Service recovery model: the integrated view

Through the integrated analytical view of overall cultural values and individual emotional intelligence (EI), psychological empowerment and management involvement, this research explores influences on service recovery. It combines the methods of linear multivariate data analysis and nonlinear fuzzy neural network methods to analyze data and verify the hypotheses. Through an investigation on the subsidiaries of financial groups in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the empirical results showed that the employees with lower EI would be affected by the involvement of management and adopt different service recovery measures; for the employees having traditional eastern cultural values, because of the involvement of management, they would adopt different service recovery measures; when the employees' perceived psychological empowerment level was higher, they were more likely to manage active recovery measures. The characteristic of this research combines the empirical methods of linear multivariate data analysis and the nonlinear fuzzy neural network model. There were rare related studies in the past and in addition, in the comparative studies of the related issues in the past, there were rare focuses on enterprises with different nationalities but sharing the same specific language, which was worthy of further exploration.     

Service recovery expectation model – from the perspectives of consumers

This paper explores the influence of the major attributes of consumers, such as personality traits, gender, number of consumptions, and levels of involvement, on service recovery expectations. A combination of linear multivariate statistical analysis and nonlinear fuzzy neural network models is further used to analyse data and validate hypotheses. Consumers of middle-to-high-end Chinese restaurant chains are sampled as the interactions between these restaurants and consumers are frequent. The empirical research finds that old customers have lower expectations of service recovery than new ones and male consumers have lower expectations than female consumers. Extrovert-type consumers have lower expectations of service recovery than introvert-type consumers. There is a positive correlation between consumers' involvement and service recovery expectation. As this paper examines the expectations of service recovery from the perspectives of consumers, it aims to help companies use pre-processing of service recovery as a precautionary measure, rather than as a remedial measure as mostly seen. Different from the vast majority of literature that deals with the issue by focusing on western enterprises, this paper uses small-and-medium enterprises in Taiwan and constructs management implications accordingly.     

Exploration of lead factors affecting service recovery

This research attempts to explore the influence of empowerment on service recovery from the viewpoint of managers and also to probe into the possible differences in the adoption of service recovery strategies in different corporate cultures. Linear multivariate data analysis and nonlinear fuzzy neural network are combined to analyze data and verify the proposed hypotheses. Through the investigation into Chinese and Western food chain stores, it is shown that the more empowered employees will adopt more active failure recovery strategies; and tougher corporate cultures tend to have passive service recovery strategies, whereas minor corporate cultures tend to have active service recovery strategies. Customer relationship involvement reveals positive influences on the adoption of recovery strategies. The characteristic of this research is that, on the one hand, through the empirical conclusion of the nonlinear fuzzy neural network model, we not only measure the relationship among the variables more precisely, but also have less restrictive conditions. Also, according to organizational management factors, this research proposes and examines the influencing factors affecting service recovery strategies. It explores the responses to service recovery from the viewpoint of internal prevention in the organization, which is different from past research that focussed mostly upon consumers' views.     

The Development of Tertiary Services in the Economy,Labour Market and Employment

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of selected antecedents on the service recovery performance of frontline employees using data from frontline bank employees in Turkey. The results of the path analysis indicate that trait competitiveness, intrinsic motivation, and role ambiguity are significant antecedents of frontline employees' service recovery performance. Results also suggest that the significant consequences of service recovery performance are job satisfaction and intention to leave. The results of the other hypothesised linkages demonstrate that intrinsic motivation, emotional exhaustion, and role ambiguity are significantly associated with frontline employees' job satisfaction. In addition, the current empirical findings provide support for the notion that role ambiguity and emotional exhaustion are significant predictors of intention to leave. Limitations of the study, managerial implications, and implications for future research are discussed.     

The Antecedents of Prosocial Service Behaviours: An Empirical Investigation

Frontline employee attitudes and behaviours during service encounters influence customers' perceptions of service quality. For this reason, the identification of variables that influence service behaviours is important. Much remains unknown about the factors affecting service behaviours in service settings. This study investigates service employees' attitudinal (job satisfaction and organisational commitment) and behavioural (prosocial service behaviours) responses to management strategies (internal communication, professional development and empowerment). One hundred and eighty-eight service employees contributed data, which were analysed using a structural modelling methodology. The authors found that management strategies influence service behaviours directly but the mediating role of job attitudes is not supported.     

The effect of employees' politeness strategy and customer membership on customers' perception of co-recovery and online post-recovery satisfaction

Customer participation is crucial for online service providers to gain and maintain competitive advantages through service recovery. Focusing on the interactive nature of customer participation, this study explored the relationships among employees' politeness strategies, customer membership, perceived co-recovery, and online post-recovery satisfaction. We found that perceived co-recovery was significant for online post-recovery satisfaction. Compared to non-members costumers, members' perceived co-recovery was more positive. Finally, member customers preferred employees to adopt positive politeness strategies, whereas non-member customers preferred negative ones. This study provides valuable suggestions for online service providers to improve online recovery performance.     

The preparedness of critical success factors of IT service management and its effect on performance

Recently, information technology service management (ITSM) has emerged as a challenging research area. ITSM implementation often involves huge investment with unexpected risks. Therefore, understanding the preparedness of critical success factors (CSFs) and its effect on the organizational performance can help in not only reducing the risks but in also providing helpful guidance for enterprises. This empirical study explores the preparedness of ITSM-relevant CSFs and its effect on the organizational performance. The findings show that (1) the more important a CSF is, the more prepared the CSF is; (2) the organizational performance is mostly beneficial from customer and internal business process perspectives; and (3) only a few CSFs can significantly affect the organizational performance. Finally, the implications based on the findings are given for the management of ITSM implementation.     

High-involvement human resource practices,affective commitment,and organizational citizenship behaviors

Although understanding the concept of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) in a service context is important, very few studies have investigated what motivates frontline service employees to exhibit such behaviors. This study examines how high-involvement human resource (HR) practices influence affective commitment, which contributes to citizenship behaviors in service settings from the employees' point of view. Based on previous studies, this study proposed a conceptual model and hypothesized that five constructs of HR practices (i.e. recognition, empowerment, competence development, fair rewards, and information sharing) facilitate the development of frontline employees' affective commitment. This kind of organizational commitment in turn contributes to OCB (i.e. loyalty, participation, and service delivery). Data were collected from 172 contact employees of Taiwanese restaurants. The result indicated that high-involvement HR practices play an important role in determining contact employees' affective commitment. Moreover, affective commitment was found to be an effective linkage between high-involvement HR practices and contact employees' citizenship behaviors.     

Exploring public house employee's perceptions of their status: a UK case study

This paper suggests that employees' perceptions of their occupational status are important to researchers and managers concerned with the broader nature of service work. This ethnography of a single, medium-sized chain of English public houses demonstrates the complex nature of status, identifying four key influences on barworkers' views of their relative standing at work and in the wider community: the nature of the occupation and the employing organisation/environment (barwork in a ‘respectable’ pub chain); the nature of customer relationships (informal, egalitarian); perceived professionalism (personal responsibility at work); and the relative occupational opportunities available (with equivalent jobs offering considerably less status).     

Three Criteria That Separate the Top Sellers from the Cellar Dwellers

Abstract

In the past, studies of the causes and consequences of service failures were generally conducted from the perspective of the consumers. Only a few of the studies were conducted through the perspective of management involvement. Furthermore, qualitative analysis tends to be extensively used in such studies, as well as CIT, case study or multivariate analysis. Therefore, this study is an attempt to use a non-linear fuzzy neural model as the method for empirical study. A survey has been conducted in the chain stores of Starbucks, La New and one vegetarian food store chain. They are industries with a high level of interaction with customers. A total of 104 respondents were samples. The results of this survey indicate that if we are to trace the unanimous reasoning of service defects, the factor of management involvement tends to be higher for employees exhibiting personality characteristics of external control rather than internal control. If the level of service defects becomes seriously high, a higher level of management involvement is necessary for employees exhibiting personality characteristics of external control rather than internal control. For employees exhibiting internal control in personality characteristics, a higher level of management involvement is required to make voluntary moves in pursuing remedial recovery strategy. For employees exhibiting external control in personality characteristics, a lower level of management involvement is required to make voluntary moves in pursuing remedial measures for compensational strategy. The pursuit of remedial recovery strategy may vary according to the situation of service defects. The level of management involvement positively correlates with customer relation strengths. The customer relation strengths positively correlate with the pursuit of remedial recovery strategy.     

Structural relationships among organisation service orientation,employee service performance,and consumer identification

Numerous studies have examined relationship behaviour linking enterprises and consumers from the enterprise perspective rather than the consumer perspective, including consumer approval and relationship maintenance. To redress this imbalance, this study investigates three issues linking the enterprise and consumer perspectives. The first issue involves analysing the influence on the consumers that arises from integrated internal and external environmental resources using service orientation business strategies. The second issue involves exploring the foundations of the relationship factors based on consumer identification that serves to establish consumer relationships. The third issue involves discussing consumer and staff evaluations and experiences of the service. The following opinions can be induced based on the analytical results. Both internal and external environmental characteristics positively affect the service orientation of business. Service orientation positively impacts consumer perceptions of employee service performance. Consumer perceptions of employee service performance have positively impacted consumer identification.     

Employees' overestimation of functional and relational service quality: A gap analysis

This study extends previous research on gap analysis of service quality by including not only functional service quality but also relational benefits. To this end, a field study was carried out in 36 hotels and 35 restaurants. The samples consisted of 213 employees and 657 customers. A questionnaire format was used to measure both functional and relational service quality, as well as customers' loyalty. When comparing employee and customer perceptions, gaps potentially range from ‘overestimation’ (employees' perceptions are greater than customers' perceptions) to ‘underestimation’ (customers' perceptions are greater than employees' perceptions). In general, the results indicated that the employees surveyed overestimated the service quality they offer to customers, although gaps were greater for certain service attributes than for others. In addition, some gaps were more related to customer loyalty than others. The findings also showed that employees' overestimation of relational benefits plays a moderating role, increasing the negative relationship between employees' overestimation of functional service quality and customers' loyalty. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed further in this paper.     

Organisational Change in Service Multinationals: From Radical Change to Destabilisation

Despite the importance of services in the world economy and the present trend toward internationalisation, the amount of research on the internationalisation of services is relatively small. Nevertheless, many service enterprises are currently trying to expand their activities at a world level. Many examples in services could be described through the strategic policies oriented toward this internationalisation. One of the means of internationalisation for any service enterprise is to take advantage of the world privatisation process, and to acquire a given company in a foreign market. In this case, the literature has been clear on the difficulties in incorporating any targeted enterprise within a multinational. In the process of internationalisation through external opportunities, one major element of success is clearly to be able to achieve radical organisational change in the acquired enterprise. This is specifically true in countries facing rapid transformation, such as transition economies. The purpose of this paper is to understand the influence of various change factors on positive perception of change, in taking the example employees' perception in services companies. The methodology of this research is quantitative, with the use of 369 questionnaires received from employees of 2 multinationals in Hungary (the survey was carried out in November and December 1999). One of the innovations of the research is to access the perception of organisational change in service enterprises from the point a view of employees, at all hierarchical levels.     

服务模块化对金融企业创新绩效的影响：组织模块化的调节作用

本文通过数据样本证实服务模块化对金融企业创新绩效存在正向影响。在此基础上,进一步发现组织模块化对服务产品模块化－创新绩效之间的关系有正向的调节作用,但对服务流程模块化－创新绩效之间的关系的正向调节作用未予证实。加入到“镜面假设”的新近对话中,有助于探明产品模块化、流程模块化和组织模块化三个维度之间的关系,从而把握技术型创新与管理型创新之间的紧密联系。     

Implementation and Outcomes of Customer Value: A Dyadic Perspective

This study examines the concept of customer value based on the views shared by service firms and their consumers. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study reveals customer satisfaction and retention as outcomes of front-line service employees' value delivery practices. Our results suggest that service employees' efforts to deliver customer value, even when based on a dyadic view, do not necessarily lead to customer retention. Rather, customers become more loyal when the value provided by service employees is matched by consumers' satisfaction. In other words, satisfaction is an important and necessary mediating variable between employees' efforts and customer retention.     

Analysing retail failure from an historical perspective: A case study of A. Goldberg & Sons plc

Organisational failure has been considered from various perspectives in the academic literature, but there has been less focus on the causes of retail failure. This paper considers the case of A. Goldberg and Sons plc, a retail organisation which, prior to its demise in 1990, had grown from a single Glasgow store in 1908 to a chain of over 100 outlets. Drawing on annual reports, interviews with former directors, and the contents of a company archive, the paper provides evidence of the key factors and decisions that led to the firm's failure. Various internal and external pressures, including over-expansion into new retail space and the general economic downturn, effected Goldberg's ‘failure’.     

基于供应链视角的物流客户服务绩效评价指标体系设计

随着制造和服务的全球化,企业更加关注各种因素对其所处供应链的影响。物流客户服务不仅会对其客户企业产生影响．而且会对客户企业所处供应链产生全方位的影响。因此,本文提出从供应链视角研究物流客户服务绩效评价问题,并用德尔菲法和模糊层次分析法构建了从供应链视角评价物流客户服务绩效的指标体系,得出了时间比成本和质量指标影响作用更大的结论。     

Between a rock and a hard place: Seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors

Service businesses are increasingly facing more demanding customers as a result of a shift in power from the service providers' side to the customers' side. Related literature predominantly examines the negative side of this ongoing trend, while overlooking the positive side. The major aim of this paper is to examine how frontline employees — investment account managers — deal with the ongoing increase in customer demandingness. To address this, we draw on adaptability performance theory to test the facilitating effect of frontline employees' post-transaction service behaviors (SBs) — diligence, inducements, information communication, sportsmanship, and empathy — as a means of adaptation to higher levels of customer demand. Findings indicate that frontline employees adapt most of their SBs' intensities to match customers' demands. The results show that some SBs actually increase the effectiveness and efficiency of frontline employees' service performance, leading to an increase in customer value and satisfaction. Customer value is found as a mediator in some of the relationships between SBs and customer satisfaction. Contrary to the conception of the negative outcomes of customer demandingness, service firms need to consider taking advantage of customer demandingness by stressing the role of frontline employees in adapting to customers’ demands.     

The golden mean: Research on the mechanism of customer participation in employee service innovation

Service innovation is of importance in achieving business success. This study aims to understand how customer participation affects employees' service innovation through zhongyong thinking and verify the moderating role of leadership empowerment in the service section. Data were collected through a paired questionnaire survey with 352 valid frontline employees and their superiors in the starred hotel industry. Multiple linear regressions and bootstrap analysis were performed to examine the hypotheses. The results indicate that customer participation is positively related to zhongyong thinking and service innovation, and zhongyong thinking partially mediates the main effect. In addition, service innovation is more substantial when leadership empowerment is high, and customer participation has a weaker impact on zhongyong thinking when leadership empowerment is low. This study contributes to the employee service innovation literature by confirming that customer participation and employees' zhongyong thinking play vital roles in the Chinese service context. This study also helps service managers understand that empowering their subordinates can facilitate employees' service innovation.     

Smart technology and service employees’ job crafting: Relationship between STARA awareness,performance pressure,receiving and giving help,and job crafting

Owing to the rapid spread of smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA), service jobs are being replaced by these technologies. Despite the potential effect of STARA awareness on employee outcomes, surprisingly few studies have explored its role service employees' work outcomes. Addressing this gap, our research assessed the mediating relationship between STARA awareness, performance pressure, and job crafting, as well as the moderating effects of help-receiving and help-giving on this relationship. We conducted a quantitative study for 301 South Korean service employees using surveys collected at two points in time. The results indicated that service employees' STARA awareness positively affected job crafting through performance pressure. Furthermore, the association between STARA awareness and performance pressure was more prominent for higher levels of help-receiving than for lower levels of help-receiving. Help-receiving further moderated the indirect effect of performance pressure on the STARA awareness and job crafting relationship. While the mitigating effect of help-giving was not supported, we observed a significantly positive association between STARA awareness and performance pressure only when help-receiving was high and help-giving was low. These findings contribute to the literature on technology in the retailing sector by uncovering how STARA awareness affects service employees’ performance pressure and job crafting and the roles played by help-giving and help-receiving in this relationship.