Managerial Stress, Emotion Regulation, and Consumer Decision-Making in Sabah’s Hotel Industry
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between emotion regulation, stress, and consumer decision-making within the context of the Sabah hotel industry, where both consumers and managers face mounting psychological pressures. The research examines how external stressors such as job-related, financial, and situational stress shape consumers’ emotional states, perceptions, and marketing choices. It also investigates how managerial stress influences service quality, marketing communication, and brand experience. Using a qualitative exploratory design, the study collected data through semi-structured interviews with 10 hotel marketing managers and 15 hotel consumers across Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Kundasang. Thematic analysis revealed four dominant themes: (1) stress-induced emotional shifts in consumers, (2) coping and emotion regulation strategies, (3) managerial emotional contagion and service quality, and (4) emotionally intelligent marketing interventions. The findings underscore the critical need for stress-sensitive and emotionally intelligent management approaches to improve consumer experience and brand loyalty in Sabah’s hospitality sector.
Downloads
References
Andrade, E. B. (2019). The behavioural consequences of emotion regulation in consumer decision making. Current Opinion in Psychology, 26, 51–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.012
Barsade, S. G., Coutifaris, C. G., & Pillemer, J. (2018). Emotional contagion in organisational life. Research in Organizational Behavior, 38, 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.005
Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., DeWall, C. N., & Zhang, L. (2007). How emotion shapes behaviour: Feedback, anticipation, and reflection, rather than direct causation. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(2), 167–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868307301033
Bettencourt, L. A., & Brown, S. W. (2003). Role stressors and customer-oriented boundary-spanning behaviours in service organisations. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(4), 394–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070303255636
British Psychological Society. (2018). Code of ethics and conduct. The British Psychological Society.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper (Ed.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology: Vol. 2. Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 57–71). American Psychological Association.
Brotheridge, C. M., & Lee, R. T. (2003). Development and validation of the Emotional Labour Scale. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 76(3), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317903769647229
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Cutuli, D. (2014). Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies role in the emotion regulation: An overview on their modulatory effects and neural correlates. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 8, 175. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00175
Fedorikhin, A., & Patrick, V. M. (2010). Positive mood and resistance to temptation: The interfering influence of elevated arousal. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(4), 698–711. https://doi.org/10.1086/655662
Fu, X., Zhang, Z., & Li, Y. (2023). Information overload, digital stress, and burnout among marketing managers: The moderating role of mindfulness. Journal of Business Research, 157, 113547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113547
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Grandey, A. A., Melloy, R. C., & Fisk, G. M. (2019). Should “service with a smile” be the norm? Authenticity, emotional regulation, and service performance. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 40(4), 400–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2348
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903
Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. L. (1994). Emotional contagion. Cambridge University Press.
Hobfoll, S. E. (2011). Conservation of resources theory: Its implication for stress, health, and resilience. In S. Folkman (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of stress, health, and coping (pp. 127–147). Oxford University Press.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014
Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). Engaged to a robot? The role of AI in service. Journal of Service Research, 24(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520902266
Humphrey, R. H. (2022). The age of empathy: Building emotional intelligence in leadership and organisations. Routledge.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Karatepe, O. M. (2013). High-performance work practices and hotel employee performance: The mediation of work engagement. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.05.003
Karatepe, O. M., & Tizabi, L. (2020). Work engagement and hotel employee outcomes: The moderating role of work stress. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2019.1598561
Kasim, A., Goh, H. C., & Chan, J. K. L. (2021). Sustainable tourism and cultural sensitivity in Malaysia: Exploring local perspectives. Tourism Management Perspectives, 38, 100813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100813
Kernbach, S., & Young, S. (2020). Managing the emotional climate of marketing teams: The role of leader emotional regulation. European Journal of Marketing, 54(3), 571–592. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-06-2018-0432
Kidwell, B., Hardesty, D. M., & Childers, T. L. (2008). Consumer emotional intelligence: Conceptualisation, measurement, and the prediction of consumer decision making. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(1), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1086/524417
Kim, H., & Wang, C. (2018). The role of job demands–resources in work engagement and burnout: A study among hospitality employees in Korea. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(2), 1705–1723. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2016-0340
Kim, J., & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2017). Persuasive design in digital travel platforms: The role of affective architecture. Tourism Management, 63, 430–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.07.015
Kim, J., & Mattila, A. S. (2013). Does a surprise strategy need words? The role of communication in the surprise–satisfaction relationship. Journal of Services Marketing, 27(7), 524–532. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-06-2012-0104
Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Marketing 5.0: Technology for humanity. Wiley.
Kundu, S. C., & Gahlawat, N. (2022). Impact of occupational stress on marketing managers’ job performance: Mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Management Research Review, 45(5), 667–685. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-03-2021-0182
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2015). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3rd ed.). Sage.
Ladhari, R. (2009). Service quality, emotional satisfaction, and behavioural intentions: A study in the hotel industry. Managing Service Quality, 19(3), 308–331. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520910955320
Ladhari, R., Gonthier, J., & Lajante, M. (2020). Generation Y and online fashion shopping: Exploring affective e-loyalty formation. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102078
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
Lee, J., Lee, S., & Park, S. Y. (2021). Stress and managerial decision-making under uncertainty: A behavioural study of marketing professionals. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36(4), 633–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-020-09681-5
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Lin, I. Y., Mattila, A. S., & Wang, C. Y. (2020). The role of emotions in service encounters revisited: Examining the moderating role of customer emotion regulation ability. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(6), 831–844. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2019-0409
Luce, M. F., Bettman, J. R., & Payne, J. W. (2001). Emotional decisions: Trade-off difficulty and coping in consumer choice. Monographs of the Journal of Consumer Research, 26(2), 184–203. https://doi.org/10.1086/321950
Mattila, A. S., & Enz, C. A. (2002). The role of emotions in service encounters. Journal of Service Research, 4(4), 268–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670502004004004
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Pansari, A., & Kumar, V. (2017). Customer engagement: The construct, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 294–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0485-6
Pera, R., & Viglia, G. (2016). Exploring how video digital storytelling builds relationship experiences. Psychology & Marketing, 33(12), 1142–1150. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20945
Robertson, I., & Cooper, C. L. (2023). Resilience at work: How to succeed in the face of adversity. Kogan Page.
Riaz, S., Bukhari, F. A., & Azam, A. (2020). Financial stress and consumer buying behaviour: The mediating role of risk perception. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 44(6), 563–574. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12589
Sabah Tourism Board. (2023). Sabah tourism performance report 2023. Sabah Tourism Board.
Schmeichel, B. J., & Tang, D. (2015). Individual differences in executive functioning and stress regulation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(2), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414555178
Sheth, J. N. (2020). Borderless media and mindful marketing. Journal of Business Research, 116, 703–708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.02.035
Singh, N., & Chouhan, V. (2022). Ethics and empathy in digital marketing: Towards a sustainable persuasion framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(4), 913–928. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04962-0
Stanton, S. J., & Low, K. (2020). Emotional intelligence in consumer decision-making: An integrative framework. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 19(6), 606–619. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1843
Suri, R., Jain, A., & Dey, S. (2023). Emotional regulation and its implications for marketing and consumer behaviour: A systematic review and future research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 156, 113472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113472
Thomas, D. R. (2006). A general inductive approach for analysing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748
Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press.
Wang, H., & Netemeyer, R. G. (2021). The effects of manager emotional intelligence on frontline employee emotional performance and customer outcomes. Journal of Service Research, 24(3), 342–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520975852
Wirtz, J., & Jerger, C. (2016). Managing service employees: Empowerment, identification, and stress. Journal of Service Management, 27(1), 58–85. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2015-0014
Yusoff, R. M., & Kian, T. S. (2020). Work stress and job performance among hotel employees in Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Environment Management, 5(19), 1–12.
