TY - JOUR
T1 - Intercultural service encounters
T2 - a systematic review and a conceptual framework on trust development
AU - Vrontis, Demetris
AU - Leonidou, Erasmia
AU - Christofi, Michael
AU - Kaufmann Hans, Ruediger
AU - Kitchen, Philip J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Purpose: A significant body of research has now been accumulated in the intercultural service encounter (ICSE) literature. However, no study to date has provided scholars and practitioners with a systematic review to map and better understand the ICSE domain. Design/methodology/approach: To fill this gap, the authors systematically review and critically examine the state of academic research on ICSE. Findings: Based on a systematic review of 31 journal articles published over the last two decades, the results illustrate that ICSE research is a vibrant and rapidly growing stream of the broader international business domain, and it is topically and methodologically diverse. This review also identifies significant knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers examining ICSE at different levels of analysis, a lack of contextual positioning, as well as poor methodological rigor. Originality/value: Based on the findings, the authors introduce a multilevel and multidisciplinary conceptual framework that integrates the concepts of emotional intelligence (EI) and intercultural communication competence (ICC) as the key variables that explain trust development during the interaction between two key culturally different stakeholders: service providers (employees) and service receivers (customers). Finally, the authors discuss the contributions and implications for both academics and practitioners.
AB - Purpose: A significant body of research has now been accumulated in the intercultural service encounter (ICSE) literature. However, no study to date has provided scholars and practitioners with a systematic review to map and better understand the ICSE domain. Design/methodology/approach: To fill this gap, the authors systematically review and critically examine the state of academic research on ICSE. Findings: Based on a systematic review of 31 journal articles published over the last two decades, the results illustrate that ICSE research is a vibrant and rapidly growing stream of the broader international business domain, and it is topically and methodologically diverse. This review also identifies significant knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers examining ICSE at different levels of analysis, a lack of contextual positioning, as well as poor methodological rigor. Originality/value: Based on the findings, the authors introduce a multilevel and multidisciplinary conceptual framework that integrates the concepts of emotional intelligence (EI) and intercultural communication competence (ICC) as the key variables that explain trust development during the interaction between two key culturally different stakeholders: service providers (employees) and service receivers (customers). Finally, the authors discuss the contributions and implications for both academics and practitioners.
KW - Emotional intelligence
KW - Intercultural communication competence
KW - Intercultural service encounter
KW - Systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094883166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/EMJB-03-2019-0044
DO - 10.1108/EMJB-03-2019-0044
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85094883166
SN - 1450-2194
JO - EuroMed Journal of Business
JF - EuroMed Journal of Business
ER -