The Role of Uncertainty Avoidance and Situational Abnormality in Satisfaction-Trust-Loyalty Link

Purpose – The relational link between satisfaction-trust-loyalty is rather complex and dynamic. This paper examines the effect of situational abnormality (SA) and uncertainty avoidance (UA) variables as moderators to trust and loyalty outcomes in the Turkish Automobile Industry. The research proposed a theoretical model with SA and UA interaction effects on the proposed loyalty relational link. Design/methodology/approach – Existing instruments were employed to sample 250 customers of an insurance company in Turkey, 200 returned questionnaires were used. Two-stage data analysis method was employed. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to establish the research constructs' validity and model goodness of fit, while Structural Equation Modelling was employed to test the proposed model hypotheses.
Findings – In the pivotal model, the result showed that UA was not significant, but SA mitigated strongly on relational outcomes when compared to the rival model, which had stronger and positive customer loyalty intention. The findings reveals that SA led to a negative customer’s loyalty disposition towards their insurance service provider in Turkey. Research limitations/implications – The research data was homogenously analysed without conducting analysis on demographics such as relationship length, profession or family profile. There is value in extending the current research by considering demographic effects on the research model. Originality/value – the research developed a relational model that embeds contextual factors in the Turkey insurance sector. The research shows that SA had a strong influence on the relationship dynamics within the context. The paper proves the value of SA importance, especially when the environment is dynamic and risky.