Sungjun Joe and Choongbeom Choi
This paper aims to examine the joint effect of the focal customer’s gender and fellow customer’s gender in influencing voice complaint intentions and intention to convey negative…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the joint effect of the focal customer’s gender and fellow customer’s gender in influencing voice complaint intentions and intention to convey negative word of mouth (NWOM).
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two dining conditions (same-gender fellow customer vs opposite-gender fellow customer). Their intention to voice a complaint and to spread NWOM were measured after reading a scenario describing a service failure. A 2 (focal customer gender: male vs female) × 2 (fellow customer: same gender vs opposite gender) between-subjects quasi-experimental design was conducted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results demonstrate that female customers’ voice complaint intentions were significantly higher when a fellow customer’s gender was female rather than male. In contrast, regardless of the fellow customer’s gender, no significant differences in voice complaint intentions were found among male customers. The results further indicate that voice complaint intentions mediate the impact of a fellow customer’s gender on intention to spread NWOM among female customers. However, both female and male participants show equally high levels of voice complaint intentions in the context of fine-dining restaurant.
Practical implications
This study broadens the understanding of customer complaining behavior and also provides insights to practitioners on how to manage customers who are in same- and mixed-gender situations.
Originality/value
This research extends the literature on agency–communal theory and complaining behaviors by examining the role of a fellow customer’s gender influencing the focal customer’s intentions to voice complaints and to spread NWOM.
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Won Seok Lee, Choongbeom Choi and Joonho Moon
This study aims to investigate how upper echelon theory accounts for franchising by selecting the top management team to proxy for the upper echelon and using age, tenure…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how upper echelon theory accounts for franchising by selecting the top management team to proxy for the upper echelon and using age, tenure, education, equity ownership and stock options as its main attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was drawn from the Execucomp and Compustat databases and from other publicly accessible resources (e.g. LinkedIn and Business Week, in addition to Annual 10-K reports). A total of 29 restaurant companies were used for data collection, which covered the period of 2000-2013. A panel feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The study found a significant moderating effect of the degree of internationalization on the relation between the attributes of the upper echelon (e.g. tenure, education and share ownership) and franchising decisions.
Research limitations/implications
The results verified that top managers in the restaurant industry with more tenure and share ownership become more risk averse when they operate under riskier conditions, whereas highly educated restaurant top management teams tend to take more risks in strategic decision-making.
Originality/value
This study expanded internationalization research to upper echelon theory and into the arena of franchising.
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Anna S. Mattila, Laurie Wu and Choongbeom Choi
The purpose of this study is to examine how gratitude appeals and consumers’ sense of power jointly influence customer engagement in a service firm’s corporate social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how gratitude appeals and consumers’ sense of power jointly influence customer engagement in a service firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Based on previous literature, the authors propose that power moderates the effect of gratitude expression on consumers’ attitudes and behavioral intention to engage in matching donations.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 (power: powerful vs powerless) × 2 (gratitude expression: included in the request vs none) between-subjects experiment was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Participants were asked to imagine that they recently saw a donation request while dining at a local restaurant and they then complete scales that measured their attitude and donation intention to engage in a restaurant’s CSR practice.
Findings
The findings of this study indicate that an expression of gratitude enhanced powerless but not powerful customers’ intention to engage in CSR practices. In addition, moderated mediation tests revealed social worth concerns as the underlying mechanism between gratitude expression and customer engagement for powerless consumers. However, such mediation effects were not observed for powerful consumers.
Originality/value
The current study identifies sense of power as a new psychological state that can influence donation behaviors in the context of CSR. In addition, the current study shows that the serial mediating role of social worth between gratitude expression and prosocial behaviors only holds true for individuals with a low sense of power.
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Choongbeom Choi and Anna S. Mattila
The use of price-based promotions is common in the service industry due to their positive impact on sales in the short run. To gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of price-based promotions is common in the service industry due to their positive impact on sales in the short run. To gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of various types of promotions, the current research aims to examine the contrasting effect of two popular framing methods (i.e. percentage-off versus dollars-off) on consumers' perceived savings and willingness to buy. More importantly, this research examines the moderating effect of personal sense of power on such relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used 2×2 between subjects quasi-experimental design to test the hypotheses. Respondents were asked to read a scenario regarding booking a hotel room and then complete scales that measured their perceptions of savings and willingness to book.
Findings
Results indicate that personal sense of power moderates the effects of the promotion frame on perceived savings and willingness to book. Individuals with a low sense of power perceive significantly more savings and exhibit significantly higher booking intentions when the promotion is framed in dollars-off rather than in percentage-off format. The framing manipulation, however, had minimal effects among high power individuals. In addition, the authors find that confidence in estimating the promoted price is the psychological mechanism that potentially explains the casual link from power to perceived savings and willingness to book.
Originality/value
Drawing on the social psychology theory, the current study discovered some boundary conditions for the framing effect in the context of pricing of services. In addition, the current research advances the theoretical understanding of power's psychological and behavioural effects in the context of price promotions.
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Tayfun Yörük, Nuray Akar and Neslihan Verda Özmen
The purpose of this study is to reveal the research trends in guest experiences of service robots in the hospitality industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to reveal the research trends in guest experiences of service robots in the hospitality industry.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a review was carried out on the Web of Science (WoS) database with the assistance of bibliometric analysis techniques. Cluster analysis was also employed for this to group important data to determine the relationships and to visualize the areas in which the studies are concentrated. The thematic content analysis method was used to reveal on which customer experiences and on which methods the focuses were.
Findings
On the subject of experiences of service robots, the greatest number of publications was in 2021. In terms of country, China has come to the fore in the distribution of publications. As a result of thematic content analysis, it was determined that the leading factor was the main dimension of emotional experience. In terms of sub-dimensions, social interactions attracted more attention. Most of the studies discussed were not based on any theory. Apart from these, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) and Perceived Value Theory (PVT) were featured more prominently among other studies.
Research limitations/implications
In this study, only the WoS database was reviewed. In future studies, it would be possible to make contextual comparisons by scanning other databases. In addition to quantitative research designs, social dimensions may be examined in depth following qualitative research methods. Thus, various comparisons can be made on the subject with mixed-method research designs. Experimental research designs can also be applied to where customers have experienced human-robot interactions (HRIs).
Originality/value
In the hospitality industry, it is critical to uncover every dimension of guests' robot acceptance. This study, which presents the current situation on this basis, guides future projections for the development of guest experiences regarding service robots in the hospitality industry.