Haemoon Oh and Kawon Kim
This paper aims to review hospitality and tourism research on customer satisfaction (CS), service quality (SQ) and customer value (CV) published in several established hospitality…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review hospitality and tourism research on customer satisfaction (CS), service quality (SQ) and customer value (CV) published in several established hospitality and tourism journals over the past 15-16 years. A parallel review of research on the same topics published in several leading marketing journals is also conducted to show comparisons in research trends across the two different, but closely related, fields of study. By doing so, this paper aims to summarize lessons learned from previous research and provide suggestions for future research on the topics in the hospitality and tourism discipline.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviewed 242 articles appearing in six selected hospitality and tourism journals and 71 articles in four business journals that were published on CS, SQ and CV over the period of 2000-2015. A comprehensive coding scheme was developed to sort each study by more than 50 criteria.
Findings
While research on these topics has grown constantly during the period in the hospitality and tourism field, it has declined in the general business discipline over the same period. Hospitality and tourism research relied heavily on cross-sectional data through a survey approach, whereas business studies used experimental designs more frequently. Research on CS has sustained both interest and productivity, but research on SQ and CV has dwindled over time. Another notable finding is that most studies are not grounded in strong theories, although CS studies tended to be more theory-embedded.
Practical implications
This study provides many useful insights into the research practice and trends of related research and suggestions for future research, especially for hospitality and tourism researchers.
Originality/value
This study provides an unprecedented, comprehensive review of theories, methods, discussion points, implications, limitations and conclusions of studies on CS, SQ and CV published in selected hospitality and tourism journals over the past 15 years.
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Hyejin Bang, Dongwon Choi, Sukki Yoon, Tae Hyun Baek and Yeonshin Kim
Prosocial advertisers widely use assertive messages to encourage prosocial attitudes and behaviors, but ironically, assertive messages may cause reactance. By applying cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
Prosocial advertisers widely use assertive messages to encourage prosocial attitudes and behaviors, but ironically, assertive messages may cause reactance. By applying cultural theories and the reciprocity principle, this study aims to observe whether consumers’ responses to assertive messages hold across culturally different audiences (Americans vs South Koreans) and different consumption situations (price discount vs no discount).
Design/methodology/approach
American and Korean participants take part in three experimental studies examining the interactions of nationality, price discounts and assertive messaging for influencing consumer responses, first to a prosocial ad encouraging recycling (Study 1), the second for a campaign requesting donations for disadvantaged children (Study 2) and the third to prosocial messages encouraging water conservation (Study 3).
Findings
The three experiments strongly support the moderating role of price discounts and cultural backgrounds in the persuasiveness of assertive prosocial messages. American consumers generally dislike assertive messages, but feel reciprocal obligations if marketers include price discounts, whereas South Korean consumers accept both assertive and nonassertive messages without resistance, and discounts have no effects on persuasion.
Research limitations/implications
The findings make two key contributions to the literature and to prosocial advertising practices. First, although many corporations have adopted philanthropic strategies, few researchers have examined how specific consumption contexts determine the effectiveness of prosocial persuasion. The findings show how price discounts and message framing potentially alter the effectiveness of prosocial messages across Eastern and Western cultures. Second, assertive language evokes reactance, but the findings suggest that reactive responses to prosocial advertising are culture-specific.
Practical implications
International nonprofit organizations and brands using philanthropic strategies might use the guidelines of this study for tailoring strategic, practical prosocial messages that will appeal to consumers from diverse cultural backgrounds. In particular, pro-environmental and charity campaigns targeting North American or Western European populations may consider bundling discounts into promotions to evoke reciprocity.
Originality/value
Findings provide novel implications for social marketers regarding on how to couple message assertiveness and price discounts to maximize the success of prosocial messages in different cultures.
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Tae Hyun Baek, Seeun Kim, Sukki Yoon, Yung Kyun Choi, Dongwon Choi and Hyejin Bang
The authors aim to examine how emojis interact with assertiveness in social media posts to encourage social media engagement and cooperation in environmental campaigns.
Abstract
Purpose
The authors aim to examine how emojis interact with assertiveness in social media posts to encourage social media engagement and cooperation in environmental campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were used to test three hypotheses.
Findings
Study 1 shows that when assertive Twitter messages include the smiley-face emoji, study participants indicate stronger social media engagement and behavioral intentions to recycle used jeans. In Study 2, participants indicate stronger social media engagement and behavioral intentions to sign a petition for reducing plastic pollution when (non) assertive Facebook messages (do not) include emojis.
Originality/value
The current research advances our understanding about how emojis interact with assertive and nonassertive message tonality in environmental social media campaigns. This research also provides new insights showing that positive emotion is the psychological mechanism underlying matching effects of emoji and message assertiveness.
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Luxury branding, in the context of tangible luxury consumables, has received academic attention. But the notion remained inconclusive in the context of consumption of luxury…
Abstract
Luxury branding, in the context of tangible luxury consumables, has received academic attention. But the notion remained inconclusive in the context of consumption of luxury intangibles. The travel setting provides an excellent backdrop to explore the complex cognitive process of assigning meaning to the relationship between travellers and luxury travel brands. The shifting image of luxury consumption from elitism to mass aspirational, too, needs to be studied for its transformative implications. The chapter focused on developing a brand relationship scale, namely, TraveLux, in the context of luxury travel consumption and tested its robustness to explain the shared sentiments and emotions of travellers, engaged in luxury travel, across social media. The chapter identifies a four construct instruments capturing the essence of immersive experience, ethnocultural acculturation, passion and excitement and self-congruence as a seedbed of luxury brand affinity for travellers. TraveLux was also found to capture the shared experience of travellers consuming luxury travel brands, thereby establishing a synch between the instrument constructs and manifested human cognition in real-life situations. The study expanded on the volume of literature pertaining to luxury branding in the context of product-oriented industry and addresses the existing void in understanding traveller–brand relationships in luxury travel contexts. The study implicates a theoretical change in branding concept in perceiving luxury brands as price-based exclusivity to a transformative cultural experience. Further extrapolations of the study could be made by incorporating subtle behavioural patterns of travellers in perceiving luxury and subsequent evocation and predisposition towards decision-making.
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Poh Ling Tan, Fandy Tjiptono and Ser Zian Tan
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is characterized by anxiety over potentially missed experiences, while Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) embraces contentment in opting out of social…
Abstract
Purpose
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is characterized by anxiety over potentially missed experiences, while Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) embraces contentment in opting out of social engagements. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, this study aims to investigate how FOMO and JOMO appeals influence pride, gratitude and purchase intention while considering the impacts of age and social comparison orientation.
Design/methodology/approach
Three experiments examined the impact of FOMO (Study 1), JOMO (Study 2), and comparison between FOMO and JOMO (Study 3) on pride, gratitude and purchase intention. Moderated-moderated mediation models were also tested to assess the roles of age and social comparison orientation (SCO).
Findings
FOMO appeals tend to boost feelings of pride, while JOMO appeals promote gratitude, both of which result in a higher likelihood of making a purchase. The effect of FOMO appeal on purchase intention via pride is stronger among younger consumers with high SCO. In contrast, the impact of JOMO appeal on purchase intention via gratitude is higher among older consumers with low SCO.
Practical implications
Understanding the nuances of different advertising appeals and their effect on consumer emotions (e.g. pride and gratitude) and purchase intention can inform marketers and advertising agencies in crafting more targeted and effective advertising campaigns that resonate with diverse consumer segments.
Originality/value
This study adds to the consumer emotion literature and generational research by emphasizing the role of emotions and age in shaping consumer responses to advertisements.
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Vicent Tortosa, Miguel A. Moliner and Javier Sánchez
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence that internal marketing, represented by internal market orientation (IMO), might have on the internal aspects (satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence that internal marketing, represented by internal market orientation (IMO), might have on the internal aspects (satisfaction of contact personnel) and external aspects (customer satisfaction and perceived quality of service) of organisational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were carried out with all the cashiers of the 16 branches of a small, local credit institution, and with 160 customers who normally operate with this bank.
Findings
The results show that employee orientation or internal market orientation, through the dimension informal generation of information, influences the satisfaction of contact personnel, the quality of service perceived by the customer and, through the latter, the customer's satisfaction. It also corroborates the influence exerted by the contact personnel's satisfaction on the perception of quality and on the satisfaction of the customer receiving the service.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the study is that it analyses a single financial entity, with the characteristics and behaviours that the latter has in its relationship with its employees.
Practical implications
One of the key elements for achieving quality in the service offered by the contact personnel is to achieve their satisfaction. For this, it is necessary for firms to adopt an employee or internal marketing orientation so that the contact personnel come to perceive fair treatment and special attention by managers towards them and their work.
Originality/value
The paper verifies the validity and reliability of the internal market orientation construct (IMO) as a scale of measurement of the internal marketing concept in a different business sector and with a different methodology from those dealt with in the literature. It also demonstrates empirically the influence of IMO on variables internal to the organisation (satisfaction of contact personnel) and external to it (customer's satisfaction and the quality he/she perceives).
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Irindu Upasiri, Chaminda Konthesingha, Anura Nanayakkara and Keerthan Poologanathan
Elevated temperature material properties are essential in predicting structural member's behavior in high-temperature exposures such as fire. Even though experimental…
Abstract
Purpose
Elevated temperature material properties are essential in predicting structural member's behavior in high-temperature exposures such as fire. Even though experimental methodologies are available to determine these properties, advanced equipment with high costs is required to perform those tests. Therefore, performing those experiments frequently is not feasible, and the development of numerical techniques is beneficial. A numerical technique is proposed in this study to determine the temperature-dependent thermal properties of the material using the fire test results based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based Finite Element (FE) model.
Design/methodology/approach
An ANN-based FE model was developed in the Matlab program to determine the elevated temperature thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and the product of specific heat and density of a material. The temperature distribution obtained from fire tests is fed to the ANN-based FE model and material properties are predicted to match the temperature distribution.
Findings
Elevated temperature thermal properties of normal-weight concrete (NWC), gypsum plasterboard and lightweight concrete were predicted using the developed model, and good agreement was observed with the actual material properties measured experimentally. The developed method could be utilized to determine any materials' elevated temperature material properties numerically with the adequate temperature distribution data obtained during a fire or heat transfer test.
Originality/value
Temperature-dependent material properties are important in predicting the behavior of structural elements exposed to fire. This research study developed a numerical technique utilizing ANN theories to determine elevated temperature thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and product of specific heat and density. Experimental methods are available to evaluate the material properties at high temperatures. However, these testing equipment are expensive and sophisticated; therefore, these equipment are not popular in laboratories causing a lack of high-temperature material properties for novel materials. However conducting a fire test to evaluate fire performance of any novel material is the common practice in the industry. ANN-based FE model developed in this study could utilize those fire testing results of the structural member (temperature distribution of the member throughout the fire tests) to predict the material's thermal properties.
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Joon Woo Yoo, Junsung Park and Heejun Park
This study explores the influence of textual social cues on virtual influencers' perceived attractiveness, homophily and credibility, and their impact on consumers' purchase…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the influence of textual social cues on virtual influencers' perceived attractiveness, homophily and credibility, and their impact on consumers' purchase intentions. The moderating role of perceived anthropomorphism is also assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A randomized between-subjects experiment with 265 participants (134 low social cue/131 high social cue) was conducted. Participants viewed a fictional virtual influencer’s social media profile and post, then completed a survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was used to examine the effects of textual social cues on attractiveness, attitude homophily, credibility and purchase intention as well as the moderating role of perceived anthropomorphism.
Findings
The study found that textual social cues directly influence attractiveness and attitude homophily, which significantly impact virtual influencer credibility. Credibility, in turn, strongly predicted purchase intention.
Practical implications
Incorporating textual social cues into a virtual influencer’s profile to create a likable persona can help overcome the novelty effect and build lasting relationships with followers. Marketers should use textual cues, like emojis and self-disclosure, to enhance marketing effectiveness and select virtual influencers aligned with their target audience.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to explore the role of textual social cues in virtual influencers, extending the source credibility model and social information processing theory to the influencer marketing context.
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Robert Folger and Steven W. Whiting
In this chapter, the authors present a theoretical model useful for analyzing people’s perceptions of what they should do, should not do, and should be allowed to do at work…
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors present a theoretical model useful for analyzing people’s perceptions of what they should do, should not do, and should be allowed to do at work. These perceptions create powerful motivational forces that shape workplace behavior. The authors describe various aspects of this model – a deonance perspective – as it relates to rights (permissible behavior) and responsibilities (behavioral prescriptions and proscriptions). The authors demonstrate how it offers new insights beyond those available from existing theoretical models, and the authors outline its implications for research and the practice of human resource management.
Mark Yi-Cheon Yim, Eunice (Eun-Sil) Kim and Hongmin Ahn
In keeping with recent body image social trends, consumer demand for the adoption of plus-size models is increasing, although the use of thin models remains prevalent. The current…
Abstract
Purpose
In keeping with recent body image social trends, consumer demand for the adoption of plus-size models is increasing, although the use of thin models remains prevalent. The current study explores how consumers process information about fashion products displayed on different sizes of models in advertisements, focusing on model and consumer body sizes and both genders. As an underlying mechanism explaining how the relationship between model and consumer body sizes shapes consumer purchase intention, this study explores the role of guilt, shame and mental imagery.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study uses a text analytics technique to identify female consumers' general opinions of thin models in advertising. Employing a 3 (consumer body size: normal, overweight, obese) × 2 (model body size: thin, plus-size) × 2 (gender: male, female) between-subjects online experiment (n = 718), the main study comparatively analyzes the influences of plus-size and thin models on consumer responses.
Findings
The results reveal that, despite body positivity movements, thin models still generate negative emotions among female consumers. For obese female consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models produce fewer negative emotions but not more mental imagery than advertisements featuring thin models. Conversely, for obese male consumers, advertisements featuring plus-size models generate more mental imagery but not more negative emotions than advertisements featuring thin models. The results also reveal that the relationship between consumer body size and guilt is moderated by perceived model size, which is also moderated by gender in generating mental imagery. While guilt plays a mediating role in enhancing mental imagery, resulting in purchase intention, shame does not take on this role.
Originality/value
This study is the first to present an integrated model that elucidates how consumers with varying body sizes respond to different sizes of models in advertising and how these responses impact purchase intentions.
Research limitations/implications
Our findings only apply to contexts where consumers purchase fashion clothing in response to advertisements featuring thin versus plus-size models.
Practical implications
Exposing normal-size consumers to plus-size models generates less mental imagery, and thus, practitioners should seek to match the body sizes of the models featured in advertising to the body sizes of their target audience or ad campaigns that include both plus-size and thin models may help improve message persuasiveness in fashion advertising. Moreover, guilt-appeal advertising campaigns using thin models would appeal more to thin consumers of both genders than shame-appeal advertising.