Kenneth R. Bartkus

How Important Are Items on a Student Evaluation? A Study of Item Salience.

Although student evaluations of teaching (SETs) have been the subject of numerous research studies, the salience of SET items to students has not been examined. In the present study, the authors surveyed 484 students from a large public university. The authors suggest that not all items are viewed equally and that measures of item salience can differ on the basis of student characteristics such as gender, class year, and major. The authors provide a discussion of these findings and recommendations.

Social Media and Marketing Education: A Review of Current Practices in Curriculum Development.

Given the presumed importance of social media to marketing, along with the apparent lack of research concerning social media curriculum development, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic analysis of social media curriculum through the evaluation of undergraduate course syllabi in the United States. This research is intended to develop a better understanding of how social media content is being taught in institutions of higher education.

The Quality of Guest Comment Cards An Empirical Study of U.S. Lodging Chains

This study examines the quality of guest comment cards used by major U.S. lodging chains. To accomplish this objective, guidelines for comment card design were developed through a review of the relevant literature. The guidelines focus on eight issues: (1) return methods, (2) introductory statements, (3) contact information, (4) number of questions, (5) space for open comments, (6) number of response categories for closed-ended questions, (7) balanced versus unbalanced response categories for closed-ended questions, and (8) question wording. Using a sample of 63 lodging chains, the most common deviations from guidelines include a lack of secure return methods, the use of positively biased response categories, and insufficient writing space for open comments. To improve the quality of comment card feedback, these and other limitations should be corrected. Managerial implications and directions for future research are included.

The Relative Influence of Achievement Motivation and Irritability-Impatience on the Selling Performance of Travel Agents: Implications of the Type A Behavior Pattern

Travel managers are interested in recruiting agents who have both the motivation to work hard and the ability to get along well with others. In this regard, the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) may have important implications. Specifically, its achievement motivation component should result in higher levels of selling performance, while its impatience-irritability component should result in lower levels of selling performance. In addition, since prior research has shown that achievement motivation and impatience-irritability are correlated, the TABP can be problematic. This study reviews the theoretical foundation of the TABP as it relates to personal selling and provides an empirical test of the relationships in a travel service selling context. The results show that (1) achievement motivation and impatience-irritability are correlated, (2) achievement motivation has a positive influence on travel selling performance, and (3) impatience-irritability has a negative influence on travel selling performance. Managerial implications are also provided.

Managerial Antecedents and Individual Consequences of Group Cohesiveness in Travel Service Selling

A latent variable structural equation model describing the relationship between managerial actions, group cohesiveness, and selected job-related outcomes was developed and tested using a sample of travel agents. The results of the analysis indicated that cohesiveness influences a variety of salient outcomes, including organizational commitment, job satisfaction, motivation, and role stress. Consistent with some prior research, the relationship between cohesiveness and selling performance was not significant. The results also showed that management actions in the form of task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership directly influence cohesiveness. Managerial implications are discussed.

The Performance Trade-off B etween Experience and Motivation: Its Impact on Travel Service Selling

An empirical investigation of the trade-off between motivation and experience was conducted in a travel services setting. Highly experienced but less motivated travel agents performed no better than highly motivated but less experienced ones. This result suggests that recruiting decisions should be based on long-term considerations and the internal competencies of the agency. Managerial implications are provided.

Market-driven versus market-driving behaviours: preliminary evidence for developing competitive advantage in high-technology markets

Market orientation is considered an important means of achieving competitive advantage. While the concept appears to have particular relevance for high-technology markets, it has yet to be adequately examined in this context. Hence, the generalisability of the market orientation concept to high-technology markets has yet to be established. Additionally, while market-driven behaviour has been a central construct in market orientation research, market-driving behaviour has received much less attention. As such, the relative influence that each of these has on an organisations performance remains unknown. This study addresses these issues by examining the relationship between market orientation, competitive advantage and financial performance using a sample of marketing and senior managers from 164 diverse high-technology organisations. Results suggest that successful organisations are those that exhibit relatively high levels of customer-driven, customer-driving, and competitor-driving behaviours. Competitor-driven behaviour was negatively associated with success. Implications and future research are discussed.

Adjustment strategies and business success in minority-owned family firms

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in their reported use of adjustment strategies, and the relationship between the use of adjustment strategies and perceived business success. The sample consisted of 193 African American, 200 Mexican American, 200 Korean American, and 210 white business owners. Mexican American and Korean American business owners reported higher levels of adjustment strategy use than African American and white business owners. The ordinary least squares show that reallocating family resources to meet business needs and reallocating business resources to meet family needs were negatively associated with perceived business success, whereas hiring paid help was positively associated with perceived business success.

Clarifications on the Design of Customer Comment Cards: Question Type, Question Wording, and Writing Space

Comment cards are a common way to obtain timely customer feedback. Prior research has shown, however, that comment cards are often poorly designed. As such, researchers have identified areas where improvements can be made. Despite these efforts, there are at least three issues where additional clarification is warranted; namely, the appropriate types of questions to ask, question wording related to the use of double-barreled questions, and the appropriate amount of writing space for comments. This research note helps clarify these issues by proposing: (a) that the most appropriate questions are those that help quantify the qualitative comments, (b) that not all double-barreled questions are as problematic as some suggest, and (c) that the minimally acceptable amount of space for writing comments is more than previously thought. The proposed clarifications are illustrated using a sample of restaurant comment cards.

An Expanded Model of the Experience/Performance Relationship in Travel Service Selling

Relevant work experience is an important factor in determining the sales performance of travel agents. Unfortunately, some individuals learn more from experience than others. Adapting consumer information processing theory to a personal selling perspective, this study suggests that a major cause of variance in the experience/performance relationship can be explained by the degree to which an agent is motivated to acquire expertise in the form of relevant knowledge and skills. The results show that motivated agents are more likely to acquire greater functional expertise, while relatively unmotivated agents are more likely to acquire greater symbolic expertise. Only functional expertise was shown to be a significant predictor of performance. Managerial implications and directions for future research are presented.