The Effect of Choice and Degree of Participation on Customer Value and Performance Outcomes

Authors

Nicholas Jason Flores, University of Texas-Pan American

Date of Award

8-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Marketing

First Advisor

Dr. Arturo Z. Vasquez-Parraga

Second Advisor

Dr. Mohammadali Zolfagharian

Third Advisor

Dr. Xiaojing Sheng

Abstract

The importance of understanding customer value and the process of enabling the co-creation of value has advanced to the point of being considered vital for marketing and organizational success. Presently, a gap in the literature exists that pertains to understanding how the design and management of mechanisms that enable co-creation processes affect co-produced customer value and, consequently, performance outcomes. By investigating how two specific elements of customer participation enabling platforms, choice and degree of participation, impact customer value and performance outcomes in an online context, this study helps address the extant research gap. Specifically, this study examines how choice and degree of participation impact satisfaction and willingness to engage in future co-production through the development of individual, relational, and economic value. In addition, this study contributes to a broader understanding of the sources of value developed through the experience of customer participation.

Using data collected from 314 users of financial service websites, this study found that simply offering a choice for customers to use a website based service to co-produce a service or to have an employee of the service complete the service for them enhances individual, relational, and economic value for customers who chose to engage in co-producing the service. A higher degree of participation in the co-production context was also found to enhance the three sources of co-created value. Also, the importance of enhanced value for customers is illustrated by the finding that value fully mediates the relationship between choice and degree of participation, respectively, and the performance outcomes of satisfaction and willingness to engage in future co-production. Each value creation source investigated in this study was found to strongly affect the performance outcomes.

Comments

Copyright 2012 Nicholas Jason Flores. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/effect-choice-degree-participation-on-customer/docview/1435853612/se-2

Granting Institution

University of Texas-Pan American