Suchergebnisse

The purchase of business services is a growing activity among firms but with little appreciation that the purchase of a service requires a modification of the decision process developed for the purchase of material goods. A taxonomy for purchasing business services is developed to create a matrix with importance of service and focus of service as dimensions. Business services are classified according to their focus on three aspects of the firm: property, people, and process. A number of propositions are formulated based on insights derived from this taxonomy. The taxonomy results in six business service cells: facility support, equipment support, employee support, employee development, facilitator, and professional. Implications for managers considering a purchase in each category are explored. The paper concludes with a research agenda to test the propositions and validity of the taxonomy for purchasing business services.

Foreword-- W.J. Baumol Introduction-- H.Kox & L.Rubalcaba PART I: BUSINESS SERVICES AND ECONOMIC GROWTH The Growth of European Business Services-- L.Rubalcaba & H.Kox Business Services and their Users-- I.Miles Productivity in Business Services-- D.Pilat The Contribution of Business Services to Economic Growth-- H.Kox & L.Rubalcaba PART II: GROWTH AND INNOVATION SPILL-OVER FROM BUSINESS SERVICES The Impact of Business Services use on Client Industries: Evidence from Input-Output Data-- P.Baker IT Services and Productivity in European Industries-- F.Crespi Integration and Diffusion of KIS for Industry Performance-- J.A.Camacho & M.Rodriguez Innovation in Business Services: from Technological Adoption to Multiple Complementary, Concurrent Changes-- J.Howells, B.S.Tether & E.Uyarra The Impact of Contractual Arrangements on Innovation in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services-- A.Leiponen Organisational Innovation, Information Technology and Outsourcing to Business Services-- W.Holzl, A.Reinstaller & P.Windrum PART III: MARKET CHARACTERISTICS IN BUSINESS SERVICES Market Structure, Productivity and Scale in European Business Services-- H.Kox, G.van Leeuwen & H.van der Wiel Globalisation and Global Sourcing in Business Services-- L.Rubalcaba & D.van Welsum The European Internal Market for Business Services: No Open Borders Yet-- H.Kox & A.Lejour A Segmentation Approach to Understanding Business and Professional Services in City-Regions: Shifting the Horizon Beyond Global Cities-- J.R.Bryson & P.W.Daniels Policy Implications-- H.Kox & L.Rubalcaba

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to investigate the effects of service quality and service satisfaction on intention in a business‐to‐business setting.Design/methodology/approachThis research addresses three unanswered questions regarding satisfaction and service quality: the distinction between customer satisfaction and perceived service quality; their causal ordering; and their relative impact on intentions. The data were collected using a large survey of buyers in a business setting.FindingsThe data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that service quality has a larger impact on intentions than does customer satisfaction. The results also show that the effects of individual transactions on intentions are mediated by corresponding cumulative constructs.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary implications for theory include demonstrating the distinction between satisfaction and service quality; specifying, based on theory and logic, the causal ordering between transaction constructs and cumulative constructs, and between service quality and satisfaction; and assessing their relative impact on behavioral intentions.Originality/valueThe results show that one negative transaction outcome may not be sufficient to cause the customer to switch if the cumulative levels are sufficiently positive. Thus, a negative outcome may be discounted by the user if it is seen as a unique occurrence. However, a series of successive negative transaction outcomes may cause the cumulative constructs to become less positive, resulting in lower intentions to repurchase from the same supplier.

First published in 1998, this influential volume entered the debate on Foreign Direct Investment in the UK and focuses on the role of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) in the service rather than manufacturing and primary sectors. While the significance of the service industry had been recognised (exceeding 60% of total GDP in some countries at the time of original publication), the role of FDIs has not. Joanne Roberts thus contributed to a woefully under researched field, covering areas including international trade, the organisational theory of the firm and the UK business sector.