Evaluating the impact of other customers on service experiences - A replication and extension

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Background to the Research
  • 2. 1. Services as the Focus of the Present Research
  • 2. 2. Conceptual Background
    • 2.2.1. The Service Encounter
    • 2.2.2. The Service Experience
• 3. Literature Review
  • 3. 1. The Impact of Other Customers on Service Experiences
    • 3.1.1. The Passive Role of Other Customers in the Service Encounter: Customers as Part of the Environment
    • 3.1.2. The Active Role of Other Customers in the Service Encounter: Customer-to-Customer Interactions (CCI)
  • 3. 2. Grove and Fisk's (1997) Study
  • 3. 3. Justifications for Replicating and Extending Grove and Fisk's (1997) Study
    • 3.3.1. Limitations and Criticism of Grove and Fisk's (1997) Study
    • 3.3.2. Recent Relevant Advances in Theory and Empirical Evidence
    • 3.3.3. General Arguments for Replication Studies
    • 3.3.4. The Research Gap
  • 3. 4. The Research Objectives
• 4. Methodology
  • 4. 1. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT)
    • 4.1.1. Presenting the Critical Incident Technique
    • 4.1.2. Evaluating the Suitability of the Critical Incident Technique
  • 4. 2. Research Design
    • 4.2.1. Implementing the CIT
    • 4.2.2. Survey Method
    • 4.2.3. Questionnaire Development
    • 4.2.4. Sampling
  • 4. 3. Data Collection
  • 4. 4. Data Analysis
    • 4.4.1. Classification of Incidents
    • 4.4.2. Further Data Analysis
• 5. Results
  • 5. 1. Critical Incident Sort - Primary Categories
  • 5. 2. Critical Incident Sort - Secondary Categories
  • 5. 3. Insight into Research Questions
  • 5. 4. The Role of Other Control Variables
• 6. Discussion
• 7. Managerial Implications
• 8. Limitations
• 9. Directions for Further Research

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The main objective of this thesis is to replicate and extend a seminal study by Grove and Fisk (1997) that investigates the impact of other customers on service experiences. The study utilizes the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to collect data from respondents in various service sectors. Key themes and areas of exploration include:

• The influence of other customers on service experiences, both passively (as part of the environment) and actively (through customer-to-customer interactions).
• The categorization of customer influence based on primary and secondary categories, revealing the different ways other customers impact service encounters.
• The role of customer characteristics such as income, gender, age, and family status in shaping reported critical incidents.
• The analysis of emotions experienced during service encounters and the perceived ability of service organizations to prevent dissatisfactory incidents.
• The identification of multiple elements contributing to customer satisfaction within service encounters.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter provides a general introduction to the topic and highlights the significance of the research undertaken. Chapter 2 delves into the background of the research, outlining the focus on services and providing a conceptual framework that encompasses the service encounter and service experience. Chapter 3 presents a comprehensive literature review, exploring the impact of other customers on service experiences, analyzing Grove and Fisk's (1997) seminal study, and justifying the need for replicating and extending their research. Chapter 4 details the methodology employed, focusing on the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) as the primary data collection method. This section also discusses the research design, implementation of the CIT, questionnaire development, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Chapter 5 presents the results of the research, examining the classification of critical incidents into primary and secondary categories, providing insights into research questions, and analyzing the role of control variables. Chapter 6 offers a comprehensive discussion of the findings, while Chapter 7 explores the managerial implications of the research. Chapter 8 discusses the limitations of the study, and Chapter 9 outlines directions for future research. The thesis concludes by summarizing the key findings and their significance within the field of services marketing.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This research focuses on the impact of other customers on service experiences, utilizing the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to collect data from diverse service sectors. Key keywords and concepts include service encounters, service experiences, customer influence, customer-to-customer interactions, critical incidents, service marketing, and the social servicescape.