Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS 

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2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
278
Generally, this paper tries to define “consumer-switching’ and show how consumer-switching phenomenon 
in the hospitality industry can gain in breadth by being examined through the framework of the GST. In an industry 
so volatile, it is paramount that managers understand why consumers would select to abandon one service provider 
for another. A more holistic and multifaceted approach like that one provided by the systems approach is deemed a 
useful addition to the existent models. Thus, systems approach allows us to think in terms of relational terms rather 
than in terms of things and to see switching in terms of relationships between entities. This is potentially more 
enriching than aggregating these entities leading to a more process-oriented and contextual view of consumer 
switching. In reality, the paper establishes a line of research in hospitality that is worth of pursuance. 
This paper comes to a close by stating that, the proposed systems approach is no panacea. The systems 
approach can only provide an alternative perspective to examining this consumer behavior and not able to solve all 
we’d wish to know about this phenomenon. Even though systems theory offers a rich framework for understanding a 
number of phenomena, several concerns have been raised about its potential and ability to contribute meaningfully 
to the advancement of social science knowledge. One area of critical discussion focuses on the ability of systems 
theory is related to its generality (Whitchurch & Constantine, 1993). Proponents of systems theory argue that this 
generality is strength. That it provides a set of concepts that is logical for seeing the world and phenomena as 
interrelated, hence creating the concept of integration. Just like the use of any other models/theories, it therefore 
remains a task of the researchers to examine where it best fits. 
Examining consumer switching from a systems perspective emphasizes the interrelatedness of the whole 
process. Where consumers are not only influenced into action, but their action also does influence the environment 
in which they exist and act. A systems approach enables the generation of hypotheses related to the 
macroenvironment and microenvironments within which the consumer exists. This kind of assessment gives special 
attention to the dynamic nature of consumer switching and allows the process to be examined over and over again. 
Thus, it allows for the process of consumer switching to be perceived as a continuous one and occurring all the time. 
Consumers are in constant move; away from one service provider to another and at times returning to the same.