Customer response to interactional service experience

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 704-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen-Maria Albrecht ◽  
Stefan Hattula ◽  
Torsten Bornemann ◽  
Wayne D. Hoyer
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Service Experiences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine causal attribution in interactional service experiences. The paper investigates how triggers in the environment of a customer-employee interaction influence customer behavioral response to employees’ negative and positive affect. Additionally, it studies the role of sympathy and authenticity as underlying mechanisms of this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Two scenario-based experimental designs (N1=162; N2=138) were used. Videotaped scenarios served as stimulus material for the manipulation of two focal variables: the employee’s emotional display as either negative or positive and the availability of an emotion trigger in the interaction environment to convey the attribution dimension of cause uncontrollability. The emotion trigger’s visibility was varied in the two studies. Customer response was captured by buying intentions. Findings Customer responses are more favorable for both positive and negative interactional experiences when customers have access to information on cause uncontrollability (i.e. notice triggers in the interaction environment). Analyses reveal that these effects stem from feelings of sympathy for negative experiences and authenticity for positive experiences. Originality/value This research supports the relevance of causal attribution research on interactional service experiences, which have high-profit impact. Moreover, the findings underline the importance of the experience of fact in service interactions and thereby provide a more nuanced view on the discussion of whether service providers should use impression management strategies to engender customer satisfaction even when this behavior is “faked.”

Customer delight during a crisis: understanding delight through the lens of transformative service research

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald C. Barnes ◽  
Jessica Mesmer-Magnus ◽  
Lisa L. Scribner ◽  
Alexandra Krallman ◽  
Rebecca M. Guidice
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Need Fulfillment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Service Experiences

PurposeThe unprecedented dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced firms to re-envision the customer experience and find new ways to ensure positive service encounters. This context has underscored the reality that drivers of customer delight in a “traditional” context are not the same in a crisis context. While research has tended to identify hedonic need fulfillment as key to customer well-being and, ultimately, to invoking customer delight, the majority of studies were conducted in inherently positive contexts, which may limit generalizability to more challenging contexts. Through the combined lens of transformative service research (TSR) and psychological theory on hedonic and eudaimonic human needs, we evaluate the extent to which need fulfillment is the root of customer well-being and that meeting well-being needs ultimately promotes delight. We argue that in crisis contexts, the salience of needs shifts from hedonic to eudaimonic and the extent to which service experiences fulfill eudaimonic needs determines the experience and meaning of delight.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing the critical incident technique, this research surveyed 240 respondents who were asked to explain in detail a time they experienced customer delight during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed their responses according to whether these incidents reflected the salience of hedonic versus eudaimonic need fulfillment.FindingsThe results support the notion that the salience of eudaimonic needs become more pronounced during times of crisis and that service providers are more likely to elicit perceptions of delight when they leverage meeting eudaimonic needs over the hedonic needs that are typically emphasized in traditional service encounters.Originality/valueWe discuss the implications of these findings for integrating the TSR and customer delight literatures to better understand how service experiences that meet salient needs produce customer well-being and delight. Ultimately, we find customer delight can benefit well-being across individual, collective and societal levels.

Beyond social capital: a capability approach to understanding Refugee Community Organisations and other providers for “hard to reach” groups

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Capability Approach ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Refugee Community ◽  
Community Organisations ◽  
Purposive Sample ◽  
The Capability Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of the “capability approach” as an alternative framework for understanding and conceptualising the role of Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) and other providers for groups conventionally considered “hard to reach”. Design/methodology/approach – A study of the education services of RCOs, drawing primarily on semi-structured interviews with 71 users, is put forward as a case study for how the capability approach can be operationalised. Findings – The capability approach is found to offer various valuable insights, relating to its appreciation of the multi-dimensional nature of human wellbeing, the significance of individual diversity, and the importance of human agency. Research limitations/implications – The case study is based on a relatively small purposive sample, and may have limited external validity. As the research design proved strong for exploring how RCOs develop their users’ capabilities but weak for exploring if and how they may also constrict them, further research in this area is required. Practical implications – A number of valuable attributes of the capability approach are highlighted for broadening the understanding, the role of RCOs and other service providers. Social implications – The paper outlines the potential of the capability approach to contribute to policymaking related to RCOs and other providers, and to debates relating to social exclusion, cohesion and integration. Originality/value – The paper draws attention to the value of the capability approach within the field of migration research.

The role of Akkermansia muciniphila in obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alka Hasani ◽  
Saba Ebrahimzadeh ◽  
Fatemeh Hemmati ◽  
Aytak Khabbaz ◽  
Akbar Hasani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Species ◽  
Anaerobic Bacteria ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Akkermansia Muciniphila ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Animal Trials ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Alteration in the composition of the gut microbiota can lead to a number of chronic clinical diseases. Akkermansia muciniphila is an anaerobic bacteria constituting 3–5% of the gut microbial community in healthy adults. This bacterium is responsible for degenerating mucin in the gut; its scarcity leads to diverse clinical disorders. In this review, we focus on the role of A. muciniphila in diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis, as well as the use of this bacterium as a next-generation probiotic. In regard to obesity and diabetes, human and animal trials have shown that A. muciniphila controls the essential regulatory system of glucose and energy metabolism. However, the underlying mechanisms by which A. muciniphila alleviates the complications of obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis are unclear. At the same time, its abundance suggests improved metabolic disorders, such as metabolic endotoxemia, adiposity insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. The role of A. muciniphila is implicated in declining aortic lesions and atherosclerosis. Well-characterized virulence factors, antigens and cell wall extracts of A. muciniphila may act as effector molecules in these diseases. These molecules may provide novel mechanisms and strategies by which this bacterium could be used as a probiotic for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Supervisor-directed OCB and deviant behaviors: the role of LMX and impression management motives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fenika Wulani ◽  
Tarsisius Hani Handoko ◽  
Bernardinus Maria Purwanto
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Organizational Deviance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Deviant Behaviors ◽  
Interpersonal Deviance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study investigates the effect of supervisor-directed organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) on leader–member exchange (LMX), the moderating role of impression management motives on this relationship, the effect of LMX on organizational and interpersonal deviance and the mediating effect of LMX on the relationship between supervisor-directed OCB and deviant behaviors.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a survey questionnaire to collect data. Respondents were 342 nonmanagerial employees working in Surabaya Raya, Indonesia. Hypothesis testing is done using Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results show that supervisor-directed OCB is positively related to LMX, and LMX is negatively related to organizational deviance but not significantly related to interpersonal deviance. The study also finds that impression management motives moderate the positive relationship between supervisor-directed OCB and LMX. Furthermore, LMX mediates the relationship between supervisor-directed OCB and organizational deviance, but not interpersonal deviance.Practical implicationsThis study suggests the importance of human resource management (HRM) activities and managers being aware of subordinate OCB motives and the impact of LMX on interpersonal and organizational deviance, as well as what supervisors need to do to reduce these negative effects.Originality/valueFew studies examined the relationship between supervisor-directed OCB and workplace deviance behaviors (WDBs). This study provides a mechanism of their relationship by considering LMX as a mediator. Also, heretofore the existing studies tend to focus more on LMX as an antecedent of OCB. This study provides an understanding of OCB as an antecedent of LMX with the moderating effect of impression management motives.

The effects of cruise attributes on impulse buying behavior: the mediating role of impulsive buying tendency

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jookyung Kwon ◽  
Jiseon Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Impulse Buying ◽  
Buying Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Impulsive Buying ◽  
Positive Direct ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of cruise attributes on impulse buying of service customers through impulsive buying tendency. Specifically, this study investigates whether service attributes (variety of selection and price) influence the impulsive buying behavior of customers by stimulating their impulsive buying tendency. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis using a sample of 143 cruise customers. Mediating analysis was conducted to examine whether customer personal traits (impulsivity) mediated the relationship between service attributes and impulsive buying behavior. Findings The findings showed that price attributions had a significant positive direct impact on impulsive buying tendency and behavior, while a variety of selections had a significant direct effect on impulse buying behavior. The results revealed a significant mediating role of impulsive buying tendency in the relationship between price attributions and impulse buying. Originality/value Although studies on the decision-making style of service customers have been widely discussed, a limited number of studies has examined customers’ impulsive buying behavior in the service sector. Considering the importance of impulsive purchasing as a valuable marketing tool, the results of this study can help service providers and researchers enhance their knowledge of the mechanism of impulse buying behavior.

scholarly journals Building organizational resilience through human capital management strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Organizational Resilience ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Human Capital Management ◽  
Capability Development ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper examines the role of human capital management strategy in shaping organizational resilience. Resilient organizations thrive in uncertain and adverse conditions. The organization’s capacity for resilience can be developed through human capital management strategies that are focused on employee capabilities, training, and development. When individual capabilities and resilience are developed, those can be aggregated at an organizational level to develop the capacity in an organization for resilience. Design/methodology/approach A review of relevant studies and literature was conducted to develop strategies and insight into developing the human capital of an organization to support organizational resilience. Findings Supporting individual capability development and resilience builds the organization’s capacity for resilience. By shifting human capital management strategies to building capabilities and then skills, organizations develop individual resilience and then organizational resilience. The implications of how to build such human capital management strategies are presented. Originality/value This paper provides support and guidelines for building individual capability and resilience to enhance an organization’s resilience.

Explaining the role of trust in cloud computing services

Info ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Kwame Adjei
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Computing Services ◽  
Cloud Computing Service ◽  
Cloud Computing Services ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of trust in cloud computing services based on empirical evidence from interviewing executives of financial institutions in Ghana. The paper answers the questions: what is the role of trust in cloud computing service acquisition, and what policies promote trusted cloud computing services? Design/methodology/approach – This is an explanatory paper that is based on literature review and empirical data on exploring reasons for cloud computing service acquisitions. A combination of interviews and focus group discussions was used as methods for data collection. Information technology and electronic banking executives of five major commercial banks in Accra, Ghana, between January and July 2013 were interviewed. A total of ten respondents were interviewed, two in each of the selected banks. A purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of informants. This approach allows the selection of qualified informants to ensure extensiveness and diversity of opinion. Findings – Although previous literature proffers various factors as key to cloud computing adoption, uses or provisioning, this study brings trust to the fore as an imperative for cloud computing service acquisition by financial institutions. It also shows that trust increases if users perceive that cloud computing service providers act in honesty and in users’ interest, making trust a fundamental factor that informs financial institutions’ decision to acquire cloud computing services. Research limitations/implications – The research introduces a new dimension about the widely held perceptions of the factors that influence adoption of cloud computing services. Practical implications – Developers of cloud computing solutions that are targeted at corporate users must focus on systems that enhances their trustworthiness, as it is a primary criteria for user buy-in. Similarly, any trust-building effort by cloud computing service providers minimizes users’ concerns and pushes the services providers closer to the trust threshold. Originality/value – The paper outlines the trust factors that are imperative for cloud computing uses by financial institutions. This is one of the pioneering papers that address trust issues in cloud computing from the perspective of financial institutions.

scholarly journals Servitization strategies from customers’ perspective: the moderating role of co-creation

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. Ruiz-Alba ◽  
Anabela Soares ◽  
Miguel A. Rodríguez-Molina ◽  
Dolores M. Frías-Jamilena
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the moderating role of co-creation in the implementation of servitization strategies in the pharmaceutical industry in a business-to-business (B-to-B) context. More specifically, this investigation explores the impact of different levels of services (base, intermediate and advanced) on servitization and on performance by using co-creation as a moderating factor. Design/methodology/approach A research framework was developed and empirically tested in the pharmaceutical sector. Data collection was conducted through the online distribution of questionnaires. The final sample included 219 pharmacy stores, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings Main findings suggest that when the level of co-creation of the design of services is high, there are significant effects of servitization on firm performance. The moderating effect of co-creation is illustrated in regard to intermediate and advanced services, but results referring to the impact of intermediate services on servitization appear non-significant with a low degree of co-creation. No significant effects could be found for the impact of base services on performance and servitization for both high and low degrees of co-creation. Findings show an impact of advanced services on performance through the mediating effect of servitization when the degree of co-creation is high. Originality/value Most research concerning servitization has been done from the perspective of manufacturers and service providers. This study adds value to the literature because it was designed from a customer’s perspective. Moreover, it contributes towards the conceptualization of the servitization research strategy and business models in a B2B context. This is accomplished through the investigation of the moderating effect of co-creation on the impact of the different levels of services on servitization and on performance.

The role of customer experience touchpoints in driving loyalty intentions in services

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 444-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Ieva ◽  
Cristina Ziliani
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Mobile Service ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Loyalty Intentions

Purpose The explosion in the number of touchpoints is putting pressure on companies to design omnichannel customer experiences aimed at achieving long-term customer loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative importance of 24 touchpoints in contributing to customer loyalty intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected by means of a survey on almost 6,000 subjects belonging to the Nielsen consumer panel. Two ordinary least squares regression models with clustered standard errors estimate the relationship between touchpoint exposure – measured in terms of reach, frequency and positivity – and customer loyalty intentions in the mobile service sector. Findings Reach has a significant relationship with customer loyalty intentions as far as eight touchpoints are concerned. Positivity, when controlling for frequency of exposure, is related to customer loyalty intentions as far as nine touchpoints are concerned. Practical implications Results provide guidance for mobile service providers on customer experience management strategies and specifically on touchpoint prioritization, adaptation, monitoring and design. Originality/value This study addresses two relevant research gaps. First, most studies focus on single or a few touchpoints without considering the variety of touchpoints within the customer journey (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). Second, no studies focus on the relative contribution of touchpoints to customer loyalty intentions (Homburg et al., 2017).

The more envious the consumer, the more impulsive? The moderating role of self-monitoring and product type

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsheng Cui ◽  
Mengwei Zhang ◽  
Chaonan Yin ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Jianan Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Purpose This paper aimed to explore the influence of envy on impulsive consumption from aspects of the internal psychological mechanism and boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approach Based on social comparison theory, four studies were conducted in this research: The first study explored the effect of envy on impulsive consumption; the second study explored the moderating effect of self-monitoring and the mediating effect of materialism; the third study explored the moderating effect of product type and the fourth study explored the effectiveness of social comparison contexts on the arousal of envy.Findings Study 1 showed that envy could significantly trigger consumers' impulsive consumption. Study 2 indicated that participants experiencing self-monitoring had a higher level of materialism and a stronger propensity to consume impulsively once the emotion of envy emerged. Study 3 suggested that when participants were more envious, their levels of materialism increased with more impulsivity to buy material products. Study 4 revealed that upward comparisons led to a higher level of envy and re-validated the mediating role of materialism between envy and impulsive consumption.Research limitations/implications This study provides evidence for the association between envy and consumer behaviour and clarifies the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between envy and impulsive consumption.Practical implications Marketers could take advantage of consumers' envy after social comparisons without damaging brand image.Originality/value First, this study extended the effects of envy on consumer decisions, suggesting that envy stimulates impulsive consumption by increasing consumers' materialism. Second, this study revealed the boundary condition of product type, namely, material and experiential.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document