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Enhancing frontline employee support during a product-harm crisis: Evidence and strategic managerial implications for firms

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  • Pangarkar, Aniruddha
  • Fleischman, Gary M.
  • Iacobucci, Dawn

Abstract

Product-harm crises can negatively affect a firm's corporate image, reputation, and credibility. This research investigates antecedents and factors that can impact the extent to which frontline employees will be supportive of their organization when the firm faces such a crisis. Leveraging social exchange theory and its focus on reciprocal exchanges, we theorize and test processes using regression models, which shed light on how managers can solicit employee support during crises situations by providing the frontline employees with ethical and supportive working conditions. To offer convergent validity across multiple methodologies, we also test the influence of experimental effects of the relative severity of a crisis and whether a firm was quick or slow in its response on frontline employee support. Furthermore, our research demonstrates that the firm's strengths in corporate social responsibility, the employees' organizational citizenship behavior, and employee organizational identification serially mediate the supportive relationship, which provides a unique contribution to the marketing literature. Finally, we provide managerial implications to further enhance frontline employee support.

Suggested Citation

  • Pangarkar, Aniruddha & Fleischman, Gary M. & Iacobucci, Dawn, 2022. "Enhancing frontline employee support during a product-harm crisis: Evidence and strategic managerial implications for firms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:66:y:2022:i:c:s0969698922000029
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102909
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Kang, David Yeonjun & Hur, Won-Moo & Shin, Yuhyung, 2023. "Smart technology and service employees’ job crafting: Relationship between STARA awareness, performance pressure, receiving and giving help, and job crafting," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Lessassy, Léopold, 2023. "Investigating a three-way interaction of manufacturer control, retail control and dependence on salesforce performance. Does the role of frontline employees matters ?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Liu, Yang & Ouyang, Zhe & He, Mujia, 2022. "Why and when firms respond accommodatively to the product-harm crisis: An institutional perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Pangarkar, Aniruddha & Patel, Jayesh & Kumar, Sampath K., 2023. "Drivers of eWOM engagement on social media for luxury consumers: Analysis, implications, and future research directions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Asante, Daniel & Tang, Chunyong & Kwamega, Michael & Asante, Eric Adom, 2022. "In pursuit of service encounter quality: Will service-oriented high-performance work systems benefit high-contact service industries?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Siyasanga Mgoduka & Shalen Heeralal, 2023. "Investigating the Influence of a Product-Harm Crisis on Consumer Buying Behaviour: A Focus on the Listeriosis Crisis," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 13(4), pages 14-22, July.

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