Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement

Drawing on emotional contagion theory, this study offers an integrated framework showing the effects of employee engagement (EE) on customer engagement (CE), repeat purchase and word-of-mouth (WOM). The data were collected from 65 employees and 352 customers of 28 retail stores using 2 separate surv...

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Main Authors: Rabbanee, Fazlul, Ramaseshan, Ram, Vyravene, Revadee
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2021
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86845
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author Rabbanee, Fazlul
Ramaseshan, Ram
Vyravene, Revadee
author_facet Rabbanee, Fazlul
Ramaseshan, Ram
Vyravene, Revadee
author_sort Rabbanee, Fazlul
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Drawing on emotional contagion theory, this study offers an integrated framework showing the effects of employee engagement (EE) on customer engagement (CE), repeat purchase and word-of-mouth (WOM). The data were collected from 65 employees and 352 customers of 28 retail stores using 2 separate survey instruments. A dyadic data set was created by matching customer data with the employee data corresponding to each store. The findings reveal that two key facets of EE – dedication and absorption – positively influence CE, which eventually influences WOM and repeat purchase. In line with balance theory, CE is found to fully mediate the effects of absorption on WOM and repeat purchase. Furthermore, employee length of service (ELS) is found to moderate the absorption on CE effects. Thus, the findings extend emotional contagion theory and balance theory by providing empirical evidence supporting the differential effects of the facets of EE on CE en route to WOM and repeat purchase. JEL Classification: M31
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T11:26:15Z
publishDate 2021
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-868452021-12-10T08:25:21Z Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement Rabbanee, Fazlul Ramaseshan, Ram Vyravene, Revadee Drawing on emotional contagion theory, this study offers an integrated framework showing the effects of employee engagement (EE) on customer engagement (CE), repeat purchase and word-of-mouth (WOM). The data were collected from 65 employees and 352 customers of 28 retail stores using 2 separate survey instruments. A dyadic data set was created by matching customer data with the employee data corresponding to each store. The findings reveal that two key facets of EE – dedication and absorption – positively influence CE, which eventually influences WOM and repeat purchase. In line with balance theory, CE is found to fully mediate the effects of absorption on WOM and repeat purchase. Furthermore, employee length of service (ELS) is found to moderate the absorption on CE effects. Thus, the findings extend emotional contagion theory and balance theory by providing empirical evidence supporting the differential effects of the facets of EE on CE en route to WOM and repeat purchase. JEL Classification: M31 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86845 10.1177/03128962211057293 fulltext
spellingShingle Rabbanee, Fazlul
Ramaseshan, Ram
Vyravene, Revadee
Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title_full Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title_fullStr Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title_full_unstemmed Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title_short Effects of employee engagement on customer responses: Examining the mediating role of customer engagement
title_sort effects of employee engagement on customer responses: examining the mediating role of customer engagement
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86845