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The present challenge for many service firms is to develop an offering that is flexible and open for tailoring and at the same time achieves efficiency through standardizing processes. Modularity has been suggested as being one tool for achieving this. The goal of the present study is to find out how services provided in modular form (here referred to as service modularity) can exert an influence on the value perception of the customer in the professional services field.

Empirical part consists of a case study of a large provider of professional services involving construction, engineering, procurement and project management service. Data were gathered by semi structured theme interviews of representatives of the case company and representatives of two of its customers.

The modular processes had an influence on the customer's expectations that are related to the experienced quality of the service, and hence they create value for the customer. In addition to the service outcome, the modular processes enhanced the customer's trust in the service provider's employees and their skills in co‐operating in a suitable way during the service process. The organizational modularity eased the customer's tasks of managing the project implementation.

The present study contributes the knowledge related to modularity in business services by incorporating the knowledge from the theoretical discussion on customer perceived value.

Customer value perception of Internet of Things (IoT)-based services has not been studied in the context of a company’s readiness to adopt IoT technology. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by indicating a research framing that combines insights from the IoT business model literature and customer perception of the value of such models and their drivers.

The interplay between a company’s IoT readiness and its perception of the value of IoT services is tested using a sample of 90 Eastern European business customers in a competitive business field. The conceptual framework described also examines relationships among constructs that refer to relationship quality. This study evaluates its quantitative sample using partial least squares path modeling.

Customers’ perceived value of IoT business models strongly relates to their digitalization capabilities and their own company’s innovativeness. When referring to disruptive technical offerings, existing trustful and satisfactory relationships cannot enhance the customer’s value perception.

The sample of Eastern European buyers is not representative of the majority of manufacturing companies. A randomized sample using other sources such as large industry databases could be useful. In addition, a replication of the study in other countries would allow for a cross-border validation of this study’s results.

This study suggests a detailed process that is based on a careful preselection of test customers working for innovative companies. A marketing communication approach must state clearly the benefits the buyers get in return for their sacrifice of sharing data.

Technology readiness refers to the user’s propensity to embrace and use new technologies. The results indicate that IoT readiness influences the successful launch of IoT-related business models. For managers, this study proposes a process to implement IoT-related business models.

Focuses on the perceived value of a service by a customer, the perceived quality and value of a service, and the role of expectations, shortfalls, and bonuses in the valuation process. Considers on the implications of key relationships in the marketing and delivery of services. Characterizes customer perception of the perceived value of a service and quality of service in multivariate space. This model yields a value vector that summarizes the perceived value of a service and service quality to a customer. The perceived value vector summarizes the aggregate effects of variables of influence on perceived value. Relates service delivery to customer expectations. In this context, illuminates important issues related to exante versus ex post expectations. Introduces the concept of expectations‐delivery variance (EDV). Examines the concept of delivery shortfalls as well as delivery excess, with excess leading to bonus fulfillment. Shortfalls and bonuses have residual effects. Asserts that shortfalls and bonus effects have asymmetric affects in terms of residual influence on future perceptions of customer expectations of service value.

The purpose of this paper is to explore consumers' perceptions of price unfairness in services, what are its antecedents and when it is important for the consumer. Thus, the central question of this research is whether consumers care about how much profit the service company is making and whether there are significant differences to physical goods.

Building on justice and equity theory, a causal model is developed – which analyses the main antecedents (seller profits vs customer value), moderators and consequences of perceptions of price unfairness. Structural equation modelling has been applied to test the proposed model.

The lack of specific tools to measure perceptions of price fairness required the development of a multi‐item scale to capture the complexity of the evaluation. This instrument has been tested for reliability and validity in a variety of settings, with excellent results, and can be appropriate when using the survey as a data collection method. Also, the authors have argued that there should be significant differences due to the nature of the product – service industries vs physical goods– as well as due to the number of available alternatives that the buyer has in the market.

The validity of a new model is tested by means of an empirical research conducted in four different settings, two different services (automobile repair services and music concerts) and their related physical goods (automobiles and music CDs). A multi‐item scale is also developed to capture the complexity of price fairness perceptions. Finally, significant differences between contexts, as well as due to the number of available alternatives present in the marketplace are examined.

To achieve a full understanding of the role of marketing from plan to profit requires a knowledge of the basic building blocks. This textbook introduces the key concepts in the art or science of marketing to practising managers. Understanding your customers and consumers, the 4 Ps (Product, Place, Price and Promotion) provides the basic tools for effective marketing. Deploying your resources and informing your managerial decision making is dealt with in Unit VII introducing marketing intelligence, competition, budgeting and organisational issues. The logical conclusion of this effort is achieving sales and the particular techniques involved are explored in the final section.

The exclusive value principle is one important factor determining the value of the service to the customer. High margins often result from the customer′s perceptions of “exclusive value”. Success depends on understanding and making decisions within the context of the customer′s psychic domain. Provides a brief review of background information and the concept of exclusive value as well as “critical factors” in psychic space. Summarizes sample psychic factors of import in marketing. Relates and illustrates exclusive value to costs, margins and risks. Provides sample scenarios to illustrate the important points.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of reward structure on the customer's value perception of the program, loyalty to the program and loyalty to the firm.

A 2 (type of reward) x 2 (timing of redemption) between subjects experimental design was conducted. In addition, the indirect effect of the customer's value perception of the program on loyalty to the firm via loyalty to the program is tested with Hayes and Preacher's mediation procedure.

Study results indicated that type of reward has a positive impact on the perceived value of a loyalty program. Program loyalty mediates the relationship between the perceived value of the loyalty program and customer loyalty, as well as the relationship between type of reward and customer loyalty.

The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of the type and timing of loyalty program rewards on customer perceptions of the value of the loyalty program. In addition, this study is a step forward in providing a deep understanding of the impact of such perceptions on loyalty. These findings fill a number of research gaps and provide tangible guidance for practitioners.

To provide an alternative view of customer value and service quality as conceptualized in the service‐profit chain.

A survey of the vast and diverse literature on the concepts of value and quality is used to reconceptualize these constructs as they are used in the service‐profit chain. The concept of intrinsic value and quality is proposed as an addition to the extrinsic value and quality concepts already apparent in the chain.

The service‐profit chain is based on the premise that profitability to a firm derives from customer satisfaction and loyalty, which, in turn, are derived from a customer's sense of value received. This value, it is argued, is calculated with reference to the perceived quality of what is received, balanced against the aggregated costs to the customer of availing themselves of the service. This paper questions the sufficiency of the assumption that value offered to a customer resides solely in the customer's perception of what has been experienced in and through the service encounter. Correspondingly, it is argued that value to the customer may reside also in intrinsic qualities or attributes of a service.

The idea of value and quality being built into a service offering (intrinsic) has value for both practising service managers and academic researchers. Several avenues for future investigation are posited.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive conceptualisation of supplier perceived value (SPV) in business relationships for B2B services.

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted amongst logistics firms in Lithuania, which are members of the Lithuanian National Road Carriers' Association (Linava). Data were derived from 13 interviews with senior managers.

SPV is proposed to be a higher order construct consisting of three value dimensions capturing the financial, strategic, and co‐creating value of a customer relationship, which in turn are determined by customer and relationship capabilities and competencies.

The proposed conceptualisation of SPV is based on generic literature and interview data derived from the haulage industry. While the key dimensions of the SPV are sufficiently generic to apply to complex B2B services in general, some aspects (e.g. proxies) might be specific to the context of this study.

The conceptual model of SPV can be employed by both service suppliers and customers. Service suppliers could utilise it as a tool to prioritise or segment customers, as well as for tailoring service packages to a customer's SPV profile. From the customer's perspective, the model provides a diagnostic tool to assess how important a customer is to a service provider and the level of commitment a customer can expect from a supplier. The study provides insights into the Lithuanian road haulage industry, which is of strategic importance for supply chains linking Western Europe with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and other Asian markets.

This paper redresses the imbalance in attention paid to value perceptions from the supplier side of the dyad compared with those of the customer. Unlike previous research, it stresses the importance of co‐creation value as a critical dimension of supplier‐perceived value of a customer relationship, in addition to financial and strategic value dimensions. It emphasises the interplay between knowledge, social and operational capabilities to co‐create value.

The purpose of this paper is to understand and deliver the needs and wants of external customers. This being the case, we know quite a lot about one perspective of the value co-creation process (i.e. external customers’ perception) but very little about other stakeholder perspectives, in particular, internal customers’ perspectives of the value co-creation process.

This paper draws on the works of Edvardsson et al. (2011), Giddens (1984), Sweeney and Soutar (200), Helkkula et al. (2012), Herzberg et al. (1959) and Wolf (1970) to build a conceptual model of value creation developed specifically from the internal customer’s perspective.

The resultant conceptual model (shown in Figure 1) provides insight into the socio-structural and social exchange elements of the firm that provide the stimuli to value creation, which in the first instance, gratify (or not) the needs of internal customers and, secondly, influence the multi-dimensional value perceptions of internal customers.

The conceptual model of this paper provides a unique, pragmatic and useful framework for understanding how internal customers derive and perceive value within the social landscape of the firm. While empirical validation of the model is essential, the model, as presented herein, provides an excellent starting point for further investigation in this important, but largely under-researched, area.