The effect of authenticity perceptions and brand equity on brand choice intention

Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is a novel and powerful methodology used as an analytical technique and research approach in the social science field. This study aims to extend the application of fsQCA in investigating the structural associations of antecedents and the outcomes in a multi-layer problem. The research framework of ethnic themed restaurants suggested by Lu et al. (2015) and the new consistency by Huarng (2016) were adopted. With the same data set, the findings from the systems approach and fsQCA confirmed the three and four dimensions of brand equity, respectively, which provided explanations for complexity theory, while reinforced fsQCA's appropriateness. From the managerial perspective, the study unraveled the need for managers to implement proper strategies to achieve the objective of higher retention.