A Perceived-Control Based Model to Understanding the Effects of Co-Production on Satisfaction

Abstract

This article represents an initial effort to analyze the complex linkages among co-production, perceived controland satisfaction. Co-production refers to the consumer participation in production activities and is hereconsidered a proxy for behavioral control as it allows consumers to have some control over the process of thedesired product or service. Considering the increase of co-production in consumption activities, understandingthe linkage between the control from the co-production process and the satisfaction toward the relatedconsumption may be quite useful to firms interested in adopting such a managerial tool. Two experimentalstudies – one in a service setting and the other in a product setting – show that co-production positively affectscustomer’s satisfaction through the mediating effect of perceived control. Information gain and refund choice,representing cognitive and decisional controls respectively, also enhance customers’ perceived control.

Keywords

• co-production
• perceived control
• information
• refund choice
• satisfaction.