Hing-Po Lo

An Integrated Framework for Service Quality, Customer Value, Satisfaction: Evidence from China's Telecommunication Industry

Service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value have become the priority of both manufacturers and service provider in the increasingly intensified competition for customers in todays customer-centered era. However, findings regarding service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value are rather divergent and related studies are fragmented, especially for the complicated interrelationships among them. Thus, less is known about the relative impacts of quality-related factors on customer value and customer satisfaction up to now and the moderating role of customer value in the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction has been neglected. Further, it is very difficult to find related studies, supported by evidence, that focus on service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value, and their influences on customer behavior intentions in the telecommunication industry. In this paper, much attention is paid to the measurement model of service quality in Chinas mobile communication market based on the well-known SERVQUAL model, but with reasonable modification on the basis of focus group discussions and expert opinions to reflect the specific industry attributes and the special culture of China. By taking a disaggregated approach, the key drivers of service quality, customer value and customer satisfaction are first identified and the impact of customer perceived sacrifice on customer value is emphasized. Then attention is given to the systematic study of the dynamic relationships among them, especially the moderating effect of customer value on the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction, which is followed by the examination of their influences on behavior intentions of customers. Results are based on the development of structural equation models using Partial Least Square technique.

Service quality, customer satisfaction and behavior intentions

It is well known that service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value are becoming the most important factors of business success for either manufacturers or service providers. However, many different conclusions have been reached and related studies are rather fragmented, especially with regard to customer value. Furthermore, there are few related studies with service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value and their influences on customers’ future behaviors in the telecommunication industry as the focus. In this paper, attention is paid to the measurement model of service quality in China’s mobile phone market based on the well‐known SERVQUAL model, but with modification on the basis of focus group discussions and expert opinions to reflect the specific industry attributes and the special culture of China. Emphasis is then paid to the study of the dynamic relationships among service quality, customer value, customer satisfaction and their influences on future behaviors after the key drivers of customer value and customer satisfaction are identified. All of them are based on the development of structural equation models by using PLS‐GRAPH Package.

Customer‐focused performance and the dynamic model for competence building and leveraging

In todays turbulent environment, customers are playing a more important role in competition, which can be reflected by customers as co‐producer, value co‐producer, or co‐developer of knowledge and competencies, etc. Accordingly, business priority should be given to what customers really value. Unlike previous studies, which emphasize market performance mainly from the internal or firms perspective, this paper proposes that firms should prioritize customer‐focused performance, defined totally from an external perspective of targeted customers. The paper examines the important role of customer‐focused performance and its interactive relationships with other dimensions of the overall performance system, and goes further to analyze the components and dynamics of customer‐focused performance. Finally, attention is given to the dynamic competence building and leveraging process and its key elements, which determines the customer‐focused performance in perspective of resource‐based views. Important propositions are presented and future implications discussed.

Simultaneous estimation of an origin-destination matrix and link choice proportions using traffic counts

A procedure for the simultaneous estimation of an origin-destination (OD) matrix and link choice proportions from OD survey data and traffic counts for congested network is proposed in this paper. Recognizing that link choice proportions in a network change with traffic conditions, and that the dispersion parameter of the route choice model should be updated for a current data set, this procedure performs statistical estimation and traffic assignment alternately until convergence in order to obtain the best estimators for both the OD matrix and link choice proportions, which are consistent with the survey data and traffic counts. Results from a numerical study using a hypothetical network have shown that a model allowing [theta] to be estimated simultaneously with an OD matrix from the observed data performs better than the model with a fixed predetermined [theta]. The application of the proposed model to the Tuen Mun Corridor network in Hong Kong is also presented in this paper. A reasonable estimate of the dispersion parameter [theta] for this network is obtained.

How technological capability influences business performance

Purpose – This study seeks to address three research questions: how technology capability impact business performance? Does the linkage between technology capability and business performance depend on specific contexts? Why do some high‐tech firms of strong technological capability fail?Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on various theoretical perspectives to develop hypotheses that propose a direct relationship between technological capability and business performance (both new product development and overall business performance), the mediating role of customer value, the possible moderating effects of business environment and other important contingent factors such as learning orientation. A conceptual framework is devised and tested that examines these relationships in general and in various contexts, which is believed more important and useful for firms to manage their technological capability more effectively.Findings – Findings from high‐tech firms in China confirm the validity of the fr...

The Impact of Travel Time Reliability and Perceived Service Quality on Airport Ground Access Mode Choice

This study makes two contributions to existing airport ground access mode choice models. The first is an assessment of travel time reliability on air passenger airport ground access mode choice decisions. Revealed preference questions were asked to determine the safety margin allowed for ground access journey to airports. The larger the safety margin allowances, the less reliable the passenger perceived the mode to be. Stated preference questions were also used to determine the impact of travel time reliability on mode choice decisions. The second contribution of this research is the incorporation of air passenger perceived service quality in the calibration of airport ground access mode choice model. With the use of the survey data, the effects of safety margin allowances, travel time reliability, and perceived service quality on ground access mode choices to Hong Kong International Airport are quantified by a multinomial logit-type mode choice model. For strategic planning, the calibrated model can be used by the airport authority and various transport operators for evaluating the changes in the service attributes on modal split pattern in international airports, hence improving the access mode services.

Multi‐level competition and the integrated hierarchical model of competitive advantages in turbulent environments: a resource‐based view

In today’s turbulent environments, competition has gone far beyond the traditional product‐based competition and taken on an increasingly new look, with its nature and rules changing fundamentally. Accordingly, firms are competing with one another at multiple levels at the same time and as a result building and enhancing multi‐layer competitive advantage is becoming the focus of competition for any firm to succeed. Tries to develop an effective framework for companies to deal with the challenges of turbulent environments by integrating existing theories and techniques together and applying them as a whole Finally, provides an integrated framework with a practical example of Haier Group as a perspective of organizational learning, where there is successful competition in a turbulent environment and where the model is implemented practically.

Developing a tendering strategy in two-envelope fee tendering based on technical score-fee variability

Consultants, in competing for work through two-envelope fee tendering, have been urged to consider variability differences between fees and technical scores, since the criterion with the greatest variability will influence which consultant is awarded the contract. Fee and technical score variability arising from different client fee tendering competitions is analysed in this paper, and a method proposed for determining whether a particular clients two-envelope fee tendering competition is likely to be dominated in terms of technical score or fee. Such information should be useful to consultants, as part of their bidding strategy, in deciding whether to aim for a higher technical score or submit a lower fee. Standard deviation is used to measure fee and technical score variability. Fee and technical score standard deviations are determined for each tendering competition, expressed as a ratio and aggregated over a series of competitions. A technical score-fee standard deviation ratio approximately equal to unity indicates that for future competitions consultants should adopt a balanced bidding strategy in putting equal emphasis on fee and technical score. A smaller ratio indicates that consultants should adopt a ‘low fee’ strategy whereas a larger ratio shows that consultants should adopt a ‘high technical score’ strategy. Fee tendering data from two large Hong Kong public sector clients were analysed. Fees were found to dominate the vast majority of tendering competitions, thereby indicating that consultants would be wise to adopt a low fee strategy in future competitions.

How relationship benefits drive customer asset of a firm: a theoretical framework and empirical investigation

In todays customer-centered era, relationship management is becoming increasingly important, and more firms have transferred their attention from tangible assets towards a new strategic asset-customer asset. Accordingly, relationship benefits have become the focus given that parties in a relationship must benefit for it to continue in the long run. This paper is to identify the key dimension of relationship benefits and examine, by using a disaggregated approach, how they may exert differentiated driving forces on customer asset of a firm. Furthermore, it explores when each dimension of relationship benefits will become even more important by taking a contingent perspective.