An Empirical Research on the influence of psychological contract violations on customer complaint behavior

摘要

This article is an empirical study of the catering industry as an object. We have conducted a questionnaire survey for 334 interviewees who eat out frequently to understand the influence of psychological contract violations on customer complaint behavior. By validating the data from structure equation modeling, the research has found it evident that there are transactional psychological contracts and relational psychological contracts between service firms and customers. Similarly, there are transactional psychological contract violations and relational psychological contract violations. As it is illustrated in quantitative research, transactional psychological contract violations by service enterprises to customers on the one hand result in the increase in direct customer complaint behavior, private customer complaint behavior and complaint behavior to a third party, but the decrease in silent boycotts on the other. The research also demonstrates that relational psychological contract violations lead to the decrease in direct customer complaint behavior, private customer complaint behavior and complaint behavior to a third party, while increase their silent boycotts. The research displays that customers are more concerned about transactional psychological contracts, but less concerned about relational psychological contracts.