Deviant Behavior of Staff and Customers in Service Organizations: Causes and Consequences

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-181
Author(s):  
Sergey Kazakov ◽  
Elena Babintseva
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Dark Side

The academic research in the area of service marketing generally assumes friendly or neutral context of the encounters between employees and customers while providing or consuming the product. Recently, however, scholars are witnessing a new notion, namely ‘Dark Side of Marketing’ (DSM) which entails an increasing stream of pertinent publications in the literature. DSM is a complex yet multifaceted notion and refers to adverse effects of marketing paradigm implementation for humans, businesses and environment. Deviant behavior is a notable phenomenon pertinent to the nature of DSM, as it is mostly examined in relevant studies in comparison with other DSM manifestations. Deviant behavior is also emphasized in DSM studies because of its definitely negative impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, WOM and, ultimately, on business performance metrics. To date, there is no DSM studies completed in the context of the Russian service industry as literature witnesses although this research question bears an apparent relevance for local business. This paper is destined to bridge this gap by defining the deviant behavior antecedents and gauging their consequences for marketing actors at the servicescape. The research results are based on empirical study of data collected from n=133 sample and on the analysis with utilization of Structural Equitation Modeling (SEM) method.

An empirical analysis on Six Sigma implementation in service organisations

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayon Chakraborty ◽  
Tan Kay Chuan
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Content Type

PurposeSince its introduction by Motorola in the 1980s, Six Sigma and its philosophy have found widespread application in many manufacturing and service industries. It is felt that there is a need to take stock of the spread of Six Sigma implementation in service organisations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate five main themes which have emerged from literature and to draw on those themes to reflect on wider applicability of Six Sigma in services.Design/methodology/approachThe study involves two exploratory questionnaire surveys. The small‐scale survey is conducted in service organizations in Singapore. The large‐scale survey was web‐based and involved service organisations throughout the world. The objective is to explore and understand the issues highlighted by the service organisations during Six Sigma implementation.FindingsThe findings confirm the inclusion of critical success factors, critical‐to‐quality characteristics, and set of tools and techniques as observed from the literature. In the case of key performance indicators (KPIs), there are different interpretations about them in the literature and also by industry practitioners. Some literature explains KPIs as performance metrics whereas some feel they are key process input or output variables, which is similar to interpretations by practitioners of Six Sigma. The responses of “not relevant” and “unknown to us” as reasons for not implementing Six Sigma show the need for understanding specific requirements of service organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThe limited responses from the authors' surveys restrict the possibility of generalising the findings. Therefore, more extensive survey is required. The three‐phase approach with mixed method used in the overall study has been shown to be useful.Originality/valueAlthough much theoretical description is available about Six Sigma, there has been limited rigorous academic research on it. This gap is far more pronounced about Six Sigma implementation in service organizations, where the theory is not yet mature. Identifying this need, the paper contributes, by empirical research through surveys, to understand the issues involving Six Sigma implementation in service organizations.

Managing the adverse effect of supply chain risk on corporate reputation: The mediating role of corporate social responsibility practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-261
Author(s):  
Nitya P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Supply Chain Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Corporate Social

Within the last decade, research has focussed on corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices as a strategic tool that enables firms to improve stakeholder perception, brand image and corporate reputation. However, one area that remains understudied is the role played by CSR practices in managing corporate reputation under conditions of supply chain risk. To answer this research question, we conduct a literature review and develop the corresponding hypothesis. We test our hypothesis using quantitative analysis of both primary and secondary data collected from organizations dispersed globally. The results highlight that under conditions of supply chain network disruption risk, CSR practices play an important role in enabling firms to manage the negative impact of such risk drivers on corporate reputation. The study further suggests that CSR practices positively impact supply chain risk management (SCRM) practices and are a necessary condition for SCRM practices to be effective in improving corporate reputation of organizations.

scholarly journals Power Imbalance and the Dark Side of the Captive Agri-food Supplier–Buyer Relationship

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Glavee-Geo ◽  
Per Engelseth ◽  
Arnt Buvik
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Power Imbalance ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
Economic Satisfaction

AbstractThis paper highlights the dark side of power imbalance regarding its consequences in agri-food supplier–buyer relationships. We report on findings from two studies. The first study is based on a sample of 105 key informants, while study 2 is based on a sample of 444 key informants, all from the cocoa agri-food supply market of Ghana. While the first study focuses on the antecedents of power imbalance and its consequences, the second study explores the role of cooperatives/collective action in minimizing supplier exploitation. Data from these studies were analysed using the partial least squares technique (SmartPLS). Analysis of these findings shows switching costs’ impact on power imbalance to be curvilinear, while power imbalance has a curvilinear relationship with opportunism. The negative consequences of power imbalance are further exacerbated by dependency and the lack of joint action. Furthermore, we found the negative impact of power imbalance on financial performance to be stronger for non-cooperative members than for cooperative members, while, counterintuitively, we found the positive impact of economic satisfaction on financial performance to be stronger for non-cooperative members than for cooperative members.

University as a vehicle to achieve social innovation and development: repositioning the role of the university in the society

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lwando Mdleleni
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of university in promoting, generating and sustaining social innovation (SI). It aimed to understand how higher education institutions have extended their contribution beyond the traditional function of teaching and research to perform in socio-economic problem-solving. It looks at the kinds of contributions which universities potentially make to SI processes, and the effects that this has on the direction and magnitude of SI, and by implication social development. This was done by drawing lessons from a SI project that the University of the Western Cape has been involved in, i.e. Zenzeleni Networks Project. Design/methodology/approach To address the research question with this framework, the author adopted an exploratory research design using a case study. This research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, based on a case study built with secondary data. Findings This paper submits that universities can potentially function as key role players in promoting SI initiatives and fostering social transformations. Universities contribute with different kinds of resources and inputs to foster new SI ideas. Originality/value The paper suggests that socially innovative university projects may contribute to community social sustainability maintaining social cohesion by increasing social capital and providing resources for the empowerment of the marginalised communities. In so doing, they contribute to overcome social exclusion and promote more sustainable forms of development at community level. More research is needed on how universities can build community networks with local community partners, who can use the insights of academic research to replicate interventions and move to scale.

Analysis of External Environtmental Forces and Company Resources Its Influence on Strategic Orientation, Absorptive Capability and Value Creation and Their Implication on Business Performance: A Survey on Courier Services Companies in Indonesia

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
Hana Suryana
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Model Verification ◽  
Strategic Orientation ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Courier Service

Objective - Explore the data and information on External Environmental Forces and Company Resources on Strategic Orientation, Absorptive Capability, Value Creation and their implication on Business Performance of courier service industry in Indonesia. Methodology/Technique - The nature of this research is descriptive and verification. The unit of analysis is the courier service industry, and a sample of 72 courier companies from various regions in Indonesia. The time horizon is cross-sectional, where the research is done at a certain time. Primary data is collected by a questionnaire and interviews with management of the companies and stakeholders. The analysis is done by using the model verification Partial Least Square (PLS). Findings - Company Resources have the positive impact on Absorptive Capability to increase Value Creation and Business Performance.However, the magnitude of the influence is faced with the problems of in optimal development of Company Resources on the aspects of tangible and intangible assets. The condition makes companies could not optimize in Absorptive Capability as well as Value Creation to improve Business Performance. Novelty - It was very few articles discussing the comparison of the psychological determinants of online self-disclosure and privacy issues between Polish and Indonesian. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords : Absorptive Capability, Business Performance, Company Resources,External Environmental Forces, Strategic Orientation, Value Creation.

scholarly journals Understanding Total Quality Management in Context: Qualitative Research on Managers’ Awareness of TQM Aspects in the Greek Service Industry

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros Psychogios ◽  
Constantinos Priporas
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Total Quality Management ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Major Argument ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study addresses managers’ awareness and familiarity with Total Quality Management (TQM). Eighteen (18) semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers working in a variety of service organizations in Greece. The major argument of the study is that although the acronym TQM and some of its concepts and practices are known by a range of public and private sector managers, actual awareness of its “soft” side is often superficial, and managers have a relatively poor understanding of it. TQM is neither resisted nor directly absorbed by them, but they tend to see it from the technical point of view, being aware only of the importance of its “hard” aspects.

scholarly journals Impact of Digital Technologies on Business Performance in Serbia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernad Kahrović ◽  
Atif Avdović
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
General Information ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Ordinal Scale ◽  
Business Transformation ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The Impact

Research Question: The main goal of the study was to investigate the degree to which Serbian businesses accept and use digital technologies as part of the digital business transformation process. Motivation: The main aim was to research the specific determinants of the digital economy, digital technology and digital business transformation. Through an empirical analysis, digital technologies were classified as primary and secondary and the motive was to examine whether digital technologies affect revenue growth, productivity improvement, increase in market share, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction, reduction in operating costs, development and use of digital products, digital market expansion and digital platform development. Idea: The main idea behind the study was to determine to what extent the said technologies are employed in Serbian businesses, as well as to develop a model of the impact of digital technologies on business performance, which may serve as a basis for further research. Data: The research was conducted from October 2020 to March 2021. A questionnaire was sent to over 500 email addresses of Serbian companies, and 98 questionnaires were filled in and duly returned. We displayed the most important characteristics of our sample and that way pointed out its randomness and representativeness and explained the choice of data analytics methods we use. Tools: The research instrument was a questionnaire including the general information (Part I). Part II included the question regarding the primary and secondary digital technologies used in their daily business activities. In Part III, the participants were required to state the specific outcomes their company expects to obtain as a result of digital business transformation. Findings: Mobile technologies, social networks and cloud computing were found to be dominantly employed technologies by the Serbian businesses from the sample. In percentage terms, the second class of disruptive technologies was shown to be insignificantly present in the Serbian companies. Finally, it appears that the role and importance of robotics and artificial intelligence have started to be recognised on the business scene. There is a significant impact of digital technologies on business performances, and we also give correlations between specific digital technologies and business performances, and intensity and statistical significance of impact in each case. We have also determined that some significant technologies make a latent, indirect impact on performances and shown the way that occurs. The analysis is performed after standardizing the ordinal scale values of variables making the results more accurate. Contribution: The paper provides the state of affairs regarding digital technologies use by Serbian businesses, as well as that of digital business transformation.

scholarly journals A PRÁTICA DE POSICIONAMENTO DE MARCA EM AGÊNCIAS DE COMUNICAÇÃO

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Aléssio Bessa Sarquis ◽  
Ana Akemi Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Communication System ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Brand Identity ◽  
Brand Positioning ◽  
Santa Catarina ◽  
Identity Strategies ◽  
Positioning Strategy

This article is about the brand positioning of service organizations. The aim of the paper is to inquire about the practice of brand positioning of communication agencies, and it entails the following subjects: brand identity, strategies for positioning, types of communication, system of identification, and views about the importance of positioning. The empirical research done is of the exploratory type, being qualitative, not probabilistic, and the method used for collecting data is personal depth interviewing. The data was collected from the eight most important agencies in Santa Catarina State. The results suggest that some of these communication agencies use the brand positioning strategy, but that they lack the appropriate methods, and their investment is not sufficient to communicate the positioning desired. Key words: Service Marketing. Brand positioning. Communication agencies.

scholarly journals The Antecedents and Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intention among Business Students in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuong Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Business Students ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Business Graduates ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intent ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The World

For recent decades, entrepreneurial intent and start-up movement have gained the intensive attention from business graduates and policymarkers around the world. Recently, Vietnam strategized to become a “start-up” nation and entrepreneurship has emerged as an important issue for both academic research and economic development policies. This fact has drawn scholar’s attention to what intrinsic and extrinsic antecedents and determinants might shape such decision-making away from seemingly more secure corporate and government jobs toward an entrepreneurial career. Since that phenomenon, the entrepreneurial intention is widely discussed and studied worldwide. Across emerging economies in Asia, entrepreneurial intention studies have been conducted in many countries. However, the reason and determinants of entrepreneurial intention still lack empirical. The call for further research in entrepreneurial intention encourages the research question: “What intrinsic and extrinsic determinants impact the decision (intent and agency) of business students in Vietnam to become entrepreneurs?”. This book chapter provides the answers and implications for the research question mentioned.

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