Corporate Reputation and Users’ Behavioral Intentions: Is Reputation the Master Key That Moves Consumers?

Abstract

Despite the diverse perspectives on corporate reputation, few studies investigate consumers as a subject of corporate reputation. Thus, this study uncovers the factors that contribute to and comprise the reputation of mobile carriers, compares the magnitude of each factor’s influence, and verifies how reputation influences users’ behavioral intentions. It constructs and validates an integrated model via exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis of a structural equation model, and multiple mediating effect analysis using bootstrapping, surveying 635 users. Five factors (innovativeness, ethical responsibility, communication authenticity, environmental and philanthropic responsibility, and economic responsibility) had a significant relationship with reputation formation. Reputation positively affected users’ perceptions and behavioral intentions, acting indirectly through other variables, as per the path analysis results. The significant correlation between reputation and cross-buying intention showed that reputation resolves user decision-making uncertainty. The study extends the corporate reputation formation literature and helps establish management strategies.