The Role of Culture in Service Quality: A Cross-National Study in Britain and Trinidad & Tobago A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Faculty of Humanities 2014 Sean B. Chung Manchester Business School 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………… 8 Declaration………………………………………………………………………….. 9 Copyright Statement…………………………………………………………………10 Dedication……………………………………………………………………………11 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 12 1.1. The Role of Services in a Global Context…………………………………. 12 1.2. Theoretical Focus: The Role of Culture in Services……………………….. 14 1.3. Research Aims and Expected Contribution …..…………………………... 17 1.3.1. Paper 1. Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context: A Qualitative Approach …………………………………………….. 20 1.3.2. Paper 2. Cultural Triggers: Understanding Service Quality in International Contexts………………………………………………. 21 1.3.3. Paper 3. Understanding British and Trinbagonians’ Complaint Behaviours: A Comparative Study of Service Failure……………… 23 1.3.4. Contribution of the PhD Candidate…………………………………. 24 1.3.5. Overall Expected Contribution of the PhD Thesis………………….. 25 1.4. An Interpretivist Philosophy and Qualitative Methods …....…...…………. 27 1.5. The Cross-National and Cross-Cultural Contexts of the Study ………….. 30 1.6. Why an Alternative Thesis? ……………………………………………….. 35 1.7. References …………………………………………………………………. 36 2. Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context: A Qualitative Approach ……………………………………………………………………... 47 2.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………… 50 2.2. Literature Review ………………………………………………………….. 52 2.2.1. Service Quality……………………………………………………… 52 2.2.2. Influence of Culture on the Evaluation of Service Quality…………. 54 2.3. Research Methods …………………………………………………………. 57 2.3.1. Context of the Study………………………………………………… 57 2 2.3.2. Research Approach …………………………………………………. 58 2.3.3. Sampling ……………………………………………………………. 58 2.4. Data Analysis and Findings .……………………………………………… 61 2.4.1. Data Analysis Process: Thematic Analysis ………………………… 61 2.4.2. Independent Factors: Cultural Triggers …………………………….. 62 2.4.3. Mediating Factors: Employee Work Ethic, Organizational and Customer Responsibility……………………………………………. 70 2.4.4. Service Factors……………………………………………………… 75 2.5. Discussion, Conclusions and Directions for Future Research …………….. 80 2.6. References …………………………………………………………………. 90 3. Cultural Triggers: Understanding Service Quality in International Contexts ………………………………………………………………………115 3.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………..118 3.2. Theoretical Background ……………………………………………………121 3.2.1. The Service Quality Construct………………………………………121 3.2.2. Effect of Culture ……………………………………………….........124 3.3. Research Design ……………………………………………………………128 3.3.1. Country Selection ………………………………………………......128 3.3.2. Country Highlights: Britain ………………..…………………….…129 3.3.3. Country Highlights: Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) …………………..130 3.3.4. Cross-National Data Collection and Sampling ……………………...131 3.4. Data Analysis and Findings ………………………………………………..133 3.4.1. Thematic Analysis and Informed Grounded Theory ………………..133 3.4.2. The Construct: Cultural Triggers ……………………………………135 3.4.3. Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC): Britain ……..……………………………………………140 3.4.4. Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC): T&T ……………………………………………………..147 3.4.5. The CSQCC and Key Mediating Factors …………………………157 3.4.6. The CSQCC and Key Service Factors ………………………………161 3.5. Discussion and Directions for Future Research ……………………………163 3 3.6. Main Conclusions and Managerial Implications…………………………...172 3.7. References ………………………………………………………………….174 4. Understanding British and Trinbagonians’ Complaint Behaviours: A Comparative Study of Service Failure …………………………………….198 4.1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………...200 4.2. Background of the Study…………………………………………………...202 4.2.1. Culture and Individual Behaviour …………………………………..202 4.2.2. Customer Complaint Behaviour and Culture ……………………….204 4.3. Research Methods ………………………………………………………….208 4.3.1. Qualitative Semi-Structured Interviewing …………………………..208 4.3.2. Sample Characteristics and Selection ………………………………209 4.3.3. Thematic and Data Analytic Strategies ……………………………..211 4.4. Findings: Framework of Culture and Consumer Complaint Behaviour (FCCCB) ……………………………………………………….214 4.4.1. Background ………………………………………………………….214 4.4.2. The Model: FCCCB…………………………………………………214 4.4.2.1. Culture’s Impact in FCCCB …………………………………...214 4.4.2.2. Behavioral Processes in the FCCCB ………………………….218 4.4.2.3. Behavioral Outcomes in the FCCCB …………………………230 4.5. Conclusions, Future Research and Study Limitations ……………………..234 4.6. References ………………………………………………………………….239 5. CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………256 5.1. Culture and Service Research………………………………………………256 5.2. Theoretical Contributions of the Dissertation…..……………………..……261 5.3. Managerial Implications of Research ……………………………………...268 5.4. Limitations and Future Research…………………………………………...272 5.5. Researcher’s Reflection on Ontological, Epistemological and Methodological Approach………………………………………………….277 5.6. References ………………………………………………………………….284 Appendix I General Interview Protocol …………………………………………... 292 4 Appendix II Participant Information Sheet and Ethics Consent Form .…………. 294 Appendix III Interview Schedule (Paper 1) …………………………………….. 297 Appendix IV Interview Schedule (Paper 2 & 3) ………………………………... 299 Appendix V Transcribed Sample Interview (Paper 1) ……………………………. 301 Appendix VI Transcribed Sample Interview Britain (Paper 2 & 3) …………….. 309 Appendix VII Transcribed Sample Interview T&T (Paper 2 & 3) ……………… 321 This thesis contains 92,401 words. 5 LIST OF TABLES Chapter 2 Table 1: Interview Protocol: Meta-Questions for Semi-Structured Interviews ………………………………………………………………………… 109 Table 2: Interviewee Profiles …………………………………………………….. 110 Table 3: Inductive Thematic Analysis – The Primary Service Factors for Evaluating Perceived Service Quality ………………………………………… 111 Chapter 3 Table 1: Demographic Characteristics and Profiles of Interviewees …………….. 191 Table 2: CSQCC Mediating Factors Derived from Inductive Thematic Analysis…………………………………………………………………………… 193 Table 3: Thematic Approach and Generated Service Factors Influencing Customers’ Perceptions of Service Quality ………………………………………. 194 Chapter 4 Table 1: Sample Specific Characteristics for Study 1 and Study 2 ………………. 214 Table 2: Thematic Analyses of Consumers’ Service Recovery Behavioral Processes …………………………………………………………………………. 218 Table 3: Behavioral Outcomes and Refined Sub-Categories or Complaint Channels …………………………………………………………………………. 231 6 LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 2 Figure 1: Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC) ………………………………………………………………… 114 Chapter 3 Figure 1: Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC) Britain ….……………..………………………………………………. 195 Figure 2: Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC) T&T …………………………………………………………………… 196 Figure 3: CSQCC Framework Key Service Factors and Sub-dimensions ………. 197 Chapter 4 Figure 1: Framework of Culture and Consumer Complaint Behavior (FCCCB) ………………………………………………………………. 216 7 ABSTRACT The University of Manchester Sean B. Chung Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) The Role of Culture in Service Quality: A Cross-National Study in Britain and Trinidad & Tobago The primary aim of this thesis was to explore the role culture plays in service delivery, more specifically on consumers’ perceptions of service quality and its potential impact on complaint behaviour. A key premise of the thesis was that prominent models of service quality are conceptualized largely in western contexts without considering conceptual meaning in various contexts or nuances of meaning. Furthermore, there may indeed be unique aspects of culture in each context that affect how service quality is perceived but are not yet identified in the extant literature. With this in mind, a qualitative approach was employed in order to gain an in-depth understanding of consumers’ perceptions. The thesis is comprised of three related papers. Study 1 was conducted with a student sample of Trinidad and Tobago nationals currently enrolled at a large university in the North West region of Britain. This study served as a pilot for the larger cross- national study. A holistic and multi-dimensional hierarchical framework labelled Conceptualization of Service Quality in Cultural Context (CSQCC) was developed based on the interview data and thematic analyses. The CSQCC included two key cultural triggers labelled Culture of Closeness and Culture of Servitude which have an overarching influence on all factors in the model. Different from traditional service quality models, in addition to the unique incorporation of culture, the CSQCC also encompasses human resources and operational variables – Employee Work Ethic/Attitudes, Organizational Responsibility and Customer Responsibility. In Study 2 British and Trinidad & Tobago nationals currently residing in their country of birth were interviewed. Data analyses and findings demonstrated that the general structure of the CSQCC identified in Study1 could be upheld also for the British sample, although the importance of different factors in the CSQCC framework appears to vary for Britain and T&T. In addition, data analysis revealed two cultural triggers for British nationals (British Reserve and Culture of Cordiality). For Trinbagonian nationals, Festive Culture and Culture of Entitlement were identified