Ingrid Y. Lin

Understanding restaurant switching behavior from a cultural perspective.

Research focusing on the impact of culture on switching behaviors is sparse. To bridge that gap, this study examined the role of culture in influencing consumers’ switching intentions, vanity-seeking, and exploratory behaviors of novelty-seeking, curiosity-seeking, and variety-seeking. In this study, the authors summarized the dominant Chinese cultural values and discussed their implications for Taiwanese subjects’ switching behaviors in the context of casual or trendy restaurants. Data from two countries (United States and Taiwan) were used to gain insight into cultural differences between Taiwanese and U.S. consumers’ dining habits. The study results indicate that Taiwanese consumers (i.e., college-aged) are more likely to switch restaurant providers and to exhibit exploratory behaviors than their U.S. counterparts. The findings also provide support for the argument that college-aged Taiwanese consumers might seek to express their individuality in consumer choices while being otherwise bounded by collectivist, core cultural values.

Effects of visual servicescape aesthetics comprehension and appreciation on consumer experience

Purpose Among the many studies relating to servicescapes, the emphasis has mainly been on the effect of specific environmental attributes on customer perceptions, emotions and behaviors. Many servicescape studies have not included visual servicescape aesthetics and the overall significance that visual aesthetics hold for a particular consumer in his or her relationship with the servicescape. Yet, servicescape appearance represents the central channel for the formation of consumer–product (e.g. servicescape) relationships. Limited studies have examined consumers’ visual servicescape aesthetics comprehension and appreciation (VSACA) or consumers’ relationship with a specific servicescape and how consumers evaluate a servicescape from a visual aesthetics perspective. This study aims to operationalize and measure VSACA and to examine the validity of a proposed comprehensive model that encompasses the direct effects of VSACA on perceived perceptual experience quality (PPEQ), pleasure and arousal; PPEQ, pleasure and arousal on satisfaction; satisfaction on willingness to pay more; and the mediation effects of PPEQ, pleasure and arousal on the relationship between VSACA and satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach This is an experimental design study with two treatments. Fictitious boutique hotel lobby and classic hotel lobby video clips were created with the appropriate manipulation of visual aesthetics attributes. A random sample of 600 individuals over the age of 18 was drawn from a nationwide (USA) list purchased from a third-party commercial list service. After preliminary analysis, about 12 per cent were eliminated because of unusable responses or missing data. The data from 550 participants were used in the final analyses – 218 males and 332 females. Participants were asked to view a video clip of a hotel lobby online. After viewing the video clip, subjects completed an online survey instrument. The hypothesized model was then tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Results of this study suggest that individuals’ VSACA directly influences their PPEQ, pleasure and arousal. PPEQ and pleasure also directly influence satisfaction and indirectly mediate the relationship between VSACA and satisfaction. Finally, satisfaction directly affects willingness to pay more. Additional new findings are also discussed in the paper. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by focusing primarily on the individuals’ VSACA of a hotel lobby; non-visual components were not considered as part of the VSACA construct. Results should, therefore, be generalized to other similar settings with caution. Future research can integrate both visual and non-visual servicescape aesthetics comprehension and develop a new scale to measure them. Future research can also build on the support of the current proposed theoretical model by testing it in different service contexts and across different groups of participants. Practical implications This research provides evidence to hotel service providers that VSACA plays an important role in influencing consumers’ emotions, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The results imply that understanding customers’ simultaneous cognitive-emotional processing of servicescape aesthetics is crucial. Hotel developers and managers can engage potential customers in the designing and planning of a servicescape by conducting focus group research prior to the actual implementation of the servicescape attributes and construction. Originality/value This study represents the first research to extend and investigate the concept of visual aesthetics comprehension in the context of the hotel lobby servicescape beyond just product goods. This study contributes to the services marketing literature by confirming the importance and powerful direct effects of VSACA on individuals’ PPEQ, pleasure, arousal and willingness to pay more. Moreover, PPEQ and pleasure mediate the relationship between VSACA and overall satisfaction.

Understanding tourists’ perception and evaluation of inter-cultural service encounters: a holistic mental model process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a theoretical framework, the holistic mental model process, with major contextual factors (cultural, situation, cognitive and affective contexts) to help better understand tourists’ perception and evaluation of intercultural tourists–tour guide service encounters. Design/methodology/approach – Summary tables of an extensive literature review of previous empirical studies relating to intercultural service encounters, service encounter and service quality to help derive the holistic mental model process framework are included. Findings – Gaps from the previous literature were identified along with in-depth explanations as to how a holistic mental model process can be applied to tourists evaluating intercultural tourist–tour guide service encounters and the service quality of their overall travel experience. Research limitations/implications – The current conceptual framework of the holistic mental model process targets specifically on the intercultural tou...

Restaurant Employees’ Perception of Tipping Systems Across Country Differences

The purpose of this study is to examine the practical value of how restaurant employees perceive different tipping systems and if perceived fairness, distributive justice, and/or perceived control vary across countries (Taiwan versus United States). Thus, a five (tipping scenarios) × two (country) MANOVA with perceived fairness, distributive justice, and perceived control as dependent variables followed by separate ANOVA tests for each dependent variable were used to test the hypotheses. Data from two countries were used to gain insight into Taiwanese and U.S. employees’ perceived fairness, distributive justice, and perceived control. Job involvement is also included as a control variable for each of the five restaurant tipping scenarios depicted. There is a significant difference in perceived fairness among all five tipping scenarios; the post hoc test revealed that tipping Scenario 3 (servers keep their tips) has the highest perceived fairness score of all the other tipping scenarios. More detail results and implications of this study for theory and practice are described throughout the article.

A conceptual model of co-creating an authentic luxury spa experience

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of the international hotel or resort spa establishments underscores the importance of defining the spa operators’ unique authenticity and understanding of customers’ perceptions of authenticity, experiential value, and satisfaction. Todays luxury hotel or resort spas are criticised for losing the essence of the spa experience, lacking authenticity, and being over-commercialised. In this paper, we focus on authenticity and argue that authentic spas are considered as a premium offering. We develop a conceptual framework that incorporates both the views of spa operators and their customers. The model draws on multi-disciplinary theories to define authenticity and to guide spa operators in creating and rendering an authentic spa experience. To that end, we examine factors contributing to customers’ perceptions of authenticity, experiential value, and satisfaction. Managerial and future research implications are also discussed.