Social responsibility and reputation influences on the intentions of Chinese Huitang Village tourists: Mediating effects of satisfaction with lodging providers
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 9 November 2015
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to model and test the relationships between corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate reputation, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 451 complete questionnaires were obtained from randomly approached ethnic Chinese leisure tourists. Following a two-step approach, a measurement model was estimated and then a structural model analyzed to test proposed hypotheses.
Findings
CSR and reputation significantly impacted customer satisfaction, which, in turn, affected repurchase and word-of-mouth intentions. Customer satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between CSR and behavioral intentions in addition to corporate reputation.
Research limitations/implications
The study considered only a limited number of lodging customers in a specific geographic area in China. Additional investigation across hospitality business types and cultures is needed.
Practical implications
Investments in CSR activities in a Chinese hospitality consumption context can contribute to customer satisfaction and ultimately contribute positively to customer future behaviors.
Originality/value
This study provides insights into the role that CSR may play for domestic Chinese hospitality customers. Little attention has been paid to the importance of corporate reputation in a tourism/hospitality context. This study contributes in helping to close this gap. Finally, this study embeds customer satisfaction within a framework of antecedents and consequences in an integrated causal model.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (No. 71203240), the State Key Program of National Natural Science of China (No. 71431006); the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71221061), and Tourism Young Expert Training Program (TYEPT201436).
Citation
Su, L., Swanson, S.R. and Chen, X. (2015), "Social responsibility and reputation influences on the intentions of Chinese Huitang Village tourists: Mediating effects of satisfaction with lodging providers", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27 No. 8, pp. 1750-1771. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2014-0305
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited