Janet McColl-Kennedy

Professional Service Firms are Relationship Marketers: But Does Size Matter?

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 06-2008

DOI: 10.1016/S1441-3582(08)70003-X

Abstract: There are few research-based insights into professional service firms’ (PSFs) contemporary marketing practices. This is unfortunate as the professional services sector is a key contributor to growth in the Australian and other economies around the world. As professional services are unique in a number of ways and their operations and marketing activities inextricably intertwined, the present study investigated the extent to which PSFs practice marketing and whether this differs according to size. Depth interviews were held with thirty seven Australian senior managers in four key industries. We examined the extent of relationship marketing, conceptualised at an overall managerial level as well as four sub-practices identified in research by Coviello and colleagues. We found relationship management and interaction marketing were the most common practices, which is consistent with the inseparability concept, and that relationship management and database marketing were more common in larger firms, which is consistent with their relative resource strength.

The marketing practices‐performance relationship in professional service firms

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 21-06-2011

DOI: 10.1108/09564231111136845

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate marketing practices in professional service firms (PSFs). PSFs' marketing practices are not well understood, despite their increasing importance to economies worldwide and recognition of their unique characteristics and the marketing challenges they face. The study also examined whether PSF performance outcomes is better modeled through a competency approach suggested by the resource‐based view, or through the extent of use (practices) approach. Empirical data were collected from professional service providers through an online survey of senior professional service providers across a range of services, including law, engineering, accounting and finance and management consultancy. Results show interaction marketing was the most common PSF practice and the combination of extent of use and competency, rather than extent of use alone, is a better predictor of firm performance. The results also demonstrate the relevance of the plurality of practices. The study shows that transaction marketing and database marketing are particularly necessary for financial and market performance, while both interaction marketing and database marketing particularly underpin customer performance. All practices need to be conducted extensively and well for optimum outcomes. The study is cross‐sectional in nature and does not enable a judgment about causal inferences rather, relationships between constructs are presented. Professional service providers should focus on competency of practice, as well as extent of practice. However, not all professional service providers do this. Importantly, having a customer service focus is not sufficient to achieve positive market and financial outcomes. The results presented in the paper have important implications for researchers when modeling and measuring marketing practices and for professional service managers when undertaking marketing activities.

How professional service firms compete in the market: an exploratory study

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 04-2010

DOI: 10.1080/02672570903534662

Dynamic Customer Value Cocreation in Healthcare

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 09-03-2023

DOI: 10.1177/10946705231161758

Abstract: In managing a chronic illness, customers have the opportunity to play an active role in their healthcare—by cocreating value. For ex le, customers can adhere to medical advice, seek out information about their condition(s), manage their diet, and interact with family and friends. Moreover, across an extended treatment period, customers may dynamically adjust their level of value cocreation. In this study, we examine 307 healthcare customers receiving treatment for cancer, with 12 value cocreation activities tracked longitudinally over 4 survey waves. Using a hidden Markov model, we reveal three latent states of customer value cocreation: low, moderate, and high. We then determine which of the 12 value cocreation activities are most strongly associated with transitions among cocreation states. Finally, we show that transitioning to a cocreation state with a higher level of cocreation activity positively correlates with customer and marketing outcomes, including customer quality of life and satisfaction. Our findings show that an increase in six cocreation activities—actively sharing information, compliance with medical requirements, interacting with staff, maintaining a healthy diet, interacting with others who receive treatment, and maintaining a good physical appearance—yields positive gains for both customer and marketing outcomes. In contrast, an increase in emotion regulation negatively affects customer outcomes.

The relationship between Internet use and perceived performance in retail and professional service firms

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 06-2003

DOI: 10.1108/08876040310474837

Abstract: Information technology (IT) and, in particular, the Internet is dramatically impacting on the services sector. This paper specifically investigates the relative impact of several forms of Internet use on perceived performance for two groups of service organisations – retail service firms and professional health service firms. Using a mailed‐out self‐administered questionnaire, 625 completed questionnaires were obtained, and 43 per cent of respondents reported that they used the Internet. Thus the final usable s le in the study comprised 262 respondents. Results showed that the Internet does significantly influence perceived performance in both types of service firms. However, there are differences in the forms of Internet use between the two service groups and their relative effect on performance. For retail firms, use of transactional function, such as ordering, selling and payment, was found to be positively related to increases in perceived performance. In contrast, for professional health service firms, the ability to search for information on products and/or services was found to be positively associated with perceived performance. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications of the findings of this study are discussed.

The influence of place on health-care customer creativity

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 08-07-2019

DOI: 10.1108/EJM-10-2017-0723

Abstract: When using a service, customers often develop their own solutions by integrating resources to solve problems and co-create value. Drawing on innovation and creativity literature, this paper aims to investigate the influence of place (the service setting and the customer setting) on customer creativity in a health-care context. In a field study using customer diaries, 200 ideas from orthopedic surgery patients were collected and evaluated by an expert panel using the consensual assessment technique (CAT). Results suggest that place influences customer creativity. In the customer setting, customers generate novel ideas that may improve their clinical health. In the service setting, customers generate ideas that may improve the user value of the service and enhance the customer experience. Customer creativity is influenced by the role the customer adopts in a specific place. In the customer setting customers were more likely to develop ideas involving active customer roles. Interestingly, while health-care customers provided ideas in both settings, contrary to expectation, ideas scored higher on user value in the service setting than in the customer setting. This study shows that customer creativity differs in terms of originality, user value and clinical value depending on the place (service setting or customer setting), albeit in one country in a standardized care process. The present research puts customer creativity in relation to health-care practices building on an active patient role, suggesting that patients can contribute to the further development of health-care services. As the first field study to test the influence of place on customer creativity, this research makes a novel contribution to the growing body of work in customer creativity, showing that different places are more/less favorable for different dimensions of creativity. It also relates customer creativity to health-care practices and highlights that patients are an untapped source of creativity with first-hand knowledge and insights, importantly demonstrating how customers can contribute to the further development of health-care services.

Theorizing beyond the horizon: service research in 2050

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 08-11-2018

DOI: 10.1108/JOSM-08-2018-0264

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue of the Journal of Service Management dedicated to the Thought Leadership in Services Conference held in Brisbane Australia in 2017. The paper also explores the disruptive and transformative role that technology is set to play over the next 30 years. The paper provides a brief summary of the papers within the special issue. The paper also introduces a conceptual framework identifying four quadrants that reflect different combinations of human touch and technology. This framework is used to examine the treatment of technology in the eight papers. While it is clear that technology is having a profound impact on service, and is contributing to major changes within the eight service domains captured by the papers in the special issue there were significant differences observed across the eight papers in the special issue. From the associated discussion, it is clear that the humanistic paradigm is still dominant within services, even though there is strong evidence that a shift is occurring. This paper extends earlier work exploring the infusion of technology within services to highlight the progress from a humanistic paradigm to a technology-centric paradigm.

Research performance of Australian and New Zealand marketing academics: Achieving rigor and relevance

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 30-04-2022

DOI: 10.1177/14413582221094031

Abstract: Assessing academic performance is challenging and assessing academic performance that makes a contribution to society is especially challenging. Evaluations need to take into account academic rigor and the relevance of the work. We suggest relying on whether an article is published in an elite journal does not necessarily lead to a significant scientific contribution or practical relevance. Rather, to gain insight into a scientific contribution, academic rigor and relevance judgments have to be made as to the work’s contribution to discovering and verifying knowledge in the discipline and across disciplines. While qualitative judgments can be made, indicator-driven metrics play an important role in objective assessment and several citation metrics are readily available to assist in assessments. We suggest there is a need for a portfolio of performance indicators, as there is no one best measure of success. Different indicators highlight different aspects of performance, hence the portfolio approach. We conclude by outlining eight key areas that should be considered when making academic performance assessments.

Involvement, satisfaction, and brand loyalty in a small business services setting

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2007

DOI: 10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2007.05.001

Dynamics of wellbeing co-creation: a psychological ownership perspective

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 02-07-2020

DOI: 10.1108/JOSM-09-2019-0297

Abstract: People are responsible for their wellbeing, yet whether they take ownership of their own or even others' wellbeing might vary from actor to actor. Such psychological ownership (PO) influences the dynamics of how wellbeing is co-created, particularly amongst actors, and ultimately determines actors' subjective wellbeing. The paper's research objective pertains to explicating the concept of the co-creation of wellbeing and conceptualizing the dynamics inherent to the co-creation of wellbeing with consideration of the influences of all involved actors from a PO perspective. To provide a new conceptualization and framework for the dynamics of wellbeing co-creation, this research synthesizes wellbeing, PO and value co-creation literature. Four healthcare cases serve to illustrate the effects of engaged actors' PO on the co-creation of wellbeing. The derived conceptual framework of dynamic co-creation of wellbeing suggests four main propositions: (1) the focal actor's wellbeing state is the intangible target of the focal actor's and other engaged actors' PO, transformed throughout the process of wellbeing co-creation, (2) PO over the focal actor's wellbeing state is subject to the three interrelated routes of exercising control, investing in the target, and intimately knowing the target, which determine the instigation of wellbeing co-creation, (3) the level of PO over the focal actor's wellbeing state can vary, influence and be influenced by the extent of wellbeing co-creation, (4) the co-creation of wellbeing, evoked by PO, is founded on resource integration, which influences the resources–challenges equilibrium of focal actor and of all other engaged actors, affecting in idual subjective wellbeing. This article provides a novel conceptual framework that can shed new light on the co-creation of wellbeing in service research. Through the introduction of PO the transformation of lives and wellbeing can be better understood.

Task‐Relationship‐Self: A Framework for Understanding Service Encounter Behaviors

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 23-04-2013

DOI: 10.1002/MAR.20624

Competing through service innovation : the role of bricolage and entrepreneurship in project-oriented firms

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2013

DOI: 10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2012.03.005

Health Care Customer Value Cocreation Practice Styles

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 05-2012

DOI: 10.1177/1094670512442806

Selective Halo Effects Arising From Improving the Interpersonal Skills of Frontline Employees

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 22-03-2013

DOI: 10.1177/1094670513481406

Abstract: Although frontline customer service employees play a vital role in many firms, their part in service delivery is often underappreciated. The interaction between frontline employees and customers creates an impression of what is to come in the service experience. A key question is whether this interaction spills over to other unrelated aspects of the business. We conduct a quasi-experiment across two medical clinics, one of which had its frontline employees trained to improve their interpersonal skills. We find that not only does the training create positive perceptions of the service provided by frontline employees, but also increases perceptions of service quality attributes not related to these employees. That is, customer perceptions of the interpersonal skills of frontline employees “spillover” to other service quality attributes. However, this spillover effect does not impact all service attributes uniformly rather, it is restricted to only credence attributes which customers find difficult to evaluate. We term this a selective halo effect. This finding demonstrates that customer perceptions of the interpersonal skills of frontline employees extend well beyond the range in which they perform their expected duties. Our article builds on attribute evaluability theory and information economic theory by demonstrating the existence of a selective halo effect. Further, we develop a classification system that managers can use to predict which attributes are most likely to be influenced by a selective halo effect. We encourage managers to think of frontline employees as “barometers of the business,” and to invest in continued training for these key personnel.

Experience as a moderator of involvement and satisfaction on brand loyalty in a business-to-business setting 02-314R

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2005

DOI: 10.1016/J.INDMARMAN.2004.08.003

Best-worst scaling: an alternative to ratings data

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Date: 23-09-2015

DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781107337855.010

Hierarchy of customer goals: conceptual framework and new insights

Publisher: Emerald

Date: 29-06-2021

DOI: 10.1108/JOSM-03-2020-0087

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to: (1) better understand the structure (hierarchy) of customer goals providing conceptual clarity and (2) propose a hierarchy of customer goals conceptual framework that explicates how healthcare customer goals are linked to drivers and outcomes, thus building theory and informing practice. The research draws on 21 in-depth interviews of patients with a chronic disease. Drawing principally on construal-level theory and using manual thematic analysis and Leximancer, this article provides new insights into customer goals. In a first, the authors identify a two-dimensional structure for each of the three main goal types, which previously had been viewed as unidimensional. The authors develop a conceptual framework linking drivers of goal setting (promotion revention focus world view and perceived role) with goal type (life goals, focal goals and action plan goals and their respective subgoals) and outcomes (four forms of subjective well-being). Visual concept maps illustrate the relative importance of certain health-related goals over others. The usefulness of the authors’ conceptual framework is demonstrated through the application of their framework to goal setting among healthcare customers, showing links between the structure of goals (life goals, focal goals and action plan goals) to drivers (promotion revention focus world view and perceived role) and outcomes (subjective well-being) and the framework's potential application to other service settings. This study contributes to healthcare marketing and service management literature by providing new insights into goal setting and proposing a novel hierarchy of customer goals conceptual framework linking drivers, goal types and outcomes.

Customer Effort in Value Cocreation Activities

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 10-03-2015

DOI: 10.1177/1094670515572128

Abstract: Transformative service research is particularly relevant in health care where the firm and customer can contribute to in idual as well as societal well-being. This article explores customer value cocreation in health care, identifying a hierarchy of activities representing varying levels of customer effort from complying with basic requirements (less effort and easier tasks) to extensive decision making (more effort and more difficult tasks). We define customer Effort in Value Cocreation Activities (EVCA) as the degree of effort that customers exert to integrate resources, through a range of activities of varying levels of perceived difficulty. Our findings underscore the importance of viewing health care service as taking place within the customer’s service network that extends well beyond the customer-firm dyad to include other market-facing as well as public and private resources. Moreover, we demonstrate the transformative potential of customer EVCA linking customer EVCA to quality of life, satisfaction with service and behavioral intentions. We do so across three prevalent chronic diseases—cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Our findings highlight how an integrated care model has benefits for both customers and providers and can enhance customer EVCA.

Towards a model of dynamic capabilities in innovation-based competitive strategy: Insights from project-oriented service firms

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2011

DOI: 10.1016/J.INDMARMAN.2011.10.009

Managing Sustainable Services: A Systematic Literature Review

Publisher: Luminous Insights LLC

Date: 07-04-2023

DOI: 10.51300/BRP-2023-69

Transforming community well-being through patients' lived experiences

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2018.12.029

Perceptions of Marketing Journals by Senior Academics in Australia and New Zealand

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 07-2004

DOI: 10.1016/S1441-3582(04)70097-X

Abstract: Increasingly, business schools are under pressure to produce quality outputs, including high quality international refereed journal publications. Understanding senior Australian and New Zealand marketing academics’ views of journal quality is valuable to in idual scholars and to the marketing discipline. This paper presents the findings of a study of such perceptions provided by senior academics in Australia and New Zealand. A survey containing a comprehensive list of 73 journals was sent to all professorial members of ANZMAC and Heads of Marketing Schools in Australia and New Zealand, with an overall response rate of 45%. Respondents rated the journals on a 5-point quality scale and means of ratings were used to establish overall rank. The results suggested that, while senior faculty in Australia and New Zealand have their own distinct perceptions of journal quality, these views are not inconsistent with international views. The implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Digital Service Transformation: Pathways to human and economic wellbeing White Paper

Publisher: The University of Queensland Business School - Service Innovation Alliance

Date: 17-05-2023

DOI: 10.14264/AED4918

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0879469

Start Date: 2008

End Date: 12-2012

Amount: $222,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP110102312

Start Date: 2011

End Date: 01-2016

Amount: $350,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP0775220

Start Date: 06-2007

End Date: 12-2012

Amount: $115,784.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP150100629

Start Date: 02-2016

End Date: 12-2021

Amount: $180,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0450736

Start Date: 2004

End Date: 12-2007

Amount: $210,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0664410

Start Date: 2006

End Date: 01-2010

Amount: $240,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP160100421

Start Date: 2016

End Date: 07-2022

Amount: $330,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP210200586

Start Date: 02-2023

End Date: 01-2026

Amount: $496,349.00

Funder: Australian Research Council