bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship quality, relationship marketing, and client perceptions of the levels of service quality of charitable organisations
Authors: Bennett Roger , Barkensjo Anna 
Published: March 2005

PurposeTo investigate possible linkages between the relationship marketing activities of charitable organisations and the calibres of the relationships that charities establish with their beneficiaries. Also to identify the specific relationship marketing functions that contribute most to the development of good relationships between charities and their beneficiary clients.Design/methodology/approachOne hundred beneficiaries of UK “helping and caring” charities were questioned about their perceptions of the service quality of the organisations that had given them assistance, their satisfaction with a charity's services, the character of their relationship with the charity, and the calibres of five different forms of relationship marketing (e.g. advertising, database marketing) employed by the charity. A model was constructed and estimated using the method of partial least squares. Perceived service quality was measured via adaptations of the SERVQUAL instrument but without any assessments of the respondents' prior expectations concerning the services they would receive from an organisation.FindingsRelationship marketing was found to represent an effective weapon for improving both relationship quality and beneficiaries' satisfaction with service provision. Charities that “listened” to their beneficiary clients (e.g. by encouraging feedback) and which interacted with them on a regular basis were regarded as being exceptionally good at relationship marketing. Relationship quality as well as actual service quality induced beneficiaries to want to recommend a charity to other people and to engage in positive word‐of‐mouth.Research limitations/implicationsThe configuration of the model meant that it was not possible to examine the consequences of reversing the assumption that satisfaction was the cause of perceived service quality and not vice versa.Practical implicationsThe outcomes offer practical advice to charity managers regarding the manners in which they should pursue their relationship marketing activities. Charity managers need to be trained and competent in the techniques of relationship marketing. A genuine concern for building relationships should suffuse the entire organisation.Originality/valueThis is the first published study to explore the use of relationship marketing by charities in respect of their beneficiaries rather than their donors.
Service portraits in service research: a critical review
Authors: Edvardsson Bo , Gustafsson Anders , Roos Inger 
Published: March 2005

PurposeFocusing on one main research question: how is the phenomenon “service” portrayed within service research?, the aim is to describe and analyze how the concept of service is defined, how service characteristics express the concept, the relevance of the existing “service portraits”, and to suggest a new way of portraying service.Design/methodology/approachA literature search was carried out in order to find definitions of the service concept and expressions about the service characteristics. Databases were searched and 34 articles were used for further analysis. The same procedure was carried out for service characteristics. The articles that were chosen by the databases were reviewed thoroughly and those most relevant to the search topic were chosen. Sixteen leading scholars who had been shaping the service research field were also asked two basic questions.FindingsThe analysis of the concept of service and service characteristics shows that the definitions are too narrow and the characteristics are outdated as generic service characteristics. It is suggested that service is used as a perspective. When service is portrayed as a perspective, the approach is clear: it depends on who is portraying the service and on the purpose. If service characteristics are outdated, when will they stop being used in teaching? It is no longer necessary to defend services as being different from goods. Service is a research area in its own right.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of articles and books used in the analysis can be criticized for not including enough relevant literature. The keywords used when searching in databases should also have included other words to capture the concept of service and service characteristics.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are not so clear since this article is a contribution to the ongoing discussion about future directions of service research. However, it is suggested that service is a perspective on value creation and that value creation is best understood from the lens of the customer based on value in use.Originality/valueThis paper contributes with a literature review, a discussion on what service portraits are, and describes service as a perspective on value creation through the lens of the customer.
On extending social informatics from a rich legacy of networks and conceptual resources
Authors: Lamb Roberta , Sawyer Steve 
Published: March 2005

PurposeTo extend the work of Rob Kling, whose research interests, and advocacy were at the center of a movement in analytical inquiry and empirical research now known as “social informatics”.Design/methodology/approachReviews the work of those who engage in social informatics research to strengthen and further the conceptual perspective, analytical approaches, and intellectual contributions of social informatics.FindingsThe vibrant and growing international community of active social informatics scholars has assembled a social informatics resource kit that includes: perspective lenses through which research data can be viewed critically; techniques for building theory and developing models from socially rich empirical data; and a common body of knowledge regarding the uses and effects of ICTs.Originality/valueThe paper identifies opportunities to engage new scholars in social informatics discussions, and suggests new venues for promoting and extending the work of scholars already enrolled in the social informatics movement.
Social informatics and the political economy of communications
Authors: Mansell Robin 
Published: March 2005

PurposeThere is a need to understand both theoretically and empirically the dominant guiding principles that are becoming embedded in people's technologically mediated interactions and what the alternatives may be. Aims to provide an evaluation of the work of Rob Kling in helping to find guidance on these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines narrative with argument and analysis.FindingsHow people communicate in different organisational contexts is informed by the way meanings are created (in this study, contractual understandings to supply material goods) and how various processes can be made to work in both offline and online environments. The results of this study illustrate one of Rob Kling's dictums: the social context of information and communication technologies (ICT) development matters.Originality/valueProvides a contribution to the literature on Kling's work on social informatics.
Value conflicts in enterprise systems
Authors: Allen Jonathan P. 
Published: March 2005

PurposeTo identify, classify, and propose a preliminary theory of the value conflicts and social choices that arise in enterprise system use.Design/methodology/approachEthnographic case study of a medium‐sized manufacturing firm, using a participant‐observer approach.FindingsThree areas of value conflict are identified between functional areas: conflicts over work priorities, conflicts over dependency on the commitments of others, and conflicts over evaluation fairness. When participants perceived that the value conflicts were accommodated in a balanced and legitimate way, they chose to use information resources within the enterprise system. When the conflicts were perceived as too great, participants chose to ignore the enterprise system, or develop their own competing information resources.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper reports on theory building from one intensive case study. It implies, however, that previous attempts to account for the difficulty of enterprise resource planning (ERP) use have not focused enough on the social relationships between the functional areas that are tightly integrated through enterprise systems.Practical implicationsThe three value conflict questions (work priorities, dependency on commitments, and evaluation fairness) can be used to identify potential ERP problem areas, and to clarify the costs and benefits of different ERP choices for various functional areas.Originality/valueFor information systems researchers and practitioners, this paper offers another means for identifying value conflicts and social choices in computerization, hopefully bringing us closer to Rob Kling's dream that computerization choices be made in a more socially benign way.
Multiview as social informatics in action: past, present and future
Authors: Wood‐Harper Trevor , Wood Bob 
Published: March 2005

PurposeThis paper is intended to pay tribute to the inspiration provided by Rob Kling by showing how his ideas about social informatics in general and the use of web models in particular, have helped us to formulate and develop our own work in the field of information systems development methods.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual discussion and approach are taken.FindingsIllustrates how Kling's advocacy of the need for a more holistic form of explanation of the behaviour of what he (and Walt Scacchi) termed “computer resources” gave shape to ideas emerging from others' action research studies at that time, and how his attempts to set the agenda for the emerging field of Social Informatics have informed subsequent developments in work in the area of methodological inquiry.Originality/valueProvides an evaluation of Kling's pioneering and inspirational work on information and communication technologies.
Service quality: beyond cognitive assessment
Authors: Edvardsson Bo 
Published: March 2005

PurposeThe aim of this article is to contribute to widening the scope of service quality by focusing on dimensions beyond cognitive assessment. The focus is on the role of customers’ emotions in service experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe article first discusses the service concept and implications for service quality. It then focuses on the role of customer experiences, and then discusses the role of emotions in service quality.FindingsThe paper presents six propositions related to service experiences when consuming services and the role of emotions in customer‐perceived service quality.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to widening the scope of service quality by focusing on dimensions beyond cognitive assessment.
A manufacturer becoming service provider – challenges and a paradox
Authors: Brax Saara 
Published: March 2005

PurposeTo provide a perspective on the nature of service infusion in manufacturing companies based on a case analysis in the context of a maintenance management solution for industrial production equipment.Design/methodology/approachThe paper first discusses how manufacturers becoming service providers is treated in the literature. Next, a qualitative single‐case study is reported, in which a troublesome business concept was surveyed through 35 thematic focus group interviews. The analysis revealed a set of challenges that were compared to arrive at a conclusion, the paradox.FindingsThe findings suggest that many challenges stemmed from the manufacturing‐oriented way of doing business. This further indicates that the common implicit view, that manufacturers can shift to service provision steadily, by adding service offerings to their total offering one by one, may actually be hazardous.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations are based on the methodology. First, the case study focuses on only one manufacturing company, and therefore the aim of the paper is not to generalize the findings. On the other hand, the data collected for the case are rich and in‐depth in nature, and the brief reporting can only cover the tip of the iceberg. Yet, even one divergent case yields for questioning the existing beliefs, which is the aim of this study.Originality/valueThe paper provides an original perspective to this topical, but under‐studied, phenomenon of manufacturers increasingly providing service offerings, and brings into daylight the implicit tone of the existing research.
Fading customer relationships in professional services
Authors: Åkerlund Helena 
Published: March 2005

PurposeFading customer relationships are important phenomena to understand for companies to prevent a future relationship termination, manage a desired relationship termination, or manage the situation where the relationship strength temporarily or permanently has weakened. It is assumed that fading could take different forms and develop through a range of different processes. The purpose of this study is therefore to reveal different types of possible fading customer relationship processes.Design/methodology/approachA total of 42 semi‐structured qualitative interviews have been made looking at 21 fading relationship dyads. The interviews focused on understanding the development of the relationship process emphasising the weakening of relationship strength. The data were analysed using ideal type analysis.FindingsDifferent aspects of the fading process resulted in a model for analysing fading relationships, and four types of fading processes were revealed: the crash landing process, the altitude drop process, the fizzle‐out process, and the try‐out process.Research limitations/implicationsThe article contributes to a broadened understanding of different types of fading processes within the research area of ending relationships emphasising the dynamic aspects of the phenomenon.Practical implicationsManagerial implications include the management of different types of fading processes making it possible to create strategies focusing on the specific characteristics of the outlined types.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research in the services literature focusing on relationship dynamics in general and the weakening of customer relationships in particular; also very few business‐to‐consumer studies take a dyadic approach. This paper explores the unknown territories of relationship fading.
Does customer satisfaction lead to profitability?
Authors: Keiningham Timothy L. , Perkins‐Munn Tiffany , Aksoy Lerzan , Estrin Demitry 
Published: March 2005

PurposeMany researches have proposed a virtuous chain of effects from improved customer satisfaction to profits. In particular, satisfaction is thought to improve share‐of‐spending, which in turn leads to higher customer revenue and customer profitability. This paper aims to examine these proposed linkages using data from the institutional securities industry.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in the analyses were collected as part of an ongoing telephone satisfaction survey of 81 clients of an institutional securities firm across two continents (North America and Europe). Mediation analysis was used to test the hypothesized effects.FindingsCustomer revenue was found to correlate negatively with customer profitability for unprofitable customers, and positively for profitable customers.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations of this research is that it tests the propositions within a single industry. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings in other contexts.Practical implicationsA simplistic focus on improving customer satisfaction for all customers in order to improve share‐of‐wallet and customer revenue does not seem to represent the best management approach to maximize overall firm profitability. In fact, it could actually result in a negative return on investment. Therefore, customers should first be segmented by their profitability to the firm before expending resources to improve customer satisfaction and share‐of‐wallet.Originality/valueThe results of this paper challenge the conventional belief that customer satisfaction should lead to customer retention in turn, resulting in customer revenue and ultimately customer profitability. The findings indicate that this may not always be true.
E‐services and offline fulfilment: how e‐loyalty is created
Authors: Semeijn Janjaap , van Riel Allard C.R. , van Birgelen Marcel J.H. , Streukens Sandra 
Published: March 2005

PurposeMost transactions initiated online are completed by some form of offline fulfilment, i.e. the delivery of the goods to the customer's doorstep. In previous studies, web site performance or e‐service quality was found to be an important antecedent of customer satisfaction and loyalty. In traditional settings, physical fulfilment is considered an important driver of customers’ behavioral intentions. This study models and tests the combined effects of online and offline service components on customer responses.Design/methodology/approachThis is an empirical, cross‐sectional study across four online industries.FindingsIn the surveyed industries offline fulfilment appears to be at least as important as web site performance.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed on how value and joy are created as part of the total e‐experience. Furthermore, the importance of offline fulfilment in effecting customer satisfaction and loyalty levels for different online services needs further investigation.Practical implicationsOnline retailers must ensure offline quality to at least the same level as online quality.Originality/valueImportant insights into the absolute and relative importance of online and offline fulfilment dimensions have been generated in a broader e‐commerce context.
The importance of attitude and appearance in the service encounter in retail and hospitality
Authors: Nickson Dennis , Warhurst Chris , Dutton Eli 
Published: March 2005

PurposeFor service organisations the interaction between front‐line personnel and the customer is crucial as they aim to create high quality service encounters. Much research has focused on attempts by organisations to inculcate the “right” kind of attitude in their front‐line employees. This paper seeks to extend this analysis by pointing to the increasing importance not just of having employees with the “right” attitudes, but also possessing aesthetic skills. The emergence of aesthetic skills reflects the growing importance of aesthetic labour in interactive services. That is, employers' increasingly desire that employees should have the “right” appearance in that they “look good” and “sound right” in the service encounter in retail and hospitality.Design/methodology/approachThe paper mainly utilises responses to a structured questionnaire from employers in the retail and hospitality industries in Glasgow, although reference is also made to a similar employees' questionnaire.FindingsThe evidence from the questionnaires suggests that employers in the retail and hospitality industries are not generally looking for “hard” technical skills in their front‐line personnel, but rather “soft” skills. Such “soft” skills encompass attitude and, importantly, appearance – what we term “aesthetic skills” – and the latter is often underappreciated in academic and policy‐making debates.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the survey suggest that academics and policy‐makers need to expand the way they think about “soft” skills. Specifically, they need to be aware of the extent of employers’ needs for both social and aesthetic skills.Originality/valueThe findings of the survey have implications from a policy perspective and policy‐makers may need to think about if and how these needs can be incorporated into education and training provision.
Steps towards personalised learner management system (LMS): SCORM implementation
Authors: Watson Jason , Hardaker Glenn 
Published: March 2005

PurposeSeeks to show that the software development process is based on the premise to provide an enhanced e‐learning environment by supporting individual learning styles and preferences through the use of emerging adaptive technologies that also enable performance evaluation in the context of meeting agreed learning outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe design methodology adopts a case study approach that follows the design and implementation of a learner management system.FindingsWeb‐based intelligent tutoring systems, aimed at compensating for the absence of a real world tutor have to date mostly concentrated on providing assistance in a particular subject domain and not focused on the problem of utilising content represented as learning objects across multi‐subject domains. This paper describes the creation of a non‐dictatorial tutoring system that has been developed at NTP Information Solutions Ltd. A visualisation tool has bee4n created called “learning navigator” to help learners to visualise the best path through assignable units extracted from a learning repository.Practical implicationsThe system is currently able to suggest new paths that take into account learning styles through learner performance, learner previous experience and learning objectives. Future work will include extending this criterion to take into account further individual learning preferences.Originality/valueThe sharable content objects (SCOs) approach to the software solution extends the internationally recognised SCORM development standards. As a consequence the paper contributes to international e‐learning standards development but also extends current knowledge of the role of adaptive technologies in supporting learning styles and preferences.
A tool for the administration and management of university profile information
Authors: Bulchand Jacques , Rodríguez Jorge , Chattah Ana C. 
Published: March 2005

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a management tool that helps to achieve the objectives of the plan for info‐tech systems and communications of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for the 2003‐2006 period.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used in this case is nothing if not practical. The chosen tool involved university members who put it into practice and the results were observed.FindingsFinds that a practical instrument, which appeals to the users' real needs, can overcome their objections to change and their apprehension of technological innovation.Research limitations/implicationsAs in all individual case studies – and this is no exception – the methodology chosen circumscribes to some extent the research and its results, which therefore cannot be automatically applied generally elsewhere.Practical implicationsUsers' interests are paramount and preparation of the technology involved must be given the utmost attention over a considerable period of time.Originality/valueUniversity members have here a user‐friendly means of effecting e‐administration simply and easily.