Suchergebnisse

This study develops and tests a turnover intentions model, which examines the effects of frontline employees' perceptions of management concern for employees and customers on turnover intentions, mediated by job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Using this model as a framework, the authors explore the role of employment status (full-time vs. part-time) as a moderator of the aforementioned relationships. The results indicate that perceived management concern for employees and customers has significant effects on employees' turnover intentions. Employment status moderates the relationships between perceived management concern for employees and affective organizational commitment, perceived management concern for customers and job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Implications of the findings are discussed and future research avenues are offered.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test model depicting the relationships among perceived environmental uncertainty, domestic and foreign networking, and export performance.Design/methodology/approachA sample of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from Finland, Sweden and Norway serve as the study setting. Data were collected via mail surveys from random samples of SME owners/managers. Usable responses were 75 from Finland, 111 from Sweden and 71 from Norway.FindingsOf the four dimensions of uncertainty, only uncertainty about supplier markets emerged as a significant driver of domestic networking activities of SMEs. While domestic networking did not have a significant influence, foreign networking showed a significant positive impact on SMEs' export performance. Firm size was found to have positive impacts on foreign networking and export performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to manufacturing SMEs in a particular region. Replications in other industries and regions are needed to validate the current findings. People from Finland, Norway and Sweden share similar cultural values and they are low on uncertainty‐avoidance. Hence, they are not threatened by environmental uncertainties and, consequently, may not feel compelled to engage in networking to reduce uncertainty.Practical implicationsThe positive linkage between foreign networking and export performance suggests that public officials in these countries should encourage SMEs to strengthen their existing foreign networks and facilitate formation of new ones via trade missions in other countries.Originality/valueUnderstanding the role of networking, as a potential buffer between environmental uncertainty and export performance, should be of interest to both researchers and practitioners.

A model of bank choice behavior for small and medium‐sized firms in the construction industry is developed and tested. The results suggest that bank choice behavior of homebuilders can be represented as a global construct with three viable components: search, credence and experience. The model allows for a comprehensive examination of the relationships between commercial banks and homebuilders. Implications for bank managers are discussed.

ABSTRACTPrevious research on mass customization (MC) has focused on what it is and how it is implemented. In this study we examine when MC is an appropriate strategy for firms to follow by scrutinizing the effects of three environmental uncertainty variables (demand uncertainty, competitive intensity, and supply chain complexity) on the MC–performance relationship. Specifically, we distinguish the direct effect of environmental uncertainty on MC ability and the moderation effect of environmental uncertainty on MC ability's impact on customer satisfaction. We examine six competing hypotheses using data collected from 266 manufacturing plants. Our results show that competitive intensity has a direct positive impact on MC ability. However, demand uncertainty moderates the relationship between MC ability and customer satisfaction, and the direct and positive relationship between MC ability and customer satisfaction holds only when customer demand is highly uncertain. Supply chain complexity neither has a direct relationship with MC, nor moderates the MC–performance relationship. Implications of these research findings are discussed and future research directions are identified.

Drawing from signaling theory, this study investigates the processes through which corporate image (CI) for quality affects attitudinal loyalty. The research hypotheses are examined using data from a cross-sectional survey and two scenario-based experiments. Overall, findings across these three studies suggest that the effects of CI upon loyalty are channeled through customer satisfaction and perceived value. The effects of CI on perceived value and loyalty are stronger relative to the effects of employee interaction quality (IQ) when IQ is measured as an overall evaluation. However, when employee IQ is measured in reference to a specific service encounter, it becomes a stronger driver of perceived value and loyalty relative to CI. Regardless of the context of measurement (i.e., overall evaluation vs. a specific service encounter), employee IQ exerts a stronger influence on customer satisfaction than CI. CI negatively moderates the effect of employee IQ on customer satisfaction and loyalty, rendering the effect of employee IQ upon customer evaluations less critical for service providers with stronger CIs. The findings highlight the relevance and importance of CI as a signal of unobservable quality, which should be measured and closely monitored by management. Managers should also recognize the central role of customer satisfaction, especially in channeling the effects of IQ upon loyalty, and therefore, design policies that enhance frontline employee ability and motivation to deliver satisfying customer experiences.

ABSTRACTEffects of perceived merchandise and service quality, relative to competition, on retail store performance are investigated using store traffic and revenue growth as outcome variables. A model is proposed and tested using aggregate customer data and store performance outcomes from a group of stores owned by a national retail organization. Results suggest that both service and merchandise quality exert significant influence on store performance, measured by sales growth and customer growth, and their impact is mediated by customer satisfaction. Implications of the results and future research directions are discussed.

In this study, we examine the role of cultural variations conceptualized in terms of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism in the prediction of work–family conflict in four distinct national contexts of the United States, Australia, South Korea, and Japan. The results of our study suggest that vertical individualism is a strong predictor of work–family conflict across cultural and national boundaries. The findings indicate the importance of cultural dimensions as correlates or predictors of work–family conflict—especially, it highlights the role of the two components of the polythetic construct of individualism–collectivism: horizontal and vertical. Implications are discussed for future research in the area of international and cross-cultural studies of work–family conflict-related issues.

Examines how sales managers can affect and improve salesforce
performance. Describes the similarities and differences between high‐
and low‐performance salesforces and the ways in which sales management
can create the opportunity for salespeople to perform well. Discusses
research implications and offers management guidelines to improve the
effectiveness of sales organizations.