Chihyung Ok

Customer Orientation of Service Employees and Rapport: Influences On Service-Outcome Variables in Full-Service Restaurants

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the construct of “customer orientation in service employees” (COSE) on service-outcome variables. In particular, the study assesses (a) the direct influence of COSE on two service-outcome variables (“customer satisfaction” and “affective commitment”); (b) the indirect influence of COSE on these two variables via the mediating construct of “rapport”; and (c) ultimately, the effect of COSE on “repurchase intention” via the other variables. The article develops a conceptual model of the constructs involved (COSE, “rapport,” “customer satisfaction,” “affective commitment,” and “repurchase intention”) and proposes hypotheses regarding the relationships within the model. The conceptual model and hypotheses are then tested in a sample of customers of full-service restaurants. The study finds that COSE enhances customer satisfaction and affective commitment, and that rapport mediates the effects of COSE on these variables. The study also finds that COSE ultimately enhances repurchase intention via these variables. The study thus confirms the importance of COSE and rapport in enhancing customer satisfaction and retention in the food-service industry.

Generalizing survey results from student samples: implications from service recovery research

The use of college students as research subjects in consumer research may or may not be appropriate. This paper discusses the external validity of research findings using student subjects as surrogates for consumers in experimental, particularly scenario‐based, studies. The authors describe a study that investigated differences between a student sample and a customer sample in response to service experience. Results were mixed. No significant mean differences were found in complaint intention, preference to complain to an employee or a manager, overall satisfaction, and revisit intention toward service providers. However, significant discrepancies were observed in testing the role of initial overall satisfaction in evaluating recovery satisfaction and in the relative importance of dimensions of justice. For both student and nonstudent groups, regardless of whether their recovery satisfaction was positive or negative, initial overall satisfaction was a stronger predictor for post‐recovery overall satisfaction than was recovery satisfaction.