Affect and cognition as predictors of behavioural intentions towards services

Purpose: To examine alternative approaches to measuring service evaluation across cultures. Research aims to assess (i) differences between cognitive and affective measures and their ability to predict behavioral intentions and (ii) the impact of service features on these measures. Design/Methodology/Approach: A self completion survey of African (East/West), Chinese and English higher education students includes service quality, satisfaction, affect (emotions/feelings) and behavioral intentions scales relating to retail banking. Findings: For all groups overall quality, satisfaction and positive affect predicted behavioral intentions. Negative affect was significant for English consumers. Differences across cultures are identified in the determinants of service evaluation, for example, assurance and responsiveness, but these were antecedents of affect and not of overall service quality or satisfaction. Research Limitations/Implications: The sample is drawn from cultural groups (based on Hofstede’s (1980) individualism continuum) of higher education students in the UK. The implications for generalizability of findings to wider populations and the need to recognize the considerable diversity within the cultural sample groupings is emphasized.