Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Preencounter Affective States of Business Travelers and Service Responses

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 22; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/19368623.2012.680243

1936-8631

Yi‐Chieh Wang, Marian Beise,

Emotional Labor in Professions

This study identifies the preencounter affective states of business travelers and suggests that they offer opportunities for hospitality providers to personalize services and forge emotional bonds with business customers. The results are based on a qualitative exploration of the emotions of business travelers, as well as a quantitative survey of 240 business travelers in Taiwan. Three dimensions of the emotions of business travelers are identified: anxiety, annoyance and excitement. Using a cluster analysis, three types of business travelers are categorized based on their predominant emotional state: worried, annoyed, and emotionless. Among the Chinese business travelers studied, the two emotionally charged types are most prominent. In contrast, the stereotypical emotionless business traveler only represents a minority of respondents. This has important ramifications for service providers, such as business hotels. Service providers are well advised to provide effective service responses to the affective states of business travelers. The study finds two different types of services responses: problem focused and purely empathetic.