Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
M.H.A. Rashid
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
F.S. Ahmad
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of religiosity on the relationship between serv-
ice recovery and recovery satisfaction. This conceptual paper is based on reflecting the relevant scholarly
discussions in various conferences and available published literatures. This paper identifies that religios-
ity plays a significant role on the relationship between service recovery and recovery satisfaction. This
is due to the notion that highly religious individual tend to be more forgiving in the event of service
failure. However, this argument which is theoretical in nature needs to be statistically validated and hence
proposed by this research. Additionally, extant studies demonstrated that service recovery is critical in
enhancing customer satisfaction. Therefore, the three dimensions of justice theory namely distributive
justice, procedural justice and interactional justice should be considered if companies plan to embark on
service recovery efforts. The discussion offered in the paper is expected to be valuable for service provider
seeking ways to win back upset customers in the event of service failure. The discussion established that
fair compensation, reasonable policies/procedures, and effective communication process during service
recovery are the key components in promoting satisfaction.
Keywords
:
Service failure, service recovery, recovery satisfaction, justice theory, religiosity
1 INTRODUCTION
and equity theory (Ok, 2004). There are three
dimensions of justice theory include distribu-
tive justice (compensation), procedural justice
(policies and procedures) and interactional justice
(interpersonal communication). Extant literatures
claimed that the application of justice theory in
service recovery have been investigated in indus-
tries such as tourism (Bernardo, Llach, Marimon
& Alonso-Almeida, 2013); restaurant (Ok, 2004);
airlines (Nikbin, Armesh, Heydari & Jalalkamali,
2011) and a few other industries. However, its
application is still limited in Asian's service recov-
ery context.
Of late, there is an emerging trend of reli-
gious awareness in current market (Swimberghe,
Sharma & Flurry, 2009). While most service
recovery studies stresses on customer's emotions
and other related outcomes, fewer attention
has been given to the role of customer's char-
acteristics (Tsarenko & Tojib, 2012). Therefore,
religiosity is believed to play a significant role
in studies related to service failure. This is due
to the notion that highly religious people tend
to be more forgiving compared to less religious
people in the event of transgression (Tsarenko &
Tojib, 2012).
Every company in the world strive their best to
win customers' heart. However, it is nearly impos-
sible to deliver a perfect service with zero-defect.
Even a giant corporations such as Starbucks,
Toyota, Sony and General Electric experienced
service failure in delivering their services (Lusch
& Vargo, 2006). Service failure may contribute to
customer defection, negative word of mouth or
the customers will straight away complain to the
service provider (Kim, Kim & Kim, 2009). Con-
sidering the negative influence of service failure,
service providers shall strategize effective ways
to overcome the problems. Service recovery is
the only way to rectify the situation. The level of
compensation given should be equal to custom-
er's loss. According to Riscinto-Kozub (2008),
service recovery is vital and it is one of the key
components in developing long term relationship,
fortifying customer loyalty and promotes positive
behavioral intentions.
Justice theory has been gaining popularity in
studies related to service recovery (Nikbin, Ismail,
Marimuthu & Jalalkamali, 2010). Justice theory
was developed based on social exchange theory
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