Services Marketing and Management

Services Made in Germany — Markierung von Dienstleistungen mit dem Herkunftsland

by Christof Backhaus

What to Expect After the Honeymoon: Testing a Lifecycle Theory of Franchise Relationships

by Christof Backhaus

Markus Blut, Christof Backhaus, Tobias Heussler, David M. Woisetschläger, Heiner Evanschitzky, and Dieter Ahlert. Journal of Retailing, forthcoming.

This research examines the evolution of interorganizational relationships in a franchising context. Using U-curve... more This research examines the evolution of interorganizational relationships in a franchising context. Using U-curve theory, we develop three hypotheses and contrast them with traditional lifecycle theory. Three groups of constructs are affected by lifecycle: cooperation variables, dependence variables, and relationship variables. Four distinct stages emerge, with highest levels of variables in the honeymoon stage, lower levels in routine and crossroad stages, and increasing levels in the stabilization stage. Franchisors should strive for “stability on high levels” before operational realities influence the franchisees. Franchisees’ intermediate lifecycle phases are most critical for the system, since opportunistic behavior and switching are most likely.

Autonomie und Loyalität in strategischen Unternehmensnetzwerken - Eine Mehrebenenbetrachtung

by Christof Backhaus

Authors: Christof Backhaus, Markus Blut, David Woisetschläger and Heiner Evanschitzky
published in: Managementforschung, 19 (2009)

Networks operate properly under the key condition of the network partners having the right to take some decisions in... more Networks operate properly under the key condition of the network partners having the right to take some decisions in an autonomous manner. Hence, many studies discover a positive relationship between autonomy and selected attitudes and behaviors. At the same time, it seems that such a positive impact is contingent upon the situational context which might be characterized based on factors at the individual-level as well as at the network-level. Our study builds on these findings. It develops a set of hypotheses about the moderating impact of individual- as well as group-level moderators of the link between autonomy and loyalty. These hypo-theses are subsequently tested against a dyadic matched sample consisting of 17 networks and 590 related network partners using hierarchical linear modeling, and by so doing, analyzing individual- as well as group-level moderators.

Does “Made in …” Also Apply to Services? An Empirical Assessment of the Country-of-Origin Effect in Service Settings

by Christof Backhaus

Authors: Johannes B. Berentzen, Christof Backhausa, Manuel Michaelis, Markus Blut & Dieter Ahlert
published in: Journal of Relationship Marketing, Volume 7, Issue 4, 2008,
pages 391-405.

The country-of-origin (COO) effect is one of the most prominent phenomena in the field of international marketing. Its... more The country-of-origin (COO) effect is one of the most prominent phenomena in the field of international marketing. Its influence on consumer quality perception, as well as on purchase decision, is strongly supported by a notable amount of empirical work. However, despite the obvious managerial relevance, most COO studies have been conducted with respect to products, whereas the impact of COO in service settings is a woefully underresearched area. This article fills that void by using limit conjoint analysis to empirically test the role of COO effect for services in two experimental settings. Specifically, the study investigates how much the relative importance of COO changes if additional quality cues are available for the consumer. Results lend support for the relevance of COO effects for services and provide useful implications for ways to utilize COO effects in international services marketing.

INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE QUALITY IN THE MALAYSIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY

by Rohaizat Baharun

PATIENT'S PERCEPTIONS ON CLINICS SERVICE QUALITY

by Rohaizat Baharun

Balanced Market Orientation: Qualitative Findings on a Fragile Equilibrium

by Antonios Giannopoulos

Avlonitis, G.J., and Giannopoulos, A.A. (under review)

Health ecosystem as an interpretation framework for knowledge flows

by Harri Laihonen

Health Care Ecosystem as a Network of Knowledge Flows

by Harri Laihonen

Knowledge-based value creation: grasping the intangibility of service operations in Finland

by Harri Laihonen

Welfare service system productivity: the concept and its application

by Harri Laihonen

A contingency approach to performance measurement in service operations

by Harri Laihonen

British pubs, decoder cards, and the future of intellectual property licensing in the European Union after Murphy.

by Anastasios Kaburakis

With Lindholm, J, and Rodenberg, R.

October 4, 2011 marked a new era in global sports media rights. On this day, the Grand Chamber of the European Court... more October 4, 2011 marked a new era in global sports media rights. On this day, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered its judgment in FA Premier League et al. v. QC Leisure et al. & Murphy v. Media Protection Services Ltd (“Murphy”). Murphy decided upon the legality of a scheme whereby the holder of intellectual property rights to a sporting event licenses the right to broadcast the event on a national exclusivity basis.

An Assessment of Perceived Service Quality within Aldemar Hotels in Crete

by Michael Kassotakis MCIM

This is a sample of the work of Michael Kassotakis MCIM. See www.e-bcr.com/our_work for a detailed list of projects and studies.

Enabling service innovation: A dynamic capabilities approach

by Christian Kowalkowski

Kindström, Daniel, Christian Kowalkowski, and Erik Sandberg, “Enabling service innovation: a dynamic capabilities approach”, Journal of Business Research, in press, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.03.003.

The point of departure for this article is the need for product-centric firms to compete in the market by adding... more The point of departure for this article is the need for product-centric firms to compete in the market by adding services to their portfolio, which requires a greater focus on service innovation if they are to remain competitive. A major challenge associated with the shift from product-centeredness to a product-and-service orientation is the management of the essential dynamic capabilities of sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring needed for service innovation. The research study reported identifies key microfoundations forming the basis of successful realignment of a firm's dynamic capabilities so as to achieve a better fit with service innovation activities. Eight qualitative case studies of product-centric firms form the basis of the study. The findings make three primary contributions to the body of knowledge. First, they extend the existing literature on dynamic capabilities by specifically discussing microfoundations related to service innovation. Second, the study extends existing work on service innovation into the manufacturing industries by identifying the key microfoundations in that context. Third, the research provides empirical evidence of dynamic capabilities in practice, especially in product-centric settings in which the service context is novel.

Beyond FMEA: The Structured What-If Technique (SWIFT)

by Alan Card

Card AJ, Ward JR, Clarkson PJ. Beyond FMEA: The Structured What-If Technique (SWIFT). Journal of Healthcare Risk Management. 2012;31(4):23-9.

If you would like a copy of the final published version of this paper, and do not have access to the Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, feel free to write me at: alan.j.card [at] gmail.com.

Although it is probably the best-known Prospective Hazard Analysis (PHA) tool, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis... more Although it is probably the best-known Prospective Hazard Analysis (PHA) tool, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is far from the only option available. This paper introduces one of the alternatives: The Structured What-If Technique (SWIFT). SWIFT is a flexible, high-level risk identification technique that can be used on a standalone basis, or as part of a staged approach to make more efficient use of bottom-up methods like FMEA.

In this paper we describe the method, assess the evidence related to its use in healthcare using a systematic literature review, and suggest ways in which it could be better adapted for use in the healthcare industry. Based on the limited
evidence available, it appears that healthcare workers find it easy to learn, easy to use, and credible. Especially when used as part of a staged approach, SWIFT appears capable of playing a useful role as component of the PHA
armamentarium.

Industrial distributors:: Can they survive in the new economy?

by Raj Aggarwal

The Brain Drain: Implications for Regional Economic Integration in the Expanding European Union.

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M. (2012). The brain drain: Implications for regional economic integration in the expanding European Union. In B. Chapalet, & M. Le Berre (Eds.), Producing New Knowledge on Innovation Management. Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 99 – 111.

This paper provides a review and conceptual analysis of issues surrounding regional economic integration and the... more This paper provides a review and conceptual analysis of issues surrounding regional economic integration and the potential for inter-country brain drain within the expanding European Union (EU). As the EU expands eastward, it absorbs millions of highly skilled knowledge workers and opens opportunities for western European organisations to capitalise on this workforce. The migration of these skilled workers is a macro-exercise in eastern European knowledge management, and could have far-reaching implications at the regional, industry and organisational levels. This paper explores the context and implications of knowledge worker movement across fading borders.

Financial Services: HSBC

by Sam Thompson

ABSTRACT
Financial Services in the UK have been subjected to extreme criticism over the last couple of years... more ABSTRACT
Financial Services in the UK have been subjected to extreme criticism over the last couple of years during and after the 2008 recession.  This report is concerned with student current accounts in the UK. The service sector has been identified and strategy groups evaluated using a perceptual map. Four of the market leaders and their student current account packages were evaluated from their core to augmented product offerings. To further the study the macro environment was evaluated using a DRETS analysis. This has highlighted all the effecting factors of the financial services market sector. The selected services provider HSBC is evaluated using a service blueprint of the opening procedure of a student current account, the weak areas are identified and changes suggested.  Further more the quality of the service is evaluated using the SERVQUAL gaps model and again actions recommended. HSBC has a number of service delivery failures from opening times which relates and consumer availability to supporting service failures were found. In conclusion a 1 and 5 year strategy has been drawn up taking into consideration marketing strategy theory and real situation methods suggested, based on two specific marketing objectives. 

local public transport service quality and tendering contracts

by marcucci edoardo