Abstract
Culture plays an important role in determining how product/service consumption is evaluated and the resulting complaining behaviour when dissatisfaction occurs. At present, the rapid advancement of web 2.0 technologies enabled hotel customers to use them easily for reporting negative experiences on the Internet. The purpose of this study is to investigate the cultural impacts on e-complaint by Mainland Chinese and non-Chinese hotel customers. Through content analysis of 964 individual complaint cases reported on TripAdvisor and Ctrip travel review websites for Hong Kong hotels, nine e-complaint categories were identified and compared. Mainland Chinese customers were found having far less complaint items in almost all complaint categories comparing to the non-Chinese customers. A two-way contingency table analysis further revealed that a significant relationship is found between e-complaint categories and room rates in the case of Mainland Chinese customers. The implications of the findings are discussed and future cultural e-complaint research for the hospitality industry is suggested.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Albrecht, K. & Zemke, R. (1996). Service America! Doing Business in the New Economy. Homewood, IL: Dow Joes-Irwin.
Ahmed, Z. U. & Krohn, F. B. (1992). Understanding the Unique Consumer Behavior of Japanese Tourists. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing 1(3): 73–86.
Au, N., Buhalis, D. & Law, R. (2009). “Complaints on the Online Environment — The Case of Hong Kong Hotels”. In Hopken, W., Gretzel, U. and Law, R. (Eds.), Information and Communication technologies in Tourism 2009. Springer-Verlag Wien-New York 73–85.
BBC News (2009). China Economic Growth Accelerates. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8319706.stm. [Retrieved on 28.10.2009]
Becker, C. (2000). Service Recovery Strategies: The Impact of Cultural Differences. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research 24(10): 526–38.
Buhalis, D., and Law, R., (2008). Progress in Tourism Management: Twenty years on and 10 Years after the Internet: The state of eTourism Research, Tourism Management, 29(4), 609–623.
Chiu, C. Y., Tsang, S. C. & Yang, C. F. (2001). The Role of Face Situation Attitudinal Antecedents in Chinese Consumer Complaint Behavior. The Journal of Social Psychology 128(2): 173–180.
China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC). (2009). Internet Fundamental Data. www.cnnic.net.cn [Retrieved on 02.09.2009]
China Tourism Statistics (2007). China Tourism Statistics Bulletin 2007 Report. National Tourism Administration of the PRC. http://en.cnta.gov.cn/html/2008-11/2008-11-9-21-35-50326.html. [Retrieved on 28.10.2009]
Defranco, A., Wortman, J., Lam, T. & Countryman, C. (2005). A Cross-cultural Comparison of Customer Complaint Behavior in Restaurants in Hotels. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research 10(2): 173–190.
Gu, G. & Ryan, C. (2008). Chinese Clientele at Chinese Hotels — preferences and Satisfaction. International Journal of Hospitality Management 27: 337–345.
Han, S., Keng, K. A. & Richmond, D. (1995). Determinants of Consumer Complaint Behavior: A Study of Singapore Consumers. Journal of International Consumer Marketing 8(2): 59–76.
Heung, C. S. & Lam, T. (2003). Customer Complaint Behavior towards Hotel Restaurant Services. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15(5): 283–289.
Ho, D. Y. F. (1980). Face and Stereotyped Notions about Chinese Face Behavior. Philippine Journal of Psychology 13:20–33.
Hoare, R. J. & Butcher, K. (2008). Do Chinese Cultural Values Affect Customer Satisfaction / Loyalty? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 20(2): 156–171.
Hofstede, G. H. (1980). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-related Values. Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA.
Hsu, C. J. & Hsu, C. M. (2008). The Relationships Between Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in a Leading Chinese Web 2.0 Company. The Business Review 11(1): 84–89.
Huang, J. H., Huang, C. T. & Wu, S. (1996). National Character and Response to Unsatisfactory Hotel Service. International Journal of Hospitality Management 15(3): 229–243.
Kelley, S. W. & Davis, M. A. (1994). Antecedents to Customer Expectations for Service Recovery. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22(1): 52–61.
Law, R. (2006). Internet and Tourism — Part XXI: Trip Advisor. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 20(1): 75–77.
Lee, C. C. & Hu, C. (2004). Analyzing Hotel Customers’ E-Complaints from an Internet Complaint Forum. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 17(2/3): 167–181.
Lee, Y. L. & Sparks, B. (2007). Appraising Tourism and Hospitality Service Failure Events: A Chinese Perspective. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research 31(4): 504–529.
Litvin, S. W., Goldsmith, R. E. & Pan, B. (2008). Electronic Word-or-mouth in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Tourism Management 29(3): 458–468.
Liu, R. R. & MuClure, P. (2001). Recognizing Cross-Cultural Differences in Consumer Complaint Behavior and Intentions: An Empirical Examination. Journal of Consumer Marketing 18(1): 54–74.
Mattila, A.S. (1999). The Role of Culture and Purchase Motivation in Service Encounter Evaluations. Journal of Services Marketing 13(4/5): 376–389.
Ngai, W. T., Heung, C. S., Wong, Y. H. & Chan, K. Y. (2007). Consumer Complaint Behavior of Asians and Non-Asians about Hotel Services: An Empirical Analysis. European Journal of Marketing 41(11/12): 1375–1391.
Patterson, P. G. & Smith, T. (2003). A Cross-cultural Study of Switching Barriers and Propensity to Stay with Service Providers. Journal of Retailing 79: 107–120.
Sigala, M. (2009). WEB 2.0 in the tourism industry: A new tourism generation and new ebusiness models. http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/20554, [Retrieved on 30.08.2009].
Singh, J. (1988). Consumer Complaint Intentions & Behavior: Definitional and Taxonomical Issues. Journal of Marketing 52(1): 93–107.
Singh, J. (1990). A Typology of Consumer Dissatisfaction Response Styles. Journal of Retailing 66(1): 57–99.
Tripadvisor (2009). www.tripadvisor.com [Retrieved on 03.09.2009]
Tsaur, S. H., Lin, C. T. & Wu, C. S. (2005). Cultural Differences of Service Quality and Behavioral Intention in Tourist Hotels. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing 13(1): 41–63.
Vermeulen, I. E. & Seegers, D. (2008). Tired and Tested: The Impact of Online Hotel Reviews on Consumer Consideration. Tourism Management doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2008.04.008.
Zaugg, A. D. (2006). Online Complaint Management @Swisscom — A Case Study. Working Paper No. 183. Instituts fur Wirtschaftsinformatik der Universitat Bern, Bern.
Zhang, L. & Zhang, M. (2008). Market Structure of China’s Network Industry. Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies 1(1): 75–87.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag/Wien
About this paper
Cite this paper
Au, N., Law, R., Buhalis, D. (2010). The Impact of Culture on eComplaints: Evidence from Chinese Consumers in Hospitality Organisations. In: Gretzel, U., Law, R., Fuchs, M. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2010. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99407-8_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-99407-8_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-211-99406-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-211-99407-8
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)