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A double whammy effect of ethnicity and gender on consumer responses to management level service failures

Laurie Wu (School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Rachel Han (Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA)
Anna S Mattila (School of Hospitality Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 20 June 2016

959

Abstract

Purpose

Existing research on demographic stereotypes of employees suggests that ethnicity and gender are important determinants of consumer perceptions and behaviors. Based on the Stereotype Content Model and the Role Congruity Theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of ethnicity and gender stereotypes on management-level service failures in a US context.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a 2 (ethnicity: Caucasian vs Hispanic) × 2 (gender: male vs female) between-subjects design, two studies were conducted with US consumers to test whether a double whammy effect of ethnicity and gender exists for management-level, but not line-level, service failures.

Findings

The results of this study suggest that Hispanic female managers suffer from a double whammy effect due to ethnic and gender-based stereotyping in the USA. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the serial mediation via competence perceptions and blame attributions are the underlying psychological mechanism of this effect. As predicted, occupational status functions as a boundary factor to the double whammy effect.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper contribute to the service management literature by examining the role of demographic characteristics in influencing US consumers’ responses to management-level service failures.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Marriott Foundation.

Citation

Wu, L., Han, R. and Mattila, A.S. (2016), "A double whammy effect of ethnicity and gender on consumer responses to management level service failures", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 339-359. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-03-2014-0092

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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