Leslie H. Vincent’s research while affiliated with Eastern Kentucky University and other places

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test some of the consumer engagement frameworks that have been previously proposed in marketing literature. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered via surveys distributed to members of a health club in the USA. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings We found the effects of satisfaction on intercustomer support – the assistance received from other customers within a service setting – to be fully mediated by customer identification. The strength and direction of effects differed based on the type of identification. They also found an effect of satisfaction on customer patronage frequency. This effect was fully mediated by customer–employee identification. Practical implications The findings illustrate that, in most cases, intercustomer support can be built and enhanced by focusing on customer identification. Both customer–company and customer–customer identification had a positive effect on social/emotional and instrumental support; however, they did not influence a consumer’s patronage frequency. Conversely, customer–employee identification decreased perceptions of instrumental support, but increased perceptions of social/emotional support and patronage frequency. While the findings indicate that identification with a firm’s employees drives a customer’s patronage, firms must decide if the benefits received from increased patronage are worth the decreased instrumental support. Originality/value Past research has demonstrated the benefits of intercustomer support at both the firm and customer level, yet little research has investigated what enhances intercustomer social support in an organization. The research answers this question and illuminates some specific mechanisms that mediate this effect. Additionally, while previous research indicates that intercustomer support drives objective outcomes such as firm performance and loyalty intentions, we instead found these outcomes to be driven by customer–employee identification.

The purpose of this paper is to share the social media success story of Lexington Beerworks, a craft beer taproom located in Lexington, KY. As the paper will delineate, Lexington Beerworks’ success stems from some conventional social media usage similar to Blakeman and Brown’s (Bull Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 37(1):47–50, 2010) recommendation; however, a great deal of Lexington Beerworks’ social media success is a result of unconventional use of social media, particularly its collaboration with its main competitors.

An emerging area of research within marketing, and the services literature in particular, examines the impact of customer engagement on key organizational outcomes. Rooted in service-dominant (S-D) logic, this notion of customer engagement posits that customers are key actors in value creation in the service consumption experience. The current research looks at key connections among customers, specifically the network connections between customers. Limited research has investigated customer support that occurs face-to-face despite the efficacy of customer-to-customer linkages in predicting organizational outcomes. Drawing on the customer engagement literature, the authors develop a theoretical framework providing insight as to what influences customer connection and how to leverage these relationships. Using network theory, we extend the customer engagement literature by exploring how customer-to-customer connections foster inter-customer social support and ultimately firm performance. This framework is tested in a health club setting, where customers frequently interact with other customers and the organization. Results suggest that connecting customers lead to greater levels of inter-customer social support. In addition, inter-customer social support leads to higher levels of firm performance, customer satisfaction and ability/role clarity in future co-creation. Based on our results, managers should facilitate customer connections and leverage these as resources that will increase both affective and objective performance outcomes.

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationship between customer networks and intercustomer social support, through the theoretical lens of service dominant logic (SDL). Co-creation and objective performance objectives are analyzed to understand the differential impact of instrumental and social/emotional intercustomer support on performance. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of survey and secondary data were collected within a health-club setting to test hypotheses. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – A customer’s network ties positively impact his/her intercustomer support perceptions, and this relationship is moderated by tie strength. Further, instrumental support impacts objective performance measures, while social/emotional has a greater impact on affective outcomes. Research limitations/implications – As customers become more connected, it is in the interest of the organization to capitalize on these connections. Future research should investigate what types of programming and marketing can directly enhance the number and types of connections customers form with others. Practical implications – Service organizations can benefit by fostering environments where customers connect with each other. These connections need not be at a high level; simple, informational connections prove to benefit the organization. Originality/value – The present research is designed to add to the research on intercustomer support in the service literature. This study investigates network-level antecedents of intercustomer support. Further, this research connects intercustomer support to objective (firm-reported) measures of performance. Last, this research examines intercustomer support through the lens of SDL and investigates its impact on co-creation outcomes.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive examination of the nuances of service quality (SQ) relationships using meta-analytic techniques. Design/methodology/approach – The data set comprises 108 empirical studies with 222 independent samples. The authors use a multivariate generalized least squares approach to examining the impact of key moderators on SQ relationships. Findings – This research confirms previously established relationships between SQ and its correlates and contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of those relationships by providing empirical evidence that SQ is context-dependent. This research shows that a service’s level of inseparability, customization, standardization and technical complexity impacts key SQ relationships. Research limitations/implications – This research finds that SQ is context-dependent. The antecedents examined were more significant for transactional exchanges, while the consequences of SQ were stronger for relational exchanges. Future research should explore this difference and investigate other correlates that could impact transactional versus relational exchanges. The present research is limited in that it could only examine correlates of SQ that have been frequently studied in the literature. Practical implications – This research helps managers understand how the characteristics of their organizations impact the role SQ has on key outcomes. Firms desiring to maximize the impact of SQ must first consider the characteristics of their organizations to understand what combination of attributes is most beneficial. For example, this research found that SQ is a significant driver of financial performance when the service is customized, high-tech or relational. Managers in these types of organizations can impact their bottom line by focusing on perceived SQ. Originality/value – This meta-analysis is the first to include both the antecedents and outcomes of SQ. The current research offers a comprehensive examination of various service characteristics and their impact on SQ relationships.

While the expanding body of attribute framing literature provides keen insights into individual judgments and evaluations, a lack of theoretical perspective inhibits scholars from more fully extending research foci beyond a relatively straightforward examination of message content. The current research applies construal level theory to attribute framing research. The authors conduct a meta-analysis of 107 published articles and then conceptually expand this knowledge base by synthesizing attribute framing research and construal level concepts. Results suggest that attribute framing is most effective when there is congruence between the construal level evoked in a frame and the evaluator’s psychological distance from the framed event. A follow-up experiment confirms that the congruence between a frame’s construal level and psychological distance—not simply its valence—appears to be driving attribute framing effects. This research proposes to shift the focus in attribute framing research from that of message composition to a more complex relationship between the message and the recipient.