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This paper aims to investigate the interrelated role of relational commitment and dependence as drivers of key performance outcomes. Specifically, the authors provide a conceptual model of the impact of commitment on relationship value dependence and switching cost dependence. The authors further investigate how these dimensions of dependence offer differing noneconomic and economic paths to strategic and financial performance.

Survey data was collected from 296 purchasing agents across multiple industries located in the USA. The conceptual model and accompanying hypotheses were tested via partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results show that the relational path is driven by affective and normative commitment, which are related to relationship value dependence. Conversely, calculative commitment is related to switching cost dependence. This economic path is related to both strategic and financial performance, whereas the relational path is more closely related to strategic as opposed to financial performance outcomes.

This study extends research on Business-To-Business (B2B) relationships by leveraging social exchange theory to examine the interrelated roles played by two forms of dependence on performance outcomes. Thus, the authors answer Scheer et al.’s (2015) call for research into the two distinct types of dependence – relationship value and switching cost dependence – and their roles in determining B2B relationship outcomes. The findings contribute to the literature by integrating social exchange and relationship marketing concepts to develop a dual pathway approach to B2B partnerships.

The results suggest that dependence is not necessarily negative for firms. Specifically, buyers can and do still exhibit positive performance, both strategic and financial, in relationships with suppliers even when dependent on the relationship. Regardless of whether buyers are dependent due to a relationship or economic factors, both can, in different ways, lead to positive strategic and financial outcomes. Together, the authors contribute to the understanding of B2B partnerships by offering guidelines for both buyers and suppliers in the dyad.

The authors derive a comprehensive model depicting primarily relational and economic paths to performance through different types of commitment and dependence. The authors contribute to the literature by demonstrating that relational and economic paths to success are not the same, highlighting how firms could influence performance even when the relationship is not necessarily characterized by generally positive relational benefits and behaviors.

This research proposes to examine how the retirement experience in the USA is cultivated via the appraisal process and reflected in post‐retirement lifestyle postures and consumption changes.

A sample of 298 recent retirees were surveyed to test hypotheses suggested by a proposed model of the retirement experience. The model proposes that the appraisal process is integral in determining how a retiree interprets impact of the event for self‐identity and reflects self‐realignment strategies in post‐retirement consumption patterns.

Findings show that perceptions of resource availability are important predictors of retiree appraisals. Furthermore, appraisals directly impact retirees' adoption of a post‐transition lifestyle posture, whether “new start”, “continuation of life”, “disruption to life”, or “beginning of old age”. Also explored are differences between lifestyle postures and post‐retirement consumption expenditures across a number of product categories. Generally, retirees who adopt the perspective of retirement as a “new start” or as a “disruption” tend to increase expenditures in “experiential” and “outward‐oriented” product categories. Retirees who adopt the perspective of retirement as the beginning of “old age” or as a “continuation” of past selves tend to increase expenditures in “non‐experiential” and “inward‐oriented” product categories.

Retirees are an increasingly important cohort for marketing in many industries. The findings demonstrate that individuals appraise the retirement event very differently and in turn respond to marketing activities very differently, which has implications for marketing segmentation strategies.

This research extends prior research of life transitional events by highlighting the importance of considering individuals' attitudes toward major life transitional events as an important factor in predicting their responses to these events.

This paper aims to report a study that focuses on the moderating role of involvement in the relationships between customer contact employees' customer orientation and service quality perceptions and satisfaction.

A sample of 869 consumers is drawn from four different service providers, scale measures are validated via confirmatory factor analysis and a conceptual model is tested using non‐monotonic moderated regression analysis.

Higher levels of involvement lead to greater levels of consumer loyalty and a lower need for scarce marketing resources. Hence, involvement does play a significant moderating role; in most cases the relationships are stronger for consumers with higher involvement.

Findings are generalizable only to the four industries investigated.

Relative to customers with low levels of involvement, managers must be sure to motivate their employees to work with customers to help solve their problems and thus enhance the level of involvement. Conversely, for highly involved customers, contact employees must be aware that they may not play as significant a role in the overall purchase experience as the consumer feels they (the consumer) are an “expert” relative to the products offered. In such cases, customer‐oriented employees' role is to be willing to play a supporting and less important role in a customer's purchase decision.

While many studies have investigated service quality and satisfaction, the research represents the first effort to determine whether the relationship between these two variables differs based on a consumer characteristic; in this case, involvement.

This analysis aims to examine the role of pre-release, HIV-related, peer-based rehabilitation program attendance on post-release linkage to community-based HIV care in South Africa.

During a post-release linkage-to-care prospective study, participants from six correctional facilities who had an HIV-positive diagnosis and were taking anti-retroviral medications at release (N = 351) self-reported rehabilitation program participation. Linkage-to-care status 90 days post-release was verified by medical chart review.

In a binomial regression model, HIV-related, peer-based rehabilitation program attendance was insignificant (relative risk [RR] 1.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.8, 1.4], p-value = 0.7), but short-/long-term incarceration site (RR 1.5, 95% CI [1.0, 2.1], p-value = 0.04) and relationship status pre-incarceration (RR 1.9, 95% CI [1.0, 3.6], p-value = 0.05) were significantly associated with linkage to HIV care post-release.

Rehabilitation and peer-based HIV programs have had demonstrated benefit in other settings. Assessment of current programs may identify opportunities for improvement.

THE Reference Department of Paisley Central Library today occupies the room which was the original Public Library built in 1870 and opened to the public in April 1871. Since that date two extensions to the building have taken place. The first, in 1882, provided a separate room for both Reference and Lending libraries; the second, opened in 1938, provided a new Children's Department. Together with the original cost of the building, these extensions were entirely financed by Sir Peter Coats, James Coats of Auchendrane and Daniel Coats respectively. The people of Paisley indeed owe much to this one family, whose generosity was great. They not only provided the capital required but continued to donate many useful and often extremely valuable works of reference over the many years that followed. In 1975 Paisley Library was incorporated in the new Renfrew District library service.

The term “customer service” is used today in the field of logistics management to describe a host of different but critically interrelated activities. Some authors view customer service as all activities which bind a corporation and its customers together to further a sales relationship. Other authors view customer service as a package of measurable activities which provide utility to customers or optimum levels of service.

The purpose of this study is to identify the prescribed formative elements of supply chain resilience (SCR) in literature, to compare them with the unique characteristics of high reliability organisations (HROs) and derive lessons useful for improving SCR.

Two systematic literature reviews are carried out as follows: one on SCR and the other on HRO, which identified 107 studies and 18 papers, respectively. The results from the review are presented, analysed and synthesised.

Findings suggest that despite significant similarities in some of the proposed formative elements for SCR and the characteristics of HROs, the strong managerial commitment exhibited in HROs is absent in SCR literature. More importantly, the most cited characteristic of HROs, which is their flexible decision making structure is pointed out as a prima lesson towards developing resilience in supply chains.

A decision making framework to facilitate flexible decision making for supply chains during crisis is presented. Further, practical lessons are pointed out from principles common to both streams of literature such as redundancy, human resource management, collaboration, agility, flexibility, culture and risk avoidance that can be implemented in supply chains.

This paper is the first study to systematically review HROs, adapt a HRO decision making framework and also apply the Cynefin framework to SCR. This, therefore, provides the basis to launch further research into the use of these theories and the role of decision-making in SCR creation.

Global cycles of leadership and hegemony have repeated since 1492, leaving to history Dutch, British, and now declining US hegemonies. Theoretical models (Chase‐Dunn and Rubinson 1977; Hopkins and Wallerstein 1979; Arrighi 1994), historical narratives (Wallerstein 1974, 1980, 1989; Kennedy 1989), and statistical analyses (Modelski and Thompson 1988; Boswell and Sweat 1991) portray the cycle of hegemony as a fixed dynamic inherent to the world‐system. Can we expect the future to be any different?

Restructuring schools as a means to quality improvement in education is one of the major challenges facing education in Malta. This article calls for a critique of school policy‐making and planning processes. Attention is directed towards school‐based development with focus on the school as the unit of change. School development is described as a process by which a school develops the capacity for reflective action. It is a planned, continuing effort, with personnel committed to a search for increasing school effectiveness and expresses a commitment towards professional growth. The article stresses the need for policy and decision makers to fundamentally rethink the way schools function at present by shifting attention towards establishing a professionally oriented structure which gives educators at school level more responsibility, accountability and professionalism.

This is the first study to evaluate ADHD-hyperactive/impulsive subtype in a large clinical sample of adults with ADHD. The Quality of Life, Effectiveness, Safety and Tolerability (QuEST) study included 725 adults who received clinician diagnoses of any ADHD sub-type. Cross-sectional baseline data from 691 patients diagnosed with the hyperactive/impulsive (HI), inattentive (IA) and combined sub-types were used to compare the groups on the clinician administered ADHD-RS, clinical features and health-related quality of life. A consistent pattern of differences was found between the ADHD-I and combined subtypes, with the combined subtype being more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, more severe symptom severity and lower HRQL. Twenty-three patients out of the total sample of 691 patients (3%) received a clinician diagnosis of ADHD -hyperactive/impulsive subtype. Review of the ratings on the ADHD-RS-IV demonstrated, however, that this group had ratings of inattention comparable to the inattentive group. There were no significant differences found between the ADHD-HI and the other subtypes in symptom severity, functioning or quality of life. The hyperactive/impulsive subtype group identified by clinicians in this study was not significantly different from the rest of the sample. By contrast, significant differences were found between the inattentive and combined types. This suggests that in adults, hyperactivity declines and inattention remains significant, making the hyperactive/impulsive sub-type as defined by childhood criteria a very rare condition and raising questions as to the validity of the HI subtype in adults.