Does customer experience always benefit service companies? Examining customers’ epistemic motivation and interaction with the beauty service contexts :Doctor of Philosophy - Major: Business adminnistration

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY

--------------------------------

VU THI MAI CHI

DOES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ALWAYS BENEFIT

SERVICE COMPANIES? EXAMINING CUSTOMERS’

EPISTEMIC MOTIVATION AND INTERACTION WITH

THE BEAUTY SERVICE CONTEXTS

THE DISSERTATION OF ECONOMIC DOCTOR

Ho Chi Minh city – 2022

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY

--------------------------------

VU THI MAI CHI

DOES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ALWAYS BENEFIT

SERVICE COMPANIES? EXAMINING CUSTOMERS’

EPISTEMIC MOTIVATION AND INTERACTION WITH

THE BEAUTY SERVICE CONTEXTS

Major: Business Administration

ID: 9340101

THE DISSERTATION OF ECONOMIC DOCTOR

Supervisor:

Assoc. Prof. TRAN HA MINH QUAN

Ho Chi Minh city – 2022

DECLARATION OF AUTHENTICITY

I would like to declare that, the thesis “Does customer experience always benefit

service companies? Examining customers’ epistemic motivation and interaction with

the beauty service contexts” is my own and conducted with the instruction and advice

of Assoc. Prof. Tran Ha Minh Quan. Apart from the acknowledged references, there

are not any materials previously published or written by another authors, or has not

been previously submitted to any other educational and research programs or

institutions. I take full responsibility for the legality of the whole scientific research

process of this dissertation.

PhD Student

Vu Thi Mai Chi

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I am sincerely acknowledging the managing boards of Industrial

University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) and University of Economics Ho Chi Minh

City (UEH) for offering me the chance of studying PhD and financially supporting

my study.

I would like to thank the lecturers, researchers who have imparted their knowledge

and experience in research so that I could fulfill all requirements for the degree of

PhD.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. TRAN

HA MINH QUAN makes me a better reader, a better thinker, and a better writer. His

constant guidance, invaluable suggestions, and deep research insights have

immensely shaped this study. This dissertation would never have been written

without their kind and patient assistance.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all my kindly

colleagues and friends who had contributed to the completion of this study.

Above all, the dissertation is dedicated to my beloved parents, my son, who have been

encouraging me along the way.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION OF AUTHENTICITY......................................................................

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................... i

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................v

LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................... vi

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................. vii

TÓM TẮT ............................................................................................................... viii

CHAPTER 1 - RESEARCH OVERIEW....................................................................1

1.1. Research background and rationales of the research...................................1

1.2. Research gaps..............................................................................................5

1.3. Research aims..............................................................................................8

1.4. Research objectives and questions ..............................................................8

1.5. Research context..........................................................................................9

1.5.1. Beauty service industry....................................................................10

1.5.2. Beauty service industry in Vietnam.................................................13

1.5.3. Beauty salon service ........................................................................16

1.5.4. Beauty salon service in Vietnam .....................................................17

1.6. Key terms...................................................................................................18

1.7. Research subject and scope .......................................................................19

1.8. Structure of the research............................................................................19

CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................21

2.1. Review of Customer experience (EX).......................................................21

2.1.1. Conceptualization of Customer experience .....................................21

2.1.2. Consequences of Customer experience ...........................................27

2.2. Review of Customer engagement behavior (EG)......................................33

2.2.1. Conceptualization of Customer engagement behavior....................33

2.2.2. Antecedences of Customer engagement behavior...........................36

2.3. Theoretical background .............................................................................39

2.3.1. Customer-Dominant Logic ..............................................................39

2.3.2. Social Identity Theory .....................................................................42

2.3.3. Need for Cognition ..........................................................................44

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2.4. Proposal framework...................................................................................45

2.5. Operationalization of the selected variables..............................................47

2.5.1. Customer experience (EX)...............................................................47

2.5.2. Customer engagement behavior (EG) .............................................50

2.5.3. Relationship between Customer experience (EX) and engagement

behavior (EG) ............................................................................................52

2.5.4. Mediating role of Customer-firm identification (FI) and employee

identification (EI).......................................................................................53

2.5.5. Moderating role of Customer epistemic motivation (EM)..............56

2.5.6. Controlled variables........................................................................59

CHAPTER 3 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .....................................................61

3.1. Research framework and hypotheses ........................................................61

3.2. Research design .........................................................................................64

3.3. Population and sampling ...........................................................................67

3.3.1. Sampling method .............................................................................68

3.3.2. Sample size determination ...............................................................69

3.4. Instrument development ............................................................................69

3.5. Scales used in the research framework......................................................71

3.5.1. Measurements of Customer experience...........................................72

3.5.2. Measurements of Customer epistemic motivation ..........................74

3.5.3. Measurements of Customer- Firm Identification ............................74

3.5.4. Measurements of Customer-employee identification......................75

3.5.5. Measurements of Customer engagement behavior..........................75

3.6. Data collection process..............................................................................77

3.7. Data analysis process.................................................................................82

3.8. The results of Pilot study...........................................................................89

3.8.1. The results of Qualitative pilot study...............................................89

3.8.2. The results of Quantitative pilot study.............................................95

CHAPTER 4 - DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................101

4.1. Descriptive analysis of Sample ...............................................................101

4.2. Validation of Measures: Reliability and Validity....................................104

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4.2.1. Reflective-reflective second-order construct.................................104

4.2.2. Reflective-formative second-order construct ................................108

4.2.3. Reliability and Validity of Measurement model ...........................109

4.3. Assessment of Common method bias .....................................................113

4.4. Testing hypotheses by PLS-SEM application.........................................113

4.4.1. Mediation analysis.........................................................................115

4.4.2. Moderation analysis.......................................................................116

CHAPTER 5 - DISCUSSION AND CONTRIBUTIONS......................................119

5.1. Findings of the research...........................................................................119

5.2. Discussion of the findings.......................................................................121

5.2.1. Characteristics of demographic .....................................................121

5.2.2. Scale validates of customer experience .........................................121

5.2.3. Relationship of EX and EG – mediating and moderating role ......122

5.3. Contributions of the research...................................................................124

5.3.1. Theoretical contributions...............................................................124

5.3.2. Practical contributions ...................................................................125

5.4. Limitations and Future research suggestions ..........................................127

5.5. Conclusion...............................................................................................128

PUBLICATION ......................................................................................................132

REFERENCES........................................................................................................133

APPENDIX I: ENGLISH QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................................ xi

APPENDIX II: VIETNAMESE QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................... xvi

APPENDIX III: LIST OF BEAUTY SALONS ..................................................... xxi

APPENDIX IV: LIST OF EXPERTS OF IN-DEPT INTERVIEW.......................xxv

APPENDIX V: DATA FROM QUANTITATIVE PILOT STUDY.................... xxvi

APPENDIX VI: SCALE ASSESSMENT OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

BEHAVIOR ....................................................................................................... xxxvii

APENDIX VII. SCALE ASSESSMENT OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE......... xlii

APENDIX VIII. PLS – SEM ................................................................................. xliv