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1 – 10 of 804Nicole Hartley and Teegan Green
Service encounters are becoming increasingly virtual through the infusion of computer-mediated technologies. Virtual services separate consumers and service providers both…
Abstract
Purpose
Service encounters are becoming increasingly virtual through the infusion of computer-mediated technologies. Virtual services separate consumers and service providers both spatially and temporally. With the advent of virtual services is the need to theoretically explain how service separability is psychologically perceived by consumers across the spectrum of computer-mediated technologies. Drawing on construal-level theory, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a theoretical framework depicting consumer’s construal of spatial and temporal separation across a continuum of technology-mediated service virtuality.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted two studies: first, to investigate consumers’ levels of mental construal associated with varying degrees of service separation across a spectrum of technology-mediated services; second, to empirically examine consumer evaluations of service quality in response to varying degrees of spatial and temporal service separation. These relationships were tested across two service industries: education and tourism.
Findings
Consumers mentally construe psychological distance in response to service separation and these observations vary across the spectrum of service offerings ranging from face-to-face (no psychological distance) through to virtual (spatially and temporally separated – high psychological distance) services. Further, spatial separation negatively affects consumers’ service evaluations; such that as service separation increases, consumers’ service evaluations decrease. No such significant findings support the similar effect of temporal separation on customer service evaluations. Moreover, specific service industry-based distances exist such that consumers responded differentially for a credence (education) vs an experiential (tourism) service.
Originality/value
Recent studies in services marketing have challenged the inseparability assumption inherent for services. This paper builds on this knowledge and is the first to integrate literature on construal-level theory, service separability, and virtual services into a holistic conceptual framework which explains variance in consumer evaluations of separated service encounters. This is important due to the increasingly virtual nature of service provider-customer interactions across a diverse range of service industries (i.e. banking and finance, tourism, education, and health care). Service providers must be cognisant of the psychological barriers which are imposed by increased technology infusion in virtual services.
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Aruna Divya Tatavarthy, Swagato Chatterjee and Piyush Sharma
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrated conceptual framework using construal level theory (CLT) to explain the differences in the effects of process and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an integrated conceptual framework using construal level theory (CLT) to explain the differences in the effects of process and outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction based on consumption context (social), evaluation context (temporal) and individual characteristics (expertise).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use two lab experiments (hotel and restaurant settings) and a field study of online reviews posted by actual hotel customers to test all the hypotheses.
Findings
Process (outcome) attributes have a stronger influence on service evaluations under low-level (high-level) construal. Specifically, process attributes have a stronger influence when customers are accompanied by proximal (vs distal) social group, evaluate a service under near (vs distant) temporal frame or have high (vs low) level of customer expertise.
Practical implications
Service managers can use the findings about the differences in the influence of social, temporal and individual variables on customer evaluations under process and outcome attributes to improve customers’ service experiences and satisfaction.
Originality/value
This paper extends past research on the influence of construal levels on customer decision making by exploring the differences in the effects of process vs outcome service attributes on overall service evaluation and customer satisfaction, under the influence of low (vs high) construal levels triggered by social, temporal and individual variables.
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Xiao Huang, Mohammad Shahidul Kader and Seeun Kim
The authors aim to examine how the construal level, either as an individual temporal orientation or temporal distance of promotion, moderates the effects of emojis' emotional…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors aim to examine how the construal level, either as an individual temporal orientation or temporal distance of promotion, moderates the effects of emojis' emotional intensity on consumers' purchase intentions in social media advertising.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments are used to test four hypotheses.
Findings
The results of two experimental studies show that present-oriented participants reveal greater purchase intentions when low (vs high) emotionally intense emojis are embedded in a social media ad; but future-oriented consumers showed no difference when viewing ads with the two different emojis. In Study 2, participants indicate greater purchase intentions when a social media ad includes a distant-future promocode and high (vs low) emotionally intense emojis and an ad with a near-future promocode and low (vs high) emotionally intense emojis.
Originality/value
The current study advances our understanding how emojis with different emotional intensities can be effectively used in social media ads. This study also provides theoretical implications to construal level theory (CLT) by examining how emojis interact with construal level, either as a chronic tendency or simulated by psychological distance, can influence consumer response.
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Bo Wang and Tingting Xie
According to construal level theory, close (versus far) psychological distance is associated with low (versus high) construal level. Despite the evidence for discount frame…
Abstract
Purpose
According to construal level theory, close (versus far) psychological distance is associated with low (versus high) construal level. Despite the evidence for discount frame effect, it is unclear whether psychological distance and product nature play moderating roles. In addition, little has been known whether the effect of discount frame can extend to other dependent variables such as willingness to pay (WTP). Driven by construal level theory, five experiments were conducted to explore whether the effect of discount frame is dependent on psychological distance and product nature (i.e. utilitarian versus hedonic product).
Design/methodology/approach
The experimental method was used, with discount frame, psychological distance and product type as the independent variables and purchase intention, attitude towards the advertisement, perceived value and WTP as the dependent variables. Participants were presented with promotion scenarios in which psychological distance and discount format were manipulated. In order to test the generalizability of results, promotional scenarios for both utilitarian (i.e. backpack bag and shampoo) and hedonic products (i.e. scenery ticket and perfume) were presented. Data were collected via the online experiment platform (i.e. www.Credamo.com).
Findings
The authors found an interaction between discount frame and spatial distance in that consumers had more positive attitude toward percent off than amount off under near-spatial distance. However, no interaction was observed between discount frame and temporal, social or hypothetical distance.
Originality/value
Taken together, the current study for the first time reveals that the effect of discount frame is contingent on a specific dimension of psychological distance (i.e. spatial distance), regardless of whether the product is utilitarian or hedonic. Findings from this study for the first time pose a challenge to the notion that construal-level match necessarily leads to more favorable consumer responses, suggesting that there may be a unique mechanism underlying the joint effects of spatial distance and discount frame. The current findings can provide important implications for marketers and retailers in an effort to design effective promotional messages.
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Vanderlei dos Santos and Ilse Maria Beuren
This stud aims to analyze the influence that the enabling and coercive management control systems (MCS) have on the individuals’ mental representations and their commitment to…
Abstract
Purpose
This stud aims to analyze the influence that the enabling and coercive management control systems (MCS) have on the individuals’ mental representations and their commitment to goals, satisfaction with the system and perceived organizational support. Under the lens of the construal level theory (CLT), it is assumed that: individuals exhibit more positive behaviors when the MCS is enabling rather than coercive; the effects of MCS on the behavior of individuals are explained by the way they mentally represent events; and these effects are intensified or mitigated according to the psychological distance.
Design/methodology/approach
The predictions were tested in an experiment with 131 undergraduate students, assuming a company that decides to implement a performance measurement system.
Findings
The results show that enabling MCS are interpreted more abstractly (high level of construction) and coercive MCS are represented more concretely (low level of construction). Furthermore, enabling systems lead to more positive behaviors (commitment to goals and perceived organizational support) than coercive ones, however, the satisfaction with the MCS is affected by both depending on psychological distance.
Originality/value
The CLT allowed broadening the understanding of the effects of enabling and coercive controls on individuals’ behavior, by assuming that mental representation can explain individuals’ behaviors. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to point out that temporal distance can attenuate the negative effects of coercive MCS on satisfaction with the system.
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Jie Sun, Xi Yu Leung, Huiying Zhang and Kim Williams
This study aims to examine how COVID-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities affect future Generation Z employees’ intention to join the hotel industry through…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how COVID-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities affect future Generation Z employees’ intention to join the hotel industry through experimental designs.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on signaling theory, construal level theory and value theory, this study established an integrated research framework to explain the mechanism of CSR communication. The proposed study conducted three online experiments on a total of 463 participants. ANCOVA test and PROCESS macro were performed to analyze the data for main, mediation and moderation effects.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that in-kind donation is more efficacious in improving Generation Z’s job pursuit intention, as compared to cause-related marketing (CRM). CSR messages framed in a “how” mindset are favored by Generation Z members who are either unemployed or eager to change their current job. The findings also confirm the effect of brand warmth as a mediator and other-regarding personal value as a moderator.
Research limitations/implications
The present study contributes to the limited knowledge on CSR initiatives by addressing the research gap of future employees and examining CSR as a response to COVID-19. The findings also provide hotel executives actionable implications to plan and communicate future CSR programs, especially during times of crisis.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies to address Generation Z employees and to investigate the role of CSR initiatives on future hotel workers.
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Sungsu Kim, Yan Jin and Bryan H. Reber
The purpose of this study is to elaborate on the notion of crisis distance and to investigate its influence on publics' crisis responses (i.e. crisis severity, crisis emotions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to elaborate on the notion of crisis distance and to investigate its influence on publics' crisis responses (i.e. crisis severity, crisis emotions, organizational reputation and supportive behavioral intentions). In addition, this study aims to unearth the underlying mechanisms behind the effects of crisis distance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted an online survey by recruiting a representative US sample to examine the proposed research questions.
Findings
This paper offers empirical evidence that each dimension of crisis distance (i.e. temporal, social and hypothetical crisis distance) is associated with publics' crisis responses. Furthermore, by investigating distance-crisis-organizational sequence models, the ways in which crisis distance ultimately motivates publics' supportive behavioral intentions was revealed.
Originality/value
As an explorative study to propose a crisis distance model, the current research provides a springboard for expanding the existing scholarly literature on the nature of crisis.
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Jonas Holmqvist, Duncan Guest and Christian Grönroos
The field of service research has devoted considerable attention to the customer’s role as value creator, but there is a lack of research on understanding customers’ psychological…
Abstract
Purpose
The field of service research has devoted considerable attention to the customer’s role as value creator, but there is a lack of research on understanding customers’ psychological processes in value creation. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of psychological distance in value-creation processes. Psychological distance is the customer’s perceived distance from service interactions in terms of spatial distance, temporal distance, social distance and hypothetical distance. Critically, psychological distance influences cognitive processes and can influence how customers think and feel about the service interaction. An appreciation of psychological distance within service contexts can help managers to tailor the interaction in order to facilitate value creation.
Design/methodology/approach
In this conceptual paper, the authors build on psychology research and service research to develop seven propositions that explore how psychological distance can operate within service interactions and how this might influence value creation.
Findings
The authors divide the propositions into three sections. The first concerns how perceived psychological distance from the service interaction can act as a barrier to entering a service interaction. In particular, the authors consider the influence of social distance and spatial distance within the context of service interactions. The second section examines how psychological distance to the expected point of service use can influence how customers construe the service and the value creation. The third aspect addresses customer-specific characteristics that can impact on value creation by influencing perceived psychological distance toward the service.
Research limitations/implications
Existing research suggests that customers ultimately decide if value is created in the interaction. This paper proposes that perceived psychological distance influences customers’ value creation by examining the service interaction from the customer perspective. The authors suggest that complex context-specific features of the service interaction can be understood by considering psychological distance from the service interaction and from the service itself and evaluating how this impacts on value-creation processes.
Practical implications
From a practical point of view, the paper helps managers to better understand how to manage the service interaction with customers by identifying psychological antecedents of customer value creation.
Originality/value
The paper introduces the notion of psychological distance into service research about value, proposing that the customer’s role in creating value in interactions with the service provider is influenced by the psychological distance to the interaction and to the service offered in this interaction.
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Taku Togawa, Hiroaki Ishii, Naoto Onzo and Rajat Roy
The purpose of this paper is to examine how abstract vs concrete mindsets impact consumers’ post-purchase affective states. Drawing on construal level theory, the study examines…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how abstract vs concrete mindsets impact consumers’ post-purchase affective states. Drawing on construal level theory, the study examines when consumers experience “pleasure” or “guilt” after impulse buying.
Design/methodology/approach
The basic premises of this research was tested using multiple studies. Study 1 was conducted in the field, the second study engaged an online survey, while the third study used a laboratory experiment.
Findings
After impulse buying, consumers with abstract mindsets reported strong feelings of pleasure, whereas those with concrete mindsets experienced profound guilt.
Research limitations/implications
Research on affective responses (i.e. pleasure and guilt) following impulse purchase is limited. However, the present study helps understand an important research question: when do consumers feel pleasure (or guilt) after impulse buying?
Practical implications
Marketers can frame messages that align with abstract mindsets to enhance pleasure and reduce guilt after impulse buying.
Social implications
Policymakers can persuade consumers to refrain from making impulsive decisions through communication that reminds them of past impulse purchase behaviour, by triggering a concrete mindset.
Originality/value
This research extends the literature on post-purchase effects by demonstrating that consumers’ mindsets determine the intensity of their affective state after impulse buying.
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Hafedh Ibrahim and Mahmoud Mohammad Q. Al-Ajlouni
While there has been a great deal of research to distinguish the factors that promote the adoption of sustainable consumption, however there has been a very little attention given…
Abstract
Purpose
While there has been a great deal of research to distinguish the factors that promote the adoption of sustainable consumption, however there has been a very little attention given to the contribution of justice, coping appraisal, and psychological distance. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential role of deontic justice, protection motivation, and construal level theories to elucidate the green purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 471 participants in a laboratory experiment. Then, structural equation modeling was carried out to analyze the data.
Findings
Protection motivation theory is valuable to apply specifically since it introduces the concept of coping appraisal. The findings demonstrate that deontic justice theory (DJT) is a suitable framework that can be employed to shed more light on sustainable consumption. The study shows that consumer can conceptualize a green product at different levels of concreteness or abstraction.
Originality/value
This study is a pioneering effort to look at sustainable consumption within the context of DJT. It departs from the more traditional research by repositioning moral obligation as the primary driver of green purchase intention and by elucidating when green purchase intention is elevated in investigating the moderating role of mindset.
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