![Kelly Cowart, assistant professor of marketing](/gvnext/files/img/article/E5C8B7B3-B1AF-4C24-3A585A3399083EC1/47C8B6BD-B0C5-2C52-5409739AAFE8B232/original.jpg)
Researcher finds companies' religious affiliation can buffer negative reactions
![Kelly Cowart, assistant professor of marketing](/gvnext/files/img/article/E5C8B7B3-B1AF-4C24-3A585A3399083EC1/47C8B6BD-B0C5-2C52-5409739AAFE8B232/original.jpg)
While companies like Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A are at the
forefront of debate over the religious rights of employers, a new
study by a Grand Valley State University researcher shows religious
affiliation can safeguard companies against negative reactions to
store policies. The findings were published in the Journal of
Services Marketing.
The research, led by Kelly Cowart, assistant professor of
marketing at Grand Valley, examines the effect of a firm’s religious
association on customer perceptions of the firm, especially when a
service failure occurs. A service failure is defined as limited hours
of operation or a temporary store closing.
Cowart said the current findings indicate that religious
affiliations may buffer against some of the negative fallout that
ensues in the wake of a service failure, as consumers do not penalize
such firms as heavily as those without an affiliation. “More
importantly, the findings suggest that a religious affiliation can
garner favor even when the religion is not the dominant religion in
society,” she said.
Two experimental studies were conducted in which participants
assumed the role of a customer visiting a restaurant for the first
time. In study one, the customer either ate a meal at the restaurant
or could not eat a meal due to the restaurant’s closing for an annual
holy day. In study two, the restaurant is closed for weekly religious
worship rather than an annual holy day.
“Results from both studies revealed that customers are more
likely to forgive firms when service failures are associated with
religion, regardless of attitudes toward the religious group,” said
Cowart. “The results were similar no matter what religion was used in
the scenarios: Christianity, Judaism or Islam.”
Edward Ramirez, assistant professor of marketing at the
University of Texas at El Paso, and Michael K. Brady, chair of the
Department of Marketing at Florida State University, co-authored the study.
For more information, contact Kelly Cowart at (616) 331-7304 or [email protected].
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