The effect of social mission on service quality and brand image

Abstract In recent years, social enterprise issues have developed rapidly both in Taiwan and around the world. Consequently, social enterprises utilize several different business models and are hybrid organizations that need to pursue both profit and a social mission and to adopt good practices in their operations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among social mission, service quality and brand image in a social enterprise. Data were collected from 316 customers by Come True Coffee in February 2018. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among the research variables and identify the final model. The results show that the social mission improves the service quality and brand image. Moreover, the social mission of a social enterprise is an important issue in terms of encouraging consumers to feel concern. Finally, service quality is a moderating factor for a social mission in regard to brand image. The outcomes of this study could help a social enterprise’s managers better understand the relationships among the social mission, service quality and brand image.