BRAND CHARACTERISTICS’ EFFECTS ON YEMENI COMPANIES’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY (WTP) A PRICE PREMIUM FOR AUDIT SERVICES
Marwan Ghaleb1*, Burçin Kaplan2
1Mr., Istanbul Aydin University, Turkey, Marwan.m.ghaleb@gmail.com
2Dr., Istanbul Aydin University, Turkey, burcinkaplan@aydin.edu.tr
*Corresponding author
Abstract
Brand is considered as a profitability enhancing factor and an element that will make consumers willing to pay a price premium, but is this applicable for companies when consuming something? Is this applicable for companies operating in unstable country situation? This research is working on finding an answer for such question by studying the effects of Brand Characteristics (including Brand Repetition, Brand Predictability and Brand Competency) on consumer WTP a price premium mediated by Brand Credibility and Perceived Uniqueness for audit services comparing the companies’ attitude toward branded (Big 4) and non-branded audit services in Yemen which as an example of unstable situation a country with an as per the world bank evaluation 2018 - 2019. The data was collected from 200 company, that were audited in the last two years in Yemen, the structural equational modeling was used for analysis and results generating which revealed that: There are no direct effects of Brand characteristics (including Brand Repetition, Brand Predictability and Brand Competency) to the consumer WTP a price premium for audit services in Yemen, the mediating role of Brand Credibility was only between Brand Predictability and consumer WTP a price premium and the mediating role of Perceived Uniqueness was only between Brand Competency and consumer WTP a price premium. This research is combining the Brand filed and the Audit filed by studying the effect of some brand variables on consumer behavior in a specialized service industry which is Auditing industry and concentrates on Brand effect from the consumer side, it contributes to the field of brand management, pricing strategy and, audit firms’ management. It presents insight from a different point of view for audit firms’ managerial practice in an unstable country situation.
Keywords: Brand Characteristics, Consumer (WTP) a price premium, Audit firms.
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