IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/svcbiz/v18y2024i1d10.1007_s11628-024-00556-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effect of social proximity, attribution, and guilt on accepting dysfunctional customer behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Joana Boesche Tomazelli

    (PUCRS – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul)

  • Simoni F. Rohden

    (IPAM Lisboa)

  • Lélis Balestrin Espartel

    (PUCRS – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
    IADE – Universidade Europeia)

Abstract

This study examines how construal levels affect the acceptability of dysfunctional customer behavior following service failure in restaurants. Across three experimental studies with online panel respondents (n = 555), we found that consumers feeling psychologically close to service providers are less likely to deem deviant actions acceptable. This stems from the trust they place in socially close service providers and their perceptions of failure controllability. Additionally, anticipated guilt plays a pivotal role in reducing the acceptability of dysfunctional behavior, particularly when seen as opportunistic. Our findings have implications for both academics and managers in understanding and addressing customer behavior post-service failures.

Suggested Citation

  • Joana Boesche Tomazelli & Simoni F. Rohden & Lélis Balestrin Espartel, 2024. "The effect of social proximity, attribution, and guilt on accepting dysfunctional customer behavior," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 18(1), pages 133-159, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:svcbiz:v:18:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11628-024-00556-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11628-024-00556-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11628-024-00556-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11628-024-00556-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:svcbiz:v:18:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11628-024-00556-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.