TY - JOUR
T1 - The Role of Cultural Tightness-Looseness in the Ethics of Service Recovery
AU - Li, Connie
AU - FOCK, Henry
AU - Mattila, Anna S.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers and participants at The Third World Business Ethics Forum for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this article. This project was supported by a research grant from Hong Kong Baptist University (FRG2/10-11/075).
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - This research was intended to examine the moderating role of cultural tightness-looseness orientation (i.e., how strongly or weakly people pursue standardized social norms) in influencing consumers' postrecovery behaviors at an individual level. Results of two studies demonstrated that the differential level of tightness-looseness orientation of consumers to societal norms influences their perceptions of service recovery efforts, which in turn affects their postrecovery complaint behaviors. Specifically, study 1 showed that overcompensation for service failure reduced postrecovery complaint tendency among "loose" consumers but not among "tight" consumers. Study 2 revealed that while either tangible compensation or an apology might ameliorate the dissatisfaction from the failure and alleviate complaint intention among loose consumers, tight consumers seek an apology rather than tangible compensation when a service failure occurs. These findings affirmed the vital role of tightness-looseness orientation of consumers in their responses to service failures and recovery efforts.
AB - This research was intended to examine the moderating role of cultural tightness-looseness orientation (i.e., how strongly or weakly people pursue standardized social norms) in influencing consumers' postrecovery behaviors at an individual level. Results of two studies demonstrated that the differential level of tightness-looseness orientation of consumers to societal norms influences their perceptions of service recovery efforts, which in turn affects their postrecovery complaint behaviors. Specifically, study 1 showed that overcompensation for service failure reduced postrecovery complaint tendency among "loose" consumers but not among "tight" consumers. Study 2 revealed that while either tangible compensation or an apology might ameliorate the dissatisfaction from the failure and alleviate complaint intention among loose consumers, tight consumers seek an apology rather than tangible compensation when a service failure occurs. These findings affirmed the vital role of tightness-looseness orientation of consumers in their responses to service failures and recovery efforts.
KW - Attainability
KW - ethical service recovery
KW - tightness-looseness orientation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84863889235&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/08911762.2012.697379
DO - 10.1080/08911762.2012.697379
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84863889235
SN - 0891-1762
VL - 25
SP - 3
EP - 16
JO - Journal of Global Marketing
JF - Journal of Global Marketing
IS - 1
ER -