https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/massey/oai:mro.massey.ac.nz:10179/3524
type: CreativeWork
name: Human interaction in service delivery and its relationship to disenchantment discontinuance in the diffusion of self-service technologies : a case study in retail banking : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing at Massey University
description: The concept of self-service in the consumer goods industry is not new. For instance, consider the food vending machines found in most countries. When applied to the services industry, however, the concept of self-service is more innovative. The traditional concept of channels of distribution as described in consumer goods marketing is of very little value when deciding how to distribute services, since services have unique characteristics. One such characteristic is inseparability. Services are typically produced and consumed at the same time. Since the client is also present as the service is produced, provider-client interaction is a special feature of services marketing. In the 1990s this provider-client interaction is being challenged due to self-service technology. Not all consumers, however, are satisfied with receiving a service through a machine, and prefer human interaction. Some consumers, after adopting self-service technologies, have abandoned them and reverted back to obtaining the service from a human. In other words, there appears to be a form of diffusion regression. According to Rogers (1962) when an innovation has been rejected after it has been adopted, it is called a 'discontinuance'. Supersedence discontinuance occurs when consumers cease using an idea in order to adopt a better idea which supersedes it. This has been found in many studies. Disenchantment discontinuance is a decision to cease an idea as a result of growing dissatisfaction with its performance. A literature search found that no study had set out with the objective of measuring the existence, or non-existence, of this phenomenon. This thesis used a case study approach by examining the retail banking industry. From a theoretical point of view, the main hypothesis of this thesis was that the trend towards the increased use of self-service technology in retail banking is reversing, and will continue to reverse, due to a growing consumer preference for dealing with people in banking. …
abstract: The concept of self-service in the consumer goods industry is not new. For instance, consider the food vending machines found in most countries. When applied to the services industry, however, the concept of self-service is more innovative. The traditional concept of channels of distribution as described in consumer goods marketing is of very little value when deciding how to distribute services, since services have unique characteristics. One such characteristic is inseparability. Services are typically produced and consumed at the same time. Since the client is also present as the service is produced, provider-client interaction is a special feature of services marketing. In the 1990s this provider-client interaction is being challenged due to self-service technology. Not all consumers, however, are satisfied with receiving a service through a machine, and prefer human interaction. Some consumers, after adopting self-service technologies, have abandoned them and reverted back to obtaining the service from a human. In other words, there appears to be a form of diffusion regression. According to Rogers (1962) when an innovation has been rejected after it has been adopted, it is called a 'discontinuance'. Supersedence discontinuance occurs when consumers cease using an idea in order to adopt a better idea which supersedes it. This has been found in many studies. Disenchantment discontinuance is a decision to cease an idea as a result of growing dissatisfaction with its performance. A literature search found that no study had set out with the objective of measuring the existence, or non-existence, of this phenomenon. This thesis used a case study approach by examining the retail banking industry. From a theoretical point of view, the main hypothesis of this thesis was that the trend towards the increased use of self-service technology in retail banking is reversing, and will continue to reverse, due to a growing consumer preference for dealing with people in banking. …
author: Prendergast, Gerard Paul Joseph
keywords: Self-service, Consumer satisfaction, Retail banking automation, ATM, Automated Teller Machines, EFTPOS, Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale, Telephone banking, Service delivery
date published: 1992
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:17:07Z
provider: Massey University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Massey University