Similarities and differences in Asian and Western travelers’ service performance measurement, evaluation and outcomes

Abstract

As service firms look to international markets for growth opportunities, they often encounter consumers who have significantly different expectations and perceptions of service performance. Little is known of the relationships between service performance, price perceptions, satisfaction and behavioral outcomes in diverse cross-cultural consumer segments. Prior work also questions the equivalence in cross-cultural settings of service performance instruments developed in U.S. service environments. Using the international airline industry as the context, an industry-specific service performance instrument is developed and found invariant across Western and Asian settings. The results also reveal both similarities and differences in service performance evaluation and behavior across cultures. This study addresses the need for invariant service performance measures in order to be able to evaluate cross-cultural differences in service performance evaluation effectively; and the importance of service strategy differentiation for diverse cultural groups in international travel settings.