Consumer Sentiment toward Offshored Services Scale

What it measures

OFFSERVSENT measures consumer sentiment toward firms that deliver services via offshore providers. Developed through in-depth interviews and two-round national panel data collection, the scale comprises five first-order dimensions loading onto a second-order OFFSERVSENT factor. Free-Trade Resentment captures protectionist beliefs that government should shield domestic workers from offshoring-related job losses. Foreign Worker Enmity reflects cultural prejudice or hostility toward overseas service providers. Data Security captures anxiety about the safety of personal information handled in offshore locations. Communication reflects concern about language and accent barriers with overseas agents. Customer/Foreign-Worker Disconnect reflects belief that domestic workers are culturally superior and that overseas agents lack the understanding to assist local consumers effectively. Higher scores on all dimensions indicate stronger negative sentiment toward offshoring.

Response format

7-point Likert (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree).

Scale items

Free-Trade Resentment (6 items). CR = .92; VE = .65.

• It is the government's job to protect Americans from losing their jobs to overseas workers.
• Firms that send jobs overseas should be forced by law to find work for the laid-off American workers.
• Companies that send service jobs overseas are only worried about their own profits and not the welfare of this country.
• When US jobs are sent overseas our government is letting other countries take advantage of Americans.
• Workers located in other countries are taking well-paying jobs from Americans.
• The salaries of executive should be cut if their firms lay off US workers in order to send jobs overseas.

Foreign Worker Enmity (5 items). CR = .89; VE = .61.

• The less a foreigner's accent when speaking English, the smarter he or she is.
• It is necessary to speak louder to people with foreign accents so they understand me.
• When interacting with service providers located in another country, it is okay to tell them that they are responsible for the loss of American jobs.
• I would not want to be friends with an overseas service agent.
• I hang-up on service agents with foreign accents.

Data Security (5 items). CR = .93; VE = .72.

• I am concerned over the security of my personal information held in overseas locations.
• I am concerned that overseas service agents will share my personal information with other companies without my consent.
• I am uncomfortable giving my credit card information to an overseas service agent.
• It is easy for your identity to be stolen when information is sent overseas.
• Transactions with overseas service agents are not safe.

Communication (4 items). CR = .89; VE = .68.

• I can't understand people with foreign accents.
• People with foreign accents have to repeat themselves so I can understand them.
• I hate dealing with service agents who have foreign accents.
• The stronger the accent, the less helpful the speaker.

Customer/Foreign-Worker Disconnect (6 items). CR = .95; VE = .77.

• Overseas service agents just don't get it when it comes to service.
• Overseas service agents cannot provide the same level of service as their American counterparts because they are not familiar with American culture.
• US workers are better at providing services than workers in other countries.
• Overseas service representatives are only capable of rehearsed answers because they are not familiar with US culture.
• Since most overseas service agents don't understand American culture, they are not very helpful.
• Overseas service agents don't understand problems of American consumers.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Scale is explicitly US-centric in item framing and normative reference point; cross-national use requires adaptation and revalidation. Discriminant validity from the consumer product ethnocentrism CETSCALE was established via CFA model comparison, confirming OFFSERVSENT is a distinct construct. The Foreign Worker Enmity dimension captures overtly prejudicial attitudes as measurement targets, not endorsements. Predictive validity was demonstrated across three offshored service contexts varying in involvement and perceived risk: customer service centres (low), X-ray reading (mid), and tax preparation (high). Data Security and Customer/Foreign-Worker Disconnect were the most consistently significant predictors of negative WOM, firm commitment, and attitudes across service types. The second-order factor model was preferred over the first-order model based on a target coefficient of T = 0.92.

Citation

Thelen, S. T., Yoo, B., & Magnini, V. P. (2011). An examination of consumer sentiment toward offshored services. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(2), 270-289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0192-7

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