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The purpose of the paper is to analyse the prevalence and effectiveness of methods and strategies for job searches amongst recent graduates of Russian universities.

The empirical analysis is carried out on data from the Russian Graduate Survey 2016, which is representative of individuals graduating during 2010–2015. The sample included 12,370 individuals. The empirical approach combined standard descriptive statistics, factor and regression analysis (multiple logit regression).

Results show that the most common strategies are a combined strategy that involves the use of formal and informal methods, as well as “pure” informal strategies – applying to relatives and friends or contacting employers. The most effective strategies are job searches with the help of relatives and friends, by contacting employers and with the help of educational organisations. The choice of job search strategy is determined by the expected return in terms of the likelihood of finding a job.

The paper increases understanding of graduate job search behaviour. The results can be used by multiple stakeholders in higher education to better prepare students for job seeking.

This research, based on a large field survey of recent university graduates, provides the first estimates of use of job search strategies and their effectiveness for Russian university graduates.

The study aims to investigate returns on investment (ROI) from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. Librarians help academic researchers in a variety of ways. Some of these methods are collection oriented, whilst others are service oriented. The study investigates many factors responsible for the increased or decreased institutional ROI, performance and research out of the institution, such as total library budget, staff, library collection, service and facilities. The ROI % shows the institution's highest and lowest investment return in research publication.

The study is expiation about ROI from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. The study is based on primary and secondary data gathered from the Ministry of Education, Government of India and universities ranking in June 2020. The data were compiled from the ranking list regarding total library budgets, staff and research publications for 2017–2020. The research is limited to a ROI analysis of university libraries. The study should aid libraries in better understanding the idea of ROI in order to improve library services. The study then looked at various institutions' ROI from 2017 to 2020.

The study aims to investigate ROI from the academic library of India's top ten leading university libraries in terms of research publication. This study investigates many factors responsible for the increased or decreased institutional ROI, performance and research out of the institution, such as total library budget, staff, library collection, service and facilities. The study found that the overall highest research output is by the Indian Institute of Science and the lowest by Jamia Millia Islamia among the ten leading university libraries in India.

The ROI study displays the importance of libraries in terms of research publication of the institutions. This research can also support decision-making, library collection development and institutional library system analysis. The library can assist with publications, sponsorships, grants, finances and teaching enhancement research output. The last point justifies the library's increased importance in establishing an organisation's status and obtaining accreditation.

The purpose of this study is to examine how doctoral students navigate preparing for an academic career, particularly through instructional professional development, in the context of the entire doctoral program. For doctoral students pursuing an academic position, the dissertation process provides one avenue for developing their skills and identities as independent researchers. Yet, research shows a need to provide support for student’ instructional professional development and to understand how they are shaped into educators and researchers.

A multiple case study methodology was designed to capture the perceptions and experiences of 21 alumni of an academic career preparation program at a large, public university. In this exploratory, qualitative study, semi-structured interviews and final reports from program coursework were analyzed using a modified analytic induction methodology.

This study employs elements of self-determination theory and transition theory to interpret doctoral students’ transitions into and through the instructional professional development program under study. The participants sought competence in their teaching by participating in this voluntary and supplemental program. These students exercised autonomy in the pursuit of this professional development and in overcoming challenges to relatedness in the form of non-supportive program structures, including curriculum and faculty.

This study contributes to the graduate education literature on the experiences of doctoral students as they prepare for and transition into their future academic careers.

This paper aims to review policy innovations in China for addressing the graduate unemployment crisis that has been created by the expansion of higher education in the past decade.

The authors draw on government documents, research findings, and mass media reports to highlight the key measures of the Chinese government to alleviate the over‐education problem and to improve college graduates' employment prospects.

The review describes government efforts both at the institutional level to enhance student employability and at the national level to create alternative employment channels. The Chinese experiences show that the challenges posed by the graduate employment crisis may turn out to be a new opportunity to reform higher education in order to better address the needs unique to a country's own society.

The review of the Chinese case will inspire policy makers in other countries to seek alternative routes for the development of their own higher education.

This is the first study of its kind to address the recent policy innovations and their implications for potential reform.

This paper aims to explore expanded uses for LinkedIn.com as a teaching tool, beyond introductory assignments, for in-demand and emerging marketing techniques.

This paper reviews the current use of LinkedIn as a teaching tool for marketing educators and presents sample assignments that can be used to introduce students to content marketing, SEO, and online reputation management.

Marketing educators have found LinkedIn to be a valuable resource for teaching professional development in the business curriculum. But the site can also provide a platform for the exploration of emerging specializations including content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

As a general review, this paper provides an overview of techniques. Research is needed to test and further explore the use of these techniques.

This paper provides rationale and recommendations for marketing educators who wish to better prepare students for a competitive job market, in which employers expect students to be well versed not only in social media but also in emerging techniques like content marketing and SEO.

Researchers have explored the use of various social media platforms for marketing education, including LinkedIn. This paper addresses the future potential of LinkedIn to teach various marketable skills and shows the versatility of social media platforms as pedagogical tools.

Marketing investigations on the concomitant variables of both service quality and relationship marketing are very scarce. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the customers’ perception of the Takaful (Islamic insurance) in relation to service quality and relationship marketing. More importantly, the examination of the impact of both service quality and relationship marketing on corporate image is further established. Accordingly, corporate reputation and customer loyalty were further evaluated, along with these respective interactions.

A self-administered survey was conducted from 350 Malaysian customers of Takaful products and services. The purposive sampling was used to collect data from the existing customers of Takaful service operators in the Klang Valley, an area in Malaysia. The questionnaire was constructed through measures of PAKSERV for service quality, as well as other measures related to relationship marketing and other constructs in this study. Structured equation modeling was used in the analysis of data.

The current study is the first one of its kind to examine perceptions of customers of relationship marketing and service quality as predictors of corporate image, which drives corporate reputation and ultimate customer loyalty from the perspective of the Takaful industry in Malaysia. Service quality dimensions (tangibility, reliability and personalization) and relationship marketing dimensions (Islamic ethical behavior and structural bond) positively influence corporate image of the Takaful organizations. Moreover, customer loyalty can be predicted, mainly through corporate reputation as well as corporate image.

The present study is focused on the existing Malaysian Takaful customers as the population frame. Accordingly, future research studies may evaluate the same model, but perhaps in another different cultural context where the Takaful industry can grow and expand in other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Pakistan. More importantly, the same variables may be verified to different service industries in future studies, especially those constructs related to relationship marketing because many products and services at present can be attained without face-to-face interactions through online transactions without having brick and mortar businesses.

It is important for Takaful service operators to focus on connecting the social and financial bonds to ensure the fulfilment of customers’ needs. They also need to improve the qualities related to tangibility, reliability and personalization to be able to increase their market share, especially in this present highly competitive market. Indeed, Takaful generally provides financial protection and risk management; nevertheless, the religious and ethical values need to be embraced in totality unlike conventional insurance, which has the element of gambling, uncertainty and the imposition of interest. Hence, this study aims to assist the Takaful operators toward achieving corporate reputation and apparently customer loyalty for them to remain relevant in this industry.

The model used in this study is based on the cultural context of Malaysia from the perspective of the Takaful industry. It attempts to explain customer loyalty through the incorporation of service quality and relationship marketing dimensions, where it is associated with the elements of the values of Islamic ethics especially in business transactions. More importantly, these dimensions were put together to identify its impact on corporate image, corporate reputation, and ultimately, customer loyalty, thus illustrating a distinct set of outcomes of the present study.

The purpose of this paper is to address the question of service quality in the higher education sector in the business management area, with the research objective to explore the dimensions of service quality and assess performance of higher educational institutes (HEIs) in business management across customer-perceived service quality dimensions.

A modified SERVQUAL instrument was used to capture customers’ perceptions of service quality with a sample size of 1,152 customers. Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to holistically evaluate the performance of the HEIs.

The current research develops a scale for measuring service quality in the area of business management education and reinforces the fact that service quality is a multidimensional construct. It suggests that customers distinguish four dimensions of service quality in the case of the higher education industry in business management. TOPSIS analysis provides an effective framework for ranking competing HEIs holistically in terms of their overall performance with respect to multiple service quality factors.

Continued refinement of the scale for measuring service quality in higher education, proposed in this study, is certainly possible based on further research and trends in higher education.

HEIs are finding themselves in an increasingly integrated competitive market. Consequently they are facing challenges due to the evaluation of the results of the services of education and training that they offer. In competitive environments, student perceptions of quality and their satisfaction level have become very important in order to attract and retain them. Identifying the underlying dimensions of service quality is the first step in the definition and provision of quality service and instilling of a customer-service culture. Having access to how consumers evaluate service quality in the higher educational sector in business management and evaluating the positions of the players in the market on service quality parameters, can help the organization to carry out its mission with more efficiency, aid in strategic planning and contend the initiatives that HEIs managers can take to enhance employees’ skills and attitudes and instill a culture of service excellence.

The contribution of this research has been in terms of its scale development and modeling methodology. A methodological innovation in this research has been in the use of TOPSIS in the field of customer-perceived service quality in higher education.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for the measurement of service quality at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain and to study the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior. Doctors from two major states of South India were selected for the study. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the pharmaceutical context. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to show the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and prescribing behavior. The critical factors of service quality were identified, and a model was developed showing the relationship between service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which has not been explored in any research. This model will be helpful in further development of new concepts and for analyzing the reasons for the failure of doctors in providing quality service. 

A total of 200 doctors from three major cities of South India were selected. A doctor perceived service quality scale with three dimensions having eight items was developed through CFA using Parasuraman Service quality scale (Parasuraman, 1985, 1986, 1988) as the basis in the pharmaceutical context after focus group discussions with company experts, retailers, doctors and academicians. SEM technique was used to examine the impact of service quality on doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior.

There is no universal set of dimensions and items that determine service quality in manufacturing industries, especially at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the pharmaceutical supply chain though service quality plays a very important role in affecting the performance of manufacturing industries. The critical factors affecting the quality of service for a pharmaceutical company at the manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain were identified, and its impact on doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior were studied.

This research contributes to the development of service quality scale for measuring service quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing company, especially with reference to manufacturer–doctor interface of the supply chain which was not thoroughly explored earlier. A model was developed showing the positive relationship between service quality and doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain which is a new concept not proved experimentally.

The study is very useful for the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to identify the service quality factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and their prescribing behavior thereby leading to development of new measures for improving the performance of the pharmaceutical supply chain. This study can lead to identification of problems involved in pharmaceutical supply chain and also leads to generation of new ideas and development of new concepts for influencing doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior which in turn can help in providing better health.

This study actually has a direct impact on the society. If factors affecting doctor’s satisfaction and prescribing behavior are identified automatically, the end consumer, i.e. patient, can be satisfied in a better way, and better medical care can be provided. If doctor’s problems are identified, then better solutions can be provided to patients; this in turn has a lot of positive impact on the pharmaceutical company and society in general.

This research will act as a base for generating ideas relating to how quality service provided by a company will have an impact on doctor’s satisfaction and his prescribing behavior in pharmaceutical supply chain .To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind of the conceptual aspects of service quality, satisfaction and loyalty explained in terms of pharmaceutical supply chain as service quality, doctor’s satisfaction and doctor’s prescribing behavior and proved experimentally.

This paper reviews 20 years (1988‐2008) of research on the SERVQUAL scale for measuring service quality.

A range of studies that have applied the SERVQUAL scale in this 20‐year period are examined in a non‐exhaustive review of the literature. These studies are selected from well‐known databases – such as “ABI/Inform”, “ScienceDirect”, and “EBSCOhost”.

The paper identifies and summarizes numerous theoretical and empirical criticisms of the SERVQUAL scale. Despite these criticisms, the paper concludes that SERVQUAL remains a useful instrument for service‐quality research.

The paper provides a useful source of information on SERVQUAL and its applications. In particular, the paper summarizes a selection of 30 applications of SERVQUAL.