Considering emotions as an important aspect of buyer-seller relationship development, Anderson and Kumar (2006) acknowledge that researchers should seek to articulate the consequences of emotional processes. Here, when one allows the possibility of different consequences, it is natural to raise the question of which consequences emotions are more or less likely to predict. Models that include intentions to engage in future relationships as a function of relationship quality have not previously incorporated emotional variables (i.e., De Wulf et al., 2001; Wang et al., 2006). Furthermore, a number of models have included emotions without considering the intervention of relationship quality (i.e., Barns, 1997; Pullman and Gross, 2004). So, it is assumed that an investigation of the link between emotions, relationship quality, and loyalty will provide a deeper understanding of how relationships between customers and service providers are developed in the long-term. This suggests an opportunity to provide a more complete model for this thesis, by including both relationship quality and loyalty as consequences of emotions within a single framework (see Figure 3.1). Therefore, for the purposes of this thesis, the association between the two constructs of relationship quality and loyalty with emotions (representing hypotheses H3 and H4) are discussed next.
3.4.1 Emotions and Relationship Quality
Although only a limited number of authors (i.e., Wong, 2004) have investigated the linkage between emotions and relationship quality, theoretical and empirical grounds for this linkage have been established. That is, some authors, as discussed below, have linked emotions (combining positive and negative) with relationship quality as an overall construct comprising trust, satisfaction, and commitment, while others have linked emotions positive and/or negative with each one of their relationship quality dimensions. The linkage between emotions and relationship quality as an overall construct is first discussed. This is then followed by a discussion of the linkage between emotions and each of relationship quality dimensions.
In regard to the first linkage, Wong (2004) provides a justification for this relationship, arguing that, “during the consumption experience, various types of emotions can be elicited, and these customer emotions convey important information about how the customer will ultimately assess the service encounter and subsequently,
the overall relationship quality” (p.368). This means that if the customer is displaying positive emotions during the service encounter, it is expected that he or she will also form positive perceptions of overall relationship quality. This is supported by Wong’s empirical finding that customer emotions (including pleased, displeased, happy, unhappy, disgusted, contented, enjoyable, and frustrating) positively influence relationship quality in the context of service encounters. While Wong has been the only researcher to empirically study the relationship between emotions and relationship quality, he did not use any one of the global components that are usually used to measure relationship quality. Rather, he limited his description to relationship quality as the overall impression that a customer has concerning the whole relationship, including different interactions. This suggests that the use of trust, satisfaction, and commitment as measures of relationship quality will possibly provide a fuller picture of the relationship between emotions (combining positive and negative) and relationship quality, as relationship quality is best captured by these three measures or dimensions (see Section 2.4). The linkage between emotions and relationship quality — where relationship quality is comprised of trust, satisfaction,
and commitment — is a further contribution of this thesis.
The second linkage between emotions and the dimensions of relationship quality is now discussed, first focusing on trust, then satisfaction, and finally commitment. Dunn and Schweitzer (2005) found a strong relationship between emotions as composite construct of positive and negative emotions (i.e., happiness, anger and sadness) and trust. More specifically, they found that when a person has been asked to give trust in an unfamiliar situation, then incidental gratitude and happiness increases trust, whereas incidental anger decreases trust. Similarly, Anderson and Kumar (2006) found that positive emotions reinforce trust, while negative emotions undermine trust. As for satisfaction, it has been found that the more customers report positive emotions towards their providers, the more satisfied they are with service providers and vice versa (Oliver, 1993). There is now an extensive literature examining customer emotions and satisfaction. For instance, studies including Westbrook (1987), Oliver (1993), Price et al. (1995), and Daube and Menon (2000) have found that positive and negative emotions are related to measures of overall satisfaction. The relationship between emotions and satisfaction has also been found in buyer-seller relationships, where positive emotions have been found to significantly influence relationship
satisfaction (Dolen et al., 2004). Finally, emotions have also been found to have an impact on commitment. Steenhaut and Van Kenhove (2005) found that guilt-related feelings play an important role in a high commitment relationship, where guilt was described as “an individual’s unpleasant state associated with possible objections to one’s own action, inaction, circumstances or intentions” (p.339).
In summary, although limited studies have been found linking emotions to relationship quality, theoretical justification supporting this linkage in the proposed model exists. However, this thesis contributes to the existing literature by investigating the link between emotions (combining positive and negative) and relationship quality as an overall construct measured by trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H3: Customer emotions will influence relationship quality.
3.4.2 Emotions and Loyalty
Customer loyalty is theorized as the target of relationship marketing between customers and their service providers, it is therefore necessary to see whether emotional responses of customers, in the proposed model, impact on their loyalty. Examining this linkage builds on previous literature that has examined the relationship between emotions and customer loyalty. Dick and Basu (1994) argue that emotions lead to either positive or negative feelings that are capable of disrupting ongoing behaviour. Similarly, Wong (2004) also emphasises that emotions influence behaviour, for instance repurchase intentions, as customers tend to respond to events in ways that maintain positive emotions and avoid negative ones. Thus, positive emotions may result in positive WOM, whereas negative emotions may lead to complaining behaviours (Liljander and Strandvik, 1997; Bagozzi et al., 1999). Fox (2001) also found that emotions usually influence customers’ future behavioural intentions, including repurchase and WOM.
In the retail setting, Sherman et al. (1997) demonstrated that customers’ emotional states positively influence the amount of money spent in a store, how much they like the store, and the number of items they purchase in the store. In the hospitality setting,
Pullman and Gross (2004) found a significant relationship between fifteen different types of positive emotions and behavioural loyalty for customers attending a hospitality event. Moreover, Bloemer and de Ruyter (1999) demonstrated a significant relationship between positive emotions (interested, excited, strong, enthusiastic, proud, alert, inspired and active) and loyalty. Within a hotel context, it has been shown that positive emotions significantly strengthen customers’ motivation to revisit a hotel and customers’ willingness to recommend a hotel brand to others (Barsky and Nash, 2002). Specifically, in their study positive emotions (pampered, relaxed and sophisticated) play a strong role in the decision-making process regarding loyalty in hotel settings.
The evidence would therefore suggest that emotions need to be included as a determinant of loyalty, and as such the proposed model in this thesis includes emotions as an endogenous variable that links to loyalty. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H4: customer emotions will influence customer loyalty.