It Doesn't Taste the same from Someone Else's Plate: The Influence of Culture in Interpersonal Retail Service Evaluations

별인적반자적미도불일양(别人的盘子的味道不一样): 문화대인제령수복무평개적영향(文化对人际零售服务评价的影响)

This study reviews the influence of culture in interpersonal servicescapes by examining the restaurant retail setting. Two cultures (Canada and France) are surveyed in order to better understand their retail expectations towards interpersonal servicescapes. Using Hofstede's (1991) cultural dimensions to explain some of the differences between Canadian and French restaurant patrons, this study demonstrates a potentially interesting research avenue in the field of cross-cultural interpersonal services marketing. It demonstrates that cultural dimensions do not operate independently but interdependently. Understanding this can help retailers better explain complex service interactions between countries that may appear similar in terms of various socio-demographic features. In this exploratory research, a measure via exploratory factor analysis was developed, one that encompasses both the physical and service aspects common to interpersonal servicescape by using personality traits. This measure was tested in order to better understand the service expectations between two cultures, Canada and France. Five dimensional structures were uncovered in both cultures but with different traits and groupings. The differences between the traits uncovered and the overall Canadian and French personality structures find some explanation using Hofstede's (1991) cultural dimensions. The results of this survey point to a possible explanation as to why when services are transferred between cultures, the perceptions of them can be different and sometimes even lead to service failure. There are clearly some cultural differences between the Canadian and French consumers and their overall expectations regarding their consumption experience. Reviewing the first factor of the French and Canadian personality structures shows that the individualist/collectivist differences are apparent between the Canadian and the French cultures. The second dimension also has quite a few traits in common, five, all of which have the personal treatment aspect of the restaurant experience that a service provider would be responsible for: polite, respectful, and dedicated. Notable is that the French dimension does not include the authenticity or the hospitable aspect of the experience but includes even more features that are inherent to the personal interaction, such as charming and courteous. The third dimension of the Canadian and French structures reflects completely different expectations. Whereas the French dimension centers around energy and enthusiasm, the Canadian version is more laid-back and relaxed. There is extroversion in the French dimension to introversion in the Canadian dimension. This could be explained by differences on the Uncertainty Avoidance dimension as outlined by Hofstede (1991). The fourth dimension seems to confirm previously outlined cultural differences. Whereas Canadians, being a bit lower on uncertainty avoidance and power distance, prefer an intimate and private experience, the French continue to expect extraversion and inclusive features to their experience. The fifth dimension is in the French personality structure a clear expression of the high power distance society, where the roles of the players in the restaurant experience are clearly defined and the rules of engagement preserved. This study demonstrates that different cultures clearly do relate to different expectations regarding interpersonal services. This is apparent in the dimensions that come up in both the French and the Canadian personality structures, not only in terms of how different they are but also in with which cultural dimensions these can be explained. For interpersonal servicescapes, the use of personality traits is interesting as it allows for both physical and service features to be accounted for. Furthermore, the social component inherent to interpersonal servicescapes surfaces in most of the dimensions of the service personality structures. The quality of social exchanges is extremely important, and this even more so in cross-cultural situations, where the expec tations regarding the service experience may vary. As demonstrated by this research and using Hofstede's (1991) paradigm, not all societies will have the same expectations pertaining to the interpersonal services. Furthermore, the traditions surrounding the type of service can also have an impact on the service evaluations and differ between countries and cultures. However, using personality traits may also allow for retailers to see which service traits are common to two or more cultures where they seek to be present, and focus on these in the offering. The findings demonstrate the importance of the individualist and collectivist dimension for interpersonal servicescapes. This difference between the French and the Canadian personality structure is apparent in the most dominant dimension as well as within others. The findings are a step in explaining how retailers can transfer and then measure interpersonal services across cultures.

该研究通过测试餐厅零售设置回顾了文化对人际服务的影响. 为更好的理解他们对人际服务的期望我们研究了两种文化(加拿大和法国). 利用Hofstede的(1991)的文化维度之间的不同的解释加拿大和法国餐厅顾客的不同, 该研究证明一个潜在的有趣的研究领域: 跨文化的人际服务营销. 这表明文化维度并不独立运行,但三者互为依托. 这可以帮助零售商更好理解解释复杂的服务之间的相互作用. 在这个探索性研究,经探索性因子分析,研制出了一个包含生理和服务方面普遍运用人际服务的人格特质. 这项措施是为了更好的理解进行两种文化(加拿大和法国)之间的服务的期望,. 两种文化中均有五维结构, 但是他们有不同的的特征和群组. 我们揭示了这些特征的不同. 利用Hofstede(1991)的文化维度解释了整体的加拿大人和法国人的人格结构本研究结果为当服务转移到不同的文化中他们的感知会不一样甚至导致服务失败的原因提供了一个可能的解释. 很显然, 在加拿大和法国消费者之间有一些文化差异和根据他们他们的消费经历的总体期望的不同. 回顾法国人和加拿大人人格结构的第一个因子表明在加拿大和法国文化中个人主义/集体主义很显然不同. 第二维度也有不少的特点是相同的, 五个, 所有这一切都有个人的待遇方面的经验告诉我们, 一个餐厅服务提供商将负责: 有礼貌, 尊重和奉献. 值得注重的是, 法国维度不包括真实性和好客方面的经验, 但包含更多所固有的人际互动的特性, 例如迷人, 彬彬有礼. 第三维度的加拿大和法国的结构反映了完全不同的期望. 法国维度的中心是能量和热情, 在加拿大的维度是更加平易近人的清爽. 在法国还有外向性维度, 而加拿大有内向性维度. 这可以用Hofstede (1991)所提出的不确定避免维度的不同来解释. 第四维度似乎可以证实概括的文化差异. 加拿大人, 在不确定性规避和权力距离上较低, 更喜欢亲密和私人经验, 法国人继续期待外向性和包容的特征. 第五维度是在法国的人格结构中有清晰的表达, 在高权利距离社会中, 餐厅所扮演的角色的经验有明确的规定和规则. 这项研究表明不同的文化确实涉及到不同方面的人际关系的服务. 这在法国人和加拿大人的人格结构维度中很明显, 不仅是他们是多么不同,他们都还可从文化维度去解释. 对于人际服务, 性格特征的使用很有趣, 因为它可以解释实体和服务特征. 另外, 这个社会所固有的人际服务包含了服务人格结构的大部分维度. 社会交流是非常重要的, 尤其在跨文化的情况下. 该研究表明, 通过使用Hofstede(1991的)范式, 并不是所有的社会都有相同的期望与人际关系的服务. 另外, 传统的类型的服务也可以影响国与国之间的不同服务评价和文化. 然而, 用人格特质可能也允许零售商, 看看哪个服务特点是常见的在两种或两种以上文化的地方. 结果表明, 集体主义和个人主义的重要性, 人与人之间的服务的维度. 这种加拿大人和法国人人格结构的差异在最主要的维度上是显而易见的. 结果在解释零售商能如何转移然后测量跨文化人际服务方面有帮助.