Dawn Dobni

Organizational Values: The Inside View of Service Productivity

Abstract In this study, we examined relations between organizational value systems and the productivity of service workers. Research was conducted in 92 service firms to construct an empirical taxonomy of organizational value systems based on the content focus of values, and the resulting taxonomy was used as a framework to examine the relationship between value system types and individual productivity, conceptualized in terms of job-related behaviors, attachment, and affect. Four value system types were identified, and, as predicted, were shown to be differentially associated with all three ingredients of service productivity. These findings indicate the importance of the value system as a marketing and management tool, and underscore the need for services managers to determine the behavioral and psychological responses that define productive performance in their organizations and to diagnose and develop the value systems that will reinforce them.

Enhancing service personnel effectiveness through the use of behavioral repertoires

Suggests that because of the unique characteristics of services, the behavior of service employees is a key determinant of organizational performance and that the effective management of employee behavior has therefore become the central theme of an emerging body of theory and research in the services marketing and management venue. Reviews this work, and suggests the need to extend it by examining the behavior of service employees in a more holistic sense. Introduces the concept of a behavioral repertoire, defined as the specific combinations or patterns of behavior that comprise employee roles. Uses data gathered from service employees in a wide range of service firms are used to demonstrate the morphology of behavioral repertoires, and offers implications and recommendations for services marketing and management practice.

A marketing‐relevant framework for understanding service worker productivity

This paper presents a framework for understanding and analyzing the productivity of service workers. Based on findings in the multidisciplinary literature, it provides a working model for services managers that: recognizes that the definition of productivity may vary across service jobs, acknowledges that there are different levers for maximizing productivity in different contexts, and indicates that managing productivity needs to be viewed as a task for marketing, not just the organizations internal functions. The purview and implications of each component of the framework are discussed, together with some marketing‐based suggestions for productivity improvement.

Canadian Business Schools: Going out of Business?.

Abstract This article uses Michael Porters “five forces model” to assess the state of competition in the Canadian university-based business school industry. This analysis indicates that Canadas business schools are becoming increasingly vulnerable to competitive pressures and that their competitive fitness is dependent on an agenda of strategic reorientation. Specific susceptibilities and strategic options for dealing with them are discussed.

Behavioral approaches to marketing strategy implementation

The development and reinforcement of context‐specific behaviors support the implementation of marketing strategy. Discusses the limitations of traditional strategy implementation pursuits and then proceeds to report the results of two independent but related studies that consider two methods of behavior management – market orientation profiling, and behavioral repertoires – and their effect on marketing strategy and organizational performance. Results indicate that these methods provide a context for the implementation of specific marketing strategies by serving as a moderator of employee behavior and can be used strategically by organizations to guide service applications. Concludes by providing prescriptive steps that managers can consider in efforts to adopt these approaches to marketing strategy implementation.

Entertainment Value: The Concept and Its Dimensions

ABSTRACT Using a cost-benefit approach, this paper brings together a body of work from multiple disciplines to develop a conceptual model of entertainment value. The model outlines the factors that contribute to and shape assessments of entertainment value, and provides a platform for further studying the construct and developing strategies aimed at delivering it. While the model is intended to have broad application, its features and implications are animated here with illustrations from leisure and hospitality services. Entertainment has particular strategic relevance to leisure and hospitality providers, and it has been suggested that these industries could benefit from a better understanding of issues related to value in general.

Leisure as Marketing: The Nature and Experience of “Business Leisure”

Presenting the results of a qualitative investigation, this article introduces the concept of “business leisure” and proposes a framework that illuminates it. Building on the idea that nonbusiness interactions can have significant business effects, and in an effort to reveal the nature of experiences that commingle business goals and leisure pursuits, this framework: identifies the conditions that shape the use of business leisure; acknowledges that business leisure can vary across contexts, and is not fixed in character as work or play; and, recognizes a range of outcomes, benefits, and drawbacks. The framework is intended to assist marketers in providing opportunities for fruitful business leisure experiences, and to aid researchers in further studying the intersection between work and play.

Is Managerial Work in the Public and Private Sectors Really “Different”? A Comparative Study of Managerial Work Activities

ABSTRACT This article aims to discern the extent to which managerial work is similar and different in the public and private sectors. Using propositions and structured categories for describing what managers do, this article compares results of an observational study conducted in the Canadian public sector with similar studies from the private sector. Through a comparison of work type, hours, location, activities, and contact patterns, this research finds few differences in managerial work activities between the two sectors, despite contextual and situational differences. Possible explanations are explored, implications of the findings are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.

Stock Market Image: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This paper introduces the concept of stock market image and presents a six-dimension scale for measuring it. Using cross-sectional survey data, application of the scale reveals that retail investors have widely heterogeneous perceptions of the stock market ranging from highly positive to highly negative. Five image profiles were generated using cluster analysis, each representing a different perspective on the stock market. These profiles were found to reflect personal and subjective characteristics of investors, including financial knowledge and investing experience. Understanding stock market image is important because it influences investing behaviors, expectations, and experiences, including the decision to participate in or avoid equities markets. Members of the stock market supply chain are thus encouraged to consider their roles and responsibilities in managing, promoting, and improving it.

The school of broken rules

Rule violations are central to organisational learning, as they can be sources of useful information about the organisational condition. To help managers interpret and learn from these violations, this study examines the circumstances and motivations that lead employees to judge that rule breaking is appropriate. Content analysis revealed four dimensions on which rule breaks are justified: context (instrumental or expressive), content (reasonableness), consequences (trivial versus serious) and target (self- or other-directed). Understanding these dimensions will help managers respond to rule violations, contemplate their own bureaupathologies and search for more effective ways of organisational functioning.