Insights into CS/D&CB from Thirty Years of Qualitative Research in the Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior

Authors

  • Newell D. Wright North Dakota State University
  • Val Larsen James Madison University

Abstract

We review thirty years of qualitative research from the Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior. Four themes emerge from this analysis: 1) CS/D&CB as a process, not an end state; 2) CS/D&CB as a social process; 3) CS/D&CB causation outside of the expectancy/disconfirmation paradigm, and 4) qualitative CS/D&CB studies driven by quantitative assumptions. These themes suggest a second-level interpretation of the results focused on theoretical complexity. We conclude the article by commenting on qualitative methodologies and proposing elements that should be required for qualitative research to be published in the journal in the future.

References

Arnould, E.J., & Price, L.L. (1993). River magic: Extraordinary experience and the extended service encounter. Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (June), 24–45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209331

Bakir, A., Bakir, N., & Blodgett, J.G. (2020). Students’ satisfaction with a study abroad program. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 33, 46-62. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/405

Bantham, J.H. (2010). An exploratory study of satisfaction in buyer-seller partnerships. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 23, 1-30. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/20.

Bechwati, N.N., & Nasr, N.I. (2011). Understanding triggers of offline and online consumer recommendations. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 24, 59-68. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/17.

Blodgett, J.G., Bakir, A., Saklani, A., Bachheti, M., & Bhaskar, S. (2015). Customer complaint behavior: An examination of cultural vs. situational factors. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 28, 61-74. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/485.

Blodgett, J.G., Hill, D., & Bakir, A. (2006). Cross-cultural complaining behavior? An alternative explanation. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 19, 103-117. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/11.

Bunker, M.P., & Bradley, M.S. (2007). Toward understanding customer powerlessness: Analysis of an Internet complaint site. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 20, 54-71. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/42.

Cárdenas, J.C. (2012). Use and disposition of a gift and the recipient’s feedback in a collectivist environment. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 25, 130-148. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/232.

Cohn, D.Y. (2016). Thanks, I guess: What consumers complain about when they complain about gifts. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 29, 77-90. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/225.

Day, E. (2002). The role of value in consumer satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 15, 22-32. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/92.

Durgee, J.F. (1999). Deep, soulful satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 53-63. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/169.

FitzPatrick, M., Friend, L., & Costley, C. (2004). Dissatisfaction and distrust. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 17, 117-129. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/66.

Freedman, D.H. (2010). Why scientific studies are so often wrong: The streetlight effect. Discover Magazine, Dec. 9. Available online at https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/why-scientific-studies-are-so-often-wrong-the-streetlight-effect. Accessed 21 March, 2022.

Frenzen, J.K., & Davis, H.L. (1990). Purchasing power in embedded markets. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 20 (December), 360-375. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/208532

Friend, L.A. & Rummel, A. (1995). Memory-work: An alternative approach to investigating consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction of clothing retail encounters. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 8, 214-222. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/567.

Gardial, S.F., Flint, D.J., & Woodruff, R.B. (1996). Trigger events: Exploring the relationship between critical events and consumers’ evaluations, standards, emotions, values, and behavior. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 9, 35-51. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/518.

Geertz, Clifford (1973), The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2017/1967). Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Routledge.

Godwin, B.F., Patterson, P.G., & Johnson, L.W. (1999). Consumer coping strategies with dissatisfactory service encounters: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 145-154. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/178.

Gould, S.J. (1991). The self-manipulation of my pervasive, perceived vital energy through product use: An introspective-praxis perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (September), 194-207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209252

Hall, E.T., & and Mildred Reed Hall (1989), Hidden differences: Doing business with the Japanese, New York: Anchor Books.

Halstead, D., Jones, M.A., & Cox, A.N. (2007). Satisfaction theory and the disadvantaged consumer. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 20, 15-35. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/40.

Heisley, D.D., & Levy, S.J. (1991). Autodriving: A photoelicitation technique. Journal of Consumer Research, Vo. 19 (3), 257-272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209258

Hirschman, A.O. (1970). Exit, voice, and Loyalty: Responses to decline in firms, organizations, and states. Harvard University Press.

Hogarth, J.M., & Hilgert, M.A. (2004). Numbers versus words: A comparison of quantitative and qualitative data on satisfaction with complaint resolution efforts. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 17, 103-116. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/65.

Hudson, L.A., & Ozanne, J.L. (1988). Alternative ways of seeking knowledge in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14 (4), 508-521. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209132

Hunt, H.K. (1993). CS/D&CB research suggestions and observations for the 1990’s. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 6, 40-42. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/605.

Johnson, B.B., & Ross, W.T. (2015). When social ties bind: An exploration of the adverse effects of using social relationships to make purchases. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol.28, 26-44. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/217.

Johnson, J.S. (2015). Qualitative sales research: an exposition of grounded theory, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35:3, 262-273, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08853134.2014.954581

Karani, K.S. (2021), Forgiving a loved brand in the face of a transgression: An exploratory study. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 34, 119-131. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/403.

Kowalski, R. M. (1996). Complaints and complaining: Functions, antecedents, and consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 179–196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.179

Larsen, V., & Wright, N.D. (2020). Aggregate consumer satisfaction: The telos of Marketing. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 33, 63-77.

Larsen, V., & Wright, N.D. (2017). Impact on and of the journal of consumer satisfaction, dissatisfaction and complaining behavior. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 30, 5-18. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/255.

Locke, K. (2001). Grounded theory in management research. Sage

Malafi, T.N. (1996). Understanding soldiers’ responses to product dissatisfaction in field training environments. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 9, 2026. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/516.

McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 13 (June), 71-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209048

McCracken, G. (1988). The long interview. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Nordstrom, O., & Egan, L. (2021). Extending the argument: A case study exploring how to decay consumer grudges in a social media world. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 34, 79-102. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/475.

Oliver, R.L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 17 (4), 460-469. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F002224378001700405

Oliver, R.L., Rust, R.T., & Varki, S. (1997). Customer delight: Foundations, findings, and managerial insight. Journal of Retailing, 3 (Autumn), 311-336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(97)90021-X

Parker, R., Pomerantz, A. & Fehr, B.J. (1995). Satisfaction work in an emergency situation: The case of the Philadelphia 911 calls. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 8, 164-176. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/561.

Petersen, M.J., Wright, N.D., & Aron, D. (2020). Intense customer satisfaction while studying abroad: Study abroad as a transcendent customer experience. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 33, 23-45. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/401.

Ricoeur, P. (1981). Hermeneutics and the human sciences, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Scholes, R. (1982). Semiotics and interpretation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Schouten, J.W., McAlexander, J.H., & Koenig, H.F. (2007), “Transcendent Customer Experience and Brand Community,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 35, 357-368. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0034-4

Spiggle, S. (1994). Analysis and interpretation of qualitative data in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (December), 491-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209413

Swan, J.E, Martin, W.S., & Trawick, I.F. (2003). Compensatory satisfaction: An ethnography of avoiding disappointment and producing satisfaction in birding. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 16, 157-165. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/82.

Swan, J.E., & Trawick, I.F. (1999). Delight on the Nile: An ethnography of experiences that produce delight. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 64-70. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/170.

Swan, J.E. & Trawick, I.F. (1997). Looking for good birds in far away and nearby places: Variety-seeking, satisfaction and enjoyment of birding: An ethnography. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 10, 7-14. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/145.

Swan, J.E., Powers, T.L. & Hansen, S.W, (1995). The industrial buyer complaint process: An ethnography of finding and fixing vendor mistakes. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 8, 1-10. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/1-10.

Swan, J.E. (1992). Satisfaction work: The joint production of patient satisfaction by health care providers and patients. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 5, 69-80. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/633.

Szymanski, D.M., Henard, D.H. (2001). Customer satisfaction: A meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29 (1), 16-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070301291002

Thompson, C.J. (1997). Interpreting consumers: A hermeneutical framework for deriving marketing insights from the texts of consumers; consumption stories. Journal of Marketing Research, 34 (4) 438-455. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F002224379703400403

Thota, S.C., & Wright, N.D. (2006). Do consumers hold grudges and practice avoidance forever? A Markov chain model of the decay of grudgeholding and avoidance attitudes. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 19, 89-102. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/10.

Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture. London: Brealy.

Warren, S.M., & Swan, J.E. (2004). Premium price blues: Customers voicing price complaints, buying and not buying. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 17, 142-151. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/68.

Williams, J.A., & Anderson, H.H. (1999). Customer Delight: The Beat of a Different Drummer. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 44-52. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/168.

Wright, N.D., & Larsen, V. (2012). Every brick tells a story: Study abroad as an extraordinary experience. Marketing Education Review, Vol. 22 (2), 121-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008220203

Wright, N.D., Larsen, V., & Bolfing, C.P. (1999). Reactions to and retaliation against unsolicited e-mail (SPAM): A case study. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 179-189. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/182.

Wright, N.D., Horn, R.N., & Larsen, V (1999). Making purchases within and outside of embedded markets: high lifetime value customers in the Parisian marketplace. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 12, 1-14. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/164.

Wright, N.D. & Larsen, V. (1997). Complaining about the alliance: Extending Kowalski’s theory of complaining through a hermeneutical analysis of online complaining data. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 10, 170-184. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/159.

Wright, N.D. (1996). Satisfaction with homeownership: An evolutionary process. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 9, 178-189. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/532.

Wright, N.D., Larsen, V, & Higgs, R. (1996). New insights into CS/D from a literary analysis of Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 9, 128-137. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/527.

Wright, N.D., Larsen, V., & Higgs, R. (1995). Consumer satisfaction and the marketing of voluntarism: The case of Appalachian mountain housing. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 8, 188-197. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/563.

Yan, R.N., & Lotz, S. (2009). Taxonomy of the influence of other customers in consumer complaint behavior: A social-psychological perspective. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, Vol. 22, 107-125. Available online at https://jcsdcb.com/index.php/JCSDCB/article/view/34.

Downloads

Published

2023-04-21

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>