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Commitment to a friend, a service provider, or a service company—are they distinctions worth making?

  • Original Empirical Research
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Abstract

In two studies, the authors examine three targets of commitment in service provider–consumer relationships and their effects on customer loyalty. The results indicate that service consumers distinguish between commitment to a service company, commitment to an individual in the role of service employee, and commitment to an individual outside of the role of service employee (e.g., a personal commitment such as a friendship). In addition, these three targets of commitment are hierarchically related and have differential effects on various customer responses. The results have implications for both customer relationship managers and researchers studying such relationships.

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Notes

  1. Note: An appendix containing all of the measurement items and their respective psychometric properties can be obtained from the lead author.

  2. Scenarios will be made available upon request to the lead author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland,, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Tim Jones

  2. School of Business, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Shirley F. Taylor

  3. School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Harvir S. Bansal

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  1. Tim Jones
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  2. Shirley F. Taylor
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  3. Harvir S. Bansal
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Correspondence to Tim Jones.

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Shirley F. Taylor is deceased.

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Jones, T., Taylor, S.F. & Bansal, H.S. Commitment to a friend, a service provider, or a service company—are they distinctions worth making?. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 36, 473–487 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-008-0107-z

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