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The purpose of this study is to explore how emotions felt by the public during a crisis influenced consumer loyalty intention and negative word-of-mouth (WOM). Considering the context-specific nature of emotions, the existing crisis emotions were further validated in a product consumption situation. Drawing on the theories of attribution and social sharing, a conceptual model, positing that crisis-specific emotions [attribution-independent, external-attribution-dependent (EAD) and internal-attribution-dependent (IAD) emotions] influenced negative WOM through behavioural intention, was constructed and empirically tested.

Data was collected from 240 Vietnamese consumers by using a scenario-based survey related to a fictional milk crisis.

The study findings showed that all but one crisis emotion had negative effects on both WOM and loyalty intention. Of these emotions, EAD and IAD were the strongest predictors of negative WOM and behavioural intention, respectively. It was also found that all crisis emotions significantly affected negative WOM through behavioural intention.

Although some efforts have been made to identify crisis emotions, the validity of the existing scales have not been affirmed in other crises related to product consumption situations. The results of the present study, thus, made contributions by enhancing an understanding of crisis emotions and their impacts on consumer loyalty intention and WOM communications.

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the personal/situational and business factors that encourage or discourage pro bono service of professionals based on the theory of institutional logics framework and the extended purchase behavior model.

This paper collected the data using a mixed-method approach: 30 qualitative interviews and 443 cross-sectional surveys from professional service providers across industries. The constructs of interest were measured with the scales compiled from the literature, industry reports and the preliminary interviews.

The results highlight emotional value derived from personal/situational factors (intrinsic motivation, personal recognition, philanthropic disposition and lack of appreciation) drove professionals’ intentions to continue to undertake pro bono work. While employer encouragement motivated professionals to engage in pro bono service, the prospect of gaining business opportunities and time constraints discouraged this important practice.

While there has been considerable empirical study undertaken on charitable behavior, little attention has been given to this form of giving (pro bono work by service professionals). Overall, the results show that personal satisfaction with and feeling good about the study undertaken are required for continuation. Professionals who are intrinsically motivated, philanthropic-natured and properly-acknowledged through positive feedback and recognition tend to experience positive feelings that engender their good intentions to help the underprivileged, those in need and society more generally. The findings thus complement and extend the academic and industry literature on charitable giving.

This research identifies the drivers of service professionals’ continuation of pro bono work that the third sector relies heavily on its sustainability. As the study findings suggesting the importance of personal recognition, nonprofit organizations should demonstrate genuine gratitude and recognition of these professionals so that they continue to give their services pro bono.

The research is the first empirical study to develop a conceptual model that delineates the drivers and/or barriers to professionals continuing pro bono service. Unlike the previous study lacking a theoretical basis, this paper proposed and tested the conceptual model derived from the institutional logics framework and the extended purchase behavior model.

Service employees’ cultural values play an integral part in the service encounter. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether frontline employees’ (FLEs) individual cultural values moderate the relationship between service models and work behaviours and whether these behaviours influence their psychological well-being.

Data were collected online from 341 US and Indian respondents who spent at least 40 per cent of their work time interacting with customers. Cultural values were measured as individual-level constructs. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses.

Individualism/collectivism significantly moderates the relationship between service models and work-related outcome, in particular organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), while uncertainty avoidance does not. Collectivism strengthens the positive linkage between the win-win service model and OCB but weakens the association of OCB with the efficiency model. FLEs with the win-win model display more surface acting when they have low uncertainty avoidance and high power distance. Employee psychological well-being is then influenced negatively by surface acting, but positively by OCB.

A more varied sample covering additional countries and a wider range of industries could provide additional insights.

The results of this study are particularly beneficial for service firms that require to satisfy customers by managing culturally diverse FLEs.

Extending the limited research on service models, this study examines the interplay of culture and service models and its impact on FLE work behaviours and the resultant well-being. The findings thus provide greater insights in how service employees’ cultural orientations influence their work behaviours and psychological well-being.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relevance of American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to management voluntary forecasts of earnings. The authors further investigate whether the market reacts to such forecasts in respect of satisfaction.

The authors’ econometric models are constructed from previous work in accounting to specify the effect of ACSI on the issuance and optimism of management forecasts. Our model also specifies the impact of management optimism with respect to ACSI on stock returns. The data consisting of US firms in the 2001-2010 is collated from several databases and analyzed using multiple regression procedures.

Results indicate that ACSI is positively associated with the likelihood of issuing management forecasts and boosts management optimism. It is also found that investors react negatively to management optimism that is inherent in forecasts and results from satisfaction.

The authors’ research findings not only complement prior work on the linkage between customer satisfaction and firm value by incorporating a managerial perspective but also respond to the recent call for further work on how relevant marketing metrics drive organizational decisions and firms’ financial performance. It should be noted that findings are limited to firms that release both a voluntary issuance of management forecasts and ACSI.

The study results shed light on the justification of marketing expenditures and provide a response to the call for marketing accountability. The study results also enable managers to make better decisions about whether and when to issue a forecast. The authors’ research further calls stakeholders’ attention to the presence of management forecast optimism with respect to satisfaction.

Despite the importance of managers as primary information generators and disseminators in the capital markets, there appears to be little discussion on the satisfaction’s relevance to market participants, particularly in relation to the role of managers. Therefore, this investigation is the first to empirically show the relevance of ACSI to management earnings forecasts that have been ignored in the marketing literature.

In today’s global marketplace, the mantra of many service firms is enhanced efficiency and productivity. To increase their bottom line, firms must also expand revenue. They thus face the challenge of ways to increase revenue through customer satisfaction while also achieving productivity gains. The current study aims to offer insight into the role of various resources that encourage frontline employees (FLEs) to become engaged in the pursuit of achieving organisational goals, ultimately enhancing service productivity and customer satisfaction.

A total of 252 customer-FLE dyadic data were collected at a medium-sized retail bank in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Results show that personal (self-efficacy) and organisational resources impact FLE productivity directly and indirectly through employee engagement. Importantly, service productivity is then positively associated with customer satisfaction.

Extending previous investigations based on the job demands-resources model and theories of self-efficacy and conservation of resources, this study’s findings empirically support anecdotal accounts of the positive productivity–customer satisfaction relationship.

The results also highlight the importance of the management of human and organisational resources to attain this two-pronged goal.

Using dyadic data (customers and FLEs) collected at a medium-sized retail bank, the authors refute the trade-off effect between attaining employee productivity and customer satisfaction in the service industry. This paper further fills research need to study how various resources available to FLEs can achieve desirable organisational outcomes in service firms – the improvement of both service productivity and customer satisfaction.