Defecting wine club members: an exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra K. Newton ◽  
Linda I. Nowak ◽  
Mayuresh Kelkar
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Fair Value ◽  
Good News ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Variety Seeking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Churn

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the range of explanations for why wine club members defect and move on. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative research study uses data from US wine consumers, gathered through an online survey of 399 former wine club members who had quit their membership in the recent past. Consistent with literature on customer churn rates in subscription markets, data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, hierarchical multiple regression and analysis of variance. Findings The results reported by respondents indicate that higher levels of perceived product quality, fair value in pricing, variety seeking and commitment to customer service at the beginning and at the end of a wine club membership lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and a desire to recommend the club to others even after quitting. Though variety seeking is more commonplace among experienced wine drinkers, the good news for wineries is that consumers are more likely to recommend a wine club to others if at least a year has passed after they decided to quit. Practical implications The results provide implications for wine club managers seeking to improve wine club retention with suggested means for mitigating the rate of customer attrition. Originality/value This paper presents original research addressing a variety of reasons why wine club members quit. The extant research has found that factors such as product quality, fair pricing, service commitments and variety-seeking behavior affect members’ satisfaction with their wine club, as well as their desire to recommend it to others. The authors have attempted to combine all these factors into a single study to gain insight into wine club members’ switching behavior, and to find out what the wineries can do to improve customer loyalty.

Reasons to switch: empowered vs less powerful bank customers

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1441-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Carlsson Hauff
Keyword(s):  
Service Provider ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Switching

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature of driving and impeding switching factors by operationalizing the catalyst factor of perceived power among customers. Acknowledging the importance of trust in a financial context, a trust-based framework for the analysis is used. The study explicitly analyzes factors of importance for subsequent switching of banks for empowered customers (i.e. savers) and low-on-power customers (i.e. borrowers). Design/methodology/approach The study measures factors driving or impeding switch of service provider, together with measures of trust and power using online survey methods. The sample is intended to focus on savers and borrowers, defined quantitatively as well as perception wise. Through a multi-group SEM analysis, differences between the samples of savers and borrowers are analyzed. The dependent variable was in both cases inclination to switch. Findings The paper manages to define differences between empowered and less empowered customers, such as borrowers and savers. The mediating effect of trust prevails only for borrowers: here, the only effect on switching behavior stems from a full mediation of stability through trust. For savers, direct influences of both service failure and lack of involvement on trust are of major importance. The importance of trust, however, is lacking; for the sample of savers, the link between trust and switching behavior is insignificant. Practical implications The results may be used as a tool box in order to address consumer switching behavior and mobility in the financial services market. The biggest obstacle for switching banks among savers is the low level of involvement. This has clear implications regarding how to increase switching, e.g., by raising interest. Focusing instead on borrowers, stability of the chosen financial institution turned out to be the most important factor. Originality/value This paper introduces a view on consumer switching behavior, taking into account differences regarding service provider relations (empowered savers vs less empowered borrowers) and the importance of trust in these two settings. The paper introduces trust as a mediator between switching behavior and four determinants: stability, personal relations, service failure and internet-related issues, and involvement.

scholarly journals Strategic orientation of servitization in manufacturing firms and its impacts on firm performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Lin ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
Petros Ieromonachou ◽  
Ke Rong ◽  
Lin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Strategic Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Fit ◽  
Strategic Orientations ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide implementation insights and implications regarding the strategic orientations of servitization by testing its impacts on firm performance, including financial performance and customer service performance. Design/methodology/approach Empirical research is conducted using an online survey disseminated to manufacturing firms in Southeast China. This research develops and verifies a strategic fit framework to understand the relationship between the strategic orientation of servitization and service innovation (SI), and its resulting impacts on firm performance. Findings The results show that service orientation (SO) has direct positive impacts on firm performance in the manufacturing sector. Customer orientation (CO) and learning orientation (LO) have no direct impact on firm performance, although they have indirect impacts on it via the mediating role of SI capability. Moreover, SO has a similar indirect impact on firm performance via SI capability. Research limitations/implications The survey focuses only on China; future studies should verify whether different cultural backgrounds impact the research results. Practical implications The results suggest that firms should build up three strategic orientations (SO, CO and LO) for implementing servitization to facilitate SI capability and, thus, to improve firm performance. Originality/value This research contributes to enhancing the theory of servitization by developing a strategic fit model of servitization and revealing the impact mechanism of servitization in the manufacturing sector.

Vacation rentals in San Francisco, USA: a positive or negative disruption?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-129
Author(s):  
Patrick Tierney
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Housing Costs ◽  
User Groups

Purpose Vacation rentals (VRs) are growing in popularity and have disrupted the lodging industry. But they are also controversial because they can literally disrupt quiet residential neighborhoods. There is little research on users of VRs. Design/methodology/approach An online survey of 10,000 festival attendees in San Francisco determined if they stayed in VR or commercial lodging and their spending. A second survey of 402 respondents who stayed in a VR asked about their motivations for renting a VR and their evaluation of the experience. Findings Results showed users of VRs were motivated by low cost, a convenient location and the nature of the neighborhood. VR user groups were more likely to rent high-end properties, than commercial users. But on a per-person per-day basis, VR users spent $183 on lodging, compared with $264 spent by those opting for a CL. Over half of the respondents stated that the availability of VRs increased the likelihood of them attending the event. Practical implications Results suggest that VRs help cover housing costs of VR owners and provide a desired, unique and low-priced lodging opportunity, which can encourage attendance at events. But VRs have both positive and negative disruptive impacts, and more regulation is coming in high-profile urban tourist destinations to mitigate negative effects. Originality/value This study consists of original research into VRs, which is a rapidly evolving component of hospitality industry.

Effect of country image and materialism on the quality evaluation of Korean products

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 386-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byoungho Ellie Jin ◽  
Naeun Lauren Kim ◽  
Heesoon Yang ◽  
Minji Jung
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Quality Evaluation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Country Image ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Impact

Purpose It is critical to understand how global consumers evaluate the quality of Asian products while marketing Asian products in the global marketplaces. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Korea’s macro and micro country image and global consumers’ materialism level on the quality evaluation of Korean cosmetics among consumers in four countries. Design/methodology/approach Data from 900 participants were collected from consumers aged 20 or older living in economically developed countries (the USA and France) and economically developing countries (China and Vietnam) via professional online survey firms. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Findings Along with the direct effect of macro and micro country image and materialism on product quality evaluation, a moderating effect of materialism and the respective country was discovered. Subsequently, the effect of macro country image on quality evaluation was found to be only significant in the USA and France and not in China and Vietnam. In contrast, the impact of micro country image was robust across all four countries. Furthermore, the effect of materialism on product quality was significant only in Vietnam. This implies that materialistic consumers in emerging markets might have favorable perceptions regarding the quality of Korean cosmetics. Originality/value This study advances country image research by providing new theoretical and managerial implications for countries whose image is less distinctive with respect to the effective marketing of products by the destination countries’ development status and consumers’ familiarity.

Employee adaptive and proactive service recovery: a configurational perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1581-1607
Author(s):  
Graca Miranda Silva ◽  
Filipe Coelho ◽  
Cristiana R. Lages ◽  
Marta Reis
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Practices ◽  
Configurational Approach

Purpose This study aims to investigate the configurations that drive employee service recovery. Rather than analyzing the net effects of individual antecedents of service recovery, which is the common approach in the literature, this study uses a configurational approach to investigate how five antecedents (customer service orientation, rewards, teamwork, empowerment and customer service training) combine to yield employee adaptive and proactive service recovery behaviors. Design/methodology/approach The study collects responses from 90 frontline employees through an online survey. Building on configurational theory, the authors developed and empirically validated four research propositions by using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Findings Three equifinal configurations of managerial practices result in either employee proactive or adaptive service recovery behaviors. Two of these three configurations result in both adaptive and proactive behaviors. In addition, the findings show that two out of the three configurations that lead to proactive behavior in service recovery also lead to the simultaneous existence of proactive and adaptive behaviors in service recovery. None of the sufficient configurations require the presence of all managerial practices. These results underscore that managers do not have to act on every single managerial intervention area to promote service recovery. Research limitations/implications The study advances the knowledge on the antecedents of employee behavior in service recovery by investigating how these antecedents combine to yield different recipes for developing either employee adaptive or proactive behavior in service recovery. Practical implications The findings provide insights for managers into the different combinations of practices that can be used to develop employee proactive or adaptive behavior in service recovery. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that relies on a configurational approach to understand the combinations of managerial practices that result in employee proactive and adaptive behaviors in service recovery.

Internal customer service assessment of cataloging, acquisitions, and library systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mugridge ◽  
Nancy M. Poehlmann
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Improvements ◽  
Internal Customer ◽  
Technical Services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that an internal customer service survey approach to assessment delivers many benefits to technical services and library systems units. Findings from such a survey provide the evidence needed to implement process improvements, conduct strategic planning and more. The survey used in this case study can be adapted by other libraries or library units to conduct assessment, gauge customer satisfaction and identify areas for process improvements. Design/methodology/approach – The Technical Services and Library Systems Division of the University at Albany Libraries conducted an internal customer service survey to gauge customer satisfaction with its services. Findings – Survey results demonstrated that customer surveys are a valuable assessment tool and can be used as an evidence-based approach to library management. Technical services and library systems units should use this tool to identify whether customers are satisfied with the services provided, whether the services are still needed, whether additional services are needed and more. Practical implications – This paper provides an approach to conducting a customer service survey, an analysis of potential benefits and a survey instrument that others could adapt to use in their own libraries. The survey instrument can be used not only for assessment of technical services and library systems, but by other functional units in all types of libraries. Originality/value – This paper and approach is original research; there are no other papers on this topic in the library and information science literature.

scholarly journals Middle-range theorizing on logistics customer service

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Pellathy ◽  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Diane A. Mollenkopf ◽  
Theodore P. Stank
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Logistics ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Middle Range ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a systematic application of middle-range theorizing, which pays particular attention to contexts and mechanisms, can be used to extend current knowledge on logistics customer service (LCS) in a number of critical areas. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies Stank et al.’s (2017) framework for middle-ranging theorizing in logistics to develop a research framework and agenda that can guide future LCS research. Results are generated through a review of the LCS literature and an application of the main concepts of middle-range theorizing. Findings The paper outlines opportunities for middle-range research that would extend LCS knowledge in the areas of human and behavioral factors, time-based competition, supply chain complexity, and digitization and technological innovation. Research limitations/implications Describing the main characteristics of middle-range theorizing and how middle-range theorizing can be fruitfully applied to LCS research should help to stimulate new knowledge creation in this important area of supply chain logistics management. Practical implications By focusing on why and when questions, middle-range theorizing engages with the practical realities of LCS that interest managers and students. Middle-range theorizing moves researchers toward developing a detailed understanding of what actually has to change in order for desired LCS-related outcomes to occur and the contextual factors likely impacting the change process. The paper should, therefore, allow managers to better translate LCS theory into action. Originality/value Middle-range theorizing remains new to the supply chain logistics field. The application of middle-range theorizing to LCS research, and logistics research more generally, demands new perspectives on established relationships with the potential to drive original research in areas most relevant to managers.

How the public and public relations professionals interpret leadership in Spain

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-99
Author(s):  
Angeles Moreno ◽  
Cristina Navarro ◽  
Mariam Alkazemi
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
General Public ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Executive Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Leaders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the perspectives of public relations professionals against those of the general public in Spain with respect to which communications activities and organizational attributes are relevant to the leadership images of organizations, and what are the characteristics of effective leaders. Design/methodology/approach This study combines data from the European Communication Monitor (ECM) with the results of a representative online survey carried out by the global market research company IPSOS. Findings Results show that the general public sees TV interviews as well as TV advertising as communication tools with the biggest potential to shape the leadership image of organizations. When it comes to the attributes of effective leaders, communication professionals overestimate the role of an organization’s vision, while the population much more stresses basic attributes like leading by example and admitting mistakes. PR practitioners underestimate customer service and environmental responsibility and tend to favor more abstract attributes like innovation and CSR. Research limitations/implications This paper touches only four sections of the ECM 2014/2015. Participant fatigue may have negatively impacted the quality of the data. A large sample of professionals was approached, but a much small number initiated and completed the online survey. The size of the sample of communication professionals makes it difficult to generalize the results. In addition, future research should extend the study to different groups of stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and suppliers. Practical implications While organizations face intensive pressure from evaluation by their stakeholders, discrepancies between the expectations of the general public in regard to leadership negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations in society, as well as CEOs and top executives as leaders. On this regards, getting closer to what the population expects will help to understand and improve leadership perceptions. Originality/value Very little work has been done in Spain regarding to leadership in public relations or public relations professional’s perceptions about leadership. Most research published to date has focused on the leader’s position in the company, participation in management levels, types of responsibilities assumed and their relative influence and leadership style. Even fewer public relations studies have tried to identify the communication activities that are relevant to the leadership image of organizations and compare the perspectives of public relations professionals on leadership against those of the general public. This dearth of knowledge about stakeholder expectations negatively affects the communicator’s work to position organizations and executive leaders in society.

Passion meets procrastination: comparative study of negative sales associate behaviours

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1077-1098
Author(s):  
Robert Paul Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Salary Level ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Post Hoc

PurposeThis study explores procrastination, a negative work behaviour, and its unlikely source, job passion. A dualistic conceptualization of job passion is explored in retail sales associate samples from the United States and China. The study tests relationships between harmonious job passion (HJP) and obsessive job passion (OJP) and the contingent effects of job satisfaction and salary level on their relationship to procrastination.Design/methodology/approachData came from an online survey issued in the United States and China. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear regression.FindingsThe analyses provide mixed findings. HJP is negatively associated with procrastination in both countries, while OJP's positive relationship is mixed. A post-hoc analysis testing the three-way interaction effect of OJP, job satisfaction and salary level on procrastination reveals a positive relationship to OJP in both countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe study demonstrates that job passion can have both positive (HJP) and negative (OJP) work behaviour outcomes.Practical implicationsBrick-and-mortar retailers facing a saturated and highly competitive environment need HJP employees to drive superior customer service. This study demonstrates that employees with OJP may engage in negative behaviours which could further impair retail performance. Expanding empowerment and flexibility may heighten HJP and minimize OJP.Originality/valueThis study explores the dualistic conceptualization of job passion in a retail environment using cross-cultural samples.

Migration (Hijra) to Islamic bank based on push–pull–mooring theory: a services marketing mix perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati ◽  
Gita Gayatri ◽  
Kenny Devita Indraswari
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Services Marketing ◽  
Marketing Mix ◽  
Switching Behavior ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Islamic Bank

Purpose This study aims to examine the interactive effect of the push factor from the conventional bank, the pull factor from the Islamic bank and the internal mooring factor of the customers in influencing the switching behavior of two types of customer account holders, the conventional only and the mixed (conventional and Islamic bank) account holders, from the services marketing mix perspective. Design/methodology/approach This study applied an explanatory research design. The data were collected via an online survey from 1,171 Muslim participants; participants consisted of conventional only account holders, Islamic bank only account holders and mixed (conventional and Islamic bank) account holders. The data were mainly analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Based on the account, the results showed that the three types of customers differ significantly in terms of the effect of the push, pull and mooring factors. The study also showed that the mooring factor, which is internal to the customer, is the most significant factor that inhibits customers from migrating to Islamic banks. The effect was observed for both conventional customers and those who hold mixed accounts. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted via an online survey, which reduces the representativeness of the sample. In addition, most respondents were urban dwellers and well educated, which might not represent the banking behaviour of Indonesian Muslim customers in general. Practical implications The study implies that to attract the conventional only account holder, Islamic banks should first weaken the mooring factors (the internal characteristics of the customers) that inhibit customers from switching to an Islamic bank. Originality/value The main contribution of the study is that it simultaneously identifies the push, pull and mooring factors that have the most significant impacts on Muslim customers' switching behavior from a conventional to an Islamic bank.

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