David L. Kurtz

The antecedents of consumer expectations of services: an empirical study across four industries

Develops a conceptual model of the antecedents of consumer expectations and firm image, based on past research in service, and empirically tested using the simultaneous equation procedures of LISREL 7. Data were collected and analyzed for four service industries (tax services, dental services, restaurants and video rental stores). Significant findings include: the image consumers have of a service firm has the strongest impact on their expectations; the relative saliences of the antecedents vary across industries; advertising has no significant impact on expectations or firm image in any of the four industries or in the aggregate analysis; and the level of customization and service provider judgment has an impact on the relative importance of each of the antecedents of consumer expectations.

Ethics gap: Comparing marketers with consumers on important determinants of ethical decision-making

Studies in marketing ethics often revealed that ethical gaps do exist between marketers and other groups in society. The existence of these ethical gaps could be extremely counter productive for marketing management. In order to effectively narrow these gaps, a marketing manager must first have a better understanding of causes of these gaps. To this end, this study compares marketing professionals with consumers on some important determinants of the ethical decision-making process. In particular, the marketers and consumers were compared with respect to their personal moral philosophies and ethical perceptions in marketing situations. The data were obtained from a national survey of the practitioner members of the American Marketing Association and members of a consumer panel of a major southern university in the United States. The results generally indicate that marketing professionals are different from consumers with respect to some of the determinants of ethical decisions investigated. Some important managerial implications based on these findings were discussed.

A Longitudinal Study of the Stability of Consumer Expectations of Services

Abstract The importance of service quality to the profitability and survival of service firms been highlighted by several researchers. However, little attention has been given to the process of measuring prior consumer expectations on which service quality measurement is based. This issue was addressed in this article by means of a longitudinal study that examines the stability of consumer expectations and their ensuing effect on the measurement of service quality. The study indicates that prior consumer expectations of a service measured after a service encounter will be affected by the type of experience. Through cognitive dissonance tension reduction methods, consumers tend to shift their prior expectations to ensure their overall evaluation of the experience is justified. Consumers who had a negative experience will shift their prior expectations of individual attributes higher and consumers who had a positive experience will shift their prior expectations lower. The impacts of these shifts and their effects on the measurement of service quality are then discussed.

Beyond the Core Triad: Just What Do Marketing Academics Do Outside of Teaching, Research, and Service?

Just as the business world is in a constant state of flux and evolution, so is the academic world in which we operate as marketing educators. Most institutions embrace the core triad of teaching, research, and service. But what do we do outside of this triad? A nationwide survey reveals that the majority of marketing educatorsengage in activitiesoutside the core such as consulting opportunities with industry, serving as expert witnesses, overload teaching, working on contract or research grants, and more. This study identifies current trendsin how faculty membersexpend their time, compensation ranges for these activities, and the perception of colleagues and administrators.

An Evaluation of the Marketing Theory Seminar in PH.D. Programs: Teaching Alternatives and Future Directions

Three issues pertaining to the marketing theory course offered at doctoral programs are examined through a review of course syllabi and in-depth telephone interviews. Specifically, a review of current course content, the rationale for the current curriculum and course emphasis, and future directions for course content are addressed. The authors analyzed twenty-seven marketing theory course syllabi to explore the first issue of what is currently being taught. Results from in-depth interviews are presented to provide the rationale for the current curriculum and suggestions regarding the future directions of the marketing theory course. Alternative approaches to teaching marketing theory are examined and implications for the discipline are also offered.

The relationship between imports and marketing skills improvements in a developing country

Literature dealing with trade and development and marketing and development is quite extensive. However, research devoted to how trade impacts a nations marketing development is limited. In this study, the hypothesis that import trade can be a conduit for the development of marketing management practices at the micro level has been tested in the context of the Nigerian economic environment. The empirical data relating to the Nigerian imports and their impact on indigenous marketing management practices indicated that import trade could be a potential means for improving and developing marketing management practices in developing countries.

Endowed Chairs in Marketing: Responsibilities and Benefits

A survey of AACSB accredited and non-accredited schools identified the benefits and responsibilities of the endowed chairholders. Overall only the benefits showed some hierarchical structure (e.g., provided to chairholders in a hierarchical fashion). With few exceptions, institutional characteristics and size of the endowments were unrelated to the chairs* responsibilities and benefits.

Endowed Chairs in Marketing: Status and Assessment

This research looks at the status of endowed chairs in marketing. A survey of both accredited and nonaccredited AACSB schools was conducted to assess the numbers of such chairs and to determine the characteristics of institutions with them. Approximately one-sixth of the schools responding to the survey had endowed chairs in marketing. No relationship was found between the presence or absence of chairs and whether the institution was public or private. However, chairs were more likely to be found in accredited institutions and those granting doctorates. Institution size and other business school endowments were also linked to marketing faculties with endowed chairs.

A Comparison of Perceived Trust in the Buyer-Seller Dyad for Goods and Services

The question of how salesperson attributes affect selling success is an important issue in sales management research. The research described here investigates a model of salesperson attributes and their relationship to buyer perceptions of salesperson trustworthiness. Further, this model is compared across two different sales contexts, that of consumer goods and consumer services.

Endowed Chairs: Future Funding Priorities

Previous research by the authors looked at the current status of endowed marketing chairs and the benefits and responsibilities of the chairholders. This paper examines collegiate business schools’ future funding priorities for endowed marketing chairs. Thirty-five percent of the respondents sought to develop new marketing chairs with an average planned endowment of