Impact of Service Failure Attributions on Post Purchase Behaviour

Abstract

Management of service failures is regarded as one of the most newlineimportant and challenging areasin services marketing. Services are said to be newlinemore prone to failures because of the unique intrinsic characteristics of newlineservices such intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity and perishability. The newlineextant literature on service failures and disconfirmation of expectations has newlineemphasized on the consequences of dissatisfactory service experiences on newlinecustomer satisfaction, loyalty and customer switching and complaining newlinebehavior. The disconfirmation paradigm has been looked at from various newlineperspectives or theories which have made important contributions to the newlinerelated literature.The present study is guidedby the principles of Attribution newlinetheory, which provides a framework to understand how people draw causal newlineinferences or attributions after an incidence. newlineThe underlining assumption of this study is that the customers post newlineservice failure behavior is guided by the perceptions of the causal inferences newlineor attributionsof the service failure. It empirically tests the impact of various newlinepossible combinations service failure attributions perceptionson post service newlinefailure behaviour. The study uses a between subjects, pre-test post-test newlineexperimental design and a role play methodology with random assignment of newlinethe experimental stimuli to the participants. The experimental stimuli have newlinebeen designed in the backdrop of Indian retail banking services. The study newlineparticularly examines how customers perceptions of service failure newlineattributions affect their satisfaction with the service provider, intentions to newlinerepatronize the service firm and propensity to spread negative word of mouth newlineabout the service provider. The study uses a 2*2*2 full factorial design and newlineANOVA along with other statistical tools to test the hypothesis. The study newlinealso provides some useful managerial guidelines for managing service failure newlineattributions so as to attain specific targeted outcomes in terms of satisfaction, newlinerepatronage and word of mouth intentions.