R.T. Frambach

An Integrated Model of Organizational Adoption and Diffusion of Innovations

In today′s competitive environment technology plays an important role. Diffusion theory offers useful insights into how to manage and market products based on new technology most effectively. However, the current diffusion model leaves much unsaid with regards to the adoption and diffusion of innovations among organizations owing to the fact that relevant research findings have not been incorporated in the diffusion model. Integrates these findings into the diffusion model.

Consequences of Forcing Consumers to Use Technology-Based Self-Service

Today, traditional full service is increasingly replaced with technology-based self-service (TBSS), sometimes with no other option for service delivery. This study develops a conceptual model to investigate the impact of forcing consumers to use TBSS. The model is tested using an experimental design within railway (ticketing and travel information) contexts. The results show that forced use leads to negative attitudes toward using the TBSS as well as toward the service provider, and it indirectly leads to adverse effects on behavioral intentions. The findings also show that offering interaction with an employee as a fall-back option offsets the negative consequences of forced use, and that previous experience with TBSS (in general) leads to more positive attitudes toward the offered self-service, which can offset the negative effects of forced use to some extent.

Adoption of a service innovation in the business market: An empirical test of supply-side variables

The objective of this article is to assess the influence of variables over which suppliers have control (supply-side variables) on the adoption of innovations in addition to adopter-side variables. The empirical study focused on the adoption of electronic banking in the Dutch business market. A quantitative study was conducted to test hypotheses. The results show that the extent to which a supplier has pursued a strategy aimed at positioning the innovation in the marketplace or has focused on reducing the risk of adoption has a positive and significant effect on the probability of innovation adoption. The evidence corroborates that not only adopter-side variables significantly influence innovation, but supply-side variables as well.

Determinants of the adoption of new product development tools by industrial firms

Abstract Despite the fact that failure rates of new products remain high, research shows low levels of penetration for tools and techniques to aid new product development (NPD). The objective of this study is to increase our understanding of the determinants of the adoption and diffusion of NPD tools and techniques. Empirical research was conducted in The Netherlands using a sample of 70 industrial companies. The results show a significant influence of innovation strategy, the number of interactions between departments involved in the NPD process, the number of departments involved in the NPD process, prior adoption of tools, and the number of NPD stages on tool adoption. The results and managerial implications are discussed.

Strategy based segmentation of industrial markets

Abstract Segmentation of industrial markets is typically based on observable characteristics of firms such as their location and size. However, such variables have been found to be poor predictors of industrial buying behavior. To improve the effectiveness and power of existing approaches to industrial market segmentation, we propose using unobservable characteristics such as organizational strategy in addition to the observable characteristics currently used. An important justification for our approach is that a firm’s strategy influences its behavior, especially its buying behavior; as a result, adding the strategic type and orientation of firms to a segmentation scheme is bound to improve the effectiveness of the scheme. To test the effectiveness of our approach, we conducted an empirical study of the purchase of car phones by 200 Dutch firms. The results support our predictions. In fact, they indicate that a firm’s strategy is an even more important determinant of industrial buying behavior than the variables currently used. Thus, strategy-based segmentation may be a more powerful and effective approach to industrial segmentation than current approaches.

Market research companies and new product development tools

This research investigates (1) the share of new product development (NPD) research services in market research (MR) companies’ turnover, (2) MR companies’ awareness and use of NPD tools and the modifications made to these NPD tools, and (3) MR company managers’ perceptions of the influence of client use of commissioned NPD research on client NPD performance. The results from a sample of 35 Dutch and Belgium MR companies show that NPD research is a major growth area. MR companies mainly use qualitative research and focus on marketing‐mix and product optimization services. A moderate awareness and use of NPD tools exists, although major differences between tools exist. In over 75 percent of all cases MR companies have adjusted the NPD tools they use. Especially customization and standardization of the tools have taken place. Analyzing the relationship between the level of use of commissioned NPD research and client NPD performance, no significant main effect is found. However, a positive effect exists between the use of MR companies’ services and NPD performance for firms that specifically aim to solve NPD problems and/or increase their NPD success.

Strategic marketing research

This article introduces the term “strategic marketing research” for the collection and analysis of data in support of strategic marketing management. In particular, strategic marketing research plays an important role in defining the market, analysis of the environment, and the formulation of marketing instrument strategies. The concept of strategic marketing research allows research on important topics such as segmentation, positioning, new product development, and product/service quality to be placed into a broader framework.

Exploratory Results on the Importance of R&D Knowledge Domains in Businesses with Different Strategies

A number of studies hare described the consequences of the changing patterns in the business environment for R&D departments. Fewer studies have addressed the specific implications of the changing business environment for the agenda of R&D managers. Gupta and Wilemon (1996) have provided R&D managers with a priority list for action designed to be applicable to R&D departments independent of business strategy. However, a substantial body of literature suggests that the priority listing may be different for R&D departments in businesses with different strategies. Against this background this study sets out to determine whether the priority listing is different for Miles and Snows (1978) strategic archetypes of prospectors, analyzers, defenders and reactors. A total of 72 R&D managers of businesses competing in industrial markets in the Netherlands provided the data to test for the existence of these differences. The results indicate that the priority listings are indeed different for R&D departments in businesses with different strategies. This finding has important practical implications. The priority listings can be used by R&D managers to assess which R&D capabilities have to be developed in order to match R&D strategy with business strategy and meet the criteria for getting more commercial payback from R&D in a changing business environment.

Consultative selling in financial services: an observational study of the mortgage mediation process

Notes that the literature on personal selling and advising on services stresses the importance of analysing the actual client‐adviser interaction process. Explores this process of interaction in a mortgage setting by observing 42 conversations between advisers and 26 clients. The exact content and characteristics of interactions were recorded and coded using a category system based on consultative selling. The results show vast differences between advisers in their selling approach. In most cases, the sequence of problem‐solving phases that advisers employed differed from those of the ideal model. Advisers generally did not probe for the wishes of clients but instead started by presenting alternative product solutions, a typical feature of a hard selling approach. Demonstrates the effectiveness of direct observation for the study of client‐server interaction in financial services.

Mandatory use of technology-based self-service: does expertise help or hurt?

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the effects of two types of expertise (self-service technology and service type) on the disconfirmation of customers’ expectations and the use-related outcomes of technology-based self-service (TBSS). Design/methodology/approach – This empirical study pertains to the mandatory use of a national public transport chip card in The Netherlands based on a sample of 267 users of this TBSS. Findings – The findings show that technology experts experienced a less positive disconfirmation of expectations and reported less positive evaluations of the new self-service than technology novices. Technology experts also showed lower intentions to engage in positive word-of-mouth than technology novices. The evaluation of the self-service by technology novices is more positive for those that are service experts as compared to service novices, while the evaluation by technology experts is more negative for those that are service experts as compared to service novices. Research limit...