The importance of social comparison in perceived justice during the service recovery process

• Published in: European journal of management and business economics Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 488 - 504
• Main Authors: Aguilar-Rojas, Óscar, Fandos-Herrera, Carmina, Pérez-Rueda, Alfredo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madrid Emerald Group Publishing Limited 25-10-2024; Emerald Publishing
• Subjects: Consumer comparison; Consumers; Customer services; Distributive justice; Failure; Influence; Justice theory; Perceptions; Procedural justice; Recovery; Referent cognitions theory; Service failure; Service recovery; Social comparison; Social comparison theory
• ISSN: 2444-8451; 2444-8494
• DOI: 10.1108/EJMBE-02-2023-0056

PurposeThis study aims to analyse how consumers' perceptions of justice in a service recovery scenario vary, not only due to the company's actions but also due to the comparisons they make with the experiences of other consumers.Design/methodology/approachBased on justice theory, social comparison theory and referent cognitions theory, this study describes an eight-scenario experiment with better or worse interactional, procedural and distributive justice (better/worse interactional justice given to other consumers) × 2 (better/worse procedural justice given to other consumers) × 2 (better/worse distributive justice given to other consumers).FindingsFirst, consumers' perceptions of interactional, procedural and distributive justice vary based on the comparisons they draw with other consumers' experiences. Second, the results confirmed that interactional justice has a moderating effect on procedural justice, whereas procedural justice does not significantly moderate distributive justice.Originality/valueFirst, based on justice theory, social comparison theory and referent cognitions theory, we focus on the influence of the treatment received by other consumers on the consumer's perceived justice in the same service recovery situation. Second, it is proposed that the three justice dimensions follow a defined sequence through the service recovery phases. Third, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to propose a multistage model in which some justice dimensions influence other justice dimensions.