Page 1 of 14
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 103
Two-Wheeler Consumers’ Behaviour towards the
trustworthiness of Brand
1 Datrika Venkata Madhusudan Rao
2
Prof: Mohd. Akbar Ali Khan
1Datrika Venkata Madhusudan Rao, Research Scholar (PhD) Rayalaseema University, Kurnool.
Contact: madhu4m@gmail.com
2
Prof. Mohd. Akbar Ali Khan, Research Guide, Former Vice-Chancellor-Telangana University,
TelanganaState. Presently Professor & Additional Director, DDE, Maulana Azad National Urdu
University, Gachibowli, Hyderabad-32, Telangana State.
(maakhan1155@gmail.com)
Abstract
This original exploratory research study was to examine the impact of select independent and demographic
variables on the trustworthiness of brand. Top four brands, namely Hero, Bajaj, Honda, and TVS were
selected for study and 600 two-wheeler consumers’ samples collected, using random sampling in
Hyderabad. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests, to know the
impact of variables on the trustworthiness of the brand and found no impact, further given various
implications.
Keywords: Two-wheeler Consumer Behaviour, Trustworthiness of brand, Heritage Design, Joint Venture,
Technology development, Safety features, Corporate Social Responsibility.
1Datrika Venkata Madhusudan Rao, Research Scholar (PhD) Rayalaseema University, Kurnool.
Contact: madhu4m@gmail.com Cell: 9701877449
2
Prof. Mohd. Akbar Ali Khan, Research Guide, Former Vice-Chancellor-Telangana University, TelanganaState.
Presently Professor & Additional Director, DDE, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Gachibowli, Hyderabad- 32, Telangana State. (maakhan1155@gmail.com)
Page 2 of 14
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 104
Introduction:
Automotive Industry, globally, as well as
in India, is one of the key sectors of the economy
due to its strong forward and backward linkages.
In a Global Competitiveness Survey of 104
countries, India ranked only 55th. To address this
issue, the Competitive landscape of the industry
has been developed using the Porter (1990)
Diamond Framework by India Brand Equity
Foundation (2006); Automotive Mission Plan
2006-16 and Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26 –
A Curtain Raiser.
Two-wheeler Industry - Indian Scenario:
The Indian two-wheeler industry has
attracted worldwide attention after the major
reforms (LPG) in 1991 and after, even though it
had its beginnings in the late fifties when Enfield
set up its plant to make ‘bullet’ motorcycles. A
number of foreign players entered the market and
prominent among them were Suzuki, Honda,
Yamaha and Kawasaki in joint venture route.
Motorcycles became the largest segment (more
than 80 percent) in the two-wheeler industry in
an economy (100cc-125cc), executive (125cc- 150) and premium (150cc & above) segments.
The reasons for these breakups were
varied. As a result of these breakups, Indian
companies were forced to invest heavily in
research and development for manufacturing
indigenously developed models. The Auto
market changed dramatically in terms of
technology also viz., four-stroke motorcycles,
fuel injection motors, looks, benefitted features,
power, mileage (fuel economy), environmental
compliance, performance, comfort, alternative
fuel, and electric two-wheelers. The industry is
growing every year due to inadequate public
transport, better financing, availability of models,
increasing urbanization and increase in skilled
youth population and per capita income.
Scope and Importance of the Study:
A Brand is a name, sign, symbol or
design or the combination of all which means as
an identification of a product or service and make
it different from the competitor (Kotler, 2014).
Trust as an expression of a feeling. The feeling
has an effect to cognition, affection, and behavior
(Brugha, 1999). Trust is related to relationship
marketing (Morgan and Hunt, 1994, Parasuraman
et al, 1985). Brand Trust is a part of personal
trust (Ekelund and Sharma, 2001), a cognitive
component of the behavior (Assael, 1998).
Several factors, such as brand, trust,
commitment, and satisfaction give effect on
loyalty (Tezinde et al, 2001; Lassoued and
Hobbs, 2015; Joo, 2015). Brand satisfaction is a
result of subjective evaluation to chosen
alternative brands and which exceeds consumer’s
expectation (Ting, 2004; Lau and Lee, 2000).
Brand satisfaction will strengthen brand trust
(Ballester and Aleman, 2001); has a direct effect
on satisfaction to loyalty. Finally, any service
provider needs to provide quality products
coupled with remarkable services, as their
competitive advantage to win customers loyalty.
Literature Review:
Computer-based searches were done, on
online databases include, EMERALD, EBSCO
and JSTOR using keywords and Wildcard
symbols. Manual searches were conducted on
journal articles’ references identified through the
online databases search.
Jon D. Reast (2005) in his research paper,
focused on brand trust building with brand
extension acceptance, using 368 consumer
replies to nine, real, low involved UK product
and service brands and finds support for a
significant association between the variables,
comparable in strength with that between
media weight and brand share, and greater
than that delivered by the perceived quality
level of the parent brand.
Simona Romani (2006) investigates
consumers' reactions to misleading price
information on advertisements, through an
experimental study. He found when the
misleading price information was conveyed
using advertisements; consumers developed
lower levels of the trustworthiness towards the
source of information as well as willingness to
Page 3 of 14
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 01
January 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 105
buy. These effects are heightened in suspicious
consumers.
Arjun Chaudhuri (2001), the authors’ test two
aspects of brand loyalty (purchase loyalty and
attitudinal loyalty) as linking variables in the
chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect
to brand performance (market share and relative
price). The model includes product-level,
category-related controls (hedonic value and
utilitarian value) and brand-level controls (brand
differentiation and share of voice). They
compiled an aggregate data set for 107 brands
from 3 separate surveys of consumers and brand
managers. The results indicate that when the
product-level and brand-level variables are
controlled for, brand trust and brand affect
combine to determine purchase loyalty and
attitudinal loyalty.
Elena Delgado‐Ballester (2005), researchers
analysed how trust predict future intention; with
173 buyer samples. The results suggest brand
trust generates customers’ commitment,
especially in high involvement situations, where
brand trusts effect was stronger than overall
satisfaction.
Elena Delgado‐Ballester (2005), the study
examined the 271 surveys data of Spain, the role
of brand trust in the development of brand
equity and also observes the embedded brand
trust contributes to a better brand equity.
Hong‐Youl Ha (2004), scrutinized how brand
trust was affected by Web purchase‐related
factors (security, privacy, brand name,
word‐of‐mouth, good online experience, and
quality of information). The results show that
brand trust was established by the
interrelationships between complex
components. After inspecting the variables in
formulating marketing strategies, marketers
can cultivate brand loyalty, a competitive
edge.
Walfried Lassar (1995) This Literature review
technical paper presented a scale to measure
customer‐based brand equity dimensions
(performance, value, social image, the
trustworthiness, and commitment). In empirical
tests, brands that scored higher on the brand
equity scale had higher prices.
As per Mission 2006-2017’s ‘Made in India’
objective, Modi Government’s ‘Make in India’
initiative, to keep India in future at the No.1
position, she needs a good indepth research on
consumer behaviour in two-wheeler industry.
Review of literature shows some papers on
“Consumer Behaviour towards Two-wheeler
Industry” and/or its’ divisions to some level. But
none found, on researcher’s Doctoral study
covering all the select constructs in any paper at
national and global level. Hence, the researcher
took this dynamic nature study, to explore “Two- Wheeler Consumers’ Behaviour towards The
trustworthiness of Brand”.
Objectives of the Study:
This research study broadly aimed at
improving the trustworthiness of brand
(dependent variable) of select brands, inturn
increases the demand and the market share of
them in the region. Hence, the study had
following research objectives:
1. To study the impact of select independent
variables on the trustworthiness of brand.
2. To examine the impact of demographic
variables on the trustworthiness of brand.
Based on the above objectives following Null
Hypotheses were formulated for the study:
H1: There is NO influence of Independent
variables (Safety features, Tech. Devt, Joint Venture,
Heritage Design and Corporate Social
Responsibility) on the trustworthiness of Brand.
Sub Hypothesis: If an impact is found, the
impact of each variable is the same.
H2: There is NO influence of Demographic
variables (14 items) on the trustworthiness of brand.
Sub Hypothesis: If an impact is found, the
impact of each variable is the same.
Research Methodology:
In this exploratory research, top four
brands, namely Hero, Bajaj, Honda and TVS
were selected for study and 600 two-wheeler
consumers samples collected, using random
sampling, based on the Geographical
