Purpose -It has been accepted that enhancing the satisfaction of employees, especially customer-contact employees is important as they can significantly and positively influence customers' satisfaction. In order to improve satisfaction of customer contact employees -caddies in Chinese golf clubs, this paper explores the internal service quality of caddy managers' encounters with caddies from a dyadic perspective (the view of caddy managers and of caddies). Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative multiple-case study methodology was adopted; using critical incident interviews to collect the data. In order to make sense of the data, narrative analysis is used to interpret favourable and unfavourable stories that are related by participants and why the storytellers told the stories in such a way. Findings -Nine dimensions were found to construct the internal service quality of caddy mangers in internal service encounters between caddies and caddy managers. They are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, communication, consideration, fairness, recognition and flexibility. Practical implications -The outcome of this research can help the management team to better manage the internal service encounters between managers and caddies in order to improve caddies' satisfaction during service encounters. It can assist Chinese golf clubs in recruiting and training caddy managers. Originality/value -This research extended the service quality framework to the Chinese golf industry. There have been no previous studies conducted in this sector.

Purpose -Purchases of luxury fashion brands continues to grow rapidly in metropolitan China, creating a significant global marketplace. Associated behaviour is maturing, exhibiting levels of sophistication and is risk averse, consequently, purchasing intention and willingness to pay more represent areas for marketer consideration, as do the potential impact of consumer-perceived brand value and affect on these outcomes. Design/methodology/approach -A survey of 431 Chinese consumers located in Beijing was undertaken within shopping malls specialising in luxury brands, fashion items included. The analysis undertaken considers the influence of value and affect on purchase intention and consumers' willingness to pay extra, achieved by deploying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equations modelling (SEM). Findings -Functional and social value positively influence consumers' willingness to pay premium prices, impending purchase intentions and affective attitude towards luxury brands, functional value consistently acting as the more dominant predictor, with attitude further directly influencing purchase intention. Symbolic values afforded by consumers influence to some extent affective attitude, but not willingness to pay, whilst the direct effect on purchase intention is counter intuitive.Research limitations/implications -The research was restricted to Beijing, where consumer behaviour understanding is transferable to other key Chinese conurbations, but not necessarily to the majority of the country, where disposable income levels and consumer relationships with fashion and luxury are recognisably different. Originality/value -This centres on setting and recognition of the key antecedents of purchase intention and a propensity to pay more for items of fashion and luxury.

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