Boosting Employee Citizenship Behavior through Internal Marketing Efforts: Exploring the Influence of Perceived Value

Akbari, Mohsen; Hooshmand Chaijani, Milad; Aletaha, Seyyed Hassan; Hatami, Mohammad; Chathurika Gamage, Thilini; Tajeddini, Kayhan

doi:10.22059/ijms.2025.381746.677001

Boosting Employee Citizenship Behavior through Internal Marketing Efforts: Exploring the Influence of Perceived Value

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mohsen Akbari ¹

Milad Hooshmand Chaijani ¹

Seyyed Hassan Aletaha ²

Mohammad Hatami ³

Thilini Chathurika Gamage ⁴

Kayhan Tajeddini ⁵

¹ Department of Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Guilan, Guilan, Iran

² PhD, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

³ PhD Candidate, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

⁴ Professor in Marketing, Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Management Studies, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

⁵ Professor of Strategic Management, Sheffield Business School, Service Sector Management, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1, 1WB, UK

10.22059/ijms.2025.381746.677001

Abstract

University competitiveness has been enhanced by internal marketing and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). This study is novel in integrating internal marketing and OCB within the context of public-sector universities, an area that has received limited attention in previous literature. A relatively significant gap in prior literature exists regarding integrating internal marketing and OCB in public-sector universities. Grounded on the resource-based view and social exchange theory, this study examines external and internal factors that influence internal marketing practices within public universities and their effects on staff engagement, satisfaction, and OCB. Data was collected from 525 faculty members from the top ten public universities in Iran. Findings indicate that various internal and external factors, such as leadership, customer-oriented culture, customer pressure, and competitor pressure, influenced the internal marketing practices of the universities. Findings further revealed that internal marketing practices of universities influence the employees' emotional attachment, satisfaction, and OCB. Moreover, a significant moderating effect of perceived staff value on the relationship between staff satisfaction and OCB was observed. These insights provide theoretical contributions by bridging internal marketing with OCB in the context of public universities and offer managerial implications for university administrators seeking competitive advantage.

Keywords

Internal Marketing

Perceived Value

Emotional Attachment

Employee Satisfaction

Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Subjects