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1. This study examines how customers who observe customer incivility in a restaurant setting react and their willingness to revisit the establishment.
2. The study finds that customers' intention to revisit the restaurant is lower when they perceive a distant relationship with the employee involved in the incivility. However, if customers perceive a close communal relationship with the employee, their intention to revisit may even be higher following customer incivility.
3. The findings suggest that hospitality managers should train employees to identify signs of customer incivility and take appropriate actions to reduce negative consequences on observers. They should also communicate expectations for respectful customer behavior and foster close relationships with customers to offset the impact of customer incivility.
Based on the provided article, titled "When observers of customer incivility revisit the restaurant: roles of relationship closeness and norms," there are several potential biases and limitations that should be considered.
1. Limited scope: The study focuses solely on American consumers recruited from a crowdsourced online panel. This narrow sample may not represent the broader population accurately, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
2. Lack of real-world context: The study uses scenario-based experimental studies in a restaurant setting. While this approach allows for controlled manipulation of variables, it may not fully capture the complexity and dynamics of real-life customer interactions in hospitality settings.
3. Potential self-selection bias: Participants in the online panel may have different characteristics or motivations compared to the general population, potentially introducing self-selection bias into the study.
4. Lack of external validity: The study examines customers' willingness to revisit a company following customer incivility but does not explore other important outcomes such as word-of-mouth recommendations or negative online reviews. These additional factors could provide a more comprehensive understanding of how customer incivility affects business performance.
5. Limited consideration of cultural differences: The study does not explicitly consider cultural differences in norms and expectations regarding customer behavior and service quality. Cultural factors can significantly influence customers' reactions to incivility and their willingness to revisit a restaurant.
6. Potential measurement bias: The study relies on participants' self-reported measures, which may be subject to social desirability bias or memory recall biases. Additionally, measuring relationship closeness based on participants' perceptions may introduce subjective interpretations and potential measurement errors.
7. Lack of exploration of counterarguments: The article primarily focuses on the negative consequences of customer incivility but does not thoroughly explore potential positive effects or alternative perspectives on this issue. This one-sided reporting may limit a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
8. Missing evidence for claims made: While the article suggests that hospitality managers should train employees to identify signs of customer incivility, it does not provide empirical evidence or specific strategies to support this claim. The article could benefit from including concrete examples or case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of such training programs.
9. Potential promotional content: The article briefly mentions that hospitality businesses should foster a close relationship with their customers, particularly a communal relationship, but does not provide sufficient evidence or arguments to support this recommendation. This suggestion may be seen as promoting a particular approach without considering potential drawbacks or alternative strategies.
In conclusion, while the article provides insights into the role of relationship closeness and norms in observers' reactions to customer incivility, it has several limitations and potential biases that should be considered. Future research should aim for more diverse samples, consider cultural differences, explore additional outcomes beyond revisit intention, and provide stronger empirical evidence for the claims made.