Håvard Hansen

The Potential Hazard of Self-Service in Developing Customer Loyalty

Recent developments in information technology imply that more service operations can now be transformed from expensive manual operations to low-cost automated self-service. Managers, however, are reluctant to replace personal service with self-service because of the potential negative consequence of self-service on social bonding and subsequent customer loyalty. In this article, the authors argue that the decision should be reframed as follows: “How can self-service be integrated with personal service?”

The Salmon Disease Crisis in Chile

Abstract The Chilean salmon farming industry is currently facing unprecedented economic losses related to the infectious salmon anemia (ISA) disease. Production of Atlantic salmon is being reduced from almost 400,000 tonnes in 2005 to an estimated 100,000 tonnes in 2010. The spread of and response to the disease raises a number of important issues with respect to the actions of the companies involved as well as the regulatory body. It is particularly interesting that adequate measures have not been implemented in Chile, as the species is farmed in relatively few countries and, as such, is fairly transparent. Moreover, all other major salmon- producing countries have experienced the disease, and several of the largest companies in Chile are multinationals with first-hand experience with ISA from other countries. JEL Classification Codes: K32, Q22

When Diseases Hit Aquaculture: An Experimental Study of Spillover Effects from Negative Publicity

Abstract Aquaculture, as all animal production, is exposed to diseases which can cause negative publicity and market impacts. A recent example is the Chilean salmon farming industry, which is currently facing unprecedented economic losses due to an outbreak of infectious salmon anemia. We conducted two consumer experiments to investigate spillover effects of negative publicity on consumer valuation of seafood products from unaffected countries and species, as well as a potential mitigating strategy that an affected industry might use. We find significant negative spillover effects on the same species produced in unaffected countries and on other fish species farmed within the affected country. We also find that building a brand association with an upscale retailer does not improve the consumer valuation (i.e., no positive spillover effects) for products from directly and indirectly affected countries of the affected species. JEL Classification Codes: Q13, Q22.

The moderating effects of need for cognition on drivers of customer loyalty

Purpose – While satisfaction, value, image, and credibility are commonly assumed to drive customer loyalty, there is nevertheless reason to question whether their effects vary across groups of consumers. This paper seeks to explore how individuals with contrasting need-for-cognition (NFC) levels differ in using memory-based information when forming behavioral intentions towards a current service provider. Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypotheses by means of survey data from customers of retail banks, and applied two-group analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the moderating effects of NFC. Findings – Satisfaction positively affects loyalty for high NFCs, but not for low NFCs. Image is insignificant in both groups. Value positively affects loyalty for low NFCs, but not for high NFCs. Credibility has a positive effect for low NFCs, but not for high NFCs. Research limitations/implications – The limited sample size affects the power of the test methodology, but Chow-...

Antecedents to consumers’ disclosing intimacy with service employees

The paper presents a model that suggests that four relationship variables traditionally found to affect behavior beneficial to the firm also increase consumers’ disclosing intimacy. Employee benevolence, credibility, image, and consumers’ satisfaction with the relationship to the employee are all proposed to increase intimate disclosures by the consumer. The model is tested in a sample of retail bank customers using structural equation modeling. The findings support the important role of benevolence and image, but do not confirm the hypothesized effects of credibility and satisfaction. The results and managerial implications are discussed and limitations and suggestions for future research presented.

Parental food-related behaviors and family meal frequencies: associations in Norwegian dyads of parents and preadolescent children

BackgroundFrequent family meals are associated with healthy dietary behaviors and other desirable outcomes in children and adolescents. Therefore, increased knowledge about factors that may increase the occurrence of family meals is warranted. The present study has its focus on the home food environment, and aims to explore potential associations between parent-reported feeding behaviors and child-reported family meal frequencies.MethodsCross-sectional surveys were performed among 10-12-year-olds and their parents recruited from eighteen schools in southwest Norway. The child questionnaire included measures of family meal frequencies (breakfast, dinner and supper). The parent questionnaire included measures of parental feeding behaviors adapted from the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. A series of multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between parental feeding behaviors and the frequency of family meals.ResultsThe frequency of family breakfasts was associated with three parental feeding variables; home environment (β=.11, p<.05), pressure to eat (β=.11, p<.01), and monitoring (β=.10, p<.05). The frequency of family dinners and suppers was associated with one parental feeding variable; home environment (β=.11, p<.01 and β=.12, p<.01 for dinners and suppers respectively).ConclusionsThe home environment variable was the most important correlate of child-reported family meal frequencies in this study. Although further research is needed, our findings support the evident influence of parents and the home food environment on child and adolescent eating behavior, which in the present study was measured as the frequency of shared family meals.

Extrinsic cues and Consumer Judgements of Food Product Introductions: The Case of Pangasius in Norway

In this article, the authors explore how the extrinsic cues corporate social responsibility, endorsement, and country of origin affect consumer evaluations of product quality, value, and expected product popularity for frozen Pangasius filets, a farmed fish product just recently introduced into the Norwegian market. The effects of these three variables are tested on purchase intentions. By means of a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment in combination with survey data, the authors find that the three extrinsic cues under study had different effects on the evaluative variables. Furthermore, these variables all had positive and significant effects on purchase intentions. Hence, the general conclusion is that importers of new food products like Pangasius can benefit from focusing on extrinsic cues when the intrinsic cues are hard to evaluate or are unknown. Through the indirect effect on purchase intentions, extrinsic cues play an important role when consumers judge unfamiliar and new products.

Throwing It All Away: Exploring Affluent Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Wasting Edible Food

ABSTRACT The skewed allocation of food across the world population is a major concern, as the result is that some of us live in abundant supply while others spend their life in constant scarcity. While researchers have studied a variety of issues related to the amounts of food being wasted, or the waste of edible food across consumers with different demographic characteristics, less is known about the drivers of attitudes toward food waste. Based on survey data from a sample of affluent Norwegian consumers, we test how subjective food knowledge, environmental concern, age, and income are related to consumer attitudes toward wasting edible food. We find that all variables except income drive consumer attitudes. Implications for theory and public policy are offered.

Consumer Product Perceptions and Salmon Consumption Frequency: The Role of Heterogeneity Based on Food Lifestyle Segments

ABSTRACT Seafood consumers are vastly heterogeneous in terms of their knowledge, confidence, and perceptions about seafood. This article examines the relationship between consumer perceptions (healthiness, value for money, and convenience) and salmon consumption frequencies while modeling unobserved consumer heterogeneity by segmenting consumers based on their food-related lifestyle. We employ latent class analysis (LCA) that embeds the structural equation modeling (SEM) to ensure the latent nature of both the consumer segment and the food lifestyle measures are properly accounted for. The analysis is applied to five European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Sweden). We contribute to the literature by providing new insights into how food lifestyle may influence the salmon consumption behavior by highlighting the differences among food lifestyle segments in different countries. JEL Code: M310.

Consumer Intentions to Buy Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeled Food Products: The Moderating Effects of Personality Differences

Although the current literature suggests that consumers in general have a desire to eat healthy and also like to obtain nutrition information about food products, there still exists a gap in terms of understanding how consumers utilize nutrition information. Drawing on consumer psychology literature, we examine how self-efficacy, healthy eating intentions, and perceptions about a simple front-of-pack nutrition label affect purchase intentions, and how these effects may be moderated by two information-processing-related personality traits—need for cognition and propensity to self-reference. We find that consumers’ intention to purchase front-of-pack nutrition-labeled products is positively affected by self-efficacy and label perceptions but is not directly driven by a general interest in healthy eating. We also find significant moderating effects from both personality traits considered.