Direct and indirect negatively valenced engagement behavior
ISSN: 0887-6045
Article publication date: 21 May 2020
Issue publication date: 30 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to show the impact of direct and indirect customers’ negatively valenced influencing behavior (NVIB) on other actors in online social networks.
Design/methodology/approach
Four experiments were conducted in an online review setting that encompasses both restaurant and hotel reviews. The first study compares the impact of direct and indirect NVIB. The second, third and fourth studies measure this impact moderated by aggregate ratings, the volume of positive reviews and managerial responses.
Findings
Drawing on recent literature of customer engagement behavior, online reviews and social influence theory, this paper provides the first empirical results of the impact of direct and indirect NVIB, revealing the significant difference in their impact and the moderating role of the aggregate ratings, number of positive reviews and managerial responses on the cause-effect relationship between direct and indirect NVIB and other actors’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward service providers.
Research limitations/implications
TripAdvisor reviews were selected for the reason of appropriateness rather than representativeness, using two service providers, hotels and restaurants.
Practical implications
This paper provides managers with new insights, which capture not only what customers say about service providers but also the impact of how they say it, suggesting that managers move beyond framing NVIB in generalized terms to considering the differences in the impact of its direct and indirect facets.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to provide empirical results about the significant difference in the impact of direct and indirect NVIB on other actors’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward service providers, moderated by different heuristics, namely, ratings, volume of positive reviews and managerial responses.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Prof. Paul Lynch and Prof Jodie Conduit for providing valuable comments on the manuscript.
Citation
Azer, J. and Alexander, M. (2020), "Direct and indirect negatively valenced engagement behavior", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 7, pp. 967-981. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-08-2019-0296
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited