Earl Honeycutt, professor of business administration-marketing, was recently notified of three manuscript acceptances and one refereed article publication.
First, “The Service Recovery Paradox: Justifiable Theory or Smoldering Myth?” was published in Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 213-225 of the Journal of Services Marketing. Co-Authors are Dr. Vincent Magnini of Longwood University, Dr. John Ford, and Dr. Ed Markowski of Old Dominion University.
ABSTRACT
The recovery paradox theory advances the contention that if a service firm exhibits an excellent recovery in the event of a service failure, then the customer’s satisfaction may exceed pre-failure levels. While a number of researchers have provided evidence in support of the recovery paradox, several recent studies (Andreassen, 2001; Maxham, 2001; Maxham and Netemeyer, 2002; McCollough et al., 2000) have failed to find such support. This study theoretically and empirically examines factors which moderate the occurrence of a ‘recovery paradox’ in the event of a service failure. The research findings indicate that, under appropriate conditions, a customer can experience a paradoxical satisfaction increase after a service failure.
A second article by Honeycutt, “Understanding the Use of Celebrity Endorsers for Hospitality Firms” was accepted for publication by the Journal of Vacationing Marketing. Co-authors are Dr. Vincent Magnini, Assistant Professor of Marketing, and Ashley Cross, undergraduate marketing student at Longwood University, VA.
ABSTRACT
Promotional clutter makes it extremely difficult for hospitality firms to capture the attention of prospective buyers with sales messages. One way firms attempt to penetrate clutter is by utilizing an effective celebrity endorser. When the proper celebrity endorser is selected to represent a firm, sales and brand image can be significantly bolstered. Conversely, selecting an inappropriate celebrity endorser severely reduces sales and brand reputation. This research study collected data from a convenience sample of 213 adults in the United States and found that trustworthiness, expertise, and genuine support are important characteristics for an effective celebrity endorser to possess. Further, the findings confirm that a match between the celebrity’s and company’s image and values and the celebrity being perceived by the buyer as part of his/her reference group are also statistically significant characteristics of an effective endorser.
Third, a manuscript titled “Do Consumers Exhibit a Country-of-Service Preference?” was accepted for presentation at the 2007 Conference, to be held November 7-10, 2007, at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. Co-authors include: Dr. Shawn Thelen of Hofstra University and Thomas Murphy, marketing student at Hofstra University.
Fourth, a paper titled, “Is there a Country-of-Service Preference Phenomenon?” has been accepted for the 16th Annual Frontiers in Service Conference, co-sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Service at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Co-authors for this article are Dr. Shawn Thelen, Hofstra University, Tanya Thelen, Marketing Consultant, and Dr. Vincent Magnini, of Longwood University.
ABSTRACT
This paper analyzes consumer experiences and opinions in order to better understand underlying consumer preferences regarding the offshoring of services. A series of in-depth interviews were conducted, as well as a review of the extant literature in preparation for this study. This resulted in the development of a survey based upon dimensions of the SERVQUAL scale (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles) that was modified for greater relevance to international services. Ten countries were selected to be the focus of this study: India, China, Singapore, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Ireland, China, and Jamaica. This study expands the current knowledge base of consumer opinions about the offshoring of services and identifies biases consumers may have toward Country-of-Service (COS). The results of this study suggest that there are significant differences in consumer preference for services between the countries tested. In addition, suggestions for future research and managerial implications are provided.