In this article, we investigate the relation between customer loyalty and social media engagement. Two dimensions of customer loyalty are considered: affective and conative loyalty. We distinguish two forms of social media engagement: consuming of social media (passive engagement) and contribution to social media (active engagement). In a survey among 1,050 customers of a travel agency, the level of engagement of customers with the company’s social media activities is measured in relation to their degree of loyalty. Results show a partial positive relationship between social media engagement and customer loyalty: only consuming social media is directly related to affective loyalty.
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Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to describe and understand dimensions of cultural activity involvement and the relationship between cultural activity involvement and behavioural loyalty. Design/methodology/approach–Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 47 customers of a theatre were held. Findings–The study shows that the concept of cultural activity involvement consists of six dimensions: attraction, centrality, self-expression, social bonding, cultural transmission and financial contribution. Three customer segments are taken into consideration according behavioural loyalty levels: incidental spectators, interested participants and the core audience. There are large differences between the three customer segments regarding cultural activity involvement. Research limitations/implications–Introspection might have decreased the reliability. As the study is a case study, problems with external validity are recognised. Practical implications–Given the decline of subsidies in the arts world, it becomes more important to attract more visitors and to increase spending. Performing arts organisations might attract more visitors in case they provide additional services which enable cultural transmission. Moreover, the study shows that certain visitors are willing to contribute additional money to the arts. Originality/value–Current studies about leisure involvement focus on recreation and distinguish four dimensions of involvement. This study focuses on cultural activity involvement and explores these four dimensions, but also shows there are two new dimensions. This study contributes to a further understanding of the relationship between cultural activity involvement and behavioural loyalty.
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The purpose of this study is to provide a better insight into the impact of rebranding on stakeholders; the case for this study is the rebranding of the Hotel Management School (HMS). This research has explored how the stakeholders have experienced rebranding and how the rebranding has affected the brand identity, image and loyalty. A qualitative research method was used and data was gathered conducting semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with the students, staff and industry partners. The data illustrates that due to effective internal communication the employees were not affected by the rebranding. Nevertheless, the brand identity, image and loyalty did not have the same effect on the students and industry partners. Thus, it is recommended that HMS pay more attention to improving the communication, rebuilding and expansion of the brand identity.
MULTIFILE
Previous research suggests that in today’s experience economy, service is no longer the key determinant and that customer experience has taken over. However, few studies compare the relative impact of service quality and customer experiences on outcomes. The aim of this quantitative study is to examine the separate effects of service quality and customer experience on satisfaction, revisit intentions and word-of-mouth communication. Contrary to expectations, service quality has a larger effect on outcomes than customer experience. The mediation analysis shows very small indirect effect sizes, suggesting that that customer experience hardly mediates the relationship between service quality and the three outcomes. The conclusion is that measuring service quality remains essential to explaining consumer behaviour in the experience economy.
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The interactions between restaurant operators, policy makers and other stakeholders during COVID-19 were examined to identify the actions that contributed the most to the restaurant industry’s efforts to ensure continuity and build resilience. Thematic analysis of media articles and in-depth interviews with restaurant operators were used to analyze the restaurant industry’s response to the crisis in real time. Findings showed that customer loyalty and supplier goodwill played a crucial role in building resilience. Government subsidies preserved a critical aspect of customer loyalty, namely interpersonal relationships between guests and frontline service staff. The technology sector provided education and services at reduced or no cost, effectively speeding up the digitalization of the industry.
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During a service interaction, a customer should be viewed as having three distinct capacities: as a client, as a connection and as a resource. In each of these respective capacities, service (S) processes, relationship (R) processes and loyalty (L) processes create value for both customers and organizations. Satisfactory service is the minimum requirement for relationship processes to be effective and for the connection capacity to be activated. Likewise, high relationship quality is a minimal condition for loyalty processes to be effective and for the resource capacity to be activated. After presenting the measurable and actionable dimensions of relationship quality, I explain the difference between service processes and relationship processes. According to the service integrated relationships (SIR) framework, when relationship processes are integrated with existing service processes: (a) relationship quality improves; (b) loyal customer behaviours are evoked; and (c) service satisfaction improves. I conclude by discussing implications of the SIR framework for organizational systems and service employees.
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This study investigates customers’ perceptions of the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how such perceptions influence their consumption behavioural intentions and outcomes in the hospitality industry in Bethlehem, Palestine. The research study adopted a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with fifteen tourists who stayed in Bethlehem hotels. This study reveals that customers view the different dimensions of CSR in their right and stand-alone constructs. Paradoxically, our study suggests that customer’s willingness to pay and loyalty were not influenced by understanding such a distinction as responsibilities. This study further reveals that the interaction between customers’ perceptions of CSR and contextual and situational factors such as trust, transparency and service quality can determine customer behavioural responses to the hotels’ CSR orientation. The study offers recommendations on practical measures that can be undertaken to influence and enhance customers’ responses to hotels’ CSR agenda. The paper finally ends by identifying the study’s limitations and avenues for further research.
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