The relationships among overall quick-casual restaurant image,perceived value,customer satisfaction,and behavioral intentions

The purpose of this research is to explain the relationships among overall quick-casual restaurant image, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in the quick-casual restaurant industry. The findings indicate that overall quick-casual restaurant image significantly influences perceived value, and overall quick-casual restaurant image and perceived value had a significant role in influencing customer satisfaction. Additionally, overall quick-casual restaurant image, perceived value, and customer satisfaction are significant predictors of customers’ behavioral intentions. Finally, customer satisfaction can act as a partial mediator in the relationship between overall quick-casual restaurant image/perceived value and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, we discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings and future research ideas.     

Experience quality,perceived value,satisfaction and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists

This paper examines the visitor experience of heritage tourism and investigates the relationships between the quality of those experiences, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. A total of 447 respondents completed a survey conducted at four main heritage sites in Tainan, Taiwan. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, the results reveal the direct effects of the quality of experience on perceived value and satisfaction. However, it is the indirect and not direct effects of the quality of experience that impact on behavioral intentions when mediated by perceived value and satisfaction. Overall, the relationship “experience quality → perceived value → satisfaction → behavioral intentions” appears to be evident.     

Influence of restaurant atmospherics on patron satisfaction and behavioral intentions

The purpose of this research was to investigate empirically the influence of restaurant atmospherics on the dining satisfaction and behavioral intentions of restaurant patrons. An extensive literature review first identified five dimensions of restaurant atmospherics, namely: facility aesthetics, ambience, spatial layout, employee factors, and the view from the window. Data were collected from 10 middle and upscale full-service restaurants in Hong Kong, and factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were then performed to unveil the relationship between restaurant atmospherics and dining satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The results reveal restaurant atmospherics to have a significant influence on patrons’ dining satisfaction and their behavioral intentions, particularly their intentions to return and spread positive word-of-mouth and their willingness to pay more. Dining satisfaction itself was also found to have a significant influence on behavioral intentions, particularly the intentions to return and to recommend the restaurant. The paper concludes with the practical implications of the research.     

The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions: Evidence from Chinese online visitors

With the increasing popularity of online shopping and being the most populated country in the world, China is one of the major online markets now and is likely to become the largest market in the future. In the academic literature, website quality has generally been recognized as a critical step to drive business online. As such, numerous studies have been devoted to website quality and evaluations. Research efforts are, however, in need of understanding the use of websites in regards to online customers’ behavior, especially Chinese customers. This study developed and empirically tested a conceptual model of the impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions. Results indicated that website quality has a direct and positive impact on customer satisfaction, and that customer satisfaction has a direct and positive impact on purchase intentions. While the influence of website quality on purchase intentions exists, customer satisfaction does significantly mediate this effect. Drawing on the empirical findings, managerial implications and recommendations for future research are offered.     

An examination of the differences in retail service evaluation between domestic and tourist shoppers in Hong Kong

In recent years, the concept of customer perceived value has attracted increasing attention among practitioners and academics. Despite a growing body of literature, calls remain for more sophisticated measures of the construct. This paper investigates an expanded scale of customer perceived value among two shopper groups and its resulting impact on retail performance. Findings reveal distinct differences in the drivers of customer perceived value between local and tourist shoppers in Hong Kong. Results offer significant implications for retailers and future research in this strategically important area.     

The impact of personal and functional aspects of restaurant employee service behaviour on customer satisfaction

Employee behaviour plays a significant role in satisfying restaurant customers, however, there is a paucity of research highlighted personal and functional aspects of employee behaviour and their influence on customer satisfaction. Accordingly, this study aims to bring a deeper insight of the impact of restaurant employee service behaviour on customer satisfaction. Using survey approach, the current study collected data from 212 tourists who had a dining experience in Jordan. The results of data analysis showed that both functional and personal aspects of service behaviour where able to explain customer satisfaction, with higher contribution of personal aspects over the functional ones. Depending on study’s findings, some implications were suggested including a recommendation to foodservice managers to adopt reinforcement programs that improve functional and personal aspects of their employees. A further recommendation was proposed to marketers, to give a higher attention to personal aspects of foodservices in their marketing activities.     

A Study of Experiential Quality,Equity, Happiness,Rural Image,Experiential Satisfaction,and Behavioral Intentions for the Rural Tourism Industry in China

This study aims at examining the interrelationships among experiential quality, equity, happiness, rural image, experiential satisfaction, and behavioral intentions for the rural tourism industry in China. The data used in this study were based on a sample of 694 rural tourists staying in Sansheng Flower Town of Chengdu, indicating that the proposed model fits the data. The result of this study will assist rural tourism management in developing and implementing market-orientated service strategies to increase experiential quality and equity, and enhance the image and experiential satisfaction of rural tourists in order to generate favorable intentions to return or revisit the same rural village.     

An Empirical Study of the Effect of Customer Participation on Service Quality

Abstract

Using 185 completed surveys from hotel customers in Tianjin, China, the authors conducted a multiple regression analysis of the effects of information collection, participation in service design and standard build-up, interaction with employees, and “word of mouth” communication with hotel customers. It was found that these four dimensions of customer participation had a direct relationship with service quality.     

A customer satisfaction index model for international tourist hotels: Integrating consumption emotions into the American Customer Satisfaction Index

This study integrates consumption emotions into the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) model to propose a hotel customer satisfaction index (H-CSI) model that can be applied to estimate customer satisfaction toward international tourist hotels. The H-CSI scale items were designed based on reference to the relevant literature and the suggestions of a focus group. Four-hundred and twelve customers of international tourist hotels were surveyed. The partial least squares method was employed to validate the measurement instruments in the H-CSI model and estimate item weights for the customer satisfaction scales. The H-CSI model is a comprehensive model for the measurement of customer satisfaction that includes most possible antecedents and outcomes. The research results show that the H-CSI model displayed strong explanatory power based on its reliability and validity. Accordingly, if hotel managers apply the H-SCI model instead of a general customer satisfaction survey, they can obtain a robust estimation of customer satisfaction, as well as extra information of post-purchase customer behavior to better manage customer satisfaction and achieve a competitive advantage.     

Applying mixed methods to identify what drives quick service restaurant's customer satisfaction at the unit-level

The current study addresses issues related to developing a set of critical quality attributes. The primary research objective was to address drawbacks of importance–performance method and develop a novel approach that identifies satisfaction drivers for unit-level quick service restaurant (QSR). The new approach is based on synthesis of qualitative, PRCA, and importance grid methods. Basic (taste, temperature, and accuracy), performance (friendliness) and excitement (cleanliness, speed, and ease of understanding) factors were identified for a QSR context. The current findings help to resolve the problem of performance optimization and identify an optimal set of QSR attributes to allocate resources. Taste, temperature, and accuracy must be ensured as top priority. Then, friendliness should also be ensured and only after that the resources should be allocated to cleanliness, speed, and ease of understanding. Generalizability of the findings is bounded by the fact that only one QSR chain was examined. Additionally, only a limited number of QSR attributes was examined.     

Customer Satisfaction,Training and TQM

Abstract

Managers within the hospitality industry make frequent reference to TQM principles. The extent to which these principles are applied effectively within the human resource management area of hospitality however remains under-researched. By applying TQM principles, this paper focusses on the relationship between customer service and training drawing upon comparative data from Western and Thai hotels. The paper also examines the perceptions of staff towards of hotels' guest-orientation and the provision of quality guest services. The researchers found that guest assessments of the performance of hotel frontline staff depend on their services function (e.g., front-office, housekeeping). The service quality skills needed by frontline staff were also found to differ in the case of Western and Thai hotels. Such differences merit proper consideration on the part of managers within the major hotel chains. The various findings may assist hospitality managers to determine appropriate strategies for the enhancement of guest services particularly in cross-cultural settings.     

The effects of perceived service quality on repurchase intentions and subjective well-being of Chinese tourists: The mediating role of relationship quality

The current study provides and tests an integrated model that examines two relationship quality constructs (overall customer satisfaction, customer-company identification) as mediating variables between Chinese tourists' lodging service quality perceptions and two outcomes (repurchase intentions, subjective well-being). The results of a study with domestic Chinese hotel guests (n = 451) provide support for the proposed model. Specifically, the results indicate that overall customer satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and repurchase intentions and subjective well-being, respectively. Customer-company identification partially mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and repurchase intentions and subjective wellbeing, respectively. We provide empirical validation that customers do, indeed, identify with hospitality providers, and this, in-turn, provides positive consequences for both the service provider (i.e., repurchase intentions) and the customer (i.e., subjective well-being). Managerial implications are provided, limitations noted, and future research directions suggested.     

Foreign travelers’ satisfaction with traditional Korean restaurants

Despite the tourism growth in Korea, foreign travelers remain dissatisfied with Korean restaurants. Accordingly, this research investigates the factors influencing foreign travelers’ satisfaction with traditional Korean restaurants. Using a modified SERVQUAL scale, three dimensions of service quality (‘intangibles’, ‘tangibles’, and ‘food’) as well as expectation and value for money appear to positively influence foreign travelers’ satisfaction with traditional Korean restaurants. In turn, foreign travelers’ satisfaction has a positive influence on both their intention to revisit and their intention to recommend. The results of this study are useful to help restaurants develop strategies to strengthen foreign travelers’ satisfaction with their experience at traditional Korean restaurants.     

Perceptions of Chinese restaurants in the U.S.: What affects customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions?

This study investigates American customers’ perceptions of Chinese restaurants in the U.S., using the Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) approach. This study also examines which attributes of Chinese restaurants influence American customers’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The IPA shows that environmental cleanliness and attentive service are two important areas where Chinese restaurateurs can make improvements. In addition, food taste and service reliability appear to be key attributes for Chinese restaurants’ success. Overall, this study indicates that food quality, service reliability and environmental cleanliness are three pivotal attributes to create satisfied customers and positive post-dining behavioral intentions. Chinese restaurant managers should reasonably allocate their limited resources to restaurant attributes based on their contributions to customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions.     

Switching intention model development: Role of service performances,customer satisfaction,and switching barriers in the hotel industry

The intricate relationships among core service and service encounter performances, customer satisfaction, and switching barriers in the formation of satisfaction and switching intention were examined in this study. A field survey was conducted at upper-midscale hotels. The results of the structural analysis revealed that both core service and service encounter performances significantly affected customer satisfaction, and satisfaction completely mediated the effects of service performances on switching intention. In addition, findings from the tests for metric invariances indicated that components of switching barriers (switching costs, relational investment, and lack of alternatives’ attractiveness) moderated the relationships between satisfaction and switching intention. In particular, the role of satisfaction derived from service performances in decreasing hotel guests’ intention to switch is greater when they perceive high switching costs, relational investment, and lack of alternatives’ attractiveness. Based on study findings, theoretical and practical implications are identified and discussed.     

Service quality and customer satisfaction: The moderating effects of hotel star rating

This research contributes to customer satisfaction knowledge with regard to accommodation in South Africa whose star grading differs. A multi-group analysis and an importance-performance map analysis by means of PLS-SEM allow us to differentiate between service quality performance scores and their influences on customer satisfaction across accommodation with a different star grading. The two most important predictors of satisfaction with one-star and two-star category accommodation are the accommodation infrastructure and the employee expertise. Both predictors were found to have relatively low levels of performance. Safety and security and room quality are two significant determinants of satisfaction with three-star establishments, although they under-perform with regard to safety and security. In respect of four-star and five-star accommodation, waiting time and customer interaction, both of which have above average performance scores, influence customer satisfaction. We provide specific guidelines for managerial interventions to improve service quality and guests’ satisfaction for each grading category.     

How Service Quality Affects Customer Loyalty in the Travel Agency: The Effects of Customer Satisfaction,Service Recovery,and Perceived Value

This study develops a conceptual model of the effects of service quality on customer loyalty that reflects the mediating role of customer satisfaction and the moderating role of service recovery and perceived value, and applies this model to the travel industry. A survey and analysis confirm that customer satisfaction is positively influenced by service quality, and customer loyalty is positively influenced by customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer loyalty is indirectly influenced by service quality through the mediator of customer satisfaction. The relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction is found to be stronger for customers who have a positive experience of service recovery; and the correlation between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is stronger for customers who perceive high service value.     

Enhancing Luxury Cruise Liner Operators' Competitive Advantage: A Study Aimed at Improving Customer Loyalty and Future Patronage

The services marketing literature focuses on the measurement of service quality and its impact and consequences on businesses. How service quality affects behavioral outcomes such as repeat purchases and loyalty continues to be debated. This study examines how service quality operates in the cruise liner industry—an industry that is now facing overcapacity. Based on data collected from travelers of a luxury cruise liner in Singapore, this study analyzed relevant dimensions of service quality and their relationships on overall satisfaction level. Additionally, it investigated details of cruise travelers' behavioral outcomes. The analysis revealed gaps in several service quality attributes. Overall customer satisfaction had a relatively strong relationship with all the three variables of behavioral intentions. The implications of the results of this study to the services marketing literature in general and to the cruise liner industry in particular are discussed.     

Exploring asymmetric effects of attribute performance on customer satisfaction using association rule method

Identifying primary service attributes that generate customer satisfaction (CS) is critical to organizational success. The Kano model demonstrates an asymmetric relationship between attribute performance and CS. However, extant regression-based approaches for classifying Kano's quality attributes have theoretical limitations, such as multicollinearity problems, resulting in spurious inferences. The association rule (AR) method is widely used in data mining to explore the associations or correlations among variables because it does not require the typical assumptions associated with regression analyses. The framework developed in this study incorporates the AR method to classify Kano's quality attributes. The effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated using a case study of a restaurant chain. The proposed method is more practical for classifying Kano's quality attributes because it shortens the time required for data collection. Moreover, the proposed method reduces computational complexity. Validity test results indicate that the proposed method markedly outperforms some regression-based approaches.     

The Effect of Technical and Functional Quality on Guests’ Perceived Hotel Service Quality and Satisfaction: A SEM-PLS Analysis

Numerous models on perceived service quality are discussed in literature besides SERVQUAL including technical and functional quality model. Functional quality attributes have been well studied but studies about technical quality attributes are rather limited. This article aims to integrate existing frameworks and propose antecedents towards perceived service quality and resulting customer satisfaction. A total of 204 questionnaires were collected from the guests staying at hotels in Malaysia. Partial least squares (PLS-SEM) method was employed to test the proposed relationships. Findings from the study support the significant relationship between functional quality, technical quality, overall perceived service quality and guest satisfaction. Furthermore, the first order constructs on the designated second order constructs support that both functional quality and technical quality as second order reflective constructs with five and three first order dimensions respectively. Practical implications and limitations of the study are discussed in detail.