Patricia Knowles

Mood and the service customer: review and propositions

Examines the role of the mood state that one brings to a service encounter and its effect on behaviour. Provides a broad overview of both mood effect and service encounter literature to arrive at a set of propositions linking the two. Offers implications for services marketers and directions for further research.

Mood versus Service Quality Effects on Customers’ Responses to Service Organizations and Service Encounters

This article examines the impact of customers’ moods (positive or negative) and various conditions of service excellence (positive, neutral, negative, or mixed) on recall, evaluation, and behavioral intentions regarding a service provider. Results indicate that mood plays a less significant role than the nature of the service encounter itself when it comes to individuals’cognitive, affective, and conative responses. Furthermore, it appears that encounters containing positive aspects have the potential to overcome a negative mood state that customers may bring to a service interaction. A number of managerial implications are also noted. These include recommendations that services managers (a) pay close attention to service quality; (b) realize that performing well on some dimensions of the service encounter may overcome poor performance on others; (c) work to create more neutral rather than positive mood-evoking conditions in their customers; and (d) actively promote the positive aspects of service encounters to their customers.

Marketing Department Leadership: An Analysis of a Team Transformation:

Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the leadership style of a department chair in a marketing department that underwent a transformation in collegiality and research productivity is investigated. The leader™s unique leadership style was compared to published models, and a composite model was identified based on responses of faculty familiar with the leader. Rationale for the mechanism at work and suggestions for application are stressed.

Strategic Internet and E-Commerce Applications for Local Nonprofit Organizations

SUMMARY The world of Internet applications is expanding faster than many academics and other professionals can follow. Although it is extremely challenging to provide a helpful review of such quickly changing issues, particularly those relating to local nonprofit organizations, we consider previous Internet and e-commerce research, the current state of organizational Web applications, different types of local nonprofit organizations and how their different missions and objectives may impact their strategic Web decisions. Perhaps more important, we also address a wide range of important individual e-technology issues and implications. For any nonprofit considering integrating an Internet presence into their promotion and offering mix, the process may seem to require almost heroic determination and dedication. It is a continuous challenge for professionals to search out critical information sources (books, articles, on-line postings, etc.) and many such sources are included here as examples and references. Finally, this review suggests that the Internet revolution is not just a new type of advertising technique, but has the potential to redefine organizations (including local nonprofits) and the professionals who run them.

Signal Detection Theory and Sales Effectiveness

The salesperson who is engaged in an adaptive selling effort often finds him/herself in a complex circumstance wrought with uncertainty. To negotiate the sales encounter successfully, the individual must call upon perceptual and cognitive skills in order to respond effectively to cues of possible events. The dynamics of this elaborate process are aptly detailed in a framework from psychophysics called “Signal Detection Theory” (SDT). The following article explores the potential contribution that SDT offers for adaptive selling and sales management. Explanations of why SDT is a reasonable addition to the adaptive selling literature are presented, propositions concerning SDTs role in effective selling are posited, and SDT-related sales management issues and implications are examined.

Building Relationships with Major‐Gift Donors: A Major‐Gift Decision‐Making, Relationship‐Building Model

An important concern for many nonprofits is their major gift (MG) fundraising. Major gifts comprise substantial percentages of a nonprofits annual budget, but to date there has not been any available stand‐alone, data‐driven, encompassing, nonprofit MG fundraising model. We propose the AID‐TIM (awareness and understanding, interest and involvement, desire to help, trial gift, information about what and how to give, and major gift action) model to alleviate that situation. Underpinnings of the model, explanation of the elements that make up the model, and benefits of using the model are discussed. Finally, detailed, how‐to sections for each element of the model are included.

Improving Sales Call Reporting for Better Management Decisions

States that information regarding the trading environment and customers is essential if a firm′s marketing is to be effective. Describes the two sources: primary, e.g. salespeople and distributors; and secondary such as statistical research. Examines the development of the cheaper primary source through the use of sales force feedback instruments, incorporating call reports. Concludes that the effective use of the sales feedback mechanism can assist managerial strategic decisions.

The Potential for Cross-Functional Contributions to B2B E-Commerce Marketing Initiatives: E-Commerce and Purchasing Professionals

ABSTRACT While there is a great deal of information in the literature linking purchasing personnel with both supply side and distribution side transactions, there is little evidence of their involvement in setting the design and strategic objectives of their own companys e-commerce activities. Yet, these professionals have much to offer marketing personnel who may be charged with developing e-commerce strategy and Websites. This paper suggests a proactive approach that supports the benefits of such cross-disciplinary collaboration between marketing and purchasing professionals within a firm.

A Trust-Building Strategy to Reduce Adversarial Tension and Increase Learning in Case Pedagogy

In this paper, the authors note that capstone and graduate case pedagogy often leads to negative tension in the classroom. To reduce the problem a trust-building, risk-reducing strategy is suggested to decrease tension and increase the students’ interest and involvement. Elements of that strategy include minimizing stress through information, structure and teambuilding, and improving performance through self-defined objectives, behavior modeling, nurturing student self-confidence, and by publicly rewarding excellence as acknowledged by peers.

The Advantages of the Customer Value/Mission Matrix for Strategic Nonprofit Marketing Analysis

Application of traditional portfolio methods to nonprofit marketing situations is difficult, to say the least. For the most part, they require detailed market share, market strength, market growth, market attractiveness, and/or cost and profit accounting information that many nonprofits do not have and may not be able to acquire given the nature of products typically offered by nonprofits, e.g., services and/or social behavior programs. We suggest use of a recently proposed product portfolio model, the customer value/mission (CV/M) matrix as a method that can help nonprofits in their product planning endeavors. The CV/M matrix better serves the needs of marketing strategists not only in for-profit organizations but in nonprofit ones as well. This is because it reflects on customer value and differential advantage in the eyes of an organization’s consumers. This paper directly compares the use of an older portfolio matrix that has been suggested for use in nonprofit organizations with use of the new matrix and discusses some advantages and disadvantages of each.