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1 – 10 of over 60000Pao‐Long Chang and Pao‐Nuan Hsieh
Explains that public libraries with well‐established library systems have flourished in Taiwan during the past four decades owing to economic prosperity. Points out that despite…
Abstract
Explains that public libraries with well‐established library systems have flourished in Taiwan during the past four decades owing to economic prosperity. Points out that despite this, less than one‐tenth of the population in the community served by these libraries have registered as library users. Suggests that this relatively low level of use by customers may be due to a lack of awareness of the services that the public library has to offer. Proposes an effective approach to designing marketing strategies to incorporate marketing channels, corresponding communications messages and service quality dimensions, in order to promote the use of library services, and thus change the use pattern of current customers. Uses involvement segmentation and a hierarchy‐of‐effects paradigm.
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The purpose of this research is to review empirical research on customer involvement in innovation and identify future research directions that can better connect this research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to review empirical research on customer involvement in innovation and identify future research directions that can better connect this research with marketing strategy literatures and offer opportunities for further theoretical development.
Methodology/approach
We conduct a review of empirical articles published in eight leading marketing and innovation journals between 2001 and 2017.
Findings
The review shows that the literature on customer involvement in innovation is highly diverse and fragmented, lacking a common understanding of what constitutes customer involvement in innovation and its theoretical underpinnings. There exists a multitude of conceptualizations of customer involvement in innovation, which limits effective accumulation of domain knowledge. A large number of studies have taken the customer’s perspective to examine their motivation to participate and ability to contribute, whereas less research has been done from the firm’s perspective to understand how firms may effectively manage the well-recognized challenges of customer involvement as well as the implications of customer involvement for long-term innovation strategy and overall performance. Based on the review, we offer recommendations for future research.
Practical implications
We identify important questions for future research that are highly relevant for the practice of customer involvement in innovation.
Originality/value
We provide a systematic review of the rapidly growing empirical research on customer involvement in innovation. We evaluate key points of differences in the literature and offer a synthesis that helps identify opportunities for future research.
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Johra Kayeser Fatima and Mohammed Abdur Razzaque
The study investigates different roles (antecedent, mediator and moderator roles) of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction. It is also designed to reveal the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study investigates different roles (antecedent, mediator and moderator roles) of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction. It is also designed to reveal the comparative impact of three types of relational benefits (confidential, social and special treatment benefits) on customer involvement.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling (using Amos) is used for analyzing the data, collected from a survey of 212 sample respondents of the private commercial banking sector.
Findings
Results suggest that customer involvement does have antecedent and mediated influence on rapport-satisfaction link while the moderation impact of customer involvement is not supported. In contrast, social treatment benefit is found as the most important relational benefit for developing customer involvement in Bangladesh followed by confidence and special treatment benefit.
Research limitations/implications
Findings will assist bank management to set effective future strategies and to manage successful relationships with customers in order to motivate customer satisfaction with the bank. But the study may suffer from lack of generalization and poor sample representation as it focuses on a single country (Bangladesh) and a single industry (banking sector).
Originality/value
The paper for the first time attempts to reveal antecedent, mediator and moderator role of customer involvement in rapport and satisfaction. It also identifies the level of importance among three relational benefits for Bangladeshi bank customers.
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Saurabh Srivastava, Swati Panda and Wallace A. Williams
This paper aims to investigate the process of innovation in firms founded by user-entrepreneurs. It also empirically investigates the role of customer involvement and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the process of innovation in firms founded by user-entrepreneurs. It also empirically investigates the role of customer involvement and user-entrepreneurs’ learning goal orientation in the innovation process.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey design is used to collect data from entrepreneurs managing small businesses. A total of 255 entrepreneurs responded to the survey questionnaire. The partial least square structural equation model was used to test the measurement and structural model.
Findings
Results suggest a positive association of user-entrepreneurship with innovation and customer involvement. Results also confirmed that customer involvement mediates the relationship between user-entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition, results suggest that the higher learning orientation (LO) of user-entrepreneurs plays a vital role in innovation by strengthening the relationship between user-entrepreneurship and customer involvement.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on small entrepreneurial firms with less than equal to or less than 250 employees. The results may not be generalizable to larger user-entrepreneurial firms. Also, this study is based on American entrepreneurs. Therefore, the results may not be generalizable to other countries.
Practical implications
Evidence for the role of customer involvement and LO in the innovation process can be used by entrepreneurs and small business owners in hiring and training decisions. Also, the findings suggest the important role played by customers in the innovation process. Firms can use this insight to involve their customers in the product development process to secure better innovation outcomes.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the innovation and entrepreneurship literature by emphasizing the critical role of customer networks in user-entrepreneurs’ innovation performance. It offers a process model that offers empirical evidence supporting the positive role of customer involvement in new ventures. It highlights the role of the LO of user-entrepreneurs in the customer engagement process.
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Soon-Ho Kim and Seonjeong (Ally) Lee
The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds.
Design/Methodology/approach
This study investigated how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds.
Findings
Results identified customer–brand identification and service value influenced both service brand involvement and service brand-decision involvement. However, self-congruity only influenced customers’ service brand-decision involvement. Results also confirmed that customer involvement positively influenced service brand satisfaction and service brand loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributed to involvement and brand loyalty research, investigating the role of customer involvement on service brand loyalty.
Practical implications
Results suggested what factors could enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages.
Originality/value
This study proposed and empirically investigated ways to enhance brand loyalty in the context of the coffee shop industry.
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Thomas Anning-Dorson, Robert Ebo Hinson, Mohammed Amidu and Michael Boadi Nyamekye
Because of the paucity of empirical research on firm-level capabilities of firms for effective customer involvement, the purpose of this study is to evaluate service firms’…
Abstract
Purpose
Because of the paucity of empirical research on firm-level capabilities of firms for effective customer involvement, the purpose of this study is to evaluate service firms’ capacity to coopt customers to enhance the innovativeness and firm performance relationship. This study conceptualizes involvement capabilities of service firms as a strategic driver that exploits their internal firm assets, which in turn facilitates the positive relationship between innovativeness and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 344 managers of service firms across different sub-sectors in an emerging economy. The study first confirmed the constructs through confirmatory factor analysis before analyzing hypothesized relationships. Regression models were specified with robust standard errors to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The study found that involvement capability of service firms helps them to exploit their relational assets and create and manage strong customer participation. Additionally, it was found that involvement capabilities enable service firms to capitalize on the competencies of customers, which in turn improves the outcomes of their innovativeness. The results showed that the interaction between involvement capability and innovativeness enhances firm performance significantly.
Practical implications
Service firms can enhance customer participation in the value creation process by increasing their involvement capabilities. The increase in such capabilities will enhance the innovativeness of service firms, thereby improving their financial and non-financial performance.
Originality/value
This study offers guidance on how a firm’s innovativeness and customer involvement work together within the service operation to enhance firm performance.
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Taiwen Feng, Tongzheng Li, Linyan Sun and Dan Wang
The purpose of this paper is to propose a business model related to NPD for improving performance by testing the relationship between external involvement and operational…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a business model related to NPD for improving performance by testing the relationship between external involvement and operational performance, as well as the mediating role of internal integration.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the research hypotheses about the relationships above, survey data were collected from 176 Chinese manufacturing companies. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that both customer and supplier involvement have significant effects on internal integration. Internal integration has a significant effect on operational performance. In addition, internal integration partially mediates the relationship between customer and supplier involvement and operational performance.
Research limitations/implications
First, the relative effectiveness of external involvement may be contingent on various factors (e.g. involvement timing and innovation strategy). Second, the authors did not identify the different effects of external involvement practices on different dimensions of operational performance. Finally, the hypothesized relationships may be different across different firm sizes, ownership types, industries or regions.
Practical implications
Customer and supplier involvement are both important for improving organizational performance, which provides guidelines for managers to innovate business model in the product development process. Moreover, this study suggests that firms will not be able to capitalize on the capability of their customers or suppliers unless they are able to build high level of internal integration.
Originality/value
This study provides support for both organizational learning theory and information processing theory. This study also contributes to external involvement literature by examining both the direct and indirect effects of external involvement on operational performance.
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Millissa Fung Yi Cheung and Wai Ming To
This study aims to use the framework of customer dominant logic to explore the mediating role of service co-creation on the relationships between customer involvement and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to use the framework of customer dominant logic to explore the mediating role of service co-creation on the relationships between customer involvement and perceived service performance and between customer involvement and word-of-mouth (WOM). It also investigates the moderating role of customer relational-motivational orientation on the relationship between customer involvement and service co-creation.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect responses from 289 Hong Kong's customers in different service settings. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed research model.
Findings
The results of structural equation modeling showed that the freedom of co-creation and the degree of collaboration fully mediated the effect of customer involvement on perceived service performance and WOM. Additionally, relational-motivational orientation moderated the relationships between customer involvement and the freedom of co-creation and between customer involvement and the degree of collaboration.
Practical implications
This research provides implications to managers on how to facilitate an environment that stimulates customer co-creation. Customer-contact employees must be trained with the necessary interpersonal skills to serve customers with different levels of relational-motivational orientation.
Originality/value
The study is one of the first to identify customer involvement as a key antecedent of service co-creation attributes and the moderating role of relational-motivational orientation on the relationships between customer involvement and service co-creation attributes.
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Ying-Hueih Chen, Jyh-Jeng Wu and Shu-Hua Chien
The purpose of this paper is to incorporate social exchange theory to elaborate on the antecedents that underlie consumers’ trust of innovative financial product providers. In…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to incorporate social exchange theory to elaborate on the antecedents that underlie consumers’ trust of innovative financial product providers. In particular, this study investigates the mediating role of positive moods in stimulating customer trust.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model was tested using data collected from 440 elite customers from top-ten financial holding companies in Taiwan. Structure equation modeling was employed to verify and validate the research model.
Findings
The findings suggest that initial trust and customer involvement significantly and positively impact customer moods. In addition, customer initial trust, involvement, and positive moods significantly influence customers’ trusting belief of service providers.
Research limitations/implications
This study focussed on the financial services industry only. While this industry represents an ideal new product development context, future research is needed to test the theory in different industries.
Practical implications
The research findings advance the understanding of how to successfully build customer trust for innovative products.
Originality/value
Current research unfolds the impact of customer involvement on trust development and supplements existing trust study findings by examining the mediating effect of positive mood on trust development through quantitative research. The research findings increase the understanding of how customers develop trust with service provider.
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Siohong Tih, Kok-Kee Wong, Gary S. Lynn and Richard R. Reilly
Rapid prototyping can potentially accelerate the entire process of new product development (NPD), enabling a high level of customer involvement and hence new product success…
Abstract
Purpose
Rapid prototyping can potentially accelerate the entire process of new product development (NPD), enabling a high level of customer involvement and hence new product success (NPS). This study aims to examine the relationship between prototyping and NPS, and the moderating effect of customer involvement, as well as the influence of speed of information dissemination on customer involvement.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using the survey method through structured questionnaires. The key participants were management and team leaders from technology-based companies.
Findings
The results indicate that prototyping positively correlates with NPS, particularly when customer involvement is high. The speed of information dissemination, both from customers and on competitive products, has a positive impact on customer involvement.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited by the undefined development stage of the prototype when offered for customer feedback. Future studies could focus on how customer involvement at each stage of prototype development affects NPS through a moderating effect.
Practical implications
The study confirms that investing in prototyping equipment for NPD increases the probability of NPS. Information capturing customers’ views and on competitive products in the market should be shared among the NPD teams. This could encourage better sharing of opinions and perceptions with customers about whether new products meet their wishes and expectations.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates that customer involvement moderates the relationship between prototyping and NPS. The degree of customer involvement depended on the speed of response of the customers themselves and on how well competitive product information was disseminated within the NPD team.
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