Karen Norman Kennedy

Implementing a Customer Orientation: Extension of Theory and Application

The marketing literature affirms the value of a customer orientation to organizational performance, but it is relatively silent on the implementation of this orientation. This research reports the results of a paired-comparison ethnographic study of the dynamics of implementing a customer orientation in a major public school district. Changes at a progressing site are compared with those at a struggling site. The study provides answers to the question of how an organization adopts a customer orientation by refining understanding of the roles of leadership, interfunctional coordination, and the collection and dissemination of customer-focused data in the transformation process.

Customer Mind-Set of Employees throughout the Organization

Previous research has provided strong evidence for the benefits of embracing a market orientation, an organizational focus highlighting the needs of customers, and the creation of customer value. This study extends this focus on the customer to the individual worker level. A construct, customer mind-set (CMS), is developed that reflects the extent to which an individual employee believes that understanding and satisfying customers, whether internal or external to the organization, is central to the proper execution of his or her job. In this exploratory study, the authors develop a parsimonious scale for measuring CMS. Relationships between CMS and significant organizational variables are examined to establish CMSs validity and provide some tentative insights into its value to researchers and practitioners. The authors believe the CMS construct will allow for operational-level analysis of the extent to which a customer orientation is embraced throughout an organization, permitting managers to implement targeted improvement strategies.

Enriching Our Understanding of Student Team Effectiveness

As team projects become ever more common in business and in the marketing classroom, an increased understanding of factors contributing to team effectiveness is necessary for instructors to assist students in realizing the potential benefits of this pedagogical tool. Drawing from a wide base of literature on team research, the authors develop an input-process-output model of team effectiveness. Using data from 85 teams from marketing classes, this model was tested. Results support the positive and direct role of cohesion as an input variable on the process variable of team work. Additional relationships are explored, and the implications of the research findings are discussed with practical suggestions for the marketing classroom.

From prisoners to apostles: a typology of repeat buyers and loyal customers in service businesses

Research in customer satisfaction over the past decade has lead to a much richer understanding of service quality and customer expectations. In trying to untangle the linkage between satisfied customers and long‐term success for the organization, however, attention has evolved from a focus on customer satisfaction to a realization that retaining customers and developing loyalty are essential for organizational success. This interpretive investigation focuses on customer retention and loyalty in an effort to understand better these variables in the context of service organizations. In so doing we review the rise of managerial concern for customer retention and loyalty and examine the definitions and relationships of these constructs. Then, to develop a richer understanding of repeat buyers, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with consumers identifying themselves as “loyal”. A typology of loyalty is offered consisting of five levels of repeat buyers, ranging from “prisoners” to “apostles”. Additionally, the managerial implications of this typology are discussed.

Understanding sales manager effectiveness: Linking attributes to sales force values

Abstract Although sales managers influence a variety of sales force outcomes critically important in the dynamic business environment of the 21st Century, research examining sales manager effectiveness is limited. As such, an investigation of the attributes of effective sales managers, as well as the impact of these attributes on the sales force, is warranted. To explore these issues, the authors employed value laddering, an in-depth interview technique that facilitates the identification of key attributes and the subsequent linkages of those attributes to consequences and underlying values or goals held by respondents. Data collected from sales professionals resulted in 308 ladders that were subsequently aggregated across subjects and used to generate a hierarchical value map (HVM) reflecting the associations among constructs. The HVM highlights the attributes of effective sales managers, as identified by respondents, and reflects three major sales management roles: communicator, motivator and coach. Each of these roles is explored and managerial and research implications are discussed.

What are the Characteristics of an Effective Sales Manager? an Exploratory Study Comparing Salesperson and Sales Manager Perspectives

This study builds on previous research concerning sales manager selection by examining the characteristics of effective sales managers from two perspectives—that of sales managers and sales representatives. Results of this exploratory study indicate that sales representatives assess the effectiveness of sales managers through the manager’s broad knowledge base along with communication, listening, and human relations skills to develop a role as “supporter” of the sales force. Sales managers, on the other hand, believe that their knowledge base along with effective utilization of communication, listening, human relations, and organization skills allow them to be more of a “participant” in the sales process, thus strengthening their position as an effective sales manager. The implications of this and other findings are discussed in the manuscript.

Buyer‐seller relationships and information sources in an e‐commerce world

In the environment of business‐to‐business e‐commerce, both buyers and sellers are uncertain about their roles. Questions abound. What is the role of the Internet in buyer‐seller relationships, and what will be the interface between the Internet and the salesforce as information sources? Data collected from purchasing professionals suggest that traditional information sources, including suppliers’ salespeople, are more useful than the Internet at the present time. Moreover, findings indicate that the Internet plays almost no role in supplier selection decisions and only a moderate role in ongoing buyer‐seller relationships. Additionally, in relationships characterized by high levels of information exchange, trust, cooperation, and/or adaptations, the Internet appears to play a less important role. Based on these findings, implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

A Global Perspective on the Current State of Sales Education in the College Curriculum

In developing on-going customer relationships required in a global business world, twenty-first-century businesses are demanding greater numbers of well-trained, entry-level sales representatives while at the same time expecting higher levels of professionalism and skill from these salespeople. With increased focus on professional selling, we address the question: has the delivery of sales education at universities evolved in response to current demands? This research assesses the current state of sales education in domestic and international universities by surveying department chairs and sales faculty to determine what courses are being taught, what pedagogical techniques are being used, and what are the concerns facing departments in the delivery of sales education. In addition, we contrast the curriculum of schools that offer a dedicated sales program with those that have a general business or marketing program. We also focus attention on the differences and similarities of U.S. and global universities’ sales offerings. Our findings provide benchmarks for schools that are developing or enhancing their sales courses to meet the demand from businesses.

Web-Based Cases in Strategic Marketing:

Case analyses have been widely used in many different settings as a pedagogical tool that provides realistic analogs for encouraging students to develop managerially relevant skills. This article extends the traditional use of published cases and describes the development of Web-based cases for use in marketing courses. Web-based cases require the student to develop a current case by determining relevant company and industry material from Internet sources, identifying a problem, and providing analysis. Through this method, the student becomes more active in the learning process by being, in effect, both case writer and analyzer. This new type of case is compared with traditional cases, and feedback from the instructor and from students is provided. As an adjunct to traditional published cases, Web-based cases offer up-to-date, diverse case material that presents students with challenging, real-word experiences.

Patient care teams and customer satisfaction: the role of team cohesion

Patient care teams are emerging as health care organizations continue to face resource constraints and greater demands for patient satisfaction. Although health care management researchers and managers tout the benefits of teams, findings from empirical research are mixed regarding the use of patient care teams. To gain a better understanding of patient care teams, we examined the antecedents and consequences of cohesion, one construct hypothesized to contribute to effective team performance. Previous research suggests adequacy of team training, pay equity, and acceptance of teamwork as antecedents positively associated with the team cohesion. Findings support the importance of training and a positive predisposition for teamwork to be significantly related to cohesion. Importantly, cohesion was linked to quality of patient care leading to greater levels of patient satisfaction. Implications for managers and researchers are discussed.