Managing Customer Uncertainty in Making Service Offshoring Decisions

2021 ◽  
pp. 109467052199213
Author(s):  
Lu Lu ◽  
Gary Gregory ◽  
Liem Ngo ◽  
Richard Bagozzi

Despite a long-standing interest in service offshoring from both academics and practitioners, the questions how and under what conditions customers react when a well-known national brand decides to outsource its services to an offshore service provider (OSP) is an understudied area. Drawing on cognitive consistency theory, we test a new construct called, “service offshoring fit” (SOF) that captures customer overall perceptual consistency in their memory networks between the focal firm and the OSP as indicated by the suitability, appropriability, and logicality of the alliance. Using 393 responses from a panel of customers of focal brands, we show that customer certainty mediates the relationship between SOF and intention not to switch by current customers. Our findings also reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between marketing communications and customer certainty at different levels of SOF. Specifically, if firms communicate consumers’ benefits associated with offshoring, they can mitigate or avoid negative customer reactions (and subsequently increase customer certainty); however, after a certain point, such effects are reduced.

1972 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
George S. Day

Models of attitude structure differ primarily in the specification of the relationship of the cognitive and affective components. Two approaches to this relationship, based on cognitive consistency theory and multidimensional scaling techniques, are compared here. An application of the latter method to the analysis of a new industrial building material is presented.


2016 ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Mariana Giaretto ◽  
Victoria Naffa

ResumenEn este trabajo analizamos las relaciones entre tomas de tierras y Estado, en elAlto Valle de Río Negro en Argentina. En un contexto general de especulacióninmobiliaria, por la que se encarecen los precios de alquileres y terrenos, y depolíticas de vivienda selectivas y acotadas, los sectores populares acceden aun espacio en la ciudad mediante tomas de tierras. Frente a estos conflictos,el Estado, en sus diferentes niveles y poderes, despliega una forma deintervención basada en la criminalización de las luchas por tierra y vivienda.Al mismo tiempo, el poder ejecutivo nacional crea la Secretaría de Acceso alHábitat, para posibilitar la intervención política orientada a la regularizaciónde los asentamientos. Sin embargo, esta intervención tiende a reinscribir laproblemática habitacional en el campo político, para reducirla a un conflicto“entre partes”, eludiendo la responsabilidad estatal.Desde un enfoque metodológico cualitativo, seleccionamos como referenteempírico el caso del asentamiento de Villa Obrera en Fiske, Menuco (Gral.Roca), y las técnicas de recolección de datos se basan en fuentes secundarias,como expedientes judiciales y normativa, y en fuentes primarias como son losrelatos de los protagonistas mediante entrevistas individuales y colectivas.Palabras clave: tomas de tierras, Estado, criminalización de los conflictos.Conflicts caused by land occupation and modesof State intervention: analysis of an experience ofAlto Valle in Río Negro (Argentina)AbstractThis paper analyzes the relationship between State and land occupation,at Alto Valle in Río Negro, Argentina. In a general context of real estatespeculation, where rents and land prices are expensive, and a policy ofselective and limited housing, popular sectors can have access to a spacein the city through land occupation. In front of these conflicts, the Statein its different levels and powers, displays a form of intervention basedon the criminalization of struggles for land and housing. At the sametime, the national executive creates the Secretariat of Access to Habitat,oriented to allow political intervention for the regularization of settlements.However, this intervention tends to re-register the housing problems in thepolitical arena, reducing it to a conflict “between parties” and eluding theresponsibility of the State.From a qualitative methodological approach, we selected as empirical referencethe case of the settlement of Villa Obrera in Fiske, Menuco (GeneralRoca). The techniques of data collection are based on secondary sources, suchas policy and legal records, and primary sources as the stories of protagoniststhrough individual and collective interviews.Keywords: land occupation, State, criminalization of conflicts.Conflitos sobre ocupações de terras e modos deintervenção do estado: análise de uma experiênciado Alto Valle do Rio Preto (Argentina)ResumoEste trabalho analisa as relações entre a posse de terra e o Estado, no AltoValle do Rio Preto, na Argentina. Num contexto geral da especulaçãoimobiliária, por qual se encarecem os preços do aluguel e das terras, e depolíticas de habitação seletivas e limitadas, os setores populares acedem aum espaço na cidade através de ocupações de terras. Frente a estes conflitos,o Estado, em seus diferentes níveis e poderes, desenvolve uma forma deintervenção com base na criminalização das lutas pela terra e vivenda. Aomesmo tempo, o poder executivo nacional cria a Secretaria de Acesso àHabitat para possibilitar à intervenção política orientada a regularização dosassentamentos. No entanto, esta intervenção tende a registrar os problemasde habitação no campo político, para reduzi-la a um conflito “entre aspartes”, iludindo a responsabilidade do Estado.A partir de uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa, foi selecionado comoreferência empírica o caso do Assentamento de Villa Obrera em Fiske,Menuco (Gral. Roca), e as técnicas de recolecção de dados são baseados emfontes secundárias, como expedientes judiciais e normativos, e em fontes primárias como são as histórias dos protagonistas através de entrevistasindividuais e coletivas.Palavras-chave: tomada de terras, Estado, criminalização dos conflitos.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arie W. Kruglanski ◽  
Katarzyna Jasko ◽  
Maxim Milyavsky ◽  
Marina Chernikova ◽  
David Webber ◽  
...  

From the 1950s onward, psychologists have generally assumed that people possess a general need for cognitive consistency whose frustration by an inconsistency elicits negative affect. We offer a novel perspective on this issue by introducing the distinction between epistemic and motivational impact of consistent and inconsistent cognitions. The epistemic aspect is represented by the updated expectancy of the outcome addressed in such cognitions. The motivational aspect stems from value (desirability) of that outcome. We show that neither the outcome’s value nor its updated expectancy are systematically related to cognitive consistency or inconsistency. Consequently, we question consistency’s role in the driving of affective responses, and the related presumption of a universal human need for cognitive consistency.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Arora ◽  
Alexandra Brintrup

AbstractThe relationship between a firm and its supply chain has been well studied, however, the association between the position of firms in complex supply chain networks and their performance has not been adequately investigated. This is primarily due to insufficient availability of empirical data on large-scale networks. To addresses this gap in the literature, we investigate the relationship between embeddedness patterns of individual firms in a supply network and their performance using empirical data from the automotive industry. In this study, we devise three measures that characterize the embeddedness of individual firms in a supply network. These are namely: centrality, tier position, and triads. Our findings caution us that centrality impacts individual performance through a diminishing returns relationship. The second measure, tier position, allows us to investigate the concept of tiers in supply networks because we find that as networks emerge, the boundaries between tiers become unclear. Performance of suppliers degrade as they move away from the focal firm (i.e., Toyota). The final measure, triads, investigates the effect of buying and selling to firms that supply the same customer, portraying the level of competition and cooperation in a supplier’s network. We find that increased coopetition (i.e., cooperative competition) is a performance enhancer, however, excessive complexity resulting from being involved in both upstream and downstream coopetition results in diminishing performance. These original insights help understand the drivers of firm performance from a network perspective and provide a basis for further research.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089976402110014
Author(s):  
Anne Marie Ward ◽  
John Forker ◽  
Barry Reilly

Loan book management is important to community credit union survival, particularly in deprived localities. Consistent with agency theory, prior studies of credit unions report an association among individual monitoring mechanisms, trade association monitoring, and female board representation, respectively, and reduced loan losses. This study provides a more nuanced understanding by investigating the moderating influence of these monitoring mechanisms on the relationship between loan losses and deprivation and by considering the effect of bundle combinations of different levels of the two monitoring mechanisms on loan losses. The results reveal that credit unions subject to trade association monitoring have the lowest loan losses. However, in the absence of trade association monitoring, female board representation has a moderating effect on loan losses as deprivation increases. Finally, trade association monitoring and female board representation have a substitutive, rather than a complementary effect on loan losses.


Author(s):  
Iwona Niewiadomska ◽  
Rafał P. Bartczuk ◽  
Joanna Chwaszcz ◽  
Stanisław Fel ◽  
Weronika Augustynowicz ◽  
...  

Abstract This article explores the question, to what degree religiosity contributes, as a protecting factor against a broad category of socially deviant adolescent and youth behaviours. It also tests the hypothesis that gender plays a moderating role in the relationship between religiosity and problem behaviour. It employs a modified version of the Problem Behaviour Syndrome Measure (PBSM), in concert with Jessor and Jessor’s conceptual work. It also makes use of the Duke Religion Index (DUREL) to assess religiosity. The empirical study deals with a representative group of 960 students of upper-secondary schools in the Lubelskie province, Poland. The results were analyzed using canonical analysis and ANOVA. The achievements of the article are twofold. First, it identifies significant correlations between the different levels of religiosity among youth, and the occurrence and intensification of problem behaviours, particularly in regard to organized activity. Organized and intrinsic religiosity play principal protective roles, while the impact of personal religious practices is less significant. Secondly, while analyzing the moderating role of gender in the relationship between religiosity and the intensity of problem behaviour, it was found that gender does not have a significant interactive impact. An affirmative conclusion was confirmed in only two instances.


2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
José M. García-Montes ◽  
Marino Pérez-Álvarez ◽  
Ángel M. Fidalgo

Based on the relationship between cognitive intrusions and auditory hallucinations established by Morrison and Baker (2000) and Morrison, Haddock and Tarrier (1995) the present study examines the possible effect of the repeated suppression of self-discrepant thoughts on the vividness of auditory illusions in a sample from a non-clinical population. Sixty-one participants were randomly assigned to a suppression of thoughts group (n = 31) or a focalization of thoughts group (n = 30) with different levels of self-discrepancy. After carrying out the task over a period of 48 hours, participants were presented with non-vocal auditory stimulation and asked to state whether they heard any verbalizations, and if so, how clearly. Results show how the repeated suppression of self-discrepant thoughts has a considerable effect on the vividness of illusions (F(1, 50) = 16.09; p < 0.001). The implications of these results for psychological therapy are analysed, with special emphasis on the importance of a research line based on acceptance.


2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep M. Colomer

AbstractThis article discusses the relationship between certain institutional regulations of voting rights and elections, different levels of electoral participation, and the degree of political instability in several Latin American political experiences. A formal model specifies the hypotheses that sudden enlargements of the electorate may provoke high levels of political instability, especially under plurality and other restrictive electoral rules, while gradual enlargements of the electorate may prevent much electoral and political innovation and help stability. Empirical data illustrate these hypotheses. A historical survey identifies different patterns of political instability and stability in different countries and periods, which can be compared with the adoption of different voting rights regulations and electoral rules either encouraging or depressing turnout.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 496-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung Suk Lee ◽  
Debra K Moser ◽  
Kathleen Dracup

Background: Although incomplete understanding of heart failure and its signs and symptoms appears to be a barrier to successful self-care, there are few studies examining the relationship between self-care and levels of comprehensive understanding of heart failure and its signs and symptoms. Aim: To determine whether incomplete understanding of heart failure and its signs and symptoms is associated with self-care in heart failure patients who were recently discharged from the hospital due to heart failure exacerbation. Methods: Patients completed the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior scale and questionnaire to assess knowledge of heart failure and its signs and symptoms. Three groups were formed by their different levels of understanding of heart failure and its signs and symptoms. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine whether these three levels of understanding groups predicted self-care after controlling for demographic and clinical variables. Results: Of 571 patients 22.1%, 40.1% and 37.8% had poor, moderate, and complete understanding, respectively. Compared with patients in the poor understanding group, patients in complete and moderate understanding groups were more likely to have better adherence to self-care activities (standardized β = −0.14, 95% confidence interval −3.41, −0.47; standardized β = −0.19, 95% confidence interval −4.26, −1.23, respectively). Conclusions: Fewer than half of the patients had a comprehensive understanding of heart failure and its signs and symptoms, which was associated with poor self-care. Our study suggests that patient education should include contents to promote comprehensive understanding of heart failure and its symptoms, as well as the importance of self-care behaviors.


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