The impact of cultural dimensions on customer complaint behaviours: an exploratory study in Antalya/Manavgat tourism region

Author(s):  
Gözde Seval Ergün ◽  
Olgun Kitapci

Purpose The study was carried out to better understand the behaviour of tourists from different cultures and backgrounds, and to provide strategic solutions for tourism managers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the cultural dimensions of Hofstede and customer complaint behaviours. Design/methodology/approach Exploratory factor analyses were carried out separately for national culture and complaint behaviour scales and the factor structuring was then tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test theoretical correlations and a conceptual model was created to put forward the correlations between national cultural dimensions and complaint behaviours, as well as to examine the impact of variation in one dimension on the other. Findings Significant correlations were observed between power distance and both public action and no action behaviours, uncertainty avoidance and public action and private action, as well as individualism/collectivism and public action. Research limitations/implications The sample population of the study included foreign tourists visiting Manavgat district in 2015. Manavgat as a destination is preferred by foreign tourists, rather than domestic tourists. In addition, many accommodations in the region only host guests from particular nationalities. For this reason, domestic tourists were not included in the survey. A limitation of the research is the fact that it focused only on hotel management. Extending the scope of the study in future research—the study could be carried out for a wider area and include other sectors—would increase the effectiveness of the study. Practical implications The results shed light on the fact that customers perform different complaint behaviours depending on variation in national cultural dimensions. In this context, the findings contribute to the hotel management literature and to the development of management strategies such as staff training, effective complaint solution methods, increasing customer complaints, using indirect resources effectively and decreasing the cost of solutions. The research also aims to create awareness in hotel managers by highlighting the importance of this issue. Originality/value In many of the studies where customer complaint behaviour and culture are analysed together, culture is regarded primarily as a geographical region, or as ethnical origin. Using Hofstede’s national cultural dimension scale, and taking into consideration all the national cultural dimensions, adds originality to this research. This study is one of the first to explore the impact of cultural dimensions on customer complaint behaviours in Turkey. This is also one of the first studies on complaint behaviour in the hotel industry.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuyet-Mai Nguyen ◽  
Nang Sarm Siri ◽  
Ashish Malik

Purpose This paper aims to draw upon social cognitive theory to develop a conceptual framework of four types of factors: individual, social, organisational and cultural that influence an individual’s knowledge sharing behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Data from 298 employees in Myanmar’s banking industry were analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. Findings The results reveal that an individual’s absorptive capacity, trust and social interaction significantly impact knowledge-sharing behaviour. Additionally, the study found the moderating influence of knowledge sharing opportunity and collectivism in examining the impact of absorptive capacity, trust and social interaction on knowledge sharing behaviour. Research limitations/implications Future research may consider other dimensions of cultural dimensions, and extending the model by adding outcomes of knowledge sharing behaviour such as innovation or productivity could also be considered. Practical implications Organisations need to consider absorptive capacity in the recruitment process, increase trust and social interaction among employees, promote knowledge-sharing opportunities and collectivism to promote knowledge-sharing behaviour. Originality/value The study’s distinctive contribution is the Myanmar bank sector's under-researched context for investigating the reverse relationship between absorptive capacity and knowledge sharing behaviour. The moderating effects of knowledge sharing opportunity and collectivism ignored mainly in the knowledge sharing literature were investigated in this study.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 631-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim M. Awad ◽  
Alaa A. Amro

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to map the cluster in the leather and shoes sector for improving the competitiveness of the firms. Toward this end, the study is organized to examine the impact of clustering on competitiveness improvement. The influence of competitive elements and performance (Porter’s diamond) and balanced score card was utilized. Design/methodology/approach A random sample of 131 respondents was chosen during the period from May 2016 to July 2016. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to investigate the research model. This approach was chosen because of its ability to test casual relationships between constructs with multiple measurement items. Researchers proposed a two-stage model-building process for applying SEM. The measurement model was first examined for instrument validation, followed by an analysis of the structural model for testing associations hypothesized by the research model. Findings The main findings show that there is a unidirectional causal relationship between improvements of performance and achieve competitiveness and also reveal that the Palestinian shoes and leather cluster sector is vital and strong, and conclude that clustering can achieve competitiveness for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Research limitations/implications Future research can examine the relationship between clustering and innovation. The effect of clustering using other clustering models other than Porter’s model is advised to be used for future research. Practical implications The relationships among clustering and competitiveness may provide a practical clue to both, policymakers and researchers on how cluster enhances economic firms such as a skilled workforce, research, development capacity, and infrastructure. This is likely to create assets such as trust, synergy, collaboration and cooperation for improved competitiveness. Originality/value The findings of this study provide background information that can simultaneously be used to analyze relationships among factors of innovation, customer’s satisfaction, internal business and financial performance. This study also identified several essential factors in successful firms, and discussed the implications of these factors for developing organizational strategies to encourage and foster competitiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1706-1723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Ferreira ◽  
Marcio Lopes Pimenta ◽  
Paraskeva Wlazlak

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to predict the antecedents of the integration level among marketing, logistics and production, considering the influence of formal and informal factors that generate integration and the existence of conflicts. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 179 participants from all regions of Brazil was conducted. A parsimonious model including four dimensions and 34 variables was developed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The field data corroborate studies dealing with the impact of various formal and informal integration factors on the cross-functional integration level as a construct. Furthermore, this paper concludes that the level of cross-functional can be defined as: the intensity of the relationship among internal functions which can be measured by the mutual existence of formal and informal factors and the absence of manifest conflicts. Research limitations/implications The findings of this paper cannot be generalized because of the convenience sampling. Future research could apply a probabilistic sampling and try to explore other geographical settings in both national and international contexts. Practical implications The proposed model can generate important information for managers by pointing out variables that can predict the integration level and their impacts on the organizational performance. The paper concludes with examples about how the model could be useful in several practical situations. Originality/value This paper proposes a model with reasonable accuracy to predict the integration level and overcomes prior research limitations with respect to models to predict the antecedents of the integration level, particularly the role of conflicts in the integration processes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason D. DeBode ◽  
Dana L. Haggard ◽  
K. Stephen Haggard

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of broad cultural dimensions, as well as those of religion and legal origin, on countries’ economic freedom, i.e., trade freedom, investment freedom, business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom, as well as a composite measure of economic freedom. Design/methodology/approach Linear regression of publicly available data regarding economic freedom (Miller et al., 2018) on cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 2009), legal origin and religion (LaPorta et al., 1999) for 52 countries was performed to determine the impact of these factors on economic freedom. Findings Results indicated femininity was the cultural dimension associated with the most measures of economic freedom. Short-term-oriented cultures were predictive of greater business freedom, while more restrained cultures were associated with greater business and monetary freedoms. Higher individualism was predictive of greater monetary freedom. Catholicism positively predicted investment freedom and negatively predicted business freedom. French civil law negatively predicted labor freedom, while socialist legal origins positively predicted trade freedom, but negatively predicted business freedom. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the impacts of culture, law and religion on economic freedom. One practical implication of this research is that countries would be wise to emphasize more feminine aspects in their cultures, as these are associated with greater economic freedom. Even minor adjustments that move in the direction of cooperation and fair processes might help increase economic freedoms and the many benefits that stem from such freedoms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mertcan Tascioglu ◽  
Jacqueline Kilsheimer Eastman ◽  
Rajesh Iyer

Purpose The purpose of the study is to investigate consumers’ perceptions of status motivations on retailers’ sustainability efforts and whether collectivism and materialism moderate this relationship. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research methodology using survey data was used. Data were collected by administering questionnaires from millennial respondents (n = 386) from the USA and Turkey. Findings The results show that cultural value (collectivism) and materialism can serve as moderators of the effects of status motivation and sustainability. The findings indicate that the link between status motivation and sustainability perceptions (both environmental and social sustainability) is stronger for more collectivist consumers. In terms of materialism, while it did not moderate the relationship between status motivation and perceptions of environmental sustainability, it did moderate the relationship between status motivation and perceptions of social sustainability, particularly the uniqueness aspect of materialism. Research limitations/implications The stronger link between status motivation and both environmental and social sustainability for collectivists suggests that the bandwagon effect may be impacting their need for status. The stronger link between status motivation and social sustainability for those more materialistic suggests that their need for status may be more impacted by a snob effect as they want to appear unique. The use of college students is a limitation of this study, and future research needs to explore a wider range of age groups to determine if there are generational differences. Additionally, future research could examine other cultural dimensions such as power distance and masculinity versus femininity. Practical implications Findings from this research provide insights for retailers, especially those targeting the status and luxury market when developing their sustainability plans. An interest in sustainability may aid consumers in meeting their need for status, particularly for those status consumers who are more collectivist, as a means to fit in with their group. For more materialistic consumers, retailers may want to focus more on unique social sustainability efforts that are more publicly noticeable. Social implications Social sustainability, a topic not studied as frequently as environmental sustainability, has significant implications for consumers. The findings suggest that the link between status motivation and social sustainability is stronger for collectivists, suggesting a bandwagon effect. Additionally, the authors find that the link between status motivation and social sustainability is stronger for materialists, particularly the uniqueness dimension of materialism, suggesting a snob effect. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in the exploration of how status motivation impacts consumers’ perceptions of retailers’ environmental and social sustainability efforts and if these relationships are moderated by collectivism and materialism. Few studies have examined social sustainability, especially in terms of culture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tribikram Budhathoki ◽  
Julien Schmitt ◽  
Nina Michaelidou

Purpose To better understand the disparity of private label performance across countries, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by national culture. Two types of impact are considered: a direct influence of cultural dimensions on the performance of private labels in a country and an indirect one where national culture favours the development of modern retailers, which, in turn, benefits private label performance. Design/methodology/approach Using the five dimensions of the Hofstede model to describe national culture, this paper performs a structural equation modelling incremental building model approach using secondary data collected from a sample of 65 countries. Findings The results show that individualism (positively) and long-term orientation (negatively) directly impact private label performance. Moreover, four dimensions (individualism, masculinity, power distance and uncertainty avoidance) are shown to have a significant indirect impact on private label performance via the mediation of retail market development, positively for individualism and negatively for the three other dimensions. Practical implications The findings provide retailers with important insights into the critical decisions of the selection of new markets and adaptation of the private label strategy according to the culture of the country. Originality/value This research pioneers by being the first to determine the impact of all the dimensions of the Hofstede cultural model on private label performance, use a very large number of countries to test this impact and study the role of important retail market factors in this phenomenon.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeevan Jyoti ◽  
Sumeet Kour

Purpose – Organizations in India are multicultural in nature. In this context, cultural intelligence is a tool, which can increase an individual’s ability to interact with people outside his/her culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of cultural intelligence on task performance as well as to investigate the mediating role of cultural adjustment between the two. Design/methodology/approach – Extensive review of literature was done to acknowledge the cultural intelligence and task performance concept. Data for the study has been collected from the 225 managers working in nationalized banks in Jammu province (J&K, India). Data collected has been validated using confirmatory factor analysis and hypotheses have been tested through structural equation modeling. Findings – The study reveals that cultural intelligence significantly contributes toward task performance. The findings further reveal full mediation of cultural adjustment between cultural intelligence and task performance. Research limitations/implications – The study has been conducted in Indian cultural context, which can be extended to other Asian countries. Further, more outcomes of cultural intelligence can be taken into consideration in future for better understanding of the concept. Practical implications – The study contributes toward cultural intelligence theory. Organization should provide cultural training to the managers before sending them to out of home state assignment, which helps to understand the culture of that state and effectively interact with people belonging to that place. Originality/value – The paper empirically identifies the relationship between cultural intelligence and task performance in Indian context. Further, this relationship has been explored by using cultural adjustment as a mediator between the two. The model developed can be used for future research keeping it as a base.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 626-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kok Wei Khong ◽  
Fon Sim Ong

Purpose – The study of shopping mall patronage behaviour includes concepts such as mall attributes and attractiveness, motivations and patronage choice. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of shopper loyalty and perception towards shopping malls. Design/methodology/approach – A survey using a systematic random sampling method was conducted on mall shoppers in major shopping malls in the most developed urban centres of Malaysia. Using a series of multivariate techniques, a stochastic model was developed to measure the impact of perception of malls on patronage loyalty. The model also estimated the mediating effects of brand trust and brand affect on patronage loyalty. Reliability and validity tests were conducted to measure the internal consistency and validity of the constructs. Findings – The results provided support for the hypothesised relationships between perception and loyalty. The results also suggested that malls generally have their own loyal patrons who not only perceive the malls positively but also stay loyal. Research limitations/implications – Some limitations of the study and future research directions were discussed subsequently. Practical implications – This stochastic model can be used by practitioners as a tool to predict possible outcomes via a series of market simulation and scenario planning. In short, marketers can optimise patronage loyalty by adjusting the parameters in the model in a predefined environment. Originality/value – This paper suggests that the survey instrument used in the study is reliable and valid. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to define the measurement models. Subsequently, structural equation modelling was used to develop the stochastic model. A series of mathematical equations were derived when constructing the model.


2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 2017-2038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahsa-Sadat Taghavi ◽  
Alireza Seyedsalehi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of chocolate packaging and brand on the purchasing decisions of a number of Iranian children and their parents. The paper also aims to investigate the role of pester power as a moderating variable in the relationship between children’s purchasing decision and that of their parents. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a 26-item Likert-scaled questionnaire administered in February 2013 to the parents of 600 children at two daycare centers and four elementary schools in the city of Qazvin in Iran. The returned and complete questionnaires were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis within structural equation modeling using IBM® Amos and SPSS statistical packages. Findings – The results show that packaging and brand have a positive effect on parents. However, children were only influenced by packaging, and not brand. Further, it was found that children influenced their parents during store visits. The study also confirms the moderating role of children’s pester power in the relationship between children’s purchasing decision and that of their parents. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study is that the issue of the effect of packaging and brand on children was explored through the opinions of parents. Also, due to budget constraints, images of chocolate products rather than real packages were used. Future research might study the effect of other factors such as peers, socio-cultural issues, and economic status. Another possibility would be to include other variables such as mental involvement and time constraint. Practical implications – The findings of the study might be useful for all manufacturers and suppliers of goods. More specifically, managers and marketing agents in the chocolate industry are recommended to improve children’s brand awareness through advertising as a way of making them want to buy branded products. Originality/value – The most important difference between this work and previous studies is its use of children’s pester power as a moderating factor in the relationship between the purchasing decision of children and that of their parents. Another good thing about this paper is that it gives the reader an insight into the Iranian context. The results give the manufacturers a better understanding of the factors children take into account when deciding to purchase something.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Swoboda ◽  
Johannes Hirschmann

Purpose Few scholars have analysed the corporate reputation (CR) of multinational corporations (MNCs) internationally, but both CR perception and effect are likely to differ across nations. Most studies have compared a few countries, linked differences to selected dimensions of Hofstede’s cultural approach, and reported ambiguous results. The purpose of this paper is to address the important role of all Hofstede’s cultural dimensions that may influence CR perceptions and effects by applying an appropriate method. Design/methodology/approach By integrating signalling theory and each cultural dimension, hypotheses are proposed and tested using consumer surveys of a German MNC in 37 countries. Multilevel structural equation modelling (SEM) showed whether and how all cultural value dimensions – the predominant approach in marketing – affect CR perceptions and effects. Findings Individual CR perceptions and effects are strongly attributable to national culture, which explains up to 62 per cent of country-level variance; however, the explanatory powers of the cultural dimensions differ between CR perceptions and effects. Not all dimensions affect both. The results are stable in alternative models. Research limitations/implications The results enhance extant research because the relative importance of Hofstede’s dimensions and not only a possible role in country comparisons is shown. Hofstede’s approach explains considerable country-level variances. MNCs learn which cultural dimensions are core antecedents of CR perceptions (individualism and power distance explain >30 per cent variance) and core moderators of CR effects on loyalty (masculinity, individualism and uncertainty avoidance). Originality/value This study provides novel insights into the role of national cultural differences on CR perceptions and CR effects using the still novel multilevel SEM.


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