An examination of consumer sentiment toward offshored services

Shawn T. Thelen, Boonghee Yoo, Vincent P. Magnini

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2011 · Volume 39 · Issue 2

Abstract

This research identifies and analyzes the underlying elements and consequences of consumer sentiment toward offshored services. This is accomplished by initially conceptualizing consumer sentiment toward offshored services, then developing and validating a multi-dimensional scale (OFFSERVSENT) to measure the construct. This research determines that consumer sentiment toward offshored services is instrumental in explaining consumers’ commitment to and global attitudes toward firms that offshore services as well as consumers’ word-of-mouth behavior. The strength of these relationships varies depending upon the type of service being offshored. The results of this research contribute to the study of services offshoring, an emerging and fertile area of research for the services and marketing disciplines, and provide practitioners with increased knowledge regarding offshoring decisions.

Keywords

Outsourcing, Offshoring, Services, Sentiment, Ethnocentrism, Scale development, Free-trade resentment, Protectionism, Foreign-worker enmity, Animosity, Data security, Communication, Customer/foreign-worker disconnect, Service marketing, Customer service

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.