Service quality in restaurant operations in China: Decision- and experiential-oriented perspectives

Using the decision- and experiential-oriented perspectives as theoretical guides, this article reported an empirical assessment of service quality in restaurant operations. We proposed and tested a conceptual model of service quality using structural equation modeling. Using data from a sample of 284 customers from two large full-service restaurants in southern China, we investigated the relationships of service quality, customer satisfaction, and frequency of patronage. The results supported the significant links between service quality and customer satisfaction, service quality and repeat patronage, but not customer satisfaction and repeat patronage. The study has provided important insights into service quality and customer satisfaction in the field of restaurant operations.     

Assessing the influence of goal pursuit and emotional attachment on customer engagement behaviors

This study draws on customer-dominant logic and self-expansion theory to examine the drivers of customer engagement behaviors in the context of emerging online interest communities. The engagement behaviors seen in online communities are operationalized into four types: augmenting, co-developing, influencing, and mobilizing. Goal pursuit (gratifying-the-self, enabling-the-self, and enriching-the-self) and emotional attachment to the community are found to be the key antecedent factors of these behaviors. The attainment of gratifying-the-self has a direct influence on these behaviors, whereas the attainment of enabling-the-self and enriching-the-self influences them via emotional attachment to the community.     

Towards a taxonomy-based preferred-customer model for suppliers in air cargo express service markets

Drawing on social exchange and push–pull–mooring theories, this paper develops a taxonomy-based preferred-customer model for B2B air express markets. Our model extends the conventional bilateral customer-supplier relationship perspective of customer portfolio management to include competition effects for more comprehensive (trilateral) strategic decision making. Based on this unified framework, our a survey of 180 customers of air cargo express carriers identifies three distinctive groups of preferred customers. In addition to the effect of competitors on air express carriers’ prioritization of customers, which is further complicated by a satisfaction paradox and spurious loyalty, we further establish classification indicators for differentiating preferred from non-preferred customers. Notably, although commonly used in practice, we find sales volumes to be ineffective for that purpose.     

Customer satisfaction and service quality in the Chinese airline industry

This paper focuses on studying the relationship between customer satisfaction, measured by customer complaints, and the service quality of Chinese carriers. By using a quarterly unbalanced panel data set covering twelve large and small carriers, our fixed effect Tobit analysis shows that customer complaints rise with increases in the number of damaged bags, but at a declining rate. By contrast, the on-time performance of scheduled flights has no significant effect on customer complaints. Furthermore, non-state or privately owned carriers receive significantly more customer complaints compared with state-owned carriers, and the largest number of complaints are made in the third quarter, which covers the high season of the summer holidays.     

客户关系管理的研究现状、不足和未来展望

本文认为,企业实施客户关系管理的动因主要有顾客角色的变化与交换双方权力的转移,超强竞争环境,营销管理重心的转变以及互联网等通讯基础设施与技术的蓬勃发展等四个方面。目前客户关系管理研究中的主要问题是狭隘地理解客户关系管理,仅仅将其看作是一种管理软件;顾客权益的内涵尚不明确;尚未找到一种能够平衡顾客价值与企业价值的绩效评价方法;对顾客知识的研究基本空白等。文章还指出了未来客户关系管理研究的四大主要领域,即顾客权益合理内涵、评价方法与驱动因素及其在CRM中的应用;顾客价值的内涵多维动态评价体系、创造机制与驱动因素;顾客知识管理模型与数据挖掘技术的运用以及价值导向型客户关系管理的实施流程与竞争能力等。     

Disentangling satisfaction of tenants on science parks: A multiple case study in Belgium

While science parks represent one of the most important policy initiatives to stimulate firm development and growth, their contributions are still highly debated. This paper takes a novel customer-oriented approach to disentangle the contributions science parks provide to their tenants. Particularly, we qualitatively explore when and how science park tenants reach customer satisfaction and how tenants cope with low levels of satisfaction. Our study finds that reaching customer satisfaction is contingent on tenants’ expectations, perceived service quality, and pre-entry achievements. We further disentangle coping strategies used by tenants when they are confronted with low levels of satisfaction. Our study provides important theoretical contributions to the organizational sponsorship literature by adding new insights from social psychology and holds valuable practical and policy implications.     

The role of loyalty programs in boosting hotel guest loyalty: Impact of switching barriers

This study examines the relationships among the perceived value of a loyalty program, customer satisfaction with a loyalty program, affective commitment, switching barriers, and customer brand loyalty in the hotel context. An online survey method with a quantitative approach was used. Our results from a structural equation model revealed that the perceived value of a loyalty program is essential in the formation of customer brand loyalty. Lastly, findings from an indirect analysis showed that affective commitment and switching barriers mediated the relationship between the perceived value of a loyalty program and customer brand loyalty. Overall, our research will help researchers and practitioners demonstrate to the industry that the loyalty program is a crucial strategy for customer loyalty and helps develop competitive loyalty programs for success.     

It makes me feel vulnerable! The impact of public self-disclosure on online complaint behavior

Genuine reviews are essential for financial performance and for customer trust. In the case of a negative experience, withholding negative reviews may lead to biased online information. This paper aims to investigate two factors that may prompt customers to withhold their complaints (i.e., identity disclosure and locus of control). The study adopts a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach. An exploratory interview phase compares public vs anonymous online environments, and explores the reasons why dissatisfied customers might decide not to complain. An experiment then shows that vulnerability is a key mechanism preventing negative reviews. This effect is exaggerated when customers perceive that they do not have control over the events happening in their lives (i.e., external locus of control). Our work uncovers an important determinant of online complaint behavior, vulnerability. It also offers practical suggestions, such as improving confidentiality, to increase a customer's willingness to complain following a negative experience.     

Customer mistreatment and employee well-being: A daily diary study of recovery mechanisms for frontline restaurant employees in a hotel

Research on customer mistreatment towards frontline service employees in the hospitality industry has been steadily rising in recent years, but little is known about the mechanism underlying its detrimental impact on the non-work life of employees and why some of them could handle it effectively. By integrating conservation of resources theory with the stressor-detachment model, this daily diary study examined the effect of daily customer mistreatment on employees’ daily well-being at home (vigor and exhaustion) through daily psychological detachment. Employees’ recovery self-efficacy and the trait of resilience, which might mitigate the process were also examined. An experience sampling methodology was applied, and the survey data were gathered from 54 frontline restaurant employees conducted across 5 consecutive workdays. Results of hierarchical linear modeling supported all the hypotheses in this study. Our findings revealed a spillover effect of customer mistreatment and the importance of improving employees’ recovery in the hospitality context.     

Do consumers care about CSR in their online reviews? An empirical analysis

This research investigates how consumers assess hotels’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices when writing online reviews. The study explores the CSR discourse in online reviews over a 10-year period, highlighting how CSR’s social and environmental dimensions relate to the main hospitality topics (experience, amenities, location, transactions, value). Based on a longitudinal automated text analysis covering 480,000 reviews across six European cities, the findings reveal that hotel customers have gradually begun paying more attention to CSR factors, particularly to social and environmental ones. However, the aggregate results suggest that the overall CSR consumer discourse is still very limited, although it does have important implications in terms of consumer emotions and hospitality dimensions.