bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring customer service quality in international marketing channels: a multimethod approach
Authors: Wetzels Martin , de Ruyter Ko , Lemmink Jos , Koelemeijer Kitty
Published: July 2002

The measurement of perceived service quality using the SERVQUAL approach has been criticized by a number of authors recently. This criticism concerns the conceptual basis of this methodology as well as its empirical operationalization. Presents a complementary approach to measuring service quality based on conjoint analysis. Discusses the application of both SERVQUAL and conjoint analysis in the context of measuring customer service quality in international marketing channels and evaluates how the results may lead to a more comprehensive insight into the quality of customer service and provide a basis for segmentation and optimization of customer service.
How should women sales managers lead their sales personnel?
Authors: Dubinsky Alan J.
Published: July 2002

As the influx of women entering sales positions is increasing, a growing (albeit relatively small) number of saleswomen have been promoted into first‐line sales management positions. A key question facing these managers is what kind of leadership style they should use with their sales staffs. Answers to this question are presently ambiguous. This paper reports the results of an investigation which focussed on which of four leadership approaches enhances performance of female sales managers’ sales personnel. Findings imply that women sales supervisors should give serious consideration to adopting a “contingent reward” leadership style. Also offers managerial implications.
A program for implementing market segmentation
Authors: Dibb Sally , Simkin Lyndon
Published: July 2002

Organizations wishing to apply the principles of market segmentation often face problems putting the theory into practice. All too often the required background analysis is inadequate or poorly structured or the translation of segmentation strategy into marketing programs is impeded. To be successful, segmentation must lead an organization through a process which undertakes background analysis, determines strategy and develops marketing programs. However, there are a number of points at which the process can break down. Shows how the segmentation program described has tackled these difficulties, leading several management teams through the analysis, strategy and program elements of the market segmentation process. A range of benefits arise from the program. Primary benefits are that the process puts the customer first, maximizes resources and emphasizes strengths over competitors. Secondary benefits relate to the development of a more market‐focussed company culture and the building of inter‐ and intra‐organizational relationships.
Linking effective listening with salesperson performance: an exploratory investigation
Authors: Shepherd C. David , Castleberry Stephen B. , Ridnour Rick E.
Published: July 2002

Notes that researchers and practitioners recognize that listening is a crucial basic skill on a par with reading, writing, and speaking. Although effective listening is important in almost every profession, it seems particularly significant in business‐to‐business selling. Effective listening skills assist the salesperson in adapting to the prospect and to different sales situations. Successful application of these skills contributes to the added value of the personal selling exchange. Presents an initial attempt to explore the relationship between effective listening, adaptive selling behaviors and salesperson performance. In the past, very little has been done to measure the construct of effective salesperson listening and correlate it with key dimensions (adaptive selling and sales performance). Hopes to contribute to discovering a means of measuring the listening phenomena in a sales environment. The subjects for the study were salespeople representing a Fortune 100 international electronics manufacturer. The subjects were participating in a company‐sponsored training program at the time of the survey. Results of the study indicate support for a positive relationship between effective listening and adaptive selling, performance and job satisfaction.
Salesperson behavior: antecedents and links to performance
Authors: Brashear Thomas G. , Bellenger Danny N. , Barksdale Hiram C. , Ingram Thomas N.
Published: July 2002

Examines the impact of selling behaviors on performance. The time spent actually selling and servicing clients is shown positively to influence salesperson performance. Having a spouse in the profession, past sales experience, higher vocational esteem for selling and service, and a higher extrinsic reward orientation are antecendents to behaviors that relate to higher performance.
The power of technology in business selling: call centers
Authors: Prabhaker Paul R. , Sheehan Michael J. , Coppett John I.
Published: July 2002

Changes in market conditions and trends often point to the need for changes in the marketing approaches being used. Current market trends such as fierce competition and increasingly demanding customers bring into glaring focus the shortcomings of marketing approaches and vehicles developed in and for earlier times. Corporations are being forced to re‐examine and redefine their marketplace. The need for innovative ways of reaching the customers has never been greater. Such changes call for the development and use of newer sales and marketing tools. Call centers belong to a new breed of potent technology‐driven business tools that evolved in direct response to the changes in today’s business environment. Being rooted in a technological foundation, call centers have superior attributes. They offer more flexibility and simultaneously lower the costs of meeting customer needs. They bring businesses much closer to their customers by establishing a two‐way interactive link with the marketplace. Compared to traditional marketing approaches call centers are designed and developed for the contemporary business environment. They are an ideal tool for today’s rapidly changing global markets.
Differences between trade show exhibitors and non‐exhibitors
Authors: Herbig Paul , O’Hara Brad , Palumbo Fred
Published: July 2002

Trade shows can be crucial components of a firm’s marketing mix. This modern day version of the central market is often poorly understood and overlooked by many corporate design makers seeking effective and efficient ways to promote the firm’s products and service. Compares non‐exhibitors and exhibiting firms, examines major differences between the two groups, and provides a profile of non‐exhibiting firms. Finally, offers some tips around when to, and when not to, exhibit and aspects to increase exhibit effectiveness.
Marketing services: the case of a missing product
Authors: Grönroos Christian
Published: July 2002

Services are processes, and hence service firms do not offer products that are comparable to preproduced bundles of physical resources and features that are provided by manufacturing companies. Instead the outcome of the process is an integral part of the service process which is consumed by customers as a solution to perceived problems. Thus the use of a service can be characterized as process consumption as opposed to outcome consumption, where only the outcome of a process is consumed or used. In the present article the marketing consequences of the process characteristics of services are analyzed and compared with the marketing of physical goods, which is characterized by outcome consumption. The most important difference is the fact that service firms do not offer preproduced products but processes as solutions to the problems of their customers. Because of the process nature of services, the fulfillment of promises given through external marketing is dependent on the attitudes and behavior of a large number of part‐time marketers. Moreover, operational systems and physical resources in the service system have to be customer oriented. To increase the understanding of service processes as solutions to customers’ problems and as objects of marketing, the present article proposes that the perceived service quality concept can provide a way to replace the missing product construct with a conceptual framework for planning a customer‐oriented process. This is illustrated by a case study in an industrial service context.
Eight steps to building a business‐to‐business relationship
Authors: Cann Cynthia W.
Published: July 2002

Many manufacturers of high‐involvement products who sell to other businesses know that relationship building is important to the success of the firm. However, these same companies may not know how to go about building a relationship with a client, or they may have tried and failed to build relationships with customers in the past. This paper provides an eight‐step, expanded process of business‐to‐business relationship building. The process begins inside the organization and ends outside the organization with a commitment between buyer and seller to maintain a relationship over time. The process includes such activities as determining the congruence between the vendor’s culture and strategy; activating a service‐oriented culture that emphasizes internal, external and interactive marketing; bonding socially with the customer; and adding value to the relationship. Examples from focus group interviews conducted with mainframe computer buyers are provided.
Dancing to success: export groups as dance parties and the implications for network development
Authors: Wilkinson Ian , Young Louise C. , Welch Denice , Welch Lawrence
Published: July 2002

Export grouping schemes are a commonly used vehicle for promoting international competitiveness, but their success rate is patchy. A perennial problem is the value of continuing the formal group structure itself. In this paper we examine the nature and role of export groups using the results from two in‐depth Australian case studies. The focus of analysis is on export groups as structuring devices rather than structures. They are viewed as action learning exercises in which knowledge and resource creating and self‐organizing processes are nurtured, these processes in turn shaping the evolution of interfirm relations and networks. Building on earlier work by Wilkinson and Young the dance metaphor is extended to depict and analyze export groups as dance parties. Dance themes are used to illustrate and dramatize issues arising in the design, development and evaluation of export grouping schemes and are related to the real experience of the two case studies examined.
The selection and organization of national accounts: a North American perspective
Authors: Boles James , Johnston Wesley , Gardner Alston
Published: July 2002

Examines possible reasons behind the current rapid growth of national accounts. In particular, it examines how relationship marketing/selling has increased the need for national account programs. The article first provides a review of the national account management literature. Then, findings from the study of national accounts are presented. It provides details concerning how suppliers select customers for national account status. Results suggest that there is considerable overlap among firms in how they select and organize national account management teams. Implications for marketing management are provided and areas for future research are detailed.
Improving supply chain performance by efficient consumer response? A critical comparison of existing ECR approaches
Authors: Kotzab Herbert
Published: July 2002

In 1992, efficient consumer response (ECR) was presented as a powerful tool for optimizing the supply chain performance within the US grocery industry. Explores the different European approaches that have been developed since then to transfer the basic ideas of ECR to Europe. Discusses the existing ECR models by criticizing their assumptions and results. The assumptions that form the basis of the paper refer to the results of the theoretical and empirical work concerning logistics carried out by the Department of Retailing and Marketing of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. The methodological approach of this work refers to the analysis of secondary statistical data, literature review and expert interviews, conducted at the various ECR‐Europe Congresses and national ECR events.
Perceptions of banking services in the wake of bank mergers: an empirical study
Authors: Urban David J. , Pratt Michael D.
Published: July 2002

Presents the results of a telephone survey of 801 consumers concerning the relationship between bank mergers and service quality perceptions. The setting of the study is a US state which has seen much merger activity. The survey results provide evidence of a significant relationship between bank mergers and service quality perceptions that differs based on the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Among these demographic characteristics are gender, ethnicity, education, and income. In addition to the survey results, the article also contains several managerial implications, including a need for complementarity of marketing strategies for both acquired and non‐acquired banks.
The role of nonverbal communication in service encounters
Authors: Sundaram D.S. , Webster Cynthia
Published: July 2002

Although the verbal components of service encounters have been investigated, the nonverbal aspects of employee‐customer interactions have remained virtually unexplored in the marketing literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of service employees’ nonverbal communication during service interactions. Specifically, a conceptual model is presented that links nonverbal communication (kinesics, paralanguage, proxemics, and physical appearance), customer affect, and consumers’ evaluations of service providers (with respect to credibility, friendliness, competence, empathy, courtesy, and trustworthiness). Further, the importance of nonverbal elements is discussed and managerial implications are given.
An exploratory investigation of customer penalties: assessment of efficacy, consequences, and fairness perceptions
Authors: McCarthy Michael S. , Fram Eugene H.
Published: July 2002

As organizations are striving to increase customer loyalty through relationship marketing programs, more firms are implementing customer penalty policies that impose fees or charges (e.g. airline reticketing fees) on customers that fail to comply with purchase agreements. While penalties are intended to increase customer compliance with purchase agreements, they may also reduce customer loyalty and increase negative word‐of‐mouth communications. Owing to a paucity of available research, the authors conducted a national consumer survey to determine, first, if penalties increase customer compliance, reduce customer loyalty, and/or increase negative word‐of‐mouth communications, and second, what factors may influence customer perceptions of penalty fairness. The results indicate that while penalties may increase customer compliance, some customer conflict and other negative consequences are likely to follow the imposition of a penalty. Also, the effects of a number of demographic and situational factors on customer perceptions of penalty fairness are presented and discussed. Considers the implications of the findings for management practice and discusses directions for future research.
A preliminary evaluation of professional accounting services: direct marketing on the Internet
Authors: Roxas Maria L. , Peek Lucia , Peek George , Hagemann Thorsten
Published: July 2002

Recent advances in the Internet have afforded professional accounting firms a form of promotion to enhance their image as technologically competent. Currently, over 2,000 accounting firms have Web sites registered with The List of CPA Firms Directory. The objective of this paper is to conduct a preliminary content analysis of the web pages of accounting firms. A total of 346 Web sites were randomly selected. The contents of the Web pages were examined and analysed for inclusion of client choice factors, basic company information, value added features, and graphics. The registration of the accounting firms’ Web sites by search engines, Web yellow pages, CPA directories, and state CPA societies was also investigated. Generally, firms did a good job of providing basic client desired information about the firm, but they must register their Web sites with search engines that are commonly available and must encourage more interactivity with existing and potential clients by providing free information such as newsletters and links to relevant Web sites. They need to develop greater expertise in using the specific features and advantages of the Internet medium.
Marketing Signals in Service Industries
Authors: Herbig Paul , Milewicz John
Published: July 2002

Describes market signals and market signaling, provides examples of
their use in service‐oriented industries and, through a market
simulation, examines their implications for profitability and
competitive behavior. Marketing signals by firms within an industry are
positively related to the profitability of the industry and the profits
of the individual firms within the industry. However, there is a
negative incentive for a firm to be the only signaler within an
industry. This “lone man out” phenomenon puts a firm at a competitive
disadvantage to the other firms within its industry. A “temporal
pattern‐recognition deficiency” also seems to exist which tends to
inhibit managers in finding patterns of behavior over time.
The Importance of Servicescapes in Leisure Service Settings
Authors: Wakefield Kirk L. , Blodgett Jeffrey G.
Published: July 2002

Services marketing research has largely focussed on measuring service
quality and satisfaction associated with the primary service itself,
with little attention given to the effect of the physical surroundings
of the service setting. Leisure services in particular, may be concerned
with how consumers perceive the quality of the “servicescape” and what
effect the servicescape has on customer satisfaction and repatronage.
Investigates these effects, as well as the interactions of perceived
crowding, excitement and enduring involvement associated with the
leisure service. Results indicate that servicescape quality does play an
important role in determining customer affective and behavioural
response to the service.
The Service Employee′s Pivotal Role in Organizational Success
Authors: Henry John W.
Published: July 2002

As the USA continues to progress toward a service‐based economy, the
role of the service employee as a contributor to the success of the
organization assumes greater prominence. Examines the pivotal role of
the field engineer (FE) in a plain paper copier company. Using
qualitative research methodologies, identifies and categorizes the
unarticulated strategies used by the field engineers to initiate and
maintain positive customer relationships. FEs using these categories had
positive relationships with their customers. Moreover, the study
revealed that successful FEs were granted in‐group status with their
supervisor. Based on these results, suggests several techniques to help
organizations improve the relationships their service employees have
with both customers and superiors.
Professional versus generic retail services: new insights
Authors: Jeanne Hill C. , Motes William H.
Published: July 2002

The recognition of services as a distinct type of product requiring
distinct marketing approaches is a relatively recent development in the
literature. While scholars have examined decision‐based differences
between the marketing of services in general and the marketing of
tangible products, few have had as their primary focus differences in
client behavior relative to professional versus other services. Thus
produced is the impetus for the study reported here. Focusses on
identifying strategically useful distinctions between consumer external
search and evaluation activities for professional versus generic retail
services. Examines the advisability of assuming that what occurs
relative to the search and evaluation of tangible products or services
in general will automatically be mirrored in an among‐services setting.
Correlates of credit card acceptance and usage in an advanced
developing Middle Eastern country
Authors: Kaynak Erdener , Kucukemiroglu Orsay , Ozmen Ahemt
Published: July 2002

Past studies indicate that there is a close relationship between
spread of credit card usage in a country and its stage of socio‐economic
development. With increased level of socio‐economic and technological
development, credit card usage particularly increases in developing
countries. Studies credit card usage behavior in an advanced developing
country – Turkey. An empirical research study conducted in urban
Turkey indicates that there are certain relationships between
socio‐economic and demographic characteristics of Turkish consumers and
their credit cardholding and usage behaviors. In light of the survey
findings, offers a number of marketing strategy guidelines for credit
card issuers in developing countries to remain competitive as well as
creating more market growth opportunities in this growing service
industry.
Improving the application of quality conformance tools in service firms
Authors: Jensen John B. , Markland Robert E.
Published: July 2002

Explains that, as global competition changes the expanding service sector, quality will play an increasingly pivotal role in both attracting and retaining service customers. Reveals that research into service quality has addressed two important dimensions: promoting quality through the design of improved service systems; and searching for reliable instruments for measuring service quality. Proposes a procedure to help the service provider interpret service quality data to improve the service delivery system. Additionally, evaluates a two‐step control chart procedure for evaluating service operations using SERVQUAL type instruments.
Making promises: the power of engagement
Authors: Fabien Louis
Published: July 2002

Contends that service relationship marketing is all about promises: in order to keep a promise made to potential customers, service companies must ensure delivery of their promises. Discusses the making of promises: what to promise the consumer; why every service firm should strive to fulfill its promises; and what to do if the promises cannot be kept. Presents recommendations pertaining to these three aspects of making promises.
Corporate name change signaling in the services industry
Authors: Sergius Koku Paul
Published: July 2002

Investigates the effectiveness of corporate name change signaling in the services industry. Argues that previous studies on the subject are lacking because they failed to distinguish between the services and manufacturing sectors. Uses the trend analysis method and examines the movement of price‐earning ratios during a five‐year period before and after the name change. Evaluates the effectiveness of the name change signaling strategy by testing the difference in means of the “before and after” P/E ratios. Finds that firms who announce name change together with other managerial decisions and regularly release news on other firm‐specific activities fared much better than firms which did not release such information.
Why do customers switch? The dynamics of satisfaction versus loyalty
Authors: Mittal Banwari , Lassar Walfried M.
Published: July 2002

One of the most unexamined assumptions marketing firms have made in recent years is that satisfaction alone will guarantee customer loyalty. Our research questions this assumption. We explored the correspondence between customer satisfaction and loyalty, and found as many as half of the “satisfied” customers to be predisposed to switching service suppliers. This satisfaction‐loyalty gap reflects the fact that different components of service quality drive satisfaction versus loyalty. Satisfaction is driven more by “technical quality” (the quality of the work performed) than by “functional quality” (how the service work was delivered); however, once satisfaction is achieved, loyalty is driven more by functional than by technical quality. This is the pattern of influence for a “low contact” (where customers’ direct contact with service providers is absent or marginal) service. For a “high contact” service, the pattern of influence is exactly the reverse. Of significant importance to service managers, the paper explains the dynamics of loyalty versus satisfaction and derives their managerial implications.
Managing the delayed service encounter: the role of employee action and customer prior experience
Authors: Sarel Dan , Marmorstein Howard
Published: July 2002

Despite the increased attention being paid to service delivery, lengthy waits for service are still common. This paper provides a conceptual and empirical examination of the effects of perceived employee action and customer prior experience, on reactions to service delays. The results of a field study of customers experiencing actual delays in a major retail bank are then discussed. The findings indicate that events and actions taking place prior to, during, and after the delay, affect consumer response. First, customers’ prior experience with that service provider is critical. Contrary to much of the literature on expectations, customers who had frequently experienced delays in the past were even more angered by the current service failure. Second, perceived employee effort during the delay had a tremendous impact on customers’ reactions. Irrespective of the length of the delay, when employees are perceived as not making a real effort, customer anger is high. Third, the impact of an apology is more complex. An apology is not a substitute for genuine employee effort. An insincere apology may even backfire, especially when customers experience frequent delays and believe employees are not making a concerted effort to help. Managerial implications for addressing this problem, before, during and after the delay, are discussed.
Promoting leisure services: economic and emotional aspects of consumer response
Authors: Wakefield Kirk L. , Bush Victoria D.
Published: July 2002

Previous sales promotion research has focused primarily upon groceries and packaged goods. This research examines what motivates consumers to respond to sales promotions for leisure services. Leisure services may offer price deals, but also frequently offer non‐price sales promotions which may add entertainment value for some consumers. We find that consumers who are likely to respond to leisure service price deals are motivated by primarily economic reasons. Emotional motives, on the other hand, are found to drive consumer responses to organization‐related non‐price deals.
Internationalization of services: the service exporting decision
Authors: Frazer Winsted Kathryn , Patterson Paul G.
Published: July 2002

Services represent the fastest growing portion of the world economy, yet they are still vastly under‐represented in the export packages of most countries. Services present unique challenges that make exporting potentially more difficult and riskier than for goods industries, yet they also offer huge untapped potential with very little research done in this area. This study develops hypotheses regarding the exporting decisions of services companies using qualitative interviews and the exporting literature. These are then tested through a survey of nearly 700 consulting engineering firms. Nearly 90 per cent of the exporting firms in the sample are happy with the performance of their exporting programs, yet nearly three‐quarters of the firms are not exporting. Overcoming limitations in know‐how and resources, developing positive attitudes about exporting, recognizing foreign opportunities and fostering management commitment to exporting are found to be the most important determinants of exporting behavior for professional services firms.
The impact of outcome, competency and affect on service referral
Authors: Johnson Madeline , Zinkhan George M. , Ayala Gail S.
Published: July 2002

Proposes a model to explain consumers’ willingness to recommend a service provider. The model considers four predictors of this phenomenon: affect, outcome, competency and courtesy. In a laboratory setting, subjects read and responded to a scenario describing a service encounter of a fictitious individual with a dry cleaner and/or an attorney. The subjects were later asked how likely they were to recommend this service provider to a friend experiencing a similar problem. Separate path analyses were performed to analyze each type of service encounter; and in both scenarios, outcome, competency, courtesy, joy and disgust were found to influence the likelihood that the consumer would recommend a particular service provider. The proposed model accounts for more than 72 percent of the variation in the subjects’ decision to recommend.
Service quality by relationships in the international market
Authors: Eriksson Kent , Majkgård Anders , Deo Sharma D.
Published: July 2002

Investigates managers’ perceptions of service quality in the international market. Eight propositions are developed using the relationship approach in industrial marketing and the internationalization process model. A structural LISREL‐based model is developed on the basis of a sample of 196 firms which supply business services abroad. The results suggest that customer relationships, industry relationships and unique competence strongly influence supplier‐perceived service quality in international markets.
Communicating resource needs for successful library services
Authors: Hughes Carol Ann , Rockman Ilene , Wilson Lizabeth A.
Published: July 2002

Library professionals spend much of their budgeting time focused inward, allocating scarce resources among worthy competing priorities. Considerable time and skill is focused on the acquisition of the best print and electronic resources and in planning for computing infrastructure. And librarians are generous in sharing with others best practices for making budgetary decisions through articles in the library literature. However, less attention has been given in the literature on advice for those who wish to increase budgets for the services and programmatic offerings that are equally important for library clientele. This article attempts to address that gap. Summarizes the sage advice given in a presentation to a gathering of academic librarians during the June 1999 ALA to those who would better understand the budget process at research universities. Although the advice pertains primarily to budgeting practice in the USA, there are several nuggets of wisdom applicable in any situation.
Small libraries play the funding game, too
Authors: Anne Craft Mary
Published: July 2002

This article responds to the concern of small libraries that their size puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to advocating for public funds. By means of interviews with public library administrators and local government agents, it is shown that small libraries can be successful in local public funding when they use some of the same techniques of making themselves fundable that large libraries use. These are: emphasizing the dollar value of their activities to local government; taking into account local government agendas; involving the business community as spokespersons; and astutely managing library opposition. Research for the article is based in two states where local public funding has been notoriously weak, California and Pennsylvania. Libraries discussed (selected by convenient sampling) are in library service areas ranging in population from 9,278 (Borough of Carnegie, Pennsylvania) to 54,400 (San Rafael, California).
Grants: interdepartmental collaboration to teach grantsmanship skills
Authors: Holmes Gerald V. , Howson Charna K.
Published: July 2002

This article discusses a practical means of combining library outreach efforts with user education techniques. The Office of Research Services and the Reference Department of Jackson Library, both of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, collaborated to purchase information resources and to provide grants workshops. Through conversations, print and electronic resources were identified with an emphasis on eliminating duplication of effort and cost containment. Collaboration between the two separate academic units allowed the sharing of responsibilities for planning, advertising and conducting the workshop. This article exemplifies the importance of building on an established collaborative effort.
State libraries: architects for the information highway
Authors: Daniels Bruce E.
Published: July 2002

The information highway is changing our society in very dramatic ways. Argues that state libraries need to make it a priority item on their agendas. They need to provide leadership, promote collaboration and provide empowerment for local libraries. Observes that these three key elements, successfully applied, will position libraries and the library profession as leaders within their communities and their states.
The Utah Library Network: a brief overview
Authors: Owen Amy
Published: July 2002

Describes the Utah Library Network project, established in 1992 to create statewide access for public libraries to the Internet. Points out that the project not only involves technology but also requires the development of new human networks to reach its full potential. Reviews network expenditure according to six categories: connectivity, training, database licenses, state library expenditure and local library expenditure. Concludes that the network has significantly improved the timeliness, quality and extensiveness of library services.
Appraisals: a simple tool to protect you and your “bottom line”
Authors: Thorpe David P.
Published: July 2002

Discusses the responsibility of the librarian to maintain and protect the library’s building and contents as well as its collection. Without the proper amount of property insurance, the head librarian may be held professionally liable for any damages not covered by the library’s property insurance in the event of a loss. To combat this problem, more and more librarians today are relying on the insurance appraisal as a critical tool in planning for and recovering from a crisis. Also covered is what to look for in purchasing an appraisal and how to choose a qualified, reputable firm. Includes a sample library appraisal for reference.
College sports and library fundraising
Authors: Neal James G.
Published: July 2002

Partnerships between academic libraries and college sports on fundraising projects are expanding. Such collaboration supports the interests of both organizations, and provides libraries with an invaluable boost to their development programs. Analyzes this phenomenon and outlines key strategies for promoting new initiatives.
Multicultural realities in the information age: questions of relevance for public library resource allocation and adequacy
Authors: Mercado Marina I.
Published: July 2002

Contends that today’s multicultural realities are inescapable and that together with the realities of the information age, they hold tremendous implications for public library development and mission. Proposes that public libraries build on their traditional role as agents of acculturation by moving beyond skills and language educators to prepare first‐ and second‐generation immigrants to participate actively in democratic societies. Proposes three new roles that public libraries can perform toward that end using information resources.
Charging for printouts
Authors: Park Betsy
Published: July 2002

As more material is available electronically, librarians are beginning to realize the hidden costs of printing. Users want to access information electronically and take a hard copy or printout with them. Many libraries are beginning to examine the costs of providing printouts and to look for ways to recover costs and control excessive printing. Reviews concerns associated with printing and offers suggestions for recovering at least some of the associated costs.
Vendors and academic libraries: development and change
Authors: Nauman Matthew
Published: July 2002

Provides an overview of how vendors such as Blackwells have developed services that meet the changes taking place in academic libraries and recommends ways vendors and publishers can better cooperate with libraries to meet their needs.
Library management of electronic information: reports on recent conferences
Authors: Martin Murray S.
Published: July 2002

Discusses two recent conferences, “Virtually yours: models for managing electronic resources and services”, Chicago, IL, 23‐25 October 1997, and “Wired and wary: legal issues for librarians in the digital world”, Boston, MA, 7 November 1997, concerned with library management of electronic information sources. Focusing on those elements of the conferences with financial implications, concludes that definitive answers to financial management questions continue to be a missing element in this area.
What librarians need to understand about the US Department of Justice v. Microsoft Corporation
Authors: Mercado Marina I.
Published: July 2002

Gives the background to, and describes, the suit filed against Microsoft by the US Department of Justice in October 1997. For those such as librarians, dealing with the requirements of information technology, argues that this case is important because it demonstrates the high stakes inherent in the software industry not only for the players, but also for users and purchasers of that software and the operating systems which will be used to display them.
Outsourcing cataloging functions in South Carolina public libraries
Authors: Anyomi Mary E.
Published: July 2002

Describes how outsourcing cataloging functions in public libraries enhanced the availability of materials, control costs, and helped to meet deadlines. In the state of South Carolina, ten public library systems have used outsourcing cataloging functions for the following reasons: opening day collections, cost effectiveness, removal of backlog, improve staff efficiency, shelf ready books, and personal issues. The survey provides the names of vendors who performed the cataloging functions. The research provides a discussion on outsourcing cataloging functions in public libraries and provides an outsourcing survey.
Library Web page usage: a statistical analysis
Authors: Li Xiaodong
Published: July 2002

To improve the design of the library home page and facilitate user access to it, a Web usage analysis was conducted by the Humanities & Social Sciences Services at Texas Aamp;M University General Libraries through examination of statistics generated by Web tracking software, which many library managers are now implementing. The study examined the geographic distribution of users and usage patterns of the library Web page, the peak usage times, and the computer environment information, which includes type of Web browsers, operating systems, screen resolutions, and screen colors, etc. In addition, the study also compared usage statistics gathered before and after the library’s Web page promotion activities, to measure the effectiveness of these business management and library marketing efforts. The findings of the study concentrate on identifying Web page design problems, thus allowing the establishment of recommendations that will modify standards of library Web page design and improve strategies of library home page promotion.
Strategic planning and education: the case of Cyprus
Authors: Tsiakkiros Andreas , Pashiardis Petros
Published: July 2002

Aims to examine whether strategic planning can be effectively implemented in the Cyprus educational system. Initially discusses the strategic planning process and what it is all about. Then examines the main elements of the process: strategic analysis, strategic choice and strategy implementation. Subsequently refers to the application of the process in education and attempts a comparison between business and education and, at the same time, examines the extent to which this process can be effectively used in educational institutions. A brief historical background of the Cyprus Educational System is also given and, finally, a strategic plan that can be adopted for the system is proposed. Investigates all these aspects by reviewing the pertinent literature and drawing from personal professional experience.
Developing a timescape‐based framework for an online education strategy
Authors: Harvey Michael , Buckley M. Ronald , Novicevic Milorad M. , Elfessi Abulaziz
Published: July 2002

Many educational managers/administrators are experiencing a “quickening” of their decision‐making processes, due primarily to the globalization of education, fueled by the advances in communications technology and increased deregulation. Modifications in the timeline associated with the growing segment of online education leaves educational managers struggling with a means to maintain a rational decision‐making framework that provides a way to justify their choices under severe time pressures. Presents a decisional framework based on the notion of social time or “timescape”. The construct of timescape is captured by six dimensions: timeframe, temporality, (a)synchronization, sequence, emerging pauses/gaps, and simultaneity. Examines each of these dimensions in the educational context. Outlines, the implications for the use of the timescape‐based framework for online education strategy.
The organizational health of high schools and student proficiency in mathematics
Authors: Smith Page A.
Published: July 2002

School climate has been associated with the academic achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to extend that body of research by examining the organizational health of a typical set of high schools in the state of Ohio. In particular, the focus was on the organizational health of high schools and mathematics proficiency as defined by the percentage of 12th grade students who passed the Ohio Proficiency Examination in Mathematics.
Collaboration between non‐profit organizations in the provision of social services in Canada
Authors: Osborne Stephen P. , Murray Vic
Published: July 2002

Explores a conceptual approach to understanding the processes of collaborative relationships. It is applied to a case study of non‐profit collaboration. It both uses it to understand the dynamics of collaboration among a group of four non‐profit agencies in Canada, which might otherwise have developed competitive relationships, and uses this case study to explore the utility of this conceptual model as an aid to the actual management of such collaboration by practising managers.
Public Sector Employment in Developing Countries: An Overview of Past and Present Trends
Authors: Marinakis Andrés E.
Published: July 2002

The debate on the public sector has been central in structural adjustment programmes applied in developing countries during recent years. The common grounds of the discussion have been the size of the public sector, its role and its efficiency in delivering services. The common criticisms of the 1980s are that the public sector is too big, overstaffed and inefficient. Examines these issues under a long‐term perspective. Finds that at the aggregated level there is no clear‐cut evidence to support those criticisms of the size of the public sector in developing countries. Compared with industrialized countries, there is no particular evidence of the public sector being too big in the developing world. However, it appears that the sequence of the adjustment process has negatively affected the performance of important parts of the public sector by distorting the proportion of wage and non‐wage expenditures, disregarding their complementarity. The consequent imbalance between inputs and employment has resulted in practical overstaffing.
Conflict of Multiple Interests in Cost‐Benefit Analysis
Authors: Mustafa Husain
Published: July 2002

Most analytical techniques assign no weight to political factors even though they may have the strongest explanatory power of all variables considered. As they are generally practised, these techniques have the extraordinary deficiency of obscuring the problem of conflict of multiple interests. It is assumed that incorporating political values and weights would destroy the essential objectivity of analysis. This argument ignores the fact that policy analysis must be made relevant to the political process and that this relevance can be achieved in a manner which does not strip it of its potential value to the decision makers, but may even enhance it. Develops some possible methods of incorporating political feasibility into evaluation.
Strategic issues for higher education strategists in the UK
Authors: Richardson Sarah , Nwankwo Sonny , Richardson Bill
Published: July 2002

Aims to provide a clear rationale as to why customer responsiveness
is an essential aspect of an organizational system, focusing
specifically on higher education (HE) institutions. Introduces and
discusses material from the political contingency and competitive
positioning schools of thought. Identifies key strategic issues
presently at work in the HE market and explains how and why each of
these gives additional power to customers of the HE system and why they
thus require HE institutions to become more proactive and effective
customer responsiveness systems.
Performance evaluation in the Australian public sector
Authors: Evans Patricia , Bellamy Sheila
Published: July 2002

At all levels of the Australian public sector, cost constraints,
coupled with the adoption of a total quality culture and associated
performance evaluation techniques, have turned the attention of senior
management away from financial accounting to the management of costs
within a strategic framework. Argues that management accounting,
planning and control systems can play a leading role in today′s dynamic
and challenging public sector environment. Unlike traditional costing
systems, which are often historical in focus and price‐based, new
costing systems – such as activity‐based costing (ABC) –
operate on the premiss that it is the activities and processes
undertaken within the organization which add costs and value to the
products and services. An ABC system also focuses management′s attention
on the underlying causes of costs. However, warns that, in applying
total quality management and ABC approaches, it is important to
recognize the fundamental differences between the manufacturing
industries in which they originated and the service industries which
dominate the public sector.
Quality management in services: is the public sector keeping pace?
Authors: Redman Tom , Mathews Brian , Wilkinson Adrian , Snape Ed
Published: July 2002

Quality management has been in vogue within manufacturing for over
a decade. Service industries have more recently been making heavy
investments in this area. Also there are major initiatives from the
public sector to improve quality. Investigates the take‐up of quality
management techniques in the public sector, their perceived
effectiveness and the consequent impact on the managers running the
programmes (private sector services are used as a basis for comparison).
Results of survey responses from 394 service organizations show that the
uptake of quality management techniques is now similar between public
and private sectors, as is the perception of the impact on managerial
work. A major difference occurs in terms of perceived effectiveness and
results of the quality programmes. In this latter area the public sector
fares somewhat worse.