Emotional and social competence in the aestheticization of labor in the restaurant industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 1201-1225
Author(s):  
Volkan Genc ◽  
Meryem Akoglan Kozak
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Achievement Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aesthetic Labor ◽  
Restaurant Managers ◽  
The Aesthetic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance regarding the satisfaction of customer needs in the competitive restaurant industry. Restaurants have seen a transformation in employees’ labor, changing from primarily physical and mental to emotional and aesthetic dimensions. In this study, the effect of managers’ emotional and social competence (ESC) on the aesthetic labor of service and kitchen employees has been investigated. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data was collected from employees and managers of a restaurant chain. Structural equation modeling was the main analytical tool used to assess the results. Findings The findings indicated that managers’ ESC affected the aesthetic labor of their service (aesthetic traits (AT), aesthetic requirements and service encounters) and kitchen (AT, aesthetic creativity and aesthetic harmony ) employees. Achievement orientation and adaptability were among the dimensions of emotional competence that contributed the most to aesthetic labor. The most significant elements of social competence were inspiring leadership and conflict management. Practical implications The study suggests that managers can improve the aesthetic performance of their employees by using their ESC. Originality/value This is the first study of this kind to include kitchen employees while considering the effects of restaurant managers’ ESC on aesthetic labor. The findings indicate the importance of the ESC of managers in improving the aesthetic labor of employees.

When does uncertainty avoidance promote customer-to-customer intercultural service encounters?

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabil Ghantous ◽  
Amro A. Maher
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Identification ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Previous literature has reported inconsistent findings regarding the impact of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on intercultural experiences. This includes positive, negative and insignificant associations between UA on the one hand and cosmopolitanism or comfort with intercultural service encounters (ICSE) on the other hand. The purpose of this paper is to participate in addressing these contradictions. More specifically, this study examines how UA affects expatriate cosmopolitanism as well as approach of service environments patronized by local customers by introducing two moderators: national identification and perceived discrimination. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose a conceptual model based on the results of a literature review. The authors test it with survey data collected from Indian expatriates (n=341) living in Qatar, using structural equation modeling. Findings The results corroborate the moderating role of national identification. Under low identification, expatriate consumers engage in a prospective form of uncertainty management, leading them to adopt a more cosmopolitan stance. Under high identification, their uncertainty plays an inhibitory role, reducing their cosmopolitanism and negatively affecting their approach of service places patronized by local consumers. Perceived discrimination did not moderate the impact of UA as expected on either cosmopolitanism or approach. Originality/value This paper extends the prior research on UA by testing how two moderators could activate either a prospective or an inhibitory form of uncertainty. It also contributes to research on ICSE, by focusing on customer-to-customer interactions in a multicultural marketplace.

Motivations of guests contributing sWOM on social media: a case in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Thi Thanh Ha ◽  
Vo Thanh Thu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Opinion Leadership ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Restaurant Managers

PurposeThis paper examines whether guests contribute sWOM (social word of mouth) on different SNSs (social networking sites) regarding various personal motivations. SNSs have changed the way guests eat and experience their food and dishes. Marketing managers have effectively targeted SNSs as a marketing tool, yet have little research about drivers of guests' sWOM contribution on SNSs has been done. A model including the significant motives: (1) experiences, (2) opinion leadership, (3) reflection of self and (4) need for unique is tested to investigate their positive effects on contribution behavior of social media guests.Design/methodology/approachThe data collected from 411 guests by using the snowball method was used for analysis. The structural equation modeling was applied to examine the relationships among the constructs and test the eight proposed hypotheses.FindingsResults reveal that experiences, opinion leadership, reflection of self and need for unique were positively associated with contributing sWOM of restaurants. Furthermore, those who have positive experiences tend to be opinion leadership and reflection of self. And guests who show reflection of self, they are more likely to have opinion leaders and show need for uniqueness. Our study expands the existing frameworks of sWOM contribution by identifying various motivations and labeling sWOM. Findings provide restaurant managers with managerial implications for online marketing strategies on SNSs to attract sWOM contribution among guests.Research limitations/implicationsIt has some limitations while discovering the motivations of positive sWOM contribution. First, we only focused on the motivation of contributing positive sWOM, while negative sWOM received many arguments in changing attitudes toward buying products or services. Second, we collected data in Vietnam only without comparing with different countries. Future research could explore further cross-cultural perspectives to fill the gap. Third, this study explored sWOM contribution in service environment, sWOM contribution from service context may be slightly different from those of product brands.Practical implicationsThese findings highlight the motivations of sWOM contribution that restaurant managers must recognize and make use of it. SNSs have given power to consumers to post everything at anytime and anywhere they like, therefore restaurant managers need to deeply understand why their consumers contribute sWOM. In digital era, customers and guests have become the ultimate tools for promoting product or service brands. The marketing managers should create an online platform in order to facilitate their consumers to discuss their brand frequently (Charu et al., 2018). Restaurants should have policies to push positive eWOM maximally and also reduce advertising costs.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies on sWOM contribution of what motivate guests to contribute their sWOM on SNSs. Theoretically, this study offers deep insights into the links between various motivations and sWOM in foodservice context. Managerially, understanding these motivations allow marketing managers create effective policies that motivate guests to contribute positive word of mouth.

Factors influencing word of mouth behaviour in the restaurant industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Jalilvand ◽  
Sirous Salimipour ◽  
Mehdi Elyasi ◽  
Mehdi Mohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing

Purpose Restaurants with limited promotion budgets depend mainly on word of mouth (WOM) among customers. WOM seems particularly important to the marketing of services. This is because services are experiential in nature and difficult to assess before purchase. In the restaurants context there is little research on WOM. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that may influence tourists’ WOM about restaurants implying on the critical role of relationship quality. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review is conducted to identify the major factors influencing WOM in the context of restaurant industry. The study utilizes self-administered questionnaire survey and the target population are the customers who have referred to the restaurants of Tehran, Iran. A convenience sampling approach was utilized to collect a sample of 326 customers. A structural equation modeling procedure is applied to the examination of the antecedents of WOM. Findings The paper found that food quality, personal interaction quality, physical environment quality, and perceived value influence WOM behavior of customer in an indirect way through relationship quality. Practical implications This research conjectured that an understanding of factors that influence the tourist to talk each other about a given restaurant are worthy of additional research. Consequently, the study helps to understand how these factors can provide alternative sources of marketing to attract the long-term economic sustainability of restaurant industry in Iran. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this research will be the first attempt to explore influential factors on WOM in restaurant industry focusing on the critical role of relationship quality. It is expected that researchers will find this research a contribution to the WOM literature, particularly in restaurant industry.

The era of consumer entitlement: investigating entitlement after a perceived brand failure

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Phillips Melancon ◽  
Mary Jane Gardner ◽  
Vassilis Dalakas
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fan Identification ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Relational Behaviors

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of consumer entitlement among loyal consumers in response to a perceived brand failure, as well as the effect of consumer entitlement on satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire asked 226 Game of Thrones viewers about their reactions to the final season of the series. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was the analysis method for testing the hypotheses. Findings Investment, perceived justice and collective fairness are all predictors of entitlement. Fan identification increases feelings of investment. Entitlement has a negative relationship with satisfaction, and satisfaction is positively related to relational behaviors. Practical implications Loyal, highly entitled consumers can make life difficult for a brand in customer service encounters, on social media and financially. The manuscript offers managers an understanding of which consumers and situations may elicit entitlement and how to mitigate entitlement. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to attempt to model antecedents of consumer entitlement and to study entitlement among highly loyal consumers in response to a perceived brand failure. The study furthers existing research by pointing out the effect of entitlement on the relationship with the brand and consequences for the brand, as opposed to past studies, which have largely explored the effects of working with entitled consumers on front-line employees.

The impact of internal marketing and market orientation on performance: an empirical study in restaurant industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Salehzadeh ◽  
Javad Khazaei Pool ◽  
Reihaneh Alsadat Tabaeeian ◽  
Mojtaba Amani ◽  
Marjan Mortazavi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Internal Marketing ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of internal marketing and market orientation on organizational performance based on the balanced scorecard (BSC). Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design, drawing upon a questionnaire survey, was used to collect data from a sample of restaurants. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the relationship among the research variables using findings from the 164 participants. Findings The results revealed that internal marketing positively influenced market orientation and performance. In addition, market orientation was a direct antecedent of performance. Originality/value The findings provide important academic, practical and political implications for restaurant industry.

scholarly journals Service encounters with virtual agents: an examination of perceived humanness as a source of customer satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (13) ◽  
pp. 94-121
Author(s):  
Magnus Söderlund ◽  
Eeva-Liisa Oikarinen
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Virtual Agents ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Human Capabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Firms have begun to introduce virtual agents (VAs) in service encounters, both in online and offline environments. Such VAs typically resemble human frontline employees in several ways (e.g. the VAs may have a gender and a name), which indicates the presence of an assumption by VA designers – and by firms that employ them – that VA humanness is a positively charged characteristic. This study aims to address this assumption by examining antecedents to perceived humanness in terms of attribution of agency, emotionality and morality, and the impact of perceived humanness on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was distributed online to participants who had been interacting with existing VAs, and they were asked to focus on one of them for this study. The questionnaire comprised measures of antecedents to perceived humanness of VAs, perceived humanness per se and customer satisfaction. A structural equation modeling approach was used to assess associations between the variables. Findings Attributions of agency, emotionality and morality to VAs contributed positively to the perceived humanness of the VAs, and perceived humanness was positively associated with customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Additional humanness capabilities should be explored in further research. Practical implications Firms using VAs in service encounters should make attempts to maximize perceived VA humanness, and this study shows that it may be beneficial if such attempts comprise signals that VAs have agency, emotionality and morality. Originality/value By examining VAs in terms of a set of fundamental human capabilities, the present study contributes to existing research on human–VA service encounters, which to date has focused on more superficial VA characteristics (such as if the VA has a face and gender).

A holistic model of the servicescape in fast casual dining

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Discepoli Line ◽  
Lydia Hanks
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Holistic Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Casual Dining ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Conducting Research

Purpose The servicescape is increasingly being recognized as a function of two distinct components: physical and social. While these two dimensions have often been studied independently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of both dimensions simultaneously in a fast casual restaurant context. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 1,110 fast casual restaurant patrons in the USA was collected. The data were analyzed using nested structural equation modeling. Findings The results suggest that both the social and the physical servicescape can affect consumption behavior in the fast casual restaurant industry and crowding can act a moderator of these relationships. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, these results are significant because they suggest the importance of capturing a holistic account of the servicescape when conducting research on the consumption environment. Practical implications This study is among the first to examine the effect of the social servicescape (and specifically the effect of crowding) in fast casual restaurants. The results suggest that restaurateurs need to be mindful that crowding affects the relationship between social servicescape and satisfaction. Originality/value This research is the first to look at both aspects of the servicescape as drivers of consumer behavior in the fast casual dining segment. Additionally, this research makes a second contribution by assessing the effect of crowding on the servicescape-driven relationships inherent in the proposed model.

Co-creation and co-destruction of service quality through customer-to-customer interactions

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 1309-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaqi (Gemma) Luo ◽  
IpKin Anthony Wong ◽  
Brian King ◽  
Matthew Tingchi Liu ◽  
GuoQiong Huang
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study draws on the service-dominant (S-D) logic paradigm to examine value co-creation and co-destruction. As these phenomena are driven by positive and negative “customer-to-customer” (C2C) interactions, this paper aims to examine their influence on tourist perceptions of service quality and how they shape affective responses toward tourism and hospitality services and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach Following a comprehensive literature review, the authors used convenience sampling to gather a large sample of tourists at Shanghai Disneyland, a recently opened and already popular international tourism attraction. Structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and moderated relationships. Findings The findings indicated that positive and negative C2C interactions have significant though differential impacts on customer responses. Furthermore, it was found that visitor arousal mediated the relationship between service quality and brand loyalty. Prior experience was identified as a moderator in the co-creation and co-destruction process during service encounters. Practical implications This paper is one of the first to examine the concept of co-destruction in the tourism and hospitality context. It contributes to the literature by demonstrating the merits of proactive service provision by tourism operators, taking account of both the co-creation and co-destruction of value. Originality/value The study extends the literature by taking account of both positive and negative C2C interactions when examining co-creation and co-destruction in the context of service encounters. It also contributes to knowledge by assessing the asymmetry of such interactions in the context of the customer experience.

scholarly journals Restaurant proactive philanthropic activities and customer loyalty: a scenario-based study during the COVID-19 pandemic period

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Ding ◽  
Caifen Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effect Difference ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study aims to (1) examine the effect of customer awareness of restaurant philanthropic activities on customer loyalty; (2) investigate the mediating roles of customer social benevolence trust, perceived restaurant reputation and affective commitment on the relationship between their awareness of restaurant philanthropic activities and customer loyalty; and (3) test the path effect differences between the directed and general philanthropic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic period.Design/methodology/approachThis study used online scenario-based surveys to collect data. Based on 293 useable surveys, partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis.FindingsThis study finds that customer awareness of restaurant philanthropic activities positively relates to customer loyalty. Moreover, customer social benevolence trust, perceived restaurant reputation and affective commitment have positive mediating effects on the relationship between their awareness of restaurant philanthropic activities and customer loyalty. There is no significant path effect difference between the directed and general philanthropic activities.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that restaurant decision-makers should conduct either directed or general philanthropic activities as a marketing tool to sustain customers during the COVID-19 recovery.Originality/valueThis study is the first study that discusses the marketing role of corporate philanthropy in the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and stresses the importance of proactive strategic donations that helps restaurants' recovery.

Stressor effects of negative online reviews on anger and burnout in the restaurant industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 2847-2866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Weber ◽  
Graham L. Bradley ◽  
Beverley Sparks
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Personal Impact ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Owners, managers and employees may be criticized personally and professionally by consumers in online reviews, and may suffer emotional and burnout consequences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees. Design/methodology/approach This research analyzed the effects of traditional face-to-face customer-related social stressors, as well as a newly added negative online review (NOR) stressor, on anger and burnout in a sample of 418 US hospitality workers. Findings Structural equation modeling revealed that, after taking into account the contribution of customer-related social stressors, receipt of NORs predicts anger and anger mediates the relationships between NOR-receipt and two indices of burnout. Practical implications This research extends our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in the hospitality industry. It offers strategies for managing the threats and optimizing the opportunities, provided by negative online reviews. Originality/value This study is one of the first studies that provide evidence of the personal impact of NORs on hospitality industry employees, thereby extending our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in this industry.

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