Citation
(2015), "Executive summary of “The influence of the Japanese tea ceremony on Japanese restaurant hospitality”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-11-2015-050
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Executive summary of “The influence of the Japanese tea ceremony on Japanese restaurant hospitality”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 7
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.
Much research has been carried out in respect to value creation. The dominant logic is that customers and firms engagement is a process of co-creation where value is concerned. For their part, organizations provide products and service which consumers use. This becomes the next stage of the value creation process and has inspired the term “value-in-use” to emerge.
Such assumptions have been challenged in some quarters. The premise is that value is only realized when the user consumes the product or service. From this perspective, value creation is a “customer process”, meaning that co-creation does not actually occur. The company role is essentially a supporting one in which it provides “inputs or resources” that the customer uses as part of his or her “value-creating activities”.
Studies have examined the role of context in value creation. This has prompted suggestions that value-in-use should be replaced by “value-in-context” to reflect the importance of where and how the customer uses the resources provided by a firm to create value. Other scholars have gone further by suggesting that “value-in-social-context” or “value-in-cultural-context” more accurately captures the different participants, processes and perceptions that affect value creation.
The arguments are based on Western beliefs that the relationship between customer and service provider is a hierarchical one. The customer is assumed to be “master”, while the role of “servant” is played by the service provider. However, such conceptions conflict with how customer service is perceived in some other nations. In Japan, for instance, “guest” and “host” are regarded as being in a relationship which is more equal. This is seen as potentially having implications for the value creation process and the respective roles of consumer and service provider.
In the current study, Sato and Parry use the traditional Japanese tea ceremony as a metaphor for the value creation process. Green tea is considered too strong to be consumed on an empty stomach, so a meal stage or kaiseki is included in the ceremony. The tea ceremony meets the criteria for being a suitable metaphor by being relational and distant semantically. A relational metaphor is more powerful than an attributive one because of its focus on the associations between things.
The Japanese tea ceremony is seen as the epitome of hospitality in Japan. It is a formal process which incorporates such as specific body movements which takes many years to learn at specialized schools. In addition, practitioners are expected to be knowledgeable about the country’s history, Zen Buddhism and the many Japanese arts which are part of the tea ceremony. Flower arranging, calligraphy and ceramics are among the main ones.
Several principles are deemed to underpin the tea ceremony:
Seasonal feelings, inspired by Buddhist beliefs in the existence of many different seasons. The season dictates preparation and serving along with various other aspects of the ceremony, including foods chosen, utensils used and decorations in the form of such as flowers and scrolls. Seasonal requirements are represented by practical reasons and suggestive factors resulting from images used and the characteristics of vases and utensils.
Celebrating the mundane through the use of everyday items. This Buddhist doctrine advocates that the ordinary and mundane reflect different types of beauty or wabi. Beauty is thus “simple and unpretentious”, “irregular” or “austere” and “stark”.
Ritualized social interactions of which the tea ceremony is a perfect example and involves interaction between host and guest. Etiquette is seen as highly important along with the need to use the correct procedures to properly express hospitality.
Mutual understanding between guest and host. The rationale here is that one must have a deep knowledge of one’s partner to conduct the process in the most appropriate way.
Analysts believe that these principles help create value in the Japanese tea ceremony because of the “exchange practices” involved in three of them. They involve hosts creating “value-in-use” both for themselves and possibly their customers. Mutual understanding in the fourth is seen as reflecting the process of co-creation.
The tea ceremony in Japan has strong historical significance dating back many centuries. Since then, it has become strongly associated with important cultural values in Japan. Its relevance in the context of this study is the connection between tea ceremony principles and Japanese perceptions of service hospitality. The esteem in which the ceremony is held is illustrated by the fact that it is widely used as a tool for teaching “proper behavior and social interactions” in different situations, including the workplace. Being able to adopt host and guest roles in training programs enables employees to develop qualities such as empathy and compassion. Understanding the situation of another closely relates to the “mutual consideration” that is core within teachings of Japanese hospitality and service provision. Cooperation between server and customer helps to generate an understanding which results in “harmonious alignment”.
Sat and Parry illustrate use of the tea ceremony principles through brief insight into practices within two eminent Japanese restaurants. They describe many ways in which seasonal feelings are captured and the emphasis on parity between host and guest. Both parties create value-in-use for themselves. But such relationships also provide insight into value creation as a mutual enterprise where value-in-use created by one partner depends on and is influenced by value-in-use created by the other. This is indicated by such as:
Preparation and choice of utensils and décor to reflect the season feelings and beauty of the mundane principles. Decisions made here also help form the ritualized social interactions.
Personalization of the customer’s experience.
Customer’s prior knowledge of the tea ceremony.
Understanding of the host’s actions and signals.
Appropriate communication from customer to host which indicates appreciation for the latter’s efforts.
The ability of customers to provide valuable feedback about the service experience is regarded as being especially valuable.
Future research could examine relations between guest and host over time and how value at a “micro-level” inspires creation of higher-level value. Scholars might additionally examine the tea ceremony as a metaphor for how value is created in other service contexts in Japan. Whether the metaphor would be applicable in lower-end hotels and restaurants or when financial performance is the main driver is worth investigating. The authors additionally suggest ascertaining further ways in which customers and guests generate value-in-use. Ways in which interaction between guests might aid value creation is another opportunity to explore.
To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-09-2014-1142 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “The influence of the Japanese tea ceremony on Japanese restaurant hospitality”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)