Mazen Massoud

Changes in consumer behavior are influenced by green marketing and brand equity dimensions. Green marketing places high concerns on consumers’ environmental attitudes as a determinant of purchases and word of mouth. Green marketing increases brand awareness, fosters consumer loyalty and enhances reputation. The study aims to assess the influence of green marketing on consumers’ word of mouth through the mediating effect of brand equity dimensions. This descriptive causal research establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between variables, employing a quantitative research method. The questionnaire was deployed to collect the data and was pre-tested using a pilot test. 495 Lebanese consumers were included in the sample, which was collected using the convenience sampling technique. The results validated that green marketing reinforces consumers’ word of mouth (β = 0.663). It has a strong influence on brand equity (β = 0.899), brand loyalty (β = 0.772), brand trust (β = 0.663) and perceived quality (β = 0.353). The results corroborated that brand trust has the strongest mediating in this study (SE: 0.950; CR: 6.602; p < 0.01). Brand loyalty, while not a significant mediator in this relationship (SE: 0.012, CR: 0.872, p: 0.383 > 0.005), still plays a crucial role in brand management. This study concludes that giving brands a voice will appeal to the target audience and keep them committed. It highlighted the need for managers to review their loyalty strategies.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Creative leadership is vital for managing financial crises. Leaders with vision, motivation, and adaptability steer organizations toward stability and success. They anticipate potential crises by establishing conflict prevention mechanisms and internal controls, thereby ensuring resilience and enabling proactive, calm management during crises. Creative leadership is increasingly important for small and medium-sized enterprises in unstable regions like Lebanon. This paper examines how creative leadership dimensions impact financial crisis management through the mediating roles of conflict prevention and internal control. This 2024 study used a questionnaire completed by 157 employees at Lebanese SMEs. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified three creative leadership dimensions: inspiring vision, adaptability, and self-motivation. Results showed that inspiring vision and adaptability affect financial crisis management. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that inspiring vision and adaptability significantly influence crisis management, mainly through the mediating effects of conflict prevention and internal control. Conflict prevention had the strongest direct effect on crisis management, with internal control showing a similar impact. Therefore, conflict prevention and internal control mediate the relationship between inspiring vision, adaptability, and successful financial crisis management. Adaptability and internal control are key pillars for effectively responding to financial crises. Creative leaders utilize crisis management models and controls to address financial crises. To enhance financial resilience, organizations should implement controls and proactive conflict prevention.