Author: Qiu Shangzhi
Title: Influence of face concern and guanxi on Chinese customer behavioral response to hospitality service failure
Advisors: Li, Mimi (SHTM)
Degree: M.Sc.
Year: 2014
Subject: Hospitality industry -- Customer services.
Consumer satisfaction.
National characteristics, Chinese.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Department: School of Hotel and Tourism Management
Pages: viii, 93 leaves : illustrations ; 30 cm
Language: English
Abstract: Face and guanxi are two significant cultural values of Chinese society as well as important social resources of Chinese people. Despite of the significant impact of these two interrelated values on consumer behavior, their effects in hospitality service management are not yet clear. The main objective of this research is to examine the independent effects as well as interactive effects of face concern and guanxi on Chinese customers' behavioral responses to hospitality service failure.Process failure was the service failure type that discussed particularly in this study because it causes loss of social resources and is assumed to be more associated with face and guanxi according to previous studies.Through scenario based quasi-experiment, the study found that concern for self-face can increase the intention of direct voice complaint, negative word-of-mouth, negative online word-of-mouth and exit behavior after experiencing service process failure in hospitality setting. Concern for other-face also had positive influence on direct voice complaint intention which is against the assumption of many previous studies about complaint behavior. Moderate effects of guanxi on the impact of face concern are also found. When guanxi existed between hotel staff and Chinese customers, intentions of word-of-mouth and exit behavior could be increased by consumers' concern for others' face which would otherwise have insignificant impact. In addition, existence of guanxi can mitigate the intention of posting negative online review about the hotel service. The result of this study is significant for hospitality service management. It implied that service process failure should be given extra attention in Chinese market in which consumers are highly face concerned and businesses are widely built on guanxi.
Rights: All rights reserved
Access: restricted access

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