Leadership styles (Bass & Avolio, 1995)

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree).

Transformational leadership (TFL)

TFL1. My leader acts in ways that build my respect.

TFL2. My leader goes beyond self-interest for the good of the group.

TFL3. My leader specifies the importance of having a strong sense of purpose.

TFL4. My leader emphasizes the importance of having a collective sense of mission.

TFL5. My leader spends time teaching and coaching.

TFL6. My leader treats me as an individual rather than just as a member of a group.

TFL7. My leader considers me as having different needs, abilities and aspirations from others.

TFL8. My leader helps you develop your strengths.

TFL9. My leader re-examines critical assumptions to question whether they are appropriate.

TFL10. My leader seeks differing perspectives when solving problems.

TFL11. My leader gets you to look at problems from many different angles.

TFL12. My leader suggests new ways of looking at how to complete assignments.

TFL13. My leader talks optimistically about the future.

TFL14. My leader talks enthusiastically about what needs to be accomplished.

TFL15. My leader articulates a compelling vision of the future.

TFL16. My leader expresses confidence that goals will be achieved.

Transactional leadership (TAL)

TAL1. My leader provides assistance in exchange for your efforts.

TAL2. My leader discusses in specific terms who is responsible for achieving performance targets.

TAL3. My leader makes clear what one can expect to receive when performance goals are achieved.

TAL4. My leader expresses satisfaction when I meet expectations.

TAL5. My leader fails to interfere until problems become serious.

TAL6. My leader waits for things to go wrong before he acts.

TAL7. My leader shows that he/she is a firm believer in ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’

TAL8. My leader demonstrates that problems must become chronic before acting.

Integrated marketing communication (IMC) (Porcu et al., 2017b)

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree).

Message consistency

MC1. My company carefully coordinates all the messages originated by all departments and functions with the aim of maintaining the consistency of its strategic positioning.

MC2. My company maintains consistency in all the visual components of communication.

MC3. My company periodically reviews all its planned messages to determine its level of strategic positioning consistency.

MC4. In my company it is paramount to maintain the consistency between product messages, that are inferred from, and comprise everything embedded in the organization’s product and service messages, deriving from the experience of dealing with the organization, its staff, agents, and products.

Interactivity

IN1. My company promotes the creation of special programs to facilitate stakeholders’ inquiries and complaints about our brands, products, and the company itself.

IN2. My company gathers stakeholders’ information that is collected or generated via different sources from all divisions or departments into a unified database that is configured to be useful and easily accessible to all the organizational levels.

IN3. In my company it is crucial for the organization as a whole and for all its human resources to have a responsive attitude towards the messages received from its stakeholders.

IN4. In my company, strategic use of the ICTs enhances the speed of response of the organization as a whole.

IN5. In my company actively listening to stakeholder-generated messages, for instance via word of mouth (WOM and e-WOM) is of vital importance in setting its communication strategies.

IN6. My company considers that the relationship between the company and its stakeholders must be reciprocal to establish a trust-based and on-going dialogue.

IN7. My company proactively implements social media by listening to the existing conversations to promote a dialogue with its stakeholders.

Stakeholder-centered strategic focus

SCSF1. The company’s mission is a key consideration in its communications planning, and it is promoted among stakeholders.

SCSF2. My company develops and implements systematic studies to assess the efficacy and consistency of its corporate communications in order to build and maintain sound relationships with all its stakeholders.

SCSF3. In my company, acknowledgement of the main touchpoints between the company and its stakeholders is paramount to strengthen for more effective communication.

SCSF4. In my company social media are an alternative way for stakeholders to contact the company.

SCSF5. In working towards the goal of establishing and maintaining stakeholder relationships, in my company human resources in all organizational areas must collaborate as needed.

SCSF6. In my company, human resources in all organizational areas pursue the objective of providing stakeholder-centered solutions.

SCSF7. My company establishes and nourishes relationships with external agents/partners in order to achieve high-value solutions for stakeholders.

Organizational alignment

OA1. My company carefully manages horizontal internal communication by ensuring that all organizational areas acknowledge the goals pursued by the organization.

OA2. My company carefully manages vertical internal communication by ensuring that the information flows through all the hierarchical levels of the organization.

OA3. My company ensures that its external agents and partners have at least several contacts per month with each other.

OA4. In my company horizontal and vertical cooperation are crucial because all departments affect the corporate reputation.

OA5. In my company employees and managers share the corporate values and the main goals of the company that guide them in carrying out their specific tasks and functions.

OA6. In my company encouraging and promoting a collaborative culture and climate is highly relevant in order to activate cross-functional coordination mechanisms.

OA7. My company trains all human resources to enable them to develop cooperation and coordination skills.

IMC performance (Luxton et al., 2017)

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree).

Campaign effectiveness (relative to main competitor)

CE1. We are more successful in achieving ‘above-the-line’ objectives.

CE2. We have greater ‘synergy’ between the communication tools used.

CE3. Our campaigns have a longer sustained effect on consumer brand recall.

CE4. We have a higher return on campaign investment.

Brand market performance (relative to main competitor)

BMP1. Our brand is seen as being of higher quality.

BMP2. Our brand can maintain a price premium in the marketplace.

BMP3. Our brand commands greater support from our intermediaries.

BMP4. Our brand has a higher level of brand loyalty.

BMP5. Our brand is more easily able to increase its market penetration.

Financial performance (past 3 years)

FP1. Sales value.

FP2. Market share.

FP3. Gross margin.

FP4. Return on investment.

FP5. Return on assets.