PurposeThis research investigates whether and how the quality of vertical communication implemented by airline industry management can reduce perceived job insecurity of flight attendants during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of this research covers 322 flight attendants from five domestic airlines based in Thailand. An online questionnaire survey was used for data collection, and a partial least squares structural equation model was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results support the negative association between the quality of vertical communication and perceived job insecurity; moreover, this association is partially mediated by perceived role ambiguity. When considering the moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the direct linkage between the quality of vertical communication and perceived job insecurity, the quality of vertical communication only has a negative association with perceived job insecurity among employees who exhibit high levels of perceived organizational support. For those who exhibit low levels of perceived organizational support, the quality of vertical communication does not have a negative association with perceived job insecurity.Originality/valueThis study advances prior communication research by showing that in order for communication to effectively lessen the perceived job insecurity of employees, it needs to be backed by high-quality organizational support.
PurposeThis research examined the relationships between improvisational behavior, adaptive selling behavior and sales performance of direct sellers in Thailand. This research also investigated whether these relationships are moderated by the degree of challenge orientation and sellers' knowledge about the products.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a survey with sellers from a subsidiary of a multinational corporation located in Bangkok, Thailand (n = 172). Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.FindingsResults from data analysis revealed positive relationships between improvisational behavior, adaptive selling behavior and sales performance. The relationship between improvisational behavior and adaptive selling behavior, as well as the relationship between adaptive selling behavior and sales performance, significantly depended on the degree of challenge orientation and the sellers' knowledge about the products.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected using self-report measures; the sample was sellers from a single sales organization, and cross-sectional data were used for the analysis. Overall, this study is the exploratory research that does not intend to prove the causal effect of improvisational behavior, but rather to provide new insight on some conditional factors that influence its effectiveness.Practical implicationsIt is essential for sales organizations to ensure that their sales force has adequate improvisational skills to handle sales adaptations effectively during unexpected sales situations. Some training may be offered to the sales force to develop these imperative improvisational skills.Originality/valueThe results regarding the moderating effect of challenge orientation and product knowledge provided additional insight to prior research about the potential conditions that influence the effectiveness of improvisational behavior and adaptive selling behaviors.
PurposeThis research adopts the conservation of resources (COR) theory to examine the effects of trust in organizations and trait mindfulness on optimism and perceived stress of flight attendants in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachOnline survey data were collected from 234 flight attendants who work for five low-cost airlines based in Thailand. The data were analyzed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that trust in an organization and trait mindfulness are negatively associated with the perceived stress of flight attendants. Their associations are also partially mediated by optimism. Moreover, the moderating effect analysis reveals that trait mindfulness intensifies the positive association between trust in organizations and optimism.Originality/valueThe evidence from this research broadens COR theory by showing that different aspects of resources can be combined to strengthen the ability of individuals to gain more resources to lessen stress.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.