Suchergebnisse

The authors investigate how perceived customer value can be translated into economic returns for online social network sites (SNS). The (joint) impact of two value propositions, social capital and entitativity, is assessed. Perceived economic and social customer value are investigated as outcomes of these propositions. Two studies reveal that entitativity and social capital impact members' willingness to pay (WtP) membership fees, either directly or indirectly. Moreover, the predictive ability of perceived economic and social customer value regarding WtP depends on the type of membership and the type of social network. SNS providers are advised to emphasize the benefits their users actually take advantage of. While for professional SNS, it seems advisable to stress both social and economic value, particularly for premium members, in socially oriented SNS premium members seem to be driven more by social value. Other theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Firms increasingly equip field service workers with virtual team technology that enables them to deliver services more efficiently and take part in new service development. However, the "out-of-office" nature of field service tasks limits the possibilities for supervision, so virtual team outcomes are hard to control. To predict virtual team service performance, this study delineates the notion of team efficacy in the context of virtual service teams. The authors assess virtual team members' perceptions of virtual team efficacy and its perceived antecedents and consequences. The authors find that perceived virtual team efficacy explains service performance better than previously established, generalized confidence beliefs. Specifically, data collected from 192 field service employees in 28 virtual teams reveal that perceived virtual team efficacy provides a strong predictor of in-role service performance and extra-role innovative service performance. Factors external to the organization (i.e., competitors' use and customer appreciation of virtual team technology) drive perceived virtual team efficacy, whereas internal factors (i.e., supervisor and peer encouragement of virtual team technology) are less effective. Therefore, managers must keep up-to-date with competitive developments and openly discuss insights with the team. Positive customer feedback should also be distributed to team members when employee contributions to new service development are envisioned.