The Relationship Between Reputation Quotient and Perceived Quality of Brands in Turkey’s Mobile Communication Sector
Gül Banu Dayanç KıyatIn today’s business world, the new information era reveals the importance of perceived reputation management for brands. No matter how high the quality of the product is, as long its perceived reputation is not good, it is worthless from an economic point of view. Although a plethora of research has been conducted on reputation quotient, no study on perceived quality has been conducted in Turkey’s mobile communication sector. In this study, the relationship between reputation quotient and perceived quality was investigated. The reputation quotient and perceived quality of four bestselling mobile phones in Turkey, namely, ‘LG, Samsung, iPhone and HTC’ were examined. Fombrun’s “Reputation Quotient” and Aaker’s “Perceived Quality” models were employed to measure variables in the research model. By means of the convenience sampling method, 434 participants completed the study’s instrument on a voluntary basis. Data were analysed with SPSS 21.0 and a proposed relationship was tested through regression analysis. The results showed that there is positive relationship between reputation quotient and perceived quality. Furthermore perceived high quality is a necessity for high perceived reputation, but it is not sufficient as shown in the example of HTC.
Türki̇ye’de Mobi̇l İleti̇şi̇m Sektöründeki̇ Markalarin İti̇bar Katsayisi ve Algilanan Kali̇te İli̇şkisi
Gül Banu Dayanç KıyatGünümüz iş dünyasındaki yeni bilgi çağı, markalar için itibar algısı yönetiminin önemini göstermektedir. Nekadar kaliteli ürün üretirsek üretelim itibarlı olarak algılanmıyorsak ekonomik olarak değersizdir. Yazında, itibar katsayısı ile ilgili çalışmalar olmakla birlikte, Türkiye’de mobil iletişim sektöründe Algılanan Kalite ve İtibar Katsayısı ilişkisi ile ilgili herhangi bir araştırmaya rastlanılmamıştır. Bu çalışmada, itibar katsayısı ve algılanan kalite arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Türkiyede en iyi satış yapan dört mobil iletişim kurumunlarında: ‘LG, Samsung, iPhone ve HTC’nin itibar katsayısı ve algılanan kalite’ incelenmiştir. Fombrun’un “İtibar Katsayısı” ve Aaker’ın “Algılanan Kalite” modelleri kullanılarak anket oluşturulmuştur. Uluşabilirlik örneklemi yöntemi kullanılarak, gönüllü 434 kişiden veri toplanmıştır. Data SPSS 21.0 ile analiz edilmiş ve ortaya atılan ilişki regresyon analizi ile test edilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları göstermiştir ki itibar katsayısı ile algılanan kalite arasında pozitif yönlü anlamı bir ilişki olduğu görülmüş ve. yüksek kalite algısı yüksek itibar algısı için gerek şartken, HTC örneğinde görüldüğü gibi yüksek itibar algısı için yeterli değildir.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between consumers’ brand reputation perception and perceived quality in Turkey’s mobile communication sector, highlighting the reputation of four brands: LG, Samsung, iPhone and HTC. It is commonly accepted that the information era in which we live underscores the importance of perceived brand reputation management. If brand reputation isn’t perceived as high, the product becomes worthless in an economic sense no matter how high the product quality is. According to Aaker (2009), if a company loses its reputation, neither money nor other resources can bring it back to life (p. 105). The corporation must maintain a good impression before all its stakeholders to increase profitability, continually widening its customer portfolio, to survive and sustain itself in the market. This “good impression” is the essence of reputation. Reputation is a cumulative total perception, which exist as a result of aggregate experiences of stakeholders, along with identifying features from the past about an institution in question (Alessandri, Un Yang & Kinsey, 2006, p. 14; Fombrun, 1996, p. 57; GainesRoss, 2008, p. 6; Gotsi & Wilson, 2001, pp. 25-27; Green, 1996, p. 21; Markwick & Fill, 1997, p. 398). Within the context of corporate reputation research, a firm’s brand reputation concept is a specific area of interest. According to Corkindale and Belder (2009), brand only has a significant relationship for firm’s customers rather than for all stakeholders (p. 242). Consequently, while reputation is essential for success, it alone is not sufficient, because institutions need strong brands to achieve. “The major point is that brand reputation is not necessarily limited only to a local product or service. In services and business-to-business industries, brand appears to be more often connected to the reputation of the company rather than individual products or services” (Selnes, 1993, p. 20). High brand reputation is similar to a promise given to stakeholders. Customers expect to receive good products, and good customer service after purchasing them, along with a responsible, well-organized and wellmanaged institution that takes seriously its responsibility both to its workers and the environment. Therefore, within this study, the dependent variable to be analysed is brand reputation.
Conceptually, quality varies according to subjective preferences of individuals. Indeed, the very concept of quality differs widely within the framework of individual perceptions. According to some scholars, quality can be analysed as either real or perceived quality. Real quality is objective whereas perceived quality is related to the image perceived by customers. In some studies literature, quality is classified as both real and perceived, where quality is regarded as objective and perceived quality is something else. Real quality is essential for client satisfaction. Nevertheless it is not sustainable unless it is also accompanied by perceived quality. Perceived quality differs from customer to customer and, as a result, products with perceived quality can command a higher price. Other customers consider appearance, configuration, fashion ability, durability, ergonomic design, and materials used to make the products as being indicative good quality although many customers automatically assume certain brands are recognized by good quality. According to Zeithalml (1988), objective quality can be proved by means of certain standards and sizes (pp. 3-4). However measuring perceived quality is difficult because it is subjective and is thus defined as a relative concept, given that it depends on the rate of customer attributions for the product in question.
Within the context of this literature, consumers’ brand reputation perception and the associated relationship of perceived quality will be studied. The research population is composed of Turkish citizens that use mobile phones. A convenience sampling method was used to collect the data. To be able to increase the representativeness of the sample, participants from different socio-cultural and socio-economic backgrounds were chosen. Data were collected from the customers of the companies in mobile communications sector in Istanbul, where 434 customers’ answers were gathered. To measure the brand reputation quotient dimension, Fombrun’s (2000), “Reputation Quotient Questionnaire” was used (p. 253). In total there were twenty items in the scale used; four questions to measure products and services; three to measure visionary leadership; three to measure workplace environment; four to measure financial performance; three to measure corporate social responsibility, and three to measure emotional appeal. Turkish language adaptation of the scale was done by Dayanç Kıyat in 2012. The “Model of Quality Perception” developed by Aaker (2009), was used to assess quality perception and to investigate other aspects of the subject matter in seven dimensions (p. 112). Based on the literature and this model, a modified scale was developed by the author. In total, fourteen items were created for the scale; two to measure performance, two to measure features, two to measure conformity, two to measure reliability, two to measure durability, two to measure serviceability, and two to measure fit and finish.
To test the relationship between perceived quality and brand reputation, statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 21. The results showed a positive relationship between perceived quality and reputation perception. That is to say, the rate of reputation perception for a brand increases in direct proportion to perceived quality. Similar results were found in the literature of analogous surveys, even though they were inadequate to examine the relationship between perceived quality and reputation quotient were not adequate (Caruana & Ewing, 2010, pp. 1103-1107; Gatti, Caruana, & Snehota, 2012 pp. 65-71). That is, the relationship between perceived quality and reputation quotient obtained during this survey parallels the findings of prior studies.
