Percepções de justiça sobre as práticas de preço variáveis associadas ao yield management: um estudo comparativo

Abstract

This research was a survey based on scenarios with the aim of documenting the perceptions of justice that customers, actual or potential, have on the variable pricing practices associated with yield management in hotels and airlines, comparing these perceptions with each other (hotels vs. airlines), and comparing these perceptions with those expressed by respondents in two surveys conducted in the U.S. in 1992 and 2001. The data used was obtained through the interview of two hundred students of courses offered by three universities located in Rio de Janeiro, and was analyzed through the Student’s t test for independent samples. The analysis of the answers showed that the scenarios rated fairly acceptable have the following characteristics: (1) information on the different pricing options is provided; (2) substantial discounts are offered in return for cancellation restrictions, (3) reasonable restrictions are imposed in exchange for discounted rates; and (4) different prices are charged for services or products that are perceived as distinct from the regular ones. On the other hand, practices that are considered unacceptable include: (1) the offer of benefits considered insufficient when compared to the restrictions imposed; (2) imposing restrictions that are too severe when compared to the discounts offered; and (3) not informing customers of changes in the reference transaction. Comparing the mean perceptions of justice on the pricing practices obtained in this research with the averages found in the USA, it was observed that, in general, respondents judged the pricing practices of hotels and airlines more acceptable than in the U.S. in 1992 and 2001. It was further observed that the differences in mean perceptions about the pricing practices of hotels and airlines were not statistically significant, as it did in the 2001 survey in the U.S., and different from what has occurred in the 1992 survey.