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In India, national accreditation agencies stipulate that internal quality control in higher education institutions (HEIs) is to be institutionalized through internal quality assurance cells that are responsible for implementing and controlling quality systems. As the concept of goal congruence is central to a control process, this study aims to examine whether goal congruence is observed in such institutions. The impact of the absence of goal congruence on the quality of performance in higher education was also examined.

This cross-sectional study measured the impact of goal congruence or the lack thereof on the performance quality of HEIs as defined in the evaluation criteria of the apex accreditation agency, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Two hypotheses were tested using t-tests and regression analysis. Focus group discussions were conducted to elicit participants’ suggestions.

The results showed a lack of goal congruence between HEIs’ quality goals and their faculty’s personal goals, which adversely impacts the quality of their performance, as indicated by an average disagreement of 81% on a ten-statement scale. Goal congruence as an independent variable explained 63% of the variability in HEIs’ performance quality, and the results were statistically significant, indicating that lack of goal congruence is an important contributor to poor performance among HEIs.

Accreditation of HEIs is a global practice; hence, the findings of this study and the importance of goal congruence apply not only to India but also to HEIs globally.

In the competitive realm of destination branding, understanding the factors that lead tourists to develop a deep emotional connection with a destination’s brand is essential. At the heart of this emotional bond lies destination brand love – an exceptionally profound sentiment transcending mere satisfaction or preference. This concept has recently garnered attention from both tourism academia and industry practice. However, there remains a void in exploring the factors and mechanisms that pave the way for tourists to develop deep affection for a destination’s brand. This study examines the influences of self-congruence and destination immersion on destination brand love. In addition, the linkages from the four facets of self-congruence to destination brand love via the mediating role of destination brand immersion are also scrutinized.

With data collected from 421 tourists in Vietnam, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to test the research model and hypotheses.

The results reveal that (1) ideal and ideal social self-congruence impact destination brand love, (2) all four facets of self-congruence impact destination brand immersion and (3) there is an indirect effect of the four facets of self-congruence on destination brand love, mediated by destination brand immersion.

The study’s findings provide evidence that destination characteristics must be symbolic of the destination brand and consistent with its image among tourists, which is essential in understanding the complex behavior of tourists. Indeed, the results indicate that facets of self-congruence significantly influence both destination brand immersion and destination brand love. Therefore, destination marketers should develop marketing strategies that emphasize personal relevance to the tourist destination to increase their sympathy and love for the destination.

Adapting self-congruence theory and the psychology of flow theory, this study presents a model that elucidates both the direct and indirect relationships among the four facets of self-congruence: destination brand immersion and destination brand love based on the aspects of congruence between tourists and destinations. From this, it helps to explore the factors and mechanisms that pave the way for tourists to develop deep affection for a destination’s brand.

This research extends self-congruity theory and assesses the predictive validity of the triad personality congruence among brand, brand-related sustainability initiatives (BSI) and self-concept (BSSC: brand-sustainability-self-congruence) on consumers’ brand evaluation.

Three studies assessed BSSC using the brand personality scale (BPS) and the direct congruence measure (DCM). Through moderated mediation analyses, BSSC effects were examined on consumers’ behavioral intention, behavior and subjective well-being (SWB). The mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of brand/BSI types and consumer characteristics were also assessed.

BSSC increased consumers’ brand trust, behavioral intention, behavior and SWB. Data based on BPS revealed impactful attributes that increase/decrease BSSC levels across brand-BSI combinations and the moderating role of sustainability involvement and income to enhance BSSC effects. BSSC was particularly effective, according to DCM.

For BSI planning, strategic consideration of BSSC based on both BPS and DCM is recommended. Thus, managers may predict the psychological impact of BSI and align its attributes to increase consumers’ brand evaluation.

In the sustainable marketing context, this research discusses BSSC – triad personality congruence – based on BPS and DCM and its predictive effects on consumers’ short-term brand evaluation, their actual behavior and SWB, a long-term life evaluation. The results imply a possible variation in consumers’ information processing according to the congruence measurement approach. Thus, it is relevant to the research on self-congruity, sustainability, marketing, consumer psychology/behavior and well-being.

Engaging suppliers in joint innovation can be an effective means for buyer firms to overcome internal resource/capability limitations. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impacts of cultural and trust congruences between the supplier and buyer firms on joint innovation. In addition, we examine the relationship commitment as an antecedent of cultural and trust congruences.

The study constructs a theoretical model based on social exchange theory (SET) and examines it using data from Chinese manufacturing firms.

The results suggest that cultural and trust congruences between suppliers and buyers positively influence joint processes and product innovations. Furthermore, we find that while normative relationship commitments of supplier firms promote cultural and trust congruences with buyers, instrumental relationship commitments only positively affect trust congruence.

This study enhances our understanding of social exchanges by adopting a dyadic view to examine the interconnectedness between relationship commitment, cultural and trust congruences, and joint innovation. These findings also offer practical managerial implications for managing collaborative innovation projects.

Based on person-job fit and self-determination theory, this paper examined the effects of (in)congruence between autonomy expectation and perceived autonomy on proactive behaviour, and the moderating role of humble leadership in this relationship among Chinese public employees.

Data were collected from a two-wave survey, and the research model was tested using polynomial regression and response surface methodology.

Results suggested that employees' proactive behaviour will be highest when autonomy congruence was achieved, while autonomy incongruence led to different levels of proactive behaviour based on the specific situations. Furthermore, the moderating effect of humble leadership was proved such that it accentuated the positive influence of autonomy congruence on proactive behaviour.

Managers should be fully aware of the benefits and importance of person-job fit and strive to reduce autonomy incongruence. Meanwhile, humble leadership should be considered in the context of granting autonomy to boost proactivity.

This paper re-emphasises the importance of autonomy by utilising a congruence perspective to understand the effects of autonomy on proactive behaviour. Meanwhile, it incorporates an important boundary condition, humble leadership, on the effects of autonomy congruence and thus offers a more nuanced understanding. Further, this paper not only highlights the significance of underexplored concepts among public employees, but also extends autonomy (in)congruence study to a new context and culture.

This paper aims to examine the impact of brand self-congruence on brand advocacy. In addition, the roles of brand love and attachment are examined through a serial mediation model.

A total of 324 valid and useable responses collected from an Australian consumer panel were analysed through IBM SPSS. Underpinned by social identity theory and self-expansion theory, a set of hypotheses was examined in a research model.

The findings show that consumers' brand self-congruence positively impacts brand love, attachment and advocacy intention. Moreover, brand attachment and love mediate the relationship between brand self-congruence and advocacy.

The findings of this research suggest that brand managers should cultivate emotions to build a strong consumer–brand relationship.

This research advances the current understanding of brand advocacy literature concerning brand self-congruence, love and attachment. The findings suggest that consumers' brand self-congruence, combined with brand love and attachment, will generate greater advocacy.

Transformational leadership (TFL) has been identified by a number of studies as a positive force for business success. However, few studies have explicitly examined its influence on the cooperative employment relationship, such as frontline employees' voice in the workplace. Thus, this study conducts an empirical analysis of dual-level (i.e. group-focused and individual-focused) TFL and its effect on frontline employees' cooperative voice.

This empirical study is based on data from a survey of 468 full-time frontline workers from 38 hotels in China.

The empirical results revealed that both individual-level and group-level TFL are significantly associated with frontline employees' cooperative voice. Person–Organization value congruence and Person–Supervisor value congruence both act as mediators in the linkage between group-level TFL and employees' cooperative voice behaviors. The partial mediating role of Demand–Ability congruence on the relationship between individual-level TFL and cooperative voice is also established.

First, this study investigates the dual-level effects of TFL on the cooperative voice behavior of frontline employees. Second, this study explores whether three dimensions of value congruence mediate the influence of TFL on the voice behaviors of employees.

This study aims to examine how the partnership between StubHub and MLB affected consumers' perceptions of StubHub. The case of StubHub and MLB was selected based on their partnership history and the reputation of StubHub.

A Qualtrics survey panel was used to collect the survey data. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships between sponsor congruence, brand equity and purchase intention.

Sponsor congruence plays a significant role in consumers' perceived quality of StubHub. Additionally, brand equity significantly influenced purchase intention. More specifically, brand loyalty was the strongest indicator of intent to purchase tickets from StubHub. Brand loyalty and perceived quality indirectly affected the relationship between sponsor congruence and consumers' purchase intentions of StubHub.

Sponsor congruence between secondary ticket markets and sport leagues can provide a competitive advantage, helping create revenue generation and leverage for partnerships. Perceived quality can help facilitate this relationship and increase revenue generation.

Retailers can use their mobile app to send location-based advertisements to consumers in the store. Goal congruence is an important driver for this type of ad's effectiveness. However, evidence of goal congruence influence on positive and negative outcomes and, in turn, on product purchase intention, is lacking. Research also leaves out the moderating effect of shopping motivation and price promotion level. The paper tests the impact of goal congruence on purchase intention through attitude to the ad and its intrusiveness, as well as the moderating effect of shopping motivation and price promotion.

Two online experiments are conducted to investigate these effects. The first experiment investigates the influence of goal congruence (i.e. low vs high) and the moderating effect of shopping motivation (i.e. utilitarian vs hedonic) on attitudes to the ad, level of perceived intrusiveness and, ultimately, purchase intention. The second experiment introduces the moderating effect of price promotion.

Goal congruence has a positive effect on attitude to the ad but no impact on intrusiveness. Goal congruence and shopping motivation further have a significant effect on attitude to the ad, as well as on purchase intention. Finally, no interaction effect of price promotion level is found.

This study tests the effect of goal congruence for in-store mobile apps on attitude towards the ads and intrusiveness and ultimately purchase intention. It further tests the moderating effect of shopping motivation (i.e. utilitarian vs hedonic) and price promotion level on these relationships.

This paper aims to assess the effects of the Chinese cultural element in the brand logo (CCEBL)-product function congruence and CCEBL-brand image congruence on consumer-brand identification and subsequent purchase intention. The authors also explore the moderating role of cultural element authenticity in the process of consumer-brand identification formation.

An online survey was conducted in China between January and February 2021. A total of 340 valid responses were collected and analyzed. A bootstrap method was employed to verify the hypotheses.

CCEBL-product function congruence and CCEBL-brand image congruence significantly improve consumers' purchase intentions, and the effects vary among product categories. Consumer-brand identification mediates these relationships. Finally, the relationships between CCEBL-product function congruence, CCEBL-brand image congruence, and consumer-brand identification are moderated by cultural element authenticity.

This is one of the first studies to investigate how local cultural elements in brand logos affect purchase intentions in the context of ethnocentrism. Additionally, this study advances the understanding of brand logo design by explaining and comparing the differences in the effectiveness of local cultural elements in brand logos among utilitarian and hedonic products. Additionally, this study links authenticity to cultural marketing and thus contributes to the literature.