Donna T. Mayo

Assessing poor quality service: perceptions of customer service representatives

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the variables most often associated with customer dissatisfaction and to discern which variables result in customer defection. Identification of these variables can aid managers as they develop strategies to prevent their occurrence.Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study examined customer service dissatisfaction from a respondent group of customer service representatives employed by a call center. These employees deal with customers as their exclusive job function and are trained to correct customer concerns. The customer service respondents were surveyed and asked to list their top service complaints. From this list they were also asked to indicate the top ranked poor service issue that would cause them, as customers, to defect and select a competitor to provide a substitute product or service.Findings – Results of the study parallel those in other customer dissatisfaction research and indicate interesting characteristics of customer dissati...

Reasons to Remain in College: A Comparison of High School and College Students.

Retaining students is a critical topic in higher education. A plethora of research has investigated demographic, age, life stage, ethnicity, and a host of other variables that influence retention. Colleges have responded to retention issues with a host of classes, workshops, and orientation or mentoring programs to aid student retention. Specifically, this study compares the retention concerns of high school students considering college vs the concerns of existing college students in a variety of degree programs to see if factors vary over time. Using a case study approach, the study found three key variables associated with retention problems. The discussion and conclusions identify ways for colleges to alter both marketing and assistance programs for both groups. Suggestions for replication and areas for future research as well as implications for policy directions are included.

Experiential Learning the Benefits of Trade Shows for Marketing Students and Faculty

International study abroad experiences are extremely beneficial to business students and marketing majors, particularly as they prepare for future business careers. Yet many students struggle with college demands, family responsibilities, and job duties, leaving little if any free time to take advantage of these opportunities. The average age of college students continues to rise, and many of these adult students complete their undergraduate degrees to better compete in a tight job market. These non-traditional students are interested in beneficial travel experiences abroad but lack time in their schedules for a typical semester or summer-long study abroad course. With the seed funding of a US Department of Education Title 6B Business and International Education grant, Dalton State College structured a unique trade show event allowing students to experience international travel first-hand while simultaneously learning key business practices for managing a trade show to benefit their business careers and augment their understanding of marketing. The article reviews both short and long-term learning benefits from the experience as well as suggestions for improvement or replication at other business programs.

Skin Tones in Magazine Advertising

Abstract Although African Americans enjoy greater quantitative representation in American advertising than ever before, it is questionable if this representation is a true picture of African Americans. Because of the “what is beautiful is good” syndrome in advertising, advertisers have been criticized by some groups for using models who may present body images and facial features considered too idealistic. These unrealistic portrayals of attractiveness and beauty “likely reflect involuntary responses to subconscious cultural constraints” (Strutton and Lumpkin, 1993, p. 509). Thus a “myth of beauty” that generally favors Eurocentric features such as light-colored skin, narrow noses and thin lips is perpetuated. The exception to this rule, however, may be found in the use of Black athletes as spokespersons and models. To determine if there is a difference in the skin tones of models used in sports magazines and fashion magazines, this study is a content analysis of the models used in Sports Illustrated and Vogue. The results indicate that there were significant differences in the skin tones of the models used in these magazines.

Effects of Knowledge Management on Electronic Commerce: An Exploratory Study in Taiwan

The Internet-enabled e-commerce field provides capabilities for firms in all sectors to reach global buyers and suppliers. Knowledge management provides frameworks to manage intellectual capital as a valuable organizational and strategic resource. Current literature on e-commerce and knowledge management primarily emphasizes the benefit of knowledge management for innovative e-commerce operations. Do knowledge management practices significantly benefit electronic commerce? If so, does the relationship work in the other direction? Does a firm’s e-commerce applications significantly benefit knowledge management practices, as well? To test these exploratory propositions, empirical data were collected from companies in a variety of industries in Taiwan, a country emphasizing e-commerce initiatives. The results revealed significant relationships between the way businesses implement electronic commerce projects and how they experiment with knowledge management concepts, as well as interesting benefits and difficulties in implementation. These relationships were found to operate in both directions, offering reinforcing effects as well as connections.

Complementarity merger as a driver of change and growth in higher education

Purpose Mergers in higher education seem to be more common as academic institutions work to control costs and avoid program duplications in challenging economic times and adopt the more common cost saving measures often espoused from business mergers. The purpose of this paper is to highlight successes from a complementarity-based merger of two institutions in the University System of Georgia (USG) and present results over time. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology was employed to explain why a particular merger resulted in greater growth compared to other system-wide academic mergers. This research focuses on a single merger of two institutions in Georgia, one of seven such mergers in the USG institutions to date, involving Gainesville State College and North Georgia College and State University to become the University of North Georgia. Observations are made and complimented by secondary data to rank growth among the seven USG consolidations. Findings The case findings highlight the success from the complementarity of these institutions. While the two were unique institutions, the success of the merger was linked to the underlying complementarity issues. Originality/value Using the strategic issues inherent in mergers from the business literature, the merger of the two institutions is profiled and discussion and recommendations are provided along with areas for future research.