Organizational Reputation for Customers: Key Insights on Leveraging Reputation in Global Markets

Abstract

Organizational reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous firm-level benefits. Yet, the translation of favorable reputation into valuable organizational outcomes in global markets depends on whether national (vs. individual) culture is modeled. We provide a framework of customer-based ‘organizational reputation’ comprising three distinct reputational facets: product & service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality, with organizational character forming a higher-order ‘halo effect’. Individual (vs. national) culture plays a significant moderating role in translating reputation into customer-specific outcomes and these insights have implications on how MNEs can form and leverage their reputation in global markets.