Love becomes hate? or love is blind? Moderating effects of brand love upon consumers’ retaliation towards brand failure

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Zhang ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Kongkidakarn Sakulsinlapakorn

Purpose Extant literature holds contradictory views about the brand love’s moderation effect in the link between brand failure and consumer’s retaliation. This paper aims to first examine how failure severity correlates with negative emotions and how negative emotions lead to retaliation intention. Then, it probes into opposite moderation effects of brand love in these two stages. Further, it explores contingent factors, including perceived fairness, inferred goodwill, aggressive personality and brand trust, which may moderate “love is blind” effect or “love becomes hate” effect. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted among the sample of 293 responses from Thailand, and 239 responses from China. A total of eight hypotheses were tested by adopting hierarchical regression technique and slope analyses. Findings The results show that consumers facing brand failure suffer negative emotions and then generate retaliation intention. Brand love positively moderates the link between failure severity and negative emotions, which is called “love becomes hate” effect. Meanwhile, brand love negatively moderates the link between negative emotions and retaliation intention, which is called “love is blind” effect. In addition, perceived fairness and inferred goodwill alleviate “love becomes hate” effect, and aggressive personality decreases “love is blind” effect. Originality/value This study makes contribution to brand failure literature by revealing twofold moderating roles of brand love in arousing retaliation behavior of consumers who encounter product/service failure, as well as contingent factors of these roles. Also, the research findings provide managerial implications to brand managers as to how to manage brand failure and reduce consumers’ retaliation by manipulating brand love and relevant contingent variables.

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Jean Harrison-Walker

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of emotions that consumers experience following service failures and to assess the effects of each of these emotions on important behavioral outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This paper extends the work of Wetzer et al. (2007) and draws upon the existing literature to test a series of research hypotheses tying emotions to four important behavioral outcomes primarily using stepwise regression. Findings When a service failure occurs, customers experience any of a variety of negative emotions. The effect on behavioral outcomes depends on the specific emotion experienced by the consumer. The current research, which benefits by using retrospective experience sampling, finds that frustration is the predominant emotion experienced by customers following service failure, but that anger, regret and frustration affect behavioral outcomes. Uncertainty also plays a role. Research limitations/implications Future research should investigate the antecedents of propensity for emotions and predisposition toward industries, as well as the consequences of word-of-mouth (WOM) praise and WOM activity. Additionally, emotions could be examined by service stage. Several other moderators could be investigated, including severity, complaining behavior, repeat occurrence, service importance, remedies and forgiveness, product vs process failures, tenure, gender and age. Practical implications The current research emphasizes the importance of understanding which emotion is being experienced by a customer following service failure to identify the behavioral outcomes that will be most impacted. The specific managerial implications depend upon the specific emotional response experienced by the customer and are discussed separately for anger, regret and frustration. Service personnel must be trained to recognize and address specific customer emotions rather than to provide a canned or generalized response. Originality/value To date, there has been little, if any, systematic research into the effects of multiple discrete negative emotions on multiple desirable behavioral outcomes. The current study examines six discrete emotions. Predominant emotions are differentiated from emotional intensity. The behavioral outcomes of reconciliation and reduced share-of-wallet are added to the traditional outcomes of repatronage intentions and negative WOM. While existing research tends to rely on a scenario approach, this study uses the retrospective experience sampling method. The authors distinguish between mixed emotions and multiple emotions. The relative effects of disappointment and regret are examined for each of the four outcomes. Finally, importance-performance map analysis was applied to the findings to prioritize managerial attention. Numerous managerial and research implications are identified.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Bambauer-Sachse ◽  
Landisoa Eunorphie Rabeson

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine which level of tangible compensation for a service failure leads to high levels of customer satisfaction for moderate- versus high-involvement services as well as for different conditions of responsibility for the failure and failure severity. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a 4 (tangible compensation: gift, discount, credit for future consumption, refund) × 2 (responsibility for the failure: restaurant vs customer) × 2 (failure severity: low vs high) × 2 (involvement: moderate vs high) design using scenarios in a restaurant context. Findings – The results reveal that, for moderate-involvement services, all types of compensation are equally appropriate, except for when customers are responsible for a severe failure. In this condition, they expect tangible compensation of higher benefit. For high-involvement services, the more severe the failure, the higher the benefit of tangible compensation should be, independent of responsibility. Practical implications – The findings suggest that managers should consider the level of service involvement as well as responsibility for and severity of the failure when choosing the level of tangible compensation. Originality/value – The results of this study provide new insights into how to choose appropriate and efficient service recovery measures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 894-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swati Mittal ◽  
Rajib Lochan Dhar

Purpose – Among the different styles of leadership, transformational leadership has gained most attention from organisational researchers and academics. Although transformational leadership and its work-associated outcomes have been examined in previous literature, only a small number of studies highlighted the role of transformational leadership style in fostering employee creativity, mediated through their creative self-efficacy (CSE) in the context of Indian organisations. The purpose of this paper is to observe the effect of transformational leadership on employee creativity in small and medium sized IT companies, where CSE is proposed as a mediator and knowledge sharing as a moderator through which a transformational leader tends to influence the creativity of the employees. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 348 manager-employee dyads of small and medium size IT companies operating in India. They replied to questions about their leader’s transformational leadership style, employee CSE, knowledge sharing and creativity. Findings – Findings of the present study, derived from a hierarchical regression analysis, using the data of 348 manager-employee dyads from Indian IT SMEs professionals, revealed that CSE mediates the relation between transformational leadership and employee creativity. In addition, knowledge sharing acts as a moderator for CSE and employee creativity. Research limitations/implications – A sample size is one probable limitation of the study. Another limitation of the study is that factors used for the survey were self-reported by the respondents. Self-reporting may not always produce reliable and accurate response. Practical implications – Based on the results, this study presents strong theoretical and managerial implications that can be used by IT organisations to evaluate the consequence of transformational leadership on employee creativity. Through transformational leadership style, leader can develop CSE and employee creativity to do things in a better way and develop knowledge sharing in employees for high performance. Therefore, the IT industry need to understand that creativity is one of the approaches to attaining and sustaining competitive advantage. In addition, it is important for them to find out more about the relation between transformational leadership, CSE and employee creativity. Originality/value – The study adds to the existing literature by illuminating the process through which transformational leadership has a significant effect on fostering CSE and employee creativity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiqing Shi ◽  
Taiwen Feng ◽  
Zhiyi Li

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the inverted U-shaped relationship between green customer integration (GCI) and opportunistic behavior, as well as the moderating effects of contractual control and relational norms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted hierarchical regression analysis using two-waved data from 206 Chinese manufacturing firms to test hypotheses.FindingsThe authors found that GCI has an inverted U-shaped effect on opportunistic behavior. Furthermore, both contractual control and relational norms negatively moderate the inverted U-shaped relationship between GCI and opportunistic behavior.Originality/valueThis study uncovers an inverted U-shaped link between GCI and opportunistic behavior by combining transaction cost economics and social exchange theory. Furthermore, this study reveals contractual control and relational norms can be deemed as two boundary conditions affecting the inverted U-shaped GCI–opportunistic behavior relationship. This study also offers managerial implications for firms curbing opportunistic behavior that may result from GCI.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Luis Saavedra Torres ◽  
Monika Rawal ◽  
Ramin Bagherzadeh

Purpose This paper aims to examine the role of brand attachment as a relevant construct in customers’ evaluation after they face a service failure which impacts future consumer behaviors. It mainly answers the research question: does brand attachment cushion or amplify the effect of service failure on customers’ negative emotions? Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design was conducted. Data analysis was performed with ANOVA and moderated mediation. Findings Customer’s feelings toward a brand (brand attachment) that existed before a service failure occurred can regulate customer’s negative emotions especially when consumer attribute service failure to a controllable cause. This process minimizes the effect of service failure in customer’s satisfaction and consequently increase customer behaviors like word of mouth and loyalty intentions. Research limitations/implications Adding perceived intentionality as a service failure’s attribution could provide another layer of explanation of customer behavior. Also, an expanded study using a sector characterized by higher cost of change and permanent consumption could provide result’s generalizability. Practical implications Brand attachment should be included in the customer service strategy. In a service failure situation, brand attachment becomes part of the “service customer policy” helping customers to regulate their negative emotions. Originality/value This study fills the knowledge gap regarding the role of customers’ positive emotions toward brands when a service failure occurs. The current study extends branding literature by differentiating brand attachment role from coping tactics.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Riaz ◽  
Muhammad Ishfaq Khan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the asymmetric impact of service failure severity and agreeableness on consumer switchover intention with the mediating role of consumer forgiveness in the aftermath of service failure. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 364 university students were given a hypothetical service failure situation and their response was collected through a standardized questionnaire. Multiple regression and Preacher and Hayes (2004) mediation analysis tests were conducted to analyze data. Findings – The findings reveal that service failure severity has a direct positive impact on switchover intention and it also has an indirect impact on switchover intention through consumer forgiveness which it tends to weaken. On the other side, agreeableness has a direct negative impact on switchover intention, and it inhibits switchover intention indirectly too by stimulating forgiveness. Research limitations/implications – A cross-sectional study involving convenience sampling has been conducted through self-report measures. Generalization of the research findings shall therefore be done with caution. Practical implications – Severity of failure hampers forgiveness and therefore service managers should check factors that may challenge the tolerance level of consumers. While gauging satisfaction in post failure scenario, it is equally important to gauge consumer forgiveness. Originality/value – This study is among the initial endeavors to explore forgiveness in service failures context. Also it is the first validation of a direct positive relationship between agreeableness and forgiveness in a South Asian country.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramakrishna Salagrama ◽  
Sanjeev Prashar ◽  
Sai Vijay Tata

PurposeThis study aims to investigate antecedents of forgiveness from the non-complainers point of view after a service failure in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study bases itself on the theoretical foundations of the Cognitive Emotive Coping model. In the first study, a survey-based design was used for soliciting responses from 291 respondents. An experimental research design was undertaken in the second study, and data were recorded from 120 respondents. Data were analysed using both SPSS and AMOS.FindingsAll the antecedent variables, except, affective commitment was found to influence forgiveness significantly. Further, forgiveness also positively influenced repurchase intentions and had a negative influence on negative word-of-mouth. The findings also suggest that the service failure severity effectively moderates the relationship between empathy and forgiveness.Originality/valueThis paper extends the cognitive emotive coping model from the non-complainers point of view by adding relational constructs to it. This study observes that affective commitment is not necessarily related to forgiveness in contrast to existing literature. The relationship between empathy and forgiveness is stronger when failure severity is low.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-37
Author(s):  
Carmen Otero-Neira ◽  
Carmen Padin ◽  
Juan Carlos Sosa Varela ◽  
Maria Santos Corrada ◽  
Irma Magana ◽  
...  

Purpose – This paper aims to assess negative emotions in Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish service settings in the hospital industry. The paper also attempts to validate previous findings in existing theory and previous studies across three national samples and describes the similarities and differences in negative emotions between Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish service settings. Design/methodology/approach – The current study comprised Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Spaniards who experienced a service failure (i.e. critical incident) in hospital settings within the past year. A descriptive research design was followed, and a self-administered questionnaire was applied to gather the data from respondents. Findings – The three-dimensional construct of negative emotions commonly identified in existing theory and previous studies of negative emotions turned out to be four in the current multinational study. Research limitations/implications – The four-dimensional construct of negative emotions thus revealed is relevant and valuable to research. A number of research limitations are provided, all of which provide opportunities for further research in assessing negative emotions in service settings. Practical implications – Service providers need to manage and deal with the negative emotions in service failures in an appropriate manner. It is necessary that the front-line staff identify and understand the reasons behind service receiver’s negative emotions in service failures, and that they act accordingly to reduce the intensity of critical incidents and the overall negative consequences. Originality/value – The negative emotions assessed provide a fruitful contribution and do not only complement additional facets to existing theory and previous studies of negative emotions in service settings but also fortify the notion that further research is required to gain an enhanced understanding and additional insights into them across countries and cultures, just as it is crucial to manage the occurrence of negative emotions in critical incidents accurately.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Hung Chang ◽  
Leigh Robinson ◽  
Shih-Tung Shu ◽  
Shang-Chun Ma

Purpose Customers’ innovativeness regarding services and products affects their purchase behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderation effect of fitness innovativeness (FI) (domain-specific innovativeness) and duration of stay on fitness customers’ revisit frequency. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative study. The purposive sampling survey method was used to obtain samples from the Taipei Nangang Fitness Center. Data were analyzed by moderated regression analysis. Findings The empirical results from 192 valid questionnaires that were obtained for data analysis revealed that FI has a positive impact on revisit frequency, and this impact is further increased if an individual is inclined to exercise and to stay longer at the fitness center. Originality/value A matrix of fitness innovator segments was developed to illustrate the research and managerial implications.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Ortiz ◽  
Tao-Sheng Chiu ◽  
Chih Wen-Hai ◽  
Che-Wei Hsu

Purpose The research framework of this study is based on tri-component attitude model (cognition-affect-conation) which explores consumers’ positive or negative emotions, as well as various types of thoughts and actions, triggered by their perceived justice in the context of service failure. This study aims to probe the possible mediating and moderating effects caused by the process where consumers form their thoughts and actions. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a survey to consumers after restaurant dining. This study collects data from 262 respondents and analyzes the data with the structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that perceived justice has significant effect on empathy, anger, positive word-of-mouth, repurchase intention and revenge. Empathy has a significant and positive effect on positive word-of-mouth. Anger has significant and positive effects on revenge and avoidance. Empathy is a mediator between perceived justice and positive word-of-mouth. Blame attribution and service failure severity are the moderators in the relationship between perceived justice and empathy/anger. Research limitations/implications Consumers might have experienced the scenarios described in the questionnaire and their responses might be based on recall of their previous dining experiences in other restaurants, thereby resulting in a time lapse problem and affecting the conclusions of this study. Practical implications It is not adequate to gain consumers’ choices just demonstrate favorable customer perceived justice and empathy in today’s industrial highly competitiveness because blame attribution and perception of service failure severity result in different positive and negative emotions and behavioral intentions. Therefore, food and beverage industry must have a various recovery approaches to recover service failure and create a more appealing relationship with consumers. Originality/value This study investigates the relationships among perceived justice, emotions and behavioral intentions which are seldom discussed in the past studies. In addition, this study investigates the mediating effect of empathy in the relationship between perceived justice and positive word-of-mouth. The results of this study indicate that blame attribution and service failure severity are the moderators between perceived justice and emotions (empathy/anger). The mediator of empathy and the moderators of blame attribution and service failure severity can enhance the research gap in the context of service recovery for the tri-component attitude model.


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