This doctoral dissertation explores brand hate as a multifaceted phenomenon in the airline industry, advancing conventional views by examining its emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions. Building on the brand hate framework, the research investigates specific triggers, particularly airline-related incidents that evoke brand hate and drive negative emotions and actions. These critical incidents serve as foundational factors that fuel brand hate, leading to diverse emotional responses ranging from mild to strong brand hate. The study further differentiates active and passive brand hate, influenced by factors such as emotional intensity, duration, and the extremity of behavioral responses.

The study proposes that brand hate is not only an emotional reaction but also involves behavioral and cognitive dimensions, making it a multifaceted construct. The research explores multiple behavioral dimensions of brand hate from complaint to withdrawal. Moreover, it examines the cognitive dimension through repurchase intentions, filling a gap in the literature that has overlooked the potential for brand hate reconciliation. By exploring reconciliation after recovery, this thesis provides insights into how forgiveness can help companies in rebuilding trust and improving their reputation after negative incidents.

Using a mixed-method approach, the study collects qualitative data from social media through multiphase netnography to capture the real-world context of critical incidents in full-service airlines, paired with a quantitative analysis to track patterns in critical incidents. Furthermore, follow-up interviews provide valuable insights for reconciliation after recovery. This rigorous approach allows for an in-depth examination of the antecedents and dimensions of brand hate. A thorough content analysis ensures that the data is systematically coded and interpreted with theoretical frameworks, adding robustness to the thesis’ findings.

This research contributes to brand hate and service management literature by addressing a gap in understanding the multifaceted nature of brand hate in a service context, particularly in the airline sector. The findings offer practical implications for airlines, guiding them to tackle the root causes of brand hate and develop effective recovery and reconciliation strategies. Airlines are encouraged to train staff in complaint management, establish reconciliation-focused policies, and design communication strategies that address the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of brand hate. The framework presented also opens new research avenues for studying brand hate across industries and evaluating the long-term effects of recovery strategies leading to reconciliation. By integrating insights on brand hate reconciliation, this thesis provides a roadmap for brands to turn resentment into reconciliation and opportunities for improvement and trust restoration.

Denna doktorsavhandling utforskar varumärkeshat som ett mångfacetterat fenomen inom flygbranschen, och utvecklar tidigare studier genom att undersöka dess emotionella, beteendemässiga och kognitiva dimensioner. Utifrån ramverket för varumärkeshat undersöker studien specifika triggers, särskilt flygbolagsrelaterade incidenter som framkallar varumärkeshat och driver negativa känslor och handlingar. Dessa kritiska incidenter tjänar som grundläggande faktorer som underblåser varumärkeshat, vilket leder till olika känslomässiga reaktioner som sträcker sig från milt till starkt varumärkeshat. Studien föreslår att varumärkeshat inte bara är en känslomässig reaktion utan också involverar beteendemässiga och kognitiva dimensioner, vilket gör det till ett mångfacetterat begrepp. Genom att använda en blandad metod samlar studien in kvalitativ data från sociala medier genom flerfasnetnografi för att fånga den verkliga kontexten av kritiska incidenter i fullserviceflygbolag, tillsammans med en kvantitativ analys för att spåra mönster i kritiska incidenter. Vidare ger uppföljande intervjuer värdefulla insikter för avstämning efter försoning.

Denna forskning bidrar till varumärkeshat och tjänstehanteringslitteraturen genom att undersöka en lucka i förståelsen av varumärkeshatets mångfacetterade natur i ett tjänstesammanhang, särskilt inom flygbolagssektorn. Resultaten ger praktiska konsekvenser för flygbolagen, vägleder dem att ta itu med grundorsakerna till varumärkeshat och utveckla effektiva strategier för återhämtning och försoning. Flygbolag uppmuntras att utbilda personal i klagomålshantering, upprätta försoningsfokuserade policyer och utforma kommunikationsstrategier som tar itu med de emotionella, beteendemässiga och kognitiva dimensionerna av varumärkeshat. Genom att integrera insikter om försoning av varumärkeshat ger denna avhandling en färdplan för varumärken att vända harm till försoning och möjligheter till förbättringar och återställande av förtroende.

No doubt the airline industry has been growing globally and generating profit as international business, and it becomes more challenging for airline companies to deal with international consumers and develop a better marketing strategy to satisfy them. Using a consumer perspective on social media, we noted that consumers expressed different types of negative brand emotions while sharing their negative experiences of Qatar Airways and Turkish Airline. Brand emotions are mental and physical experiences directed towards a brand. Thus, we argue that negative brand emotions are explicitly expressed towards airline brands on social media. By using netnography research method, we revealed five dimensions of negative brand emotions namely unhappy, disappointed, anger, disgust, and terrible or awful. Consumers more expressed these negative brand emotions while complaining about various service failures including staff rude behavior, seating issues, food quality, luggage mishandled, flight delayed and discrimination among passengers. Consistent with previous studies, international consumers showed various behavioral reactions, for instance, complaints, negative electronic word-of-mouth, brand avoidance and claimed for compensations due to service failures. We discussed our findings related to negative experiences, service failures and behavioral reactions of international consumers towards airlines.

Salesperson performance is essential to commercialise and sell a new product in the market. It is significant to investigate determinants that affect salesperson performance while selling new products. Theories of reasoned action and perceived behavioural control were examined, which in turn shed light on different factors including attitude, self-efficacy, subjective norms, product and customer knowledge. Using the quantitative approach and survey method, the study attempted to obtain a clear insight of the determinants of salesperson performance vis-à-vis new product selling. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample which comprised of salespeople in a business-to-consumer market. The results indicated significant positive relationships between salesperson performance and positive attitude, high self-efficacy and knowledge about products and customers. Moreover, a highly positive correlation was found between the subjective norms and salesperson performance. This research proposed recommendation that managers focus on increasing salesperson knowledge about new products and customers, while boosting self-efficacy and positive attitudes towards selling a new product.

The relationship between levels of shyness among the adolescents (13-18 years) of public and private schools were investigated in the present study. 120 students studying in different grades from public and private schools in Islamabad (Pakistan) were selected by Random sampling technique. It was hypothesized that levels of shyness among the adolescents of private and public school is different. To measure the levels of shyness, the McCroskey Shyness scale was administered on the sample. Data was analyzed by applying t-test for independent samples and hypothesis was not supported because there is no significant difference found between levels of shyness among the public and private schools adolescents. The research presents evidence that there is no impact of schooling system on shyness levels of adolescents but shy adolescents are less likely to participate in communication and classroom activities or ask questions when they need help with schoolwork. They greatly suffer from social anxiety.

The relationship between levels of shyness among the adolescents (13-18 years) of public and private schools were investigated in the present study. 120 students studying in different grades from public and private schools in Islamabad (Pakistan) were selected by Random sampling technique. It was hypothesized that levels of shyness among the adolescents of private and public school is different. To measure the levels of shyness, the McCroskey Shyness scale was administered on the sample. Data was analyzed by applying t-test for independent samples and hypothesis was not supported because there is no significant difference found between levels of shyness among the public and private schools adolescents. The research presents evidence that there is no impact of schooling system on shyness levels of adolescents but shy adolescents are less likely to participate in communication and classroom activities or ask questions when they need help with schoolwork. They greatly suffer from social anxiety.