Search results

This paper aims to contribute industrial marketing literature by examining the relationship between market orientation and performance based on multiple perspectives and measures. Although the relationship between market orientation and firm performance has been examined in prior research a gap in the literature exists, as this relationship has not been examined from separate perspectives of managers, salespersons and customers. In addition to this gap in the literature, a further gap exists as these multiple assessments of market orientation have not been examined relative to both subjective and objectives measures of industrial firm performance.

The research is based on data obtained from 111 sales branches of a Fortune 500 industrial supplier.

The results indicate that managers, salespersons and customers all indicate a positive relationship between market orientation and perceived performance. Market orientation and actual branch performance were not related when assessed by any of the three respondent groups. Only salespersons were able to significantly relate perceived firm performance to actual performance.

These findings add a new dimensions to the existing stream of literature on the industrial marketing orientation and performance relationship.

These findings add new dimensions to the existing stream of literature on the industrial marketing orientation and performance relationship.

As the markets of Eastern Europe continue to liberalize, they are becoming increasingly important to Western retailers who seek international market opportunities. The current research compares consumer perceptions of price as a marketplace cue in Polish and US cultures. A hierarchical structural equation model (SEM) is used to assess the metric equivalence of price cue measures across a matched sample of Polish (N = 335) and US (N = 342) consumers. Results indicate a great deal of similarity between the two groups’ perceptions of price. Findings from the study suggest practical directions for strategy formulation as well as guidance in measuring perceptions of price cross‐culturally.

Nutrition and exercise matter for everyone, including people with learning disabilities. Poor nutrition and lack of exercise can have adverse effects on emotional and physical health and well‐being, which then affect the ability to cope with the demands of everyday life, including independent living and enjoyment of voluntary or paid work, college and leisure activities. Support staff need training and advice to understand this if they are to facilitate optimal quality of life.

While genetically modified (GM) crops have provided tremendous agricultural productivity gains, many consumers oppose GM products and maintain they are unsafe. We use the case of GM sugar beets and their adoption by the US producers to examine the implications of GM technology on food security. A partial equilibrium framework is used to examine the implications of GM technology on food security. This analysis provides a unique opportunity to examine the impact of GM adoption in one product (sugar beets) relative to non-GM adoption in a substitute product (sugarcane). This analysis examines the potential gains to food security through the adoption of biotechnology versus consumer fear of GM technology. Research and development (R&D) has potential implications not only through its impact on supply, but also on demand as well. This study shows that demand impacts can negate the supply-induced food security gains of R&D. Regulations such as mandatory labeling requirements can impact this outcome.

Research in customer satisfaction over the past decade has lead to a much richer understanding of service quality and customer expectations. In trying to untangle the linkage between satisfied customers and long‐term success for the organization, however, attention has evolved from a focus on customer satisfaction to a realization that retaining customers and developing loyalty are essential for organizational success. This interpretive investigation focuses on customer retention and loyalty in an effort to understand better these variables in the context of service organizations. In so doing we review the rise of managerial concern for customer retention and loyalty and examine the definitions and relationships of these constructs. Then, to develop a richer understanding of repeat buyers, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with consumers identifying themselves as “loyal”. A typology of loyalty is offered consisting of five levels of repeat buyers, ranging from “prisoners” to “apostles”. Additionally, the managerial implications of this typology are discussed.

As organizations increasingly rely on teams to provide high levels of customer service, one's understanding and research methods related to teams must expand so that multiple hierarchical levels of an organization are analyzed effectively. This study aims to propose and test a model examining multi‐level team relationships.

Survey data from customer contact teams in a banking setting were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), a method appropriate for investigating individual and group level variables within an organization.

Results indicate that team‐member exchange, a group‐level variable, is positively associated with employee performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and explained variance in outcomes above and beyond that explained by the individual‐level relationship between the supervisor and subordinate.

Analyzing both individual‐ and group‐level variables through HLM explicates team processes and outcomes. While this study examines the banking environment, certainly, teams are an area fertile for additional study in a variety of industries.

The results provide support for the importance of team development and training as organizations increasingly use teams to provide critical customer service. Attention to the employee‐manager relationship and team member interactions will improve performance.

The paper extends understanding of important team member outcomes in an environment that increasingly relies upon teamwork to serve customers. It examines team‐member exchange and its effects on employee performance and OCB in the context of customer contact teams. Additionally, investigates leader‐member exchange in the context of team‐member exchange, a relationship that provides a more robust understanding of team processes.

Patient care teams are emerging as health care organizations continue to face resource constraints and greater demands for patient satisfaction. Although health care management researchers and managers tout the benefits of teams, findings from empirical research are mixed regarding the use of patient care teams. To gain a better understanding of patient care teams, we examined the antecedents and consequences of cohesion, one construct hypothesized to contribute to effective team performance. Previous research suggests adequacy of team training, pay equity, and acceptance of teamwork as antecedents positively associated with the team cohesion. Findings support the importance of training and a positive predisposition for teamwork to be significantly related to cohesion. Importantly, cohesion was linked to quality of patient care leading to greater levels of patient satisfaction. Implications for managers and researchers are discussed.

In the environment of business‐to‐business e‐commerce, both buyers and sellers are uncertain about their roles. Questions abound. What is the role of the Internet in buyer‐seller relationships, and what will be the interface between the Internet and the salesforce as information sources? Data collected from purchasing professionals suggest that traditional information sources, including suppliers’ salespeople, are more useful than the Internet at the present time. Moreover, findings indicate that the Internet plays almost no role in supplier selection decisions and only a moderate role in ongoing buyer‐seller relationships. Additionally, in relationships characterized by high levels of information exchange, trust, cooperation, and/or adaptations, the Internet appears to play a less important role. Based on these findings, implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

The aim of this study is to examine patient satisfaction with non‐physician staff as related to patient demographics, satisfaction with physician, and intentions to recommend their physicians to others.

A survey was conducted at two internal medicine primary care clinics affiliated with a major university health system. A latent class analysis was used to detect patient subpopulations based on profiles of response for five satisfaction‐with‐staff indicators.

The response rate was 86.46 percent (479 of 554). Analyses revealed four patient subpopulation segments. Segment I (n=241) patients uniformly indicated a high level of satisfaction across the five satisfaction‐with‐staff indicators. These patients tended to be older and less educated, and have lower incomes relative to patients in other segments. Patients in Segment II (n=83) expressed satisfaction with staff caring and need accommodation, but dissatisfaction with access to their physicians. Patients in Segment III (n=51) indicated high levels of satisfaction with access and low levels of satisfaction with staff caring and need accommodation. Segment IV (n=104) patients uniformly expressed low levels of satisfaction across all indicators and generally were younger and more educated, as well as had higher incomes than other patients.

Patients have different expectations from their non‐physician staff, e.g. younger, more affluent, and educated patients expressed dissatisfaction with staff. This suggests that non‐physician staff should provide extra/further responsiveness to have these patients' needs met. Generally, approaches that are differentially targeted to specific patient subgroups are likely to be more efficient and patient‐oriented than undifferentiated approaches.