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Article
Publication date: 5 March 2018

Gözde Seval Ergün and Olgun Kitapci

The study was carried out to better understand the behaviour of tourists from different cultures and backgrounds, and to provide strategic solutions for tourism managers. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

The study was carried out to better understand the behaviour of tourists from different cultures and backgrounds, and to provide strategic solutions for tourism managers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the cultural dimensions of Hofstede and customer complaint behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analyses were carried out separately for national culture and complaint behaviour scales and the factor structuring was then tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test theoretical correlations and a conceptual model was created to put forward the correlations between national cultural dimensions and complaint behaviours, as well as to examine the impact of variation in one dimension on the other.

Findings

Significant correlations were observed between power distance and both public action and no action behaviours, uncertainty avoidance and public action and private action, as well as individualism/collectivism and public action.

Research limitations/implications

The sample population of the study included foreign tourists visiting Manavgat district in 2015. Manavgat as a destination is preferred by foreign tourists, rather than domestic tourists. In addition, many accommodations in the region only host guests from particular nationalities. For this reason, domestic tourists were not included in the survey. A limitation of the research is the fact that it focused only on hotel management. Extending the scope of the study in future research—the study could be carried out for a wider area and include other sectors—would increase the effectiveness of the study.

Practical implications

The results shed light on the fact that customers perform different complaint behaviours depending on variation in national cultural dimensions. In this context, the findings contribute to the hotel management literature and to the development of management strategies such as staff training, effective complaint solution methods, increasing customer complaints, using indirect resources effectively and decreasing the cost of solutions. The research also aims to create awareness in hotel managers by highlighting the importance of this issue.

Originality/value

In many of the studies where customer complaint behaviour and culture are analysed together, culture is regarded primarily as a geographical region, or as ethnical origin. Using Hofstede’s national cultural dimension scale, and taking into consideration all the national cultural dimensions, adds originality to this research. This study is one of the first to explore the impact of cultural dimensions on customer complaint behaviours in Turkey. This is also one of the first studies on complaint behaviour in the hotel industry.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2017

Ilker Sahin, Mustafa Gulmez and Olgun Kitapci

This research aims to scrutinize the negative reviews regarding the 5-star chain hotels and the e-responses on TripAdvisor, to categorize the complaints declared in the review…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to scrutinize the negative reviews regarding the 5-star chain hotels and the e-responses on TripAdvisor, to categorize the complaints declared in the review texts, to provide better understanding of the online problem-solving methods of hotels and their corporate approach to e-complaints and to reveal the post-vacation electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) behaviours of the complaining tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

Within the scope of this research, 404 negative reviews and 364 e-responses are subject to an extensive content analysis. A total of 1,655 tourist e-complaints which were mentioned in the negative online reviews are categorized according to their subject matters and grouped under main themes. The e-responses of hotels and statements of e-complaining tourists regarding post-vacation experience are analysed in detail based on a qualitative research approach.

Findings

As a result of the research, 82 sub-themes within 11 complaint categories are determined, and it is found out that the e-complaints mainly focus on “food and beverage services”, “room comfort” and “hotel staff”. The hotel management mainly implemented problem-solving strategies such as “request for future patronage, a recovery plan as a result of the detailed analysis of the problem and warning to the relevant department performing poor service” as well as giving unsatisfactory “cliché responses”. Dissatisfied tourists performed negative e-WOM behaviours by using abusing expressions in review text, recommending different hotel alternatives, failing to recommend the hotel and expressing that they would not return.

Originality/value

Combing through negative e-reviews which include wide range of complaints of disappointed tourists and the statements which reveal post-vacation tendencies and feelings, the e-responses of hotels that are providing insight regarding the corporate approach to negative feedbacks and formation of post-vacation relations between the hotel and customers, the paper adopts a qualitative and utilitarian approach. The originality of the paper stems from its elaborative context analysis and balanced comparison of three 5-star luxury chain resort hotels located on the shores of the Mediterranean with almost similar quality standards and guest relations/public relations (GR/PR) departments that represent corporate identity. To this respect, the research is thought to be original in quality and can fill out the gap in the tourism literature. Presenting conceptual framework and practical information, the paper is predicted to guide the future studies, tourism marketers, travel consultants, PR/GR staff and managers employed in hospitality businesses.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 July 2018

İ. Taylan Dörtyol, Ayşen Coşkun and Olgun Kitapci

Consumption is a way of communication whereby consumers express, position or/and differentiate themselves within their society or affiliated groups. A great part of consumers’…

Abstract

Consumption is a way of communication whereby consumers express, position or/and differentiate themselves within their society or affiliated groups. A great part of consumers’ lives are spent on various purchase activities, and many would be eager to understand the factors underlying those behaviours.

This chapter primarily deals with the cultural, social, psychological and personal factors that affect consumer behaviour. Each of these factors in relation to consumer behaviour is discussed in detail. The types of consumer buying behaviours and the consumer decision-making processes then provide the fundamentals of the topic along with their relevance to Turkish consumers.

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 30 July 2018

Abstract

Details

Marketing Management in Turkey
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-558-0

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2009

Olgun Kitapci and Ibrahim Taylan Dortyol

The purpose of this paper is to test the differences in customer complaint behaviour between loyal customers and first comers.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the differences in customer complaint behaviour between loyal customers and first comers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has adopted the work of Ndubisi and Ling, which categorized consumer complaint actions into public, private, defection and no action. Interview and survey data were collected. SPSS 15.0 for Windows was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies, Mann‐Whitney U test and chi‐square tests were calculated.

Findings

The results reveal that first comers are more willing to engage in private complaining actions such as negotiation and worth‐of‐mouth comments and telling friends and family about their bad experiences compared to loyal customers. Our major findings indicate that even if a first comer does not complain, this does not mean that the person is satisfied. As there is a likelihood that when a customer makes a private complaint, such as spreading negative word‐of‐mouth criticisms, bank managers should pay more attention to those customers. Further, first comers are more likely to take part in a defection by doing business with another firm following the bad experience compared to loyal customers.

Originality/value

It is a new study about the differences in customer complaint behaviour between loyal and first customers in Turkey. It presents valuable information that can assist bank managers and marketers understand the customer complaint behaviour of both loyal customers and first comers.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 32 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2013

Olgun Kitapci, Ibrahim Taylan Dortyol, Zührem Yaman and Mustafa Gulmez

The aim of this study is to determine the paths between the five SERVQUAL dimensions, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to determine the paths between the five SERVQUAL dimensions, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a sample of 505 supermarket customers in Turkey who have completed a self‐administered questionnaire. The paper uses means, such as standard deviation and multiple regression analysis, to analyze and propose the conceptual model on supermarket management.

Findings

The paper concludes that empathy, tangibility, responsiveness, and assurance are factors that are positively related to customer satisfaction, which in turn is positively related to customer loyalty.

Originality/value

The paper provides certain suggestions to supermarket managers regarding the terms of service quality dimensions, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Ibrahim Taylan Dortyol, Inci Varinli and Olgun Kitapci

The aim of this paper is to identify tourists' perceptions of services provided by hotels in Antalya/Turkey and to explore hotel service quality dimensions. Specifically, the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to identify tourists' perceptions of services provided by hotels in Antalya/Turkey and to explore hotel service quality dimensions. Specifically, the objectives are as follows: to identify the dimensions of hotel service quality, and to determine the relative impact of those dimensions on customer satisfaction levels, on customer value and on customers' intentions to recommend or revisit a hotel.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study uses the framework which originally appeared in Juwaheer's study investigating international tourists' perceptions of hotels in Mauritius. In this framework ten hotel service quality dimensions were defined by factor analysis and then the most important dimensions for each component were determined using stepwise regression analysis.

Findings

Of the ten hotel service quality dimensions, “tangibles” and “food quality and reliability” influence the customer satisfaction level the most. Customer value is explained by five dimensions which generate 37.8 percent of the variance. “Hotel employees and problem solving”, “transportation”, “food quality and reliability”, “climate and hygiene”, “level of price”, “tangibles”, “interaction with Turkish culture” and “friendly, courteous and helpful employees” are the main dimensions which affect whether a guest will recommend a hotel. “Tangibles”, “interaction with Turkish culture”, and “level of price” are seen as the most influential dimensions in terms of customers' intentions to revisit a hotel.

Research limitations/implications

The basic limitation of the study is the unexplained variance, which is the result of the regression analysis. Therefore, future research should aim to determine the factors explaining that variance.

Practical implications

In light of these findings, hotel managers in Antalya can better understand their guests' priorities and consequently, they can arrange their service encounter process accordingly to fulfill these priorities.

Originality/value

This study presents potentially valuable information for hotel managers in Antalya with regards to understanding customer value and satisfaction, which are the key elements in terms of guests revisiting a hotel and recommending it to others. As providing an opportunity for a comparative study of service quality searches, this study contributes to the field.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 30 July 2018

Abstract

Details

Marketing Management in Turkey
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-558-0

Content available
Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Fevzi Okumus

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Abstract

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2018

Prachi Jain and Vijita Singh Aggarwal

The purpose of this paper is to check the reliability and validity of a well-acknowledged scale developed by Pratibha A. Dabholkar (1996) in the context of Indian organized…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to check the reliability and validity of a well-acknowledged scale developed by Pratibha A. Dabholkar (1996) in the context of Indian organized grocery retail and also to identify new aspects of service quality with respect to grocery retail from literature that have not been taken into account in earlier studies and to finally develop a new scale to measure service quality of organized retail grocery stores with consultation from several experts.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve the objectives of the research, both descriptive and exploratory research designs have been employed such that a survey of 800 respondents was undertaken as part of descriptive research whereas exploratory research was conducted to add new dimensions to the existing service quality measurement model so as to develop a new comprehensive scale.

Findings

The results of the study suggest that all the five dimensions of Dabholkar’s model are not suitable to measure service quality in Indian organized grocery retail stores. Therefore, a new instrument with total four dimensions has been developed.

Practical implications

The study is of great importance for the retailers as it offers a more comprehensive and specific scale to measure service quality of organized grocery retail stores.

Originality/value

This research supports and makes contribution to the previous research on development of service quality measurement scales in Indian context.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 56 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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