| Author: | Hailu, Tadesse Bekele |
| Title: | Investigation of hospitality robot service consumption values and their application in assessing customers’ perceptions |
| Advisors: | Kim, Sam (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Subject: | Robotics Hospitality industry Hospitality industry -- Technological innovations Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xix, 518 pages : illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The application of robots in service industries, such as the hospitality industry, is one of the latest innovations of the fourth industrial revolution. Factors triggering the demand for robotic services in the hospitality industry include a lack of an active labor force, particularly in advanced nations; the role of robots in increasing efficiency, productivity and cost reduction; and most recently, the occurrence of COVID-19, which necessitated contactless delivery. Although service robot technologies have only recently been applied in the hospitality industry, they have already garnered the attention of researchers. However, many previous studies have primarily focused on the technical aspects of robots and the development of conceptual studies. Although consumption values and their dimensionality have been assessed in other retail marketing and consumer behavior studies, the dimensionality of consumption values induced by hospitality robot services has not been verified by past studies. There have also been limited efforts in developing validated measurement scales for assessing the consumption values of hospitality robot services. Additionally, previous studies have primarily focused on the immediate short-term effects of robot services but have overlooked the post-consumption outcomes or spillover effects of robot services in the context of the hospitality industry. In order to address the research gaps mentioned earlier, this study established the following research objectives: 1) testing the dimensionality of restaurant robot service consumption values (RRSCV), 2) examining the influence of RRSCV on the outcome variables at the individual level, 3) examining the influence of RRSCV on the outcome variables at the company level, 4) analyzing the influence of RRSCV on the outcome variables at the societal level, 5) analyzing the moderating effects of consumer innovativeness, technology anxiety, and sensation seeking in the structural model at the individual level, 6) examining the moderating effects of perceived risk, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) quality, and sense of humor in the structural model at the company level, and 7) analyzing the moderating effects of personal norms on technology in the structural model at the societal level. The study developed three conceptual models that integrated antecedent factors (seven consumption values), respective moderating factors, and outcomes. The seven consumption values comprise functional values of performance and quality, price value, safety and privacy value, humanlike capability value, social value, epistemic value, and emotional value. For models 1 and 3, attitude and satisfaction were employed as intermediate constructs between the antecedents and other outcome variables. In conceptual model 2, attitude and perceived brand equity were used as intermediate constructs between the independent variables and the outcome variables. This study developed measurement scales for restaurant robot service consumption values using a seven-stage scale validation process. A qualitative approach to data analysis was primarily used to analyze interview-based data collected for measurement scale development. The study also employed pilot test data for further validation and analyzed it quantitatively. Following measurement scale validation, the study collected a total of 756 valid questionnaires through an online survey conducted by research companies. The study considered exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multi-group analyses to analyze the main survey data. This study explored several outputs based on the three proposed models. In study one, which focused on individual/consumer outcomes, functional values of performance and quality, humanlike capability value, epistemic value, and emotional value positively and significantly influenced attitude toward robot services. Attitude positively and significantly impacted satisfaction with robot services. Satisfaction was also positively and significantly predicted by price value, humanlike capability, social value, epistemic value, and emotional value. Lastly, satisfaction influenced all of the outcome variables, including subjective well-being, self-esteem, global citizenship, and threat to human identity. Consumer innovativeness, technology anxiety, and sensation seeking partially affected the structural model. In study two, except for price value and safety and privacy values, all the consumption values had a positive and significant influence on attitude toward robotic services. Humanlike capability value, social value, epistemic value, and emotional value positively and significantly predicted perceived brand equity. In this study, attitude toward robot services had a positive effect on perceived brand equity. Perceived brand equity, in turn, influenced the four outcome variables: intention to pay more, loyalty, intention to recommend to others, and intention to participate in value co-creation. Perceived risk, human-robot interaction quality, and sense of humor partially affected the relationships in the model. In study three, functional values of performance and quality, humanlike capability value, epistemic value, and emotional value had a positive and significant influence on attitude toward robot services. With the exception of price value, all consumption values significantly explained satisfaction with robot services. Furthermore, attitude had a significant effect on satisfaction, and satisfaction positively and significantly influenced the four outcome variables: pro-environmental behavior, social wellbeing, trust in service robot technology, and socially sustainable consumption behavior. Personal norm on technology partially influenced the structural model. In conclusion, this study made significant theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretical contributions include expanding the existing literature by examining the role of consumption values in the adoption of service robots in the restaurant industry. Additionally, this study developed new measurement scales for consumption values specific to restaurant robotic services. Furthermore, the study applied the theory of consumption values and tested dimensionality of consumption values in the context of restaurants. Thus, the study extends the theory of consumption values. Moreover, the study developed three new conceptual models and tested the relationships between the consumption values of robotic services and the identified outcome variables. This offered insightful understanding for future researchers and contribute to the extent literature and. Lastly, the study incorporated different moderating factors and tested their effects within the proposed structural models, providing further insights into hospitality robotic services. The study has also provided important recommendations for various stakeholders based on the findings of the present study. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
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