Defining the individual constructs and background information

The questionnaire commenced with an initial screening statement which ensured the respondent was currently a serving volunteer with the Scouts. The questionnaire was comprised of seven theoretical constructs deemed pertinent to the research goal and subsequent hypotheses testing, in keeping with established practice (Hair et al. 2010). These were derived and justified through engagement with the relevant literature. All the

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theoretical constructs in this research were explored via multi-item as opposed to single- item scales. Concerns regarding the weakness of single-item scales within marketing and management research were first raised by Jacoby (1978), stimulating a growing research convention of using multi-item measures as standard (Diamantopoulos et al. 2012). While a small number of authors continue to caution against using multi-item scales only, the principal arguments against them centre on respondent, and subsequent researcher convenience, i.e., analysing fewer variables and reduced data cleaning time (Bergkvist and Rossiter 2007). Although multiple-item scales require the respondent to provide more responses (Bergkvist and Rossiter 2007), they generally ensure collection of more robust, accurate, and reliable data (Diamantopoulos et al. 2012). Principally, there are two main theoretical justifications for employing multi-item rather than single-item measures. First, multi-item scales are, by their nature, more reliable than single-item alternatives, through offering the possibility to check for correlation between items and determine internal consistency of responses (Diamantopoulos et al. 2012; Peter 1979). Secondly, multi-item scales are able to collect more information regarding the various facets of complex constructs (Baumgartner and Homburg 1996). Following from this, the questionnaire in this research employed multi-item scales, a decision validated by the number of responses collected. The questionnaire structure and constituent theoretical constructs were structured as follows.

Brand heritage

Volunteer perceptions of the Scouts brand heritage were measured using a formative scale developed by Wiedmann et al. (2011a) and originally applied to the luxury automotive industry. The scale uses 15-items to measure brand heritage pertaining to constituent elements; continuity, success images, bonding, orientation, cultural value, cultural meaning, imagination, familiarity, myth, credibility, knowledge, identity value, identity meaning, differentiation and finally, prestige (see appendix 2). To ensure the scale was easily understood by Scout volunteers, the statements were operationalised to best suit Scout terminology. This process was carefully conducted, and was based on the results of panel discussion amongst colleagues within Heriot-Watt University Department of Business Management. Consequently, respondents indicated levels of agreement regarding statements pertaining to the branding of the Scouts. To allow for testing of external validity, an additional ‘global item’ encapsulating the essence of the scale was devised and included in the questionnaire, this process is further explained in section 5.5.4. Wiedmann et al. (2011a) used a five-point Likert scale.

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Communitas

To measure the communitas construct, the research employed a reflective four-item, one- factor scale developed by McGinnis et al. (2008). The scale represents a culmination of preceding communitas oriented literature including contributions from Turner (1969) and Belk et al. (1989). While the scale was originally developed for application to a golfing context it was operationalised for this study to be appropriate to volunteers. Again, to ensure this process was successful, it was informed by panel discussion between the researcher and colleagues at Heriot-Watt University. Ultimately, respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with the statements. McGinnis et al. (2008) employed a seven-point Likert scale, the scale used in this research is shown in Appendix 3: Phase 1 Questionnaire.

Brand image

This section comprised of a four-dimensional, higher-order scale developed by Michel and Rieunier (2012) to measure perceptions of brand image: efficiency, usefulness, affect and dynamism. The scale represents a 14-item measure. The scale was operationalised to enhance its appropriateness to respondents who were Scout volunteers through panel discussion with Heriot-Watt University colleagues. Consequently, respondents indicated their levels of agreement towards statements relating to the brand image of the Scouts. Finally, Michel and Rieunier (2012) developed their measure of brand image using a five- point Likert scale. The operationalised version of the scale used in this research is shown in Appendix 3.

Volunteer work engagement

Volunteer work engagement was measured using a scale developed by Schaufeli et al. (2002) and subsequently operationalised for, and applied to a volunteer context by Vecina et al. (2012). The measure is commonly referred to as the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and has emerged as one of the most popular measures of work engagement (Cole et al. 2012). Given the desire to ensure the survey was as concise in length as possible, the reduced nine-item version of the scale developed by Schaufeli et al. (2006) was used. This version has enjoyed wide application and has demonstrated validity and reliability in volunteer oriented research (Chacón 2007; Schie et al. 2014; van, Seppälä et al. 2009; Vecina et al. 2012; Vecina et al. 2013). Upon completing panel discussions with Heriot- Watt University colleagues it was decided that the scale was already contextualised enough to negate the need for further operationalisation. The continuous reflective measure comprises of three factors: absorption, vigour, and dedication, and is shown in

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Appendix 3. Respondents were invited to rate their level of agreement regarding statements indicative of their engagement with the Scouts. Lastly, Schaufeli et al. (2002) developed their scale using a seven-point Likert type scale.

Affective commitment

Affective commitment represents one factor of an originally tri-factor measure (Allen and Meyer 1990; Meyer and Allen 1991). As supported by the literature (see section 3.12), and in keeping with recent prior studies exploring volunteer commitment, this research focuses only on affective commitment (Ohana et al. 2013; Stride and Higgs 2013). The affective commitment measure used was originally developed by Allen and Meyer (1990), and subsequently applied numerously (Astakhova 2016; Lee et al. 2001; Meyer et al. 2012), including in volunteer settings (Boezeman and Ellemers 2007; Dawley et al. 2005). The measure items were operationalised to better suit Scout volunteers, this process was informed by panel discussions between Heriot-Watt University Department of Management colleagues and the researcher. Consequently, respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with regard to their affective commitment towards the Scouts. In their original scale, Allen and Meyer (1990) used a seven-point Likert type scale. The operationalised version of the scale used in this research is shown in Appendix 3.

Satisfaction with management

Satisfaction with management was measured using an eight-item scale developed by (Jiménez et al. 2009) for a volunteer context. The measure has since been used to evaluate volunteer satisfaction in numerous volunteer focused research projects (Chacón 2007; Vecina et al. 2013). The scale items were operationalised to enhance their relevance to the Scout respondents; this process was influenced by the opinion of colleagues from Heriot-Watt University Department of Business Management to ensure the integrity of the scale items was maintained. Subsequently, respondents indicated their level of agreement pertaining to their satisfaction towards the management of the Scouts. Furthermore, the measure developed by Jiménez et al. (2009) employed a seven-point Likert scale. The satisfaction with management scale used in this research is shown in Appendix 3.

Demographic information

This section of the survey sought to collect data in order to provide a profile of each respondent. Demographic questions included age, gender, education, and religion. The

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inclusion of these four questions allowed the researcher to garner deeper understanding of the theoretical model, and determine additional influencing factors through analysing respondent demographic information; specifically, whether age, gender, education, and religion influence respondents’ volunteering. These questions were formatted in a closed response structure, and can be identified in the questionnaire questions 8, 9, 10, and 11 in Appendix 3.