could identify and refine additional moderator and mediator constructs to this relationship, improving the amount of variance explained in customer retention. Affect as a whole is not well understood in the marketing literature, and this is but one example of how a rational decision-making model can gain additional explanatory power by incorporating conceptual models of this powerful force. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
