Customer-to-customer value co-creation and co-destruction in sporting events

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous scholars have examined value co-creation and co-destruction processes that take place between customers and service organizations or employees. Despite most service consumption situations occurring in the presence of other customers, few studies have examined customer-to-customer value co-creation and co-destruction. This lack of attention is particularly prevalent in sport service research. The purpose of the current study is to examine how other customers’ value creation (i.e. passion) and destruction (i.e. dysfunctional behavior) factors influence focal customers’ perceived value (i.e. economic, social, emotional, and epistemic), which in turn leads to customer citizenship behaviors (i.e. helping behavior and word-of-mouth). By using a convenience sampling method, data were collected from 318 spectators of professional golf tournaments. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that other customers’ passion had a positive influence on focal customers’ economic, social, emotional, and epistemic values (i.e. customer-to-customer value co-creation). Other customers’ dysfunctional behavior was negatively associated with customers’ emotional value (i.e. customer-to-customer value co-destruction). Emotional and epistemic values positively predicted helping behavior. Social, emotional, and epistemic values had positive effects on word-of-mouth. Overall, the present study contributes to value co-creation and co-destruction literature by highlighting other customers as potential value integrators. Further, the current work indicates that customer behaviors can serve as a double-edged sword, and it offers golf event practitioners novel insights regarding the necessity of strategic management aimed at facilitating customers’ passionate behaviors while protecting against the deleterious effects of dysfunctional behaviors.