Does Relationship Value Management Matter When Developing Brand Reputation? A Developing Country Perspective

Abstract

The study investigates the perceived influence of relationship value management (RVM) in developing the brand reputation of a major apparel manufacturer in Botswana. A descriptive quantitative research design was followed, and primary data was collected from 120 business customers of a selected apparel manufacturer who reside in the South-East District of Botswana. A total of 85 useable questionnaires were collected for further analysis. A multiple regression analysis was applied to establish the relationship between customer orientation, employee engagement, RVM and brand reputation. The results indicate that customer orientation is directly linked to employee engagement. In addition, customer orientation and employee engagement led to a significant and positive influence on RVM. Moreover, RVM was reported to have a significant positive impact on the level of brand reputation. On the other hand, customer orientation was the strongest predictor of the brand reputation of the selected apparel manufacturer. The conceptual model tested confirms the hypothesised relationship between customer orientation, employee engagement, RVM and brand reputation. The findings can further assist apparel manufacturers in understanding how the interrelationship between customer orientation, employee engagement and RVM can boost brand reputation in a developing economy such as Botswana. Therefore, RVM can be considered to be a possible catalyst for developing a genuine and stronger brand reputation in the apparel industry of Botswana.