Seonjeong (Ally) Lee

Serving with spirit: an integrative model of workplace spirituality within service organizations

Service organizations are uniquely subject to the effects of emotional labor. To address these impacts, we examine workplace spirituality (WPS) as a valuable resource within the emotional labor context of service organizations and propose an integrative model that encompasses the effects of WPS on employees, customers, and the organization. We posit that organizations that possess the WPS values of respect, humanism, and integrity, and an ethical organizational climate can buffer the negative effects of emotional labor through increased employee satisfaction and organizational commitment. Similarly, we propose that WPS can positively influence customer satisfaction and loyalty and also organizational performance and sustainability directly through its WPS values and ethical climate, and indirectly through employee satisfaction and commitment and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Our conceptual integrative model provides testable propositions related to WPS within the emotional labor context of service organizations. Implications for theory and practice are outlined.

Effective communication strategies for hotel guests' green behavior.

Green marketing in hotel rooms relies particularly on the hotel’s communication to the guest, with a goal of gaining the guest’s voluntary participation in sustainable programs. Developing a persuasive message, therefore, is critical to the effectiveness of the hotel’s green efforts. To explore effective in-room green communication strategies of the hotel industry, we propose application of several widely adopted information processing theories. We review relevant theories, develop key propositions for the hotel industry, and offer a theoretical framework and propositions for future research. Our content analysis of the contents of thirty-six guestroom message cards finds that many hotels are using some of these information theories, but a more scientific approach is indicated.

How Information Quality and Market Turbulence Impact Convention and Visitors Bureaus Use of Marketing Information: Insights for Destination and Event Marketing

Information is an essential component of convention and visitors bureaus for their marketing purposes in order to make their destinations and events more attractive to visitors. During the information gathering process, tourism and event marketing directors must select relevant and credible data for successful decision-making. Based on the lack of academic research in the area of online marketing information use by convention and visitors bureaus, this study investigates what factors influence convention and visitors bureaus’ online information use for their market research. In particular, this study examines the relationships among technology change, customer change, information quality, and marketing information use with convention and visitors bureaus in the United States. Utilizing an online survey to convention and visitors bureau managers, findings from this study identify the use of Internet-based information as positively associated with the quality of Internet-based information followed by customer change and technology change. Implications for destination marketers and event marketers are included.

Attitudinal and Situational Determinants of Self-Service Technology Use

The authors test an extended technology acceptance model by incorporating two situational and two attitudinal variables as new predictors of self-service technology adoption. The situational variables are waiting line and service complexity, whereas the attitudinal variables are technology trust and technology anxiety. The study employs an experimental approach with hypothetical hotel check-in situations. The authors apply structural equation modeling techniques to provide additional insights into the main effects. They find significant main effects of all situational and attitudinal variables but no interaction effects between the situational and attitudinal variables. The main effects on intention to use self-service technologies occurred primarily through the mediation of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The technology acceptance model needs extension to include nontechnology variables as predictors of new technology adoption.

Investigating the Key Routes to Customers’ Delightful Moments in the Hotel Context

Based on increased interest in “customer delight,” this study identifies specific customer-described delightful experiences and explores factors that influence guests’ delightful experiences in the context of the lodging industry. Utilizing the critical incident technique (CIT), two broad groups of factors are emerged—tangibles (i.e., property related) and intangibles (i.e., service related). Within these two groups, five categories are identified as factors of guests’ delightful experiences: service-related tangibles, property-related tangibles, professional services, friendly services, and unexpected services. Consistent with previous studies, results from this study show loyalty is strongly represented when customers have delightful experiences. Implications for industry and academia, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Investigating the Dynamics and the Content of Customers’ Social Media Reporting after a Restaurant Service Failure

ABSTRACT This study investigates how the dynamics of service failures in restaurants influence customers’ attitudes and electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) intentions on Social Media (SM). This study explores the escalating service failure continuum, including failure types, failure severity, and recovery efforts. Study 1 examines the influence of the different failures on customers’ positive and negative eWOM intentions. The findings suggest that the prevalent path begins with escalation of service failures that leads to customers’ attitude and eventually influences customers’ negative eWOM intentions. Study 2 further investigates various negative eWOM contents in SM. The findings suggest that customers’ negative eWOM becomes more aggressive as the service failure escalates. Interestingly, results also suggest that customers hold restraint and self-control with aggressiveness of their negative eWOMs.

Promoting customers’ involvement with service brands: evidence from coffee shop customers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds. Design/Methodology/approach This study investigated how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds. Findings Results identified customer–brand identification and service value influenced both service brand involvement and service brand-decision involvement. However, self-congruity only influenced customers’ service brand-decision involvement. Results also confirmed that customer involvement positively influenced service brand satisfaction and service brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study contributed to involvement and brand loyalty research, investigating the role of customer involvement on service brand loyalty. Practical implications Results suggested what factors could enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages. Originality/value This study proposed and empirically investigated ways to enhance brand loyalty in the context of the coffee shop industry.

Do customers care about types of hotel service recovery efforts?: An example of consumer-generated review sites

Purpose Focusing on hotel managers’ service recovery efforts to service failures, this study aims to explore effects of different types of service recovery strategies on customers’ trust, satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the context of consumer-generated media. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design to examine effects of hotels’ sincere apology, compensation and existing relationship with customers on customers’ subsequent psychological behavior. An online self-administered survey was used to recruit participants who posted their experiences with a hotel on consumer-generated review sites. Findings Results of this study identified that when managers incorporated authenticity and compensation components, customers were more likely to show a higher level of trust, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Research limitations/implications Derived from the justice theory and the relationship investment theory, this study identified the main effects of three treatments and their interaction effects on customers’ subsequent behaviors. Practical implications Results of this study suggested that service recovery communication processes, in particular, authenticity and compensation, be an integral part of the service recovery strategies in the social media context. Originality/value This paper investigated the importance of hotel managers’ service recovery communication strategies in the social media context.

Effects of experiential stimuli on customers’ responses: An example of bed and breakfast websites

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose four experiential components of e-servicescape that influence customers’ pleasure emotions, satisfaction with bed and breakfast (b&b) websites and behavioral intentions in the context of the b&b industry. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a cross-sectional, self-administered online survey from b&b customers. Findings This study identifies that both perceived enjoyment and social presence represent positive effects on customers’ pleasure emotions and satisfaction with b&b websites. However, flow experience only influences customers’ pleasure emotions, and interactivity only affects customers’ satisfaction with b&b websites. Results from this study confirm that customers’ pleasure emotions influence their satisfaction with b&b websites and their behavioral intentions. Originality/value This paper incorporates the roles of experiential factors of e-servicescape in the context of the b&b industry.

Effects of relationship types on customers’ parasocial interactions: Promoting relationship marketing in social media

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate different types of customer relationships on customers’ interaction with the brand, based on prior social media and relationship marketing research. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, self-administered online survey was conducted to investigate the role of different types of relationships on customers’ brand-relevant responses in the context of hotel social media platforms. Findings Results identified customers’ relationships with services and brands, and how other customers influenced their parasocial interactions (PSIs). Customers’ PSIs then positively influenced their self-brand connection and their brand usage intention. Originality/value This study was the first attempt to propose a conceptual framework to explain different types of customer relationships on customers’ interactions with the brand in the context of hotel social media platforms.