B. Ramaseshan

Assessment of the Three-Column Format SERVQUAL: An Experimental Approach

Abstract Over the past decade, SERVQUAL has emerged as perhaps the most popular standardized questionnaire to measure service quality. This study investigates the usefulness of the three-column format SERVQUAL proposed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, (Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L.: Reassessment of expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality: Implications for further research, Journal of Marketing 58 (January 1994): 111–124. Using a six-group experimental design, group 1 respondents are administered the revised SERVQUAL instrument containing minimum expectations, desired expectations, and performance items. The remaining five groups are given different combinations of the one and/or two column questionnaire. The findings indicate that the perception battery is the salient component, raising new concerns regarding the usefulness of the revised expectations scale in service quality measurement. Management implications and future research issues are discussed.

Do universities that are more market orientated perform better

Amid rapid changes in the tertiary education sector witnessed in recent years, issues such as performance and accountability are becoming increasingly important. Among other things, market orientation has often been linked to performance. Investigates the degree of market orientation and its effect on performance at Australian and New Zealand universities. Results confirm a positive relationship between market orientation and overall performance: providing support for the relevance of market orientation to universities. Confirms the importance of the responsiveness dimension. Another interesting finding is that there is no significant difference in the level of market orientation between business and non‐business schools or departments in universities in Australia and New Zealand. Implications, limitations and directions for further research are also discussed.

The effect of anomie on academic dishonesty among university students

Anomie describes the individual’s lack of integration in social life. The construct has been linked to various types of activities and concepts but no research appears to have been undertaken linking it to academic dishonesty. The literatures on anomie and academic dishonesty are examined, measurement instruments are identified and a survey is carried out among undergraduate students of a business school. The psychometric properties of the instruments are confirmed and correlates are investigated. The point is made that besides seeking ways to curb academic dishonesty, universities need to foster the development of an internalized code of ethics among students. Limitations are noted and directions for future research are indicated.

Effects of some Environmental Challenges and Centralization on the Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance of Public Sector Entities

The relevance of entrepreneurship in the public sector is considered. In investigating relationships a review of the literature is undertaken and a model is proposed to examine the effects of certain environmental variables and centralisation on entrepreneurship and ultimately, performance. The proposed model is based on work conducted by Covin and Slevin [1991], reconsidered within a public sector context. Research is conducted among Australian public sector entities. A structural equation model is used to examine the hypothesised linkages. Implications of the findings are discussed, limitations are noted and directions for future research are outlined.

The Role of Customer‐contact Personnel in the Marketing of a Retail Bank′s Services

Examines the role and importance of customer‐contact personnel in the marketing of a bank′s financial services and the importance of customer service in retail banking. Customer‐contact personnel from suburban branches of an Australian retail bank identified their level of agreement with statements dealing with customer purchase perceptions, customer purchase behaviour, the personal selling of services and their role and importance in the marketing of the bank′s financial services. The results were interesting in that they indicated several key factors that affected service purchase encounters. These factors included the organization′s reputation, the role of the customer‐contact personnel in the service encounter, level of reward given to the customer‐contact personnel for their contribution, the significance of an official sales training programme, word‐of‐mouth communication and the relationship between the salesperson and the customer.

The effect of market orientation on new product performance: a study among Singaporean firms

New products are critical to the long‐term growth and success of a firm. This paper investigates the relationship between market orientation and new product performance. Data are collected from Singaporean firms. Results show a strong positive relationship between market orientation and the overall performance of new products. Market orientation is also shown to have a strong positive effect on the market performance and project performance of new products. Managerial implications and limitations are discussed.

Market orientation and organizational commitment in the Australian public sector

Reports that the increased calls for transparency and accountability in government organizations underscores the need for a market orientation even among government departments. Considers the degree of market orientation and its effect on the organizational commitment in government departments in the Australian public sector. Results provide empirical support for a relationship between market orientation in the public sector and organizational commitment. Draws implications from and discusses directions for future research.

Anomia and deviant behaviour in marketing: some preliminary evidence

Anomia describes the individual’s lack of integration in social life. The construct has been linked to various types of activities and concepts but no research appears to have been undertaken linking it to deviant behaviour inmarketing. In this preliminary study the literature on anomia and deviant behaviour, specifically attitude toward fraudulent behaviour among retail employees and academic misconduct among students, are examined. Hypotheses are formulated, measurement instruments are identified and two surveys are carried out, one among employees of a large retail chain and another among business undergraduate students. The psychometric properties of the instruments are confirmed and relationships are investigated using regression equations. The implications for theory are considered, limitations are noted and directions for future research are indicated.

Positioning in Cyberspace: Evaluating Telecom Web Sites Using Correspondence Analysis

The growth of presence in the marketspace of the Web has been exponential, both in general and within specific industries. While the academic literature on the phenomena is still in its infancy, there exists a pressing need to establish methodologies to evaluate and map Web sites within and between industries. With the exception of a few notable papers little or no theoretical, descriptive, or normative research has been conducted into Web site positioning and evaluation. This article goes a little towards addressing this lacuna. Specifically, Web sites from the Telecom Industry are evaluated and mapped using correspondence analysis. The technique of correspondence analysis and the interpretation of the maps produced are described in detail. The implications for management are also discussed.

Major industrial distribution issues facing managers in Australia

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a study of key issues in industrial distribution, as perceived by a group of Australian industrial marketing managers. The ten most important issues are identified, and these can be roughly categorized as operational and strategic. The implications for industrial marketing practitioners are discussed.