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The role of ethnicity in domestic intercultural service encounters

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Abstract

The current study investigates how ethnicity influences consumer (dis)satisfaction regarding service encounters in multicultural domestic service markets. The study interviews 306 ethnic Malay and Chinese respondents in Malaysia using the critical incident technique. The respondents provide 612 critical incidents for content analysis. Based on content analysis and inter-judge reliability, seven sub-categories (grouped within three major categories) emerge as integral determinants of service encounters in multicultural domestic service markets. The findings suggest intra- versus inter-ethnic affiliation between consumer and service provider influences the evaluation of domestic intercultural service encounters. Specifically, consumers are found to be more satisfied (dissatisfied) when service encounters are with service providers with the same (different) ethnic affiliation as themselves. The present study extends current literature by examining the role of ethnicity in service encounters in multi-cultural service markets. The identified determinants and associated findings from the present study further provide practical insights for managers regarding how different ethnic consumers are likely to respond to service encounters in such markets. The study indicates that different service expectations exist between consumers from different ethnic affiliations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Labuan Faculty of International Finance, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jln. Sg. Pagar, 87000, Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia

    Hamid Rizal

  2. Graduate Institute of Technology, Innovation and Intellectual Property Management, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

    Don Jyh-Fu Jeng

  3. Department of Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC

    Hsin Hsin Chang

Authors
  1. Hamid Rizal
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  2. Don Jyh-Fu Jeng
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  3. Hsin Hsin Chang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hamid Rizal.

Appendix

Appendix

Process of sorting and classification

Phases/judges

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Two researchers

Judge A

Judge B

Phase 1: Sort and classify classification sample (512 incidents)

512 incidents classified into 3 main categories and 7 sub-categories

  

Phase 2: Sort and classify the added holdout sample (100 incidents)

No added categories emerge from the addition of 100 incidents

Sorting and classifying all 612 incidents into 3 main categories and 7 subcategories (84 and 82 % agreement for [dis]satisfaction)

Index of reliability (I r) = 0.89

 

Phase 3: Three judges (two researchers and judge A) made comparison and resolved disagreement by discussion

 

Discussed and improve classifications. The outcome becomes a benchmark for the following classification process

Sorting and classifying all 612 incidents into 3 main categories and 7 subcategories (87 and 85 % agreement for [dis]satisfaction)

Index of reliability (I r) = 0.93

  1. Perreault and Leigh’s (1989) index of reliability:\(\sqrt {\left( {Pa - \frac{1}{C}} \right)\left( {\frac{C}{C - 1}} \right)}\)

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Rizal, H., Jeng, D.JF. & Chang, H.H. The role of ethnicity in domestic intercultural service encounters. Serv Bus 10, 263–282 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-015-0267-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-015-0267-0

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