Professor Beverley Sparks

B Arts, GDip Business (Tourism and Hospitality), PhD

Professor, Griffith Business School

Contact details for Professor Beverley Sparks

Research expertise

• Consumer behaviour
• Customer satisfaction, service failure and recovery
• Deriving value from service products
• Food and wine tourism
• Marketing research issues
• Services marketing in the hospitality field

Current teaching areas

• Research Methods
• Marketing
• Timeshare Resort Management

Publications

Refereed journal articles

• Weber, K. and Sparks, B.A. (In press) The effect of pre-consumption mood and service recovery measures on customer evaluation and behavior in a strategic alliance setting. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Accepted 28 September 2007.
• Sparks, B.A., Butcher, K. and Bradley, G.L. (2008) Dimensions and Correlates of Consumer Value: An Application to the Timeshare Industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27, 98-108. DOI:10.1016/j.ijhm.2007.07.003
• Pan, G., Sparks B.A. and Fulop, L. (2007) Cross-cultural partner relationships in travel trade: A Sino-Australian case study. Journal of Travel Research, 46, 195-206.
• Lee, Y.L. and Sparks, B.A. (2007). Gaining a better understanding of Chinese perceptions of service failure and service recovery within the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 31 (4), 504-529. DOI:10.1177/1096348007302353.
• Dallimore, K., Sparks, B.A. and Butcher, K. (2007). The influence of angry customer outbursts on service providers' facial displays and affective states. Journal of Service Research, 10 (1), 78-92. DOI: 10.1177/1094670507304694.
• Sparks, B.A. (2007). Planning a wine tourism vacation? Factors that help to predict tourist behavioural intentions. Tourism Management, 28, 1180-1192. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2006.11.003.
• Sparks, B. A. and Fredline, E. (2007). Providing an explanation for service failure: context, content and customer responses. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 31 (2), 241-260. DOI: 10.1177/1096348006297292.
• Walters, G., Sparks, B.A. and Herington, C. (2007). The Effectiveness of Print Advertising Stimuli in Evoking Elaborate Consumption Visions for Potential Travelers. Journal of Travel Research, 46, 1, 24-34. DOI: 10.1177/0047287507302376.
• Lee, S. and Sparks, B.A. (2007) Travel lifestyle segmentation for Korean Australians and Koreans in Korea, Tourism Management, 28 (2): 505-518.
• Sparks, B.A., Butcher, K. and Pan, G. (2007) Understanding customer-derived value in the timeshare industry, Cornell HRA Quarterly, 48 (1), 28-45, DOI: 10.1177/0010880406294473.
• Weber, K and Sparks, B.A. (2006) Social Identity's Impact on Service Recovery Evaluations in Alliances, Annals of Tourism Research, 33 (3): 859-863.
• Weber, K and Sparks, B. (2004) Consumer attributions and behavioral responses to service failures in strategic airline alliance settings, Journal of Air Transport Management, 10 (5): 361-367.
• McColl-Kennedy, J.R., Daus, C.S. and Sparks, B.A. (2003) Customising service recovery: Gender effects of customers and service providers, Journal of Service Research, 6 (1): 66-82.
• Sparks, B.A., Bowen, J. and Klag, S. (2003) Restaurants and the tourism market, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15 (1): 6-14.
• McColl-Kennedy, J.R., and Sparks, B.A. (2003) Counterfactual thinking based conceptual model of service recovery, Journal of Services Research, 5 (3): 251-266.
• Butcher, K., Sparks, B., and O'Callaghan, F. (2003) Beyond Social Regard, Psychology and Marketing, 20 (3): 187-208.
• Collie, T.A., Bradley, G.L. and Sparks, B.A. (2002) Fair process revisited: Differential effects of interactional and procedural justice in the presence of social comparison equity information, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38: 545-555.
• Butcher, K., Sparks, B., and OCallaghan, F. (2002): Effect of social influence on repurchase, The Journal of Services Marketing, 16 (6): 503-514.
• Morey, R.C. Sparks, B.A. and Wilkins, H. (2002) Purchase situation modelling in wine selection: A prototype analysis applied to Australian wines, International Journal of Wine Marketing, 14 (1): 41-64.
• Butcher, K., Sparks, B., and O'Callaghan, F. (2002) On the nature of customer-employee relationships, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 20 (5): 297-306.
• Bradley, G.L. and Sparks, B.A. (2002) Service locus of control - scale development, Journal of Services Research, 4 (4): 312-324.
• Sparks, B.A. (2002) I would have felt better if only … Or, how to enhance customer satisfaction following service problems, Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, 3 (1/2): 53-67.
• Sparks, B.A., Wildman, K. and Bowen, J. (2001) Restaurant contribution to tourism destination attractiveness, Australian Journal of Hospitality Management, 8 (2): 17-30.
• Butcher, K., Sparks, B., and O'Callaghan, F. (2001): Evaluative and relational influences on service loyalty, International Journal of Service Industry Management, 12 (4): 310-327.
• Bradley, G. L., Sparks, B.A. and Nesdale, D. (2001) Doctor communication style and patient outcomes: gender and age as moderators, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31 (8): 1749-1773.
• Sparks, B.A. and McColl-Kennedy, J. (2001) Service recovery processes: Justice strategy options for increased customer satisfaction, Journal of Business Research, 54 (3): 209-218.
• Collie, T., Sparks, B.A. and Bradley, G. L. (2000) Investing in interactional justice: A study of the fair process effect within a hospitality failure context, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 24 (4): 448-472. Winner - Article of the Year.
• Bradley, G.L. and Sparks, B.A. (2000) Customer reactions to staff empowerment: Moderators and mediators, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30 (5): 991-1012.

Books and book chapters

• McDonald, L. Sparks, B. A. and Glendon, I. (2007) For better or worse: consumer perceptions of factors impacting company crisis outcome. In Bruce Prideaux, Eric Laws, Kaye Chon (Eds.) Tourism Crises. Oxon, UK:Cabi Publishing. (Refereed).
• Sparks, B.A. and Tideswell, C. (2003) Services Marketing Issues in Tourism and Hospitality. In McColl-Kennedy J. R. Service Marketing. John Wiley. pp. 392-416.
• Sparks, B.A. (2001) Managing service failure through recovery. In J. Kandampully, C Mok and B.A. Sparks, Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, NY: Haworth Press.
• Kandampully, J. Mok, C. and Sparks, B.A. (Editors) (2001) Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, NY: Haworth Press.

Refereed conference papers

• Smith, A. Sparks, B. A. and Mc Coll-Kennedy, J. (accepted through competitive review for 2007). Managing the 'softer side' of service recovery: The 'three E's' approach to enhance the customer's experience. Frontiers in Services Conference, October 2007 San Fransisco.
• Dallimore, K. and Sparks, B.A. (2006) Feeling and reacting to customer emotional displays: An investigation in a service failure event. 26th International Congress of Applied Psychology, July 16-21 Athens, Greece.
• Bradley, G. and Sparks, B.A. (2006) Explaining your way out of trouble. 26th International Congress of Applied Psychology, July 16-21 Athens, Greece.
• Walters, G., Sparks, B.A. and Herington, C. (2006) The Effectiveness of Print Advertising Stimuli in Evoking Elaborate Consumption Visions among Consumers. EIRASS conference in Budapest, Hungary, July 9-12.
• Sparks, B.A. and Bradley, G. (2006) Providing an explanation for service failure – what works? EIRASS conference in Budapest, Hungary, July 9-12.
• Weber and Sparks (2005) Social identity: Moderating service recovery evaluations in a strategic alliance. Asia Pacific CHRIE.
• Sparks, B.A., Fredline, E. and Tideswell, C. (2004, February) Service failures and the provision of information: Impacts on customers' feelings of respect. CAUTHE 2004: Creating Tourism Knowledge Conference. Brisbane Australia, 10th - 13th February, 2004
• Lee, Y.L. and Sparks, B. (2003, February) Gaining a better understanding of Chinese perceptions of service failure and service recovery within the hospitality industry. Coffs Harbour, NSW.
• Weber, K. and Sparks (2003, January) Service Failure and Recovery in the Airline Alliance Context: A Fairness Theory Perspective, ICMD, Bangkok
• Sparks (2003, January) Service Failure Experiences and the Impact on Customer Affective Responses, ICMD, Bangkok
• Butcher, K. and Sparks, B. (2002, December) Impact of interpersonal bonds on service evaluation. ANZMAC Conference, Melbourne.
• Collie, T., Sparks, B.A., and Bradley, G.L. (2001, May) Understanding the Role of Interactional Justice in Service Recovery: A Test of Fairness Theory. SERVSIG Marketing Conference, Sydney.
• Sparks, B.A., Wildman, K. and Bowen, J. (2001, May) Restaurants as a contributor to tourist destination attractiveness: An exploratory study, SERVSIG Marketing Conference, Sydney.
• Sparks, B.A. (July, 2000) Understanding consumer satisfaction evaluations of tourist destinations: A test of three approaches. EIRASS, Sintra, Portugal.
• Sparks, B.A. and McColl-Kennedy, J. R. (February 2000) Thinking about service: Implications of counterfactual thought in understanding tourist satisfaction. CAUTHE 2000, Mt Bulla, Victoria.

Recent research grants

• G. Bradley, B. Sparks, J. McColl-Kennedy, N. Jimmieson, and D. Zapf (awarded September 2007 for 2008) Balancing the Needs of Customers and Employees Following Service Failure: Dyadic Psychosocial Approach. Australian Research Council Discovery Grants scheme.
• Sparks, B.A., Bradley, G.L. and Jennings G. (awarded July, 2006). Conceptualisation and Measurement of Customer Value: An Application to the Timeshare Industry. ARC Linkages Grant Scheme.
• Sparks, B. A. (2004–2008) STCRC Education career development program extension, STCRC Tourism.
• Sparks (project leader) with Janet McColl-Kennedy, Ken Butcher and Grace Pan (2004) Creating competitive advantage through service quality enhancement: Identification, development and evaluation of a set of tools for Small to Medium Tourism Enterprises CRC Sustainable Tourism
• Roberts, L. Deery, M. Sparks, Davies, J. and Brown, L. (2004) Wine Tourism Experience and Future Behaviour. CRC Sustainable Tourism
• Sparks, B.A. (Project Leader) with Tideswell, C., Roberts, L., Deery, M. and Davies, Jenny (2003) Good living tourism: An analysis of the opportunities to develop food and wine tourism in Australia, CRC Tourism
• Sparks, B.A. and Fredline, E. (2003) Study Tourism, GCCC / CRC Tourism
• Sparks, B.A., Fredline, L. and Tideswell C. (2002) Understanding how service failures and recovery tactics impact customer emotions and loyalty. School Research Grant
• Sparks, B.A. and Bowen, J. (2000) Restaurant culture as a contributor to tourism attractiveness, This research proposal seeks to develop a greater understanding of the potential contribution of the restaurant sector to a tourist destination's attractiveness, CRC Tourism