Soobin Seo

A critical review of research on customer experience management: Theoretical, methodological and cultural perspectives

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of research on customer experience management (CEM). The objectives are as follows. The paper first introduces the concepts involved in CEM by identifying definitions and dimensions of the customer experience. Second, the paper describes the evolution of CEM research from a theoretical perspective in generic businesses and then in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) sector. Third, the paper investigates the methodological approaches used in CEM research and addresses the challenges in measuring the customer experience. Fourth, this study addresses cultural issues in CEM research. The identification of gaps in CEM research in the general business and H&T sectors leads the authors to consider directions for future research. Managerial implications are also provided. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes the form of a review of the extant literature in the general businesses and the H&T industry. Findings Despite the emergence of CEM as a vital research area, a large portion of its studies remain conceptual, which indicates that further empirical investigations are necessary. Importantly, the uniquely experiential nature of H&T products/services calls for systematic, theory-driven research. The paper identifies future research topics, which include total customer experience, transcendent experience, transformational experience, authentic experience and the co-creation of experience. This study delineates potential methods and measurement scales that can be used in CEM research and some challenges in the development of future measurement scales of customer experience. Recognizing a lack of CEM research from a cultural perspective, this paper calls for future studies that consider cultural factors in the identification of the underlying reasons for various perceptions of experiences. Practical implications Companies need to take a holistically integrated approach to creating a memorable experience in which multidimensional value can be delivered through multiple, sequential stages of experience. The co-creation of experience can lead to a sustainable experience that can be life transforming or perspective transforming. Originality/value Acknowledging the importance of excellent CEM in the contemporary H&T industry, this paper provides a compilation of literature on CEM and offers a foundation for advancing future CEM research in the H&T industry.

The impact of food safety events on the value of food-related firms: an event study approach.

Abstract Food safety events threaten not only consumers’ health, but also the value of associated firms. While previous studies examined the impact of food safety events on consumer demand for products, little attention has been paid to the impact on the market value of firms. Using the event study method (ESM), this study investigated abnormal returns (ARs) and cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) of firms associated with 40 food safety events over the past 25 years in the U.S. The results of this study demonstrated the magnitude and duration of the impact of food safety events on firm value. Moreover, firm-specific factors (past history and firm size) and situational factor (media attention) were found to influence the magnitude of the impact. This study contributes to the hospitality literature by extending the knowledge of the impact of food safety events and its practical implications for effective crisis management strategies for food-related firms.

The negative spillover effect of food crises on restaurant firms: did Jack in the Box really recover from an E. coli scare?

Abstract Despite the enormous impact of food crises on restaurants, limited understanding of their long-term impacts and associated factors has undermined crisis managers’ ability to handle crisis situations effectively. This article investigated the long-term impact of food crises on the financial performance of restaurant firms and identified the factors that influenced this impact. This explanatory study examined the case of Jack in the Box, whose 1993 Escherichia coli scare was the first and largest restaurant-associated food crisis in modern times. An event study method was used to uncover stock price movements of Jack in the Box, in conjunction with 73 unrelated food crises that occurred from 1994 to 2010. Stock prices of Jack in the Box exhibited significantly negative responses to other firms’ food crises, moreover, the negative spillover effect was stronger if the crisis occurred closer in time, was similar in nature, and was accompanied with no recall execution. These findings shed light on the long-term financial impact of food crises and offer insights for crisis managers to develop more effective crisis management strategies.

The Effect of Social Media Comments on Consumers’ Responses to Food Safety Information

The increasing popularity of social media has prompted the need to examine the effects of social media comments on consumers’ responses to food safety information. By adopting and extending a dual-process model, this study assessed the effect of source credibility, the content of comments, and relationship quality on consumer responses to social media comments using a scenario-based survey. The results showed a significant interaction effect between source credibility and content of comments; while negative comments induced negative responses regardless of source credibility, positive, or mixed comments led to less negative responses when the source was highly credible than when the source was less credible. The insignificant effect of relationship quality signified a stronger influence of the information itself compared to the influence of the relationship quality with the person delivering information.

Using Smartphone Technology to Assess the Food Safety Practices of Farmers’ Market Foodservice Employees

Due to the danger of food-borne illnesses associated with temporary foodservice establishments coupled with the increasing popularity of farmers’ markets, there is a growing need for an authentic examination of employees’ food safety practices. This study adopted a technology-based observational tool to assess whether farmers’ market foodservice employees performed proper hand-washing behaviors. Using smartphones, a total of 73 farmers’ market employees were observed, with their hand-washing behaviors compared to the Indiana State Health Code and County Health Inspector’s requirements. Results indicated that the frequency of hand washing varies depending on employee’s role, market location, and market size.

Why post on social networking sites (SNS)? Examining motives for visiting and sharing pilgrimage experiences on SNS

Traditional pilgrimages were driven by religious beliefs; modern tourists instead visit pilgrimage destinations in response to various motives, including the search for individual, spiritual peace. Despite the increasing popularity of pilgrimage and social network sites (SNS) among tourists, little research has considered what motivates tourists to visit pilgrimage destinations and then post their pilgrimage experiences on SNS. This study identifies travelers’ motivations to visit pilgrimage destinations as well as antecedents of their intentions to share their pilgrimage experiences on SNS. An online survey, administered to 304 adults in the United States, reveals that spiritual, travel, friendship, self-presentation, and status motives relate positively to intentions to visit pilgrimage destinations and share pilgrimage experiences on SNS. The significance of the motives also differs with the level of religious belief. This study provides practical implications that can help the tourism industry develop enhanced pilgrimage destination marketing strategies.

How Have Restaurant Firms Responded to Food Safety Crises? Evidence From Media Coverage

ABSTRACT Media communication has become a crucial part of crisis communications due to the rapid dissemination of information along with its immense impact on consumers and other stakeholders. Based on a structured content analysis of electronic media reports on restaurant-associated food safety crises from 1993 to 2015, this study examined media reporting patterns focusing on three elements: instructing information, crisis response strategies, and stakeholders. This study also identified the effect of situational factors (severity of risk and crisis type) on the media reporting patterns using Chi-square tests. The results indicated that restaurant firms were more likely to use proactive than passive response strategies, and identified primary stakeholders during a food safety crisis such as regulatory agencies, victims, and customers. Finally, two situational factors were found to influence the pattern of media reporting. The media reporting patterns were found to vary by risk severity and crisis type.

Observed food safety behaviors among consumers and employees in university food courts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine food safety behaviors of consumers and employees at university food courts. Design/methodology/approach Using a smartphone-based observation technique, a total of 149 consumers and 34 employees were observed at three food courts at a mid-western university in the USA. The observational tool recorded 30 sequential transactions of each individual, allowing researchers to identify the compliance rate to the rubric. Both descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Findings This study found a low compliance rate of food safety practices among consumers and employees at university food courts. Consumers’ food safety practices varied depending on gender, observed ethnicity and party size, while none of those factors was significant for employees. Specifically, females, Caucasians, and lone diners showed higher non-compliance rates than those of males, non-Caucasians and group diners. Research limitations/implications The results of the study raise the pressing needs of developing effective risk communication strategies at university food courts for both consumers and employees in order to reduce the potential risk of foodborne illness outbreaks. Originality/value University food courts are not only major foodservice operations for on-campus populations as well as off-campus visitors and the local public, but also the presence of shared dining area pertains the potential risk of foodborne illnesses. However, lack of attention has been paid to the food safety issues at university food courts, and especially food safety behaviors of consumers. This study extended the knowledge of previous food safety literature by adopting a smartphone-based observation technique and developing a rubric customized for consumers and employees at university food courts.