Linking customer verbal aggression and service sabotage
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanisms that link customer verbal aggression with service sabotage. Additionally, this study also tests whether emotional dissonance mediates the relationships between customer verbal aggression and the revenge motive, and between customer verbal aggression and service sabotage.
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigated flight attendants from six airlines in Taiwan. A total of 1,000 questionnaires were distributed, resulting in the return of 504 valid questionnaires, yielding a valid response rate of 50.4 percent.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that: emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between customer verbal aggression and revenge motive; emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between customer verbal aggression and service sabotage; customer verbal aggression is positively related to the revenge motive; revenge motive positively relates to service sabotage.
Originality/value
This study has investigated the following: how customer verbal aggression causes revenge motive via the mediation of emotional dissonance, how customer verbal aggression results in service sabotage via the mediation of emotional dissonance. The results provide a basis for making suggestions regarding service management as a reference for airlines.
Keywords
Citation
Yeh, C.-W. (2015), "Linking customer verbal aggression and service sabotage", Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 877-896. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-07-2014-0146
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited