An investigation of positive affect, prosocial behaviors and service quality

Abstract

This research investigates the relationships among service provider and customer positive affect, employee- and customer-directed prosocial behaviors, and sales-oriented behavior; three types of behavior commonly exhibited in the context of service delivery. In addition, employee and customer perceptions of service quality are considered. Three studies are presented. The principle findings indicate that employee positive affect is positively related to employee perceptions of altruistic organizational citizenship behavior and customer-oriented behavior, and negatively related to sales-oriented behavior. Customer positive affect is positively related to customer perceptions of customer-oriented behavior and service quality, and negatively related to sales-oriented behavior. Managerial and research implications are also discussed.