Barry J. Babin

The Effects of Perceived Co-Worker Involvement and Supervisor Support on Service Provider Role Stress, Performance and Job Satisfaction

Abstract Clearly, retail employees affect retail performance. Yet, organizational theory shows disproportionately little interest in retail employees. This research addresses key aspects of a retail employees work environment, or ‘climate,’ and how these perceptions influence work-related outcomes. Specifically, a causal modelling approach tests relationships among front-line service providers. Results suggest that employee perceptions of co-worker involvement and supervisory support can reduce stress and increase job satisfaction. Other results indicate a positive relationship between role conflict and job performance, a positive relationship between job performance and job satisfaction, and that job performance mediates effects of role stress on satisfaction.

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR IN A SERVICE ENVIRONMENT: A MODEL AND TEST OF POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

The authors examine the attitudes and behaviors of employees who provide frontline service and address the extent to which relationships vary among male and female employees. The overall model pred...

Consumer self-regulation in a retail environment☆☆☆

Abstract The importance of retail store design and merchandising policies rests in the ability of the physical retail environment to alter shopper reactions and behavior. Previous research documents relationships between physical store environments, shopper emotions, and subsequent shopping behavior. Research presented in this paper extends this research by considering the role of consumer self-regulation as a moderator of relationships between shopping emotions and consumer evaluations of the shopping experience. Structural equations analyses support this assertion and suggest disparate outcomes depending upon ones self-regulatory tendency. Results also show that feelings of dominance, previously dismissed as unimportant, significantly alter shopping behavior among those low in self-regulation.

The nature of satisfaction: An updated examination and analysis

Abstract The preponderance of recent satisfaction research focuses on things that cause satisfaction. Measurement articles addressing the precise conceptualization of consumer satisfaction are more than a decade old. In that time, many advances in analytical approaches used to delineate and operationalize latent constructs have been made. The research presented here uses advances in both satisfaction research and measurement theory to provide a more precise view of consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction than has been previously offered. While some researchers have used indicators that, arguably, lack face validity due to contamination of other closely related constructs, the conceptualization offered here maximizes face validity and is more true to the nature of reflective indicators of latent constructs. Additionally, the possibility of distinct satisfaction and dissatisfaction constructs is investigated.

Modeling consumer satisfaction and word‐of‐mouth: restaurant patronage in Korea

Purpose – The research seeks to extend the notions of utilitarian and hedonic value to account for outcomes of consumer service encounters.Design/methodology/approach – The research question is examined using a sample of Korean restaurant consumers who used a structured questionnaire to evaluate their dining experience. Structural equations analysis is used to test various research hypotheses and examine the extent to which consumer service value mediates the effect of the environment on customer satisfaction and future intentions.Findings – Key findings include the ability of the consumer service value scale to account for utilitarian and hedonic value, the role of functional and affective service environment components in shaping consumer satisfaction and future patronage intentions and the relative diagnosticity of positive affect.Research limitations/implications – There is a need to extend the results to a diverse range of cultures.Practical implications – Restaurant managers should place increased e...

Seeking something different? A model of schema typicality, consumer affect, purchase intentions and perceived shopping value

Abstract A study is presented that examines the effect of specific retail elements on deviations from the expected schema, or prototypicality, of a retail store. The results suggest that subtle differences in the store name, the location, and the appearance of its salespeople can evoke contrast in the form of variable typicality scores. A structural model is presented that shows the outcomes of this variance in a retail context involving womens apparel stores. Low typicality is associated with increased excitement and discomfort, and these emotions affect patronage intentions and perceived shopping value. This finding is counterbalanced by a direct, positive link between typicality and patronage intentions.

On the front lines: Stress, conflict, and the customer service provider

Abstract Previous marketing research examines role stress (role conflict and role ambiguity) as an antecedent of job satisfaction across a range of professional marketing contexts. Recently, research has begun to address the impact of nonwork factors on employee job satisfaction. For the most part, however, this research ignores the front line service providers who, given their key role in building customer satisfaction and relationships, are immensely important in many business settings. In this study, a model is developed and tested that posits work-family conflict as a partial mediator of the role stress-job satisfaction relationship. Empirical results suggest that increased role conflict and role ambiguity diminish job satisfaction both directly and indirectly, such that the true effect of these important role constructs may not be understood without a consideration of work/family conflict. Results are contrasted with those from other work domains, and implications for marketing managers are discussed.

An Examination of the Relationships between Retail Work Environments, Salesperson Selling Orientation-Customer Orientation and Job Performance

This research examines the relationship between three organizational level constructs and salesperson’s selling orientation-customer orientation (SOCO) in an in-store retail setting. Respondents represent a wide variety of retail firms. A firm’s customer orientation, centralization, and employee perceptions of support from individuals in the organization were significantly related to customer orientation, selling orientation, or both. Firm level customer orientation and perceptions of work environment support were positively related to a salesperson’s degree of customer orientation and negatively related to selling orientation. Centralization was positively related to selling orientation but not to customer orientation. Customer orientation was positively related to performance, while selling orientation was not related.

Shopping Values of Russian Consumers: The Impact of Habituation in a Developing Economy

Abstract In this research, we report upon comparative measures of shopping value in the U.S. and Russian. Given the relatively limited shopping environments provided to Russian consumers, one would anticipate that the measures we examine would reflect much higher evaluations for U.S. shoppers. We inject doubt into that expectation through resort to habituation theory. Habituation theory, for which a number of articles have appeared in the 1990s reflects the belief that for emotional and physiological reactions, consumer evaluations may be subject to adaptation. Consumers exposed to relatively poor conditions may nevertheless adapt and show little difference in enjoyment than those who benefit from richer conditions. Consumers, in short, adapt to their surroundings and produce measures of evaluation that reflect their interaction with the environment. Our research results find evidence of this adaptation. Shoppers in Russia report lower ratings in the utility of their shopping systems, specifically their ability to complete a shopping task. Contrarily, their reports for hedonic values, or the pleasure derived from using their shopping systems, are similar to those in the U.S. We conclude that habituation is more likely to meaningfully affect hedonic values as compared to utilitarian. These results also suggest that the evaluation of measures of pleasure or satisfaction for consumers may need to be scrutinized carefully for evidence of the habituation effect to insure correct interpretation.

Representing the Perceived Ethical Work Climate among Marketing Employees

This research develops and tests a measurement model representing the ethical work climate of marketing employees involved in sales and/or service-providing positions. A series of studies are used to identify potential items and validate four ethical-climate dimensions. The four dimensions represent trust/responsibility, the perceived ethicalness of peers’ behavior, the perceived consequences of violating ethical norms, and the nature of selling practices as communicated by the firm. Both first- and second-order levels of abstraction are validated. Relationships with role stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment are described and discussed. The scale is unique from previous attempts in its scope, intended purpose (marketing employees), the validation procedures, and in that it is not scenario dependent. The results suggest the usefulness of the marketing ethical climate construct in both developing theory and in providing advice for marketing practice.