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The purpose of this study is to operationalise and measure the effects of negative customer engagement (CE) in conjunction with positive CE. Both valences are explored through affective, cognitive and behaviour dimensions, and, in relation to the antecedent of involvement and outcome of word-of-mouth (WOM). It also explores the moderating influence of service context by examining engagement within a social service versus a social networking site (SNS). Engagement with the dual focal objects of a service brand and a service community are also examined.

Structural equation modelling is used to analyse 625 survey responses.

Involvement is a strong driver of positive CE, and positive CE has a strong effect on WOM. These findings are consistent across the “brand” and “community” object, suggesting positive CE is mutually reinforced by different objects in a relationship. Positive CE is also found to operate consistently across the service types. Involvement is a moderately negative driver of negative CE, and negative CE is a positive driver of WOM. These relationships operate differently across the objects and service types. Involvement has a stronger inverse effect on negative CE for the social service, diverging from assumptions that negative CE is reflective of highly involved customers. Interestingly, negative CE has a stronger effect on WOM in the social service, highlighting the active and vocal nature of customers within this service context.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to quantitatively measure positive and negative valences of engagement concurrently, and examine the moderating effect of dual objects across contrasting service types.

Minimal attention is given to the negative valences of customer engagement and how they manifest in ways that detract from service value. The purpose of this paper is to uncover the meaning and conceptual dimensions of disengagement and negative engagement in conjunction with positive engagement. It explores how three valences of engagement manifest towards dual objects: the service community and the focal service organisation. This exploration is based within a new and novel social service context.

A qualitative approach using (four) focus groups is used.

A conceptual model of customer engagement is derived from the groups that include strongly held and positive customer engagement; passive, yet negatively orientated customer disengagement; and active and destructive negative customer engagement. Positive customer engagement is found to be directed at the service community object, whereas customer disengagement and negative engagement are directed at the focal service organisation object. A spillover effect is also revealed whereby negative engagement with the focal service organisation detracts from customers’ positive engagement within their service community. This suggests that engagement within a social service is multifaceted: several engagement valences may exist within one service relationship. It also suggests that these engagement valences are interrelated.

This is the first paper to apply three valences of engagement within the one focal relationship and examine how they manifest towards two objects, providing a unique perspective of how different interactions within the service ecosystem can influence engagement.

In assessing the consumer′s response to risk two main risk reduction strategies have been identified, those of information search and the reliance on product cues. The role of product cues in providing information in second‐hand markets is assessed. A reconceptualisation of the existing intrinsic/extrinsic model of product cues, based upon a new visible/ verifiable dimension, is offered. This model is then applied to the second‐hand car market in order to explain the relationship(s) identified and point to the role of the seller in intervening in the predictive capacity of product cues. This framework highlights a number of complex relationships which may prove of use to marketers in assessing the role of certain product attributes in risk reduction.

The White Paper, Working for Patients, and the 1990 GP Contract are designed to promote competition between general practitioners and to encourage greater choice for consumers of primary care. Considers the reforms in the light of established consumer behaviour literature in other services and suggests that there are likely to be particular problems for patients in making informed choices about GPs. As a result, patients are unlikely to make decisions unless circumstances force them to do so; which has implications for the way in which GPs are remunerated.

Explains how it is possible for universities which are part of the UCCA/PCAS system to develop insights into their recruitment process. The changes to the university sector and government funding of higher education make it critical for universities to understand the higher education marketplace. Shows how extracts from the main UCCA database can be used to model the selection process, competitor analysis and geodemographic modelling. The effective use of information already held by universities will allow them to respond to a changing marketplace in a planned and co‐ordinated manner.

Looks at Management Information Systems and their application with regard to higher education and recruitment in universities. Discusses how admissions can more accurately be predicted and how a systematic approach to communications with potential students be developed. Concludes that data analysis techniques and analysis should make it easier to respond to government pressures exerted, with regard to increasing student numbers.

Demographic change is leading to an ageing of the population in the UK, but there is still a considerable debate as to whether the elderly should be treated as a distinct market segment. Previous work on the shopping preferences and activities of the elderly, undertaken mainly in the USA, has identified a number of issues relating to patronage behaviour and attitudes to store attributes. Seeks to examine some of these issues in a British context. Interviews were conducted with 838 shoppers over the age of 55 in three different shopping locations, investigating store choice and attitudes. An item of clothing was chosen to provide the shopping context. Results suggest that gender appears to be a more important attribute than age in determining a number of shopping traits, in particular, actual shop choice and the expressed motives for shop choice. Some general preference is evident among the elderly group for locally operated rather than nationally operated store options.

To provide a conceptual framework to help researchers and managers understand the complex factors affecting the associations between brands.

Brand extension, co‐branding and other associative techniques together with an increasingly communicative environment are resulting in an increasingly complex set of networks and relationships between brands, with singular and multiple relationship forms. There are two key perspectives on these complex relationships, that of the customer and that of the brand owner, i.e. what is seen at the point of transaction and what is expressed by the various brand constructors. Two key perspectives on brand relationships are used that of the customer and that of the brand owner, to describe and discuss an analytical classification of these relationships.

A conceptual synthesis of the dynamics of brand networks and business relationships is presented and a 2 × 2 matrix is developed to classify and describe the four categories that emerge.

Different management strategies for different types of business‐brand relationships are suggested.

The conceptual synthesis is new and some uses of the classification for researchers and brand managers are suggested.

The introduction of a competitive market into primary care means that general practitioners must consider the way in which their patients evaluate the service which they receive. Reports the results of an exploratory study carried out in Scotland to investigate the evaluative strategies used by patients in assessing the service they receive. Identifies six particular dimensions of the care process which have implications for GPs protecting their existing patient lists and in understanding how to attract new patients. Suggests through its results that while communicating certain features of the service to potential patients is relatively straightforward, the experiential nature of primary care services leads to a reliance on word‐of‐mouth communication which depends on ensuring that existing patients are satisfied.

Considers the role of non‐verbal communication in consumers’ evaluation of service encounters. Non‐verbal communication has been extensively studied in the psychology and psychotherapy disciplines and has been shown to have a central effect on participants’ perceptions of an event. As services are essentially interpersonal interactions it follows that non‐verbal communication will play a major part in service evaluation. Uses an experimental methodology based on video scenarios to demonstrate the effect of this type of communication on consumers. The results indicate significant differences in respondents’ reactions to the scenario according to the non‐verbal behaviour of the service provider.