Bringing a Client Focus to International Marketing: A Change Management Case Study

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-55
Author(s):  
Paul Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractConsumers the world over are becoming more homogeneous thanks to the unifying forces of travel, media, technology, information transfer and the like. Furthermore, today customers have higher expectations than ever before regarding the quality of service they should receive from a wide range of service organisations (professional as well as non-professional). As customers are increasingly exposed to world best practice in a wide range of service industries, expectations spiral upwards. Slow, discourteous, unresponsive and unprofessional service will no longer be tolerated - but especially when the service is highly customised, complex, costly and high involvement, professional service.Few, if any, studies have examined service quality issues for professional services in an international context. Hence, this case study documents the problems experienced by the Australian Trade Commission's (Austrade) Bangkok, Thailand Post in providing a level of service consistent with clients' (and senior managements') expectations, the steps taken to overcome these long standing service quality shortcomings, as well as the key lessons to be learnt from the process. Today Austrade provides a professional consulting service and thus possesses similar characteristics to many professional service firms (project management, engineering consulting, general management consulting, etc.) and thus the lessons from this successful change management program may be generalisable to other professional services. Furthermore, the lessons should prove invaluable for Australian firms operating in South-East Asia staffed by expatriates and local nationals.

Bringing a Client Focus to International Marketing: A Change Management Case Study

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-55
Author(s):  
Paul Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractConsumers the world over are becoming more homogeneous thanks to the unifying forces of travel, media, technology, information transfer and the like. Furthermore, today customers have higher expectations than ever before regarding the quality of service they should receive from a wide range of service organisations (professional as well as non-professional). As customers are increasingly exposed to world best practice in a wide range of service industries, expectations spiral upwards. Slow, discourteous, unresponsive and unprofessional service will no longer be tolerated - but especially when the service is highly customised, complex, costly and high involvement, professional service.Few, if any, studies have examined service quality issues for professional services in an international context. Hence, this case study documents the problems experienced by the Australian Trade Commission's (Austrade) Bangkok, Thailand Post in providing a level of service consistent with clients' (and senior managements') expectations, the steps taken to overcome these long standing service quality shortcomings, as well as the key lessons to be learnt from the process. Today Austrade provides a professional consulting service and thus possesses similar characteristics to many professional service firms (project management, engineering consulting, general management consulting, etc.) and thus the lessons from this successful change management program may be generalisable to other professional services. Furthermore, the lessons should prove invaluable for Australian firms operating in South-East Asia staffed by expatriates and local nationals.

Creating a sustainable innovation environment within large enterprises: a case study on a professional services firm

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Kliewe ◽  
Todd Davey ◽  
Thomas Baaken
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Professional Services Firm

This paper considers the question of which structures, strategies and practical activities large firms can use to successfully create a sustainable innovation environment within an organisation with special focus given to communication activities used to support this change process. Using the ADKAR change management model as the underlying framework, this study analyses the story of a large professional service firm’s national innovation program to show and discuss a successful example. The paper shows how the firm successfully managed both the change project and the stakeholder change to transform the nature of their organisation. The paper provides valuable insights for professionals, practitioners, consultants and academics involved in or studying the creation of innovation and how to affect this within large organisations.

scholarly journals Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-308
Author(s):  
Michael Adesi ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Frank Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantity Surveying ◽  
Focus Strategy

Purpose Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the non-construction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services.

ORGANISING FOR INNOVATION IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS: ECONOMETRIC EVIDENCE FROM THE UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANE BOURKE ◽  
STEPHEN ROPER ◽  
JAMES H LOVE
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Econometric Evidence ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Uk

Undertaking innovation involves a range of different activities from ideation to the commercialisation of innovations. Each activity may have very different resources and organisational requirements, however, most prior studies treat innovation as a single un-differentiated activity. Here, using new survey data for professional service firms (PSFs) in the UK, we are able to examine separately how a range of organisational work practices influence success in ideation and commercialisation. In particular, we use principal component analysis (PCA) to identify and compare the benefits of four groups of organisational work practices relating to strategy & information sharing, recruitment & training, work flexibility & discretion and culture & leadership. Strong contrasts emerge between those work practices that are important for success in ideation and commercialisation. Work practices linked to culture & leadership are important for ideation activities, while strategy &information sharing practices are more strongly associated with commercialisation success. The results suggest clear managerial implications depending on the priority

The four spheres of value co-creation in humanitarian professional services

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Pillitteri ◽  
Erica Mazzola ◽  
Manfredi Bruccoleri
Keyword(s):  
Service Design ◽  
Life Cycle Management ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Operations ◽  
Theory Of Value

PurposeThe study focuses on the value co-creation processes in humanitarian professional services provision, analysing the key enabling factors of beneficiaries' participation, involved in long-term integration programmes (L-TIPs).Design/methodology/approachThrough an in-depth case study, the research looks at the practices of value co-creation in humanitarian professional services, considering both the perspectives of the professional service provider and beneficiary.FindingsIn professional services beneficiary's participation affects the success of the L-TIPs outcomes. Participation's enablers can be classified into four different spheres, each belonging to different elements of professional service: the beneficiary, the professionals, the service design and the external environment.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the literature on humanitarian operations & supply chain management. By focussing on an understudied phase of the disaster life-cycle management, it contributes to the theory of value co-creation by exploring new issues and drivers of beneficiary's participation.Practical implicationsThis research has interesting implications for policymakers and humanitarian practitioners. First, guidelines for professionals' behaviours and interventions should be designed as well as new practices and strategies should be adopted. Second, governments should avoid concentrating L-TIPs in few big humanitarian centres.Originality/valueThe study focuses on an understudied stage of humanitarian operations, namely the L-TIPs, and uses this setting to build on the theory of value co-creation in professional services by identifying its enabling factors, clustered into four spheres, namely beneficiary, professional, service design and environmental.

Factors Influencing Adoption of Information Technologies for Public Transportation Project Inspection: A WSDOT Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Julian Yamaura ◽  
Stephen T. Muench ◽  
Kim Willoughby
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
User Study ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews

This paper presents a case study of the organizational change process associated with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) year-long research program that implemented a cloud-based mobile project inspection application to 18 project engineering offices (PEO) across the state. Ultimately, four out of the 18 PEOs decided to adopt the new technology. Data from semi-structured interviews and a user study conducted two months after implementation are used to identify organizational change strategies used by WSDOT, and how those relate to ideas from the general literature on change management. The loss of upper management program leaders, inadequate communication and training to prepare personnel for the change, and policy and procedural uncertainties in integrating the change with other systems and operations were found to be factors that may have influenced the outcome of the program. While this paper focuses on one DOT’s efforts, other DOTs may have similar organizational structures and implementation efforts, and the findings and lessons learned could serve as a representative model for how such implementation might best be accomplished in a DOT and how that might differ from traditional change management guidance.

scholarly journals Water accounting knowledge pathways

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Tingey-Holyoak ◽  
John D. Pisaniello
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Water Accounting ◽  
Sustainability Problems

Purpose There are increasing demands on professional accountants in practice to generate water accounts for clients using knowledge from other disciplines within and outside their firms. Whilst many professional service firms have a broad range of in-house and consulting expertise, professional groups within and between these organisations may not be generating and sharing the knowledge required for successful water accounting. The purpose of this paper is to explore how additional disciplinary skills for water volumetric measurement, understanding of licensing and allocations can effectively and efficiently be shared between the disciplines required to be involved. Design/methodology/approach Two cross-sectional semi-structured surveys developed using a social network lens were disseminated to Australian accountants operating in professional services firms, and the results were descriptively analysed. Findings The authors find that, whilst accounting and engineering are acknowledged as core disciplines for water accounting, there is a need for more standardised measures and frameworks across diverse scales to fit in with current reporting practices and meet stakeholder needs. These need to be nested in a water accounting regulatory model that includes the accountancy professional bodies as a platform for knowledge generation and sharing. Originality/value The paper provides evidence of perceived barriers to and pathways for interdisciplinary knowledge networks for a new type of accounting. It demonstrates how regulatory frameworks can potentially assist rather than impede accountants in their contribution to solving of complex corporate sustainability problems.

Entrepreneurship and Professional Service Firms

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Reihlen ◽  
Andreas Werr
Keyword(s):  
Professional Services ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunities ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firm ◽  
Venture Management ◽  
Entrepreneurial Team

Research on entrepreneurship in professional services is rather limited. The authors argue that one reason why the two fields of professional services and entrepreneurship have operated in isolation rather than in mutual interaction is an inherent contradiction between the very ideas of entrepreneurship and professionalism. The perspective on entrepreneurship for this chapter is rather broad, focusing on new venture management and renewal in Professional Service Firms as well as embracing aspects such as learning, innovation, and institutional change. The chapter reviews previous work on entrepreneurship in professional services from three levels of analysis—the entrepreneurial team, the entrepreneurial firm, and finally the organizational field within which the creation and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities take place.

scholarly journals Enacting Professional Service Work in Times of Digitalization and Potential Disruption

2020 ◽  
pp. 109467052091680
Author(s):  
Frida Pemer
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Work ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Consumer Services ◽  
Business To Consumer ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Digitalization has the potential to disrupt many service industries. This is already evident in industries offering standardized business-to-consumer services. Even knowledge-intensive business-to-business (B2B) services have increasingly blended digital technologies. Yet, little is known about how this type of service and its associated service work has changed, as tasks are being increasingly performed by robots or through artificial intelligence. This study fills this void by exploring how frontline workers in two highly knowledge-intensive B2B service industries—auditing and public relations/communication (PR/C) consulting—enact their service work in response to digitalization. Building on an interview study with 50 professionals and taking an interdisciplinary stance we find—contrary to the findings in previous research—that auditing firms embrace digitalization to a larger extent than PR/C firms. Further, we find that the frontline workers’ enactment of their service work is influenced by the fit between technological innovations and the type of intelligence their services are built on, as well as their occupational identities and the service climate within the firms. We conclude the article by developing propositions and a conceptual model, and outline how service firms can support their frontline workers’ infusion of digital technologies in their service work.

INNOVATION AWARDS: REWARD, RECOGNITION, AND RITUAL

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (05) ◽  
pp. 1740006 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISA CALLAGHER ◽  
PETER SMITH
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Service Firm ◽  
Detailed Case ◽  
Professional Service Firm ◽  
Pluralistic Contexts

This paper draws on a detailed case study of an innovation awards-giving scheme in a professional service firm to consider the role of discretionary awards in encouraging and displaying innovation capabilities. Because of their association with competition, it might seem that awards are likely tools in pluralistic contexts such as professional service firms where risk-taking and collaboration require deep relationships with clients and with professionals from different specialisations. We intend to show how managers and professionals mobilised around the scheme using the rewarding, recognising, and ritualising of innovation through awards, as a platform to initiate and promote other organisational processes that foster innovation capabilities.

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