Walfried M. Lassar

Service quality perspectives and satisfaction in private banking

Examines the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction from two distinct methodological perspectives. Specifically, a study utilizing a sample of international private banking customers is conducted wherein service quality is operationalized via two distinct and well‐known measures – SERVQUAL and Technical/Functional Quality. These two service quality measures are subsequently compared and contrasted as to their ability to predict customer satisfaction. To further assess the validity of these findings, two moderators of the service‐quality/customer‐satisfaction relationship are introduced and evaluated. Finally, this research examines the potential utility of employing separate measures for customer satisfaction from the perspectives of both technical and functional aspects of the service delivery process. Overall, our findings are of importance to service managers as they strive to identify efficient and effective approaches for improving quality. The paper explores the theoretical and practical insights of the findings, including potential strengths and limitations of current service quality models with regard to their ability to define and explain the quality/satisfaction relationship.

Sexual Liberalism as a Determinant of Consumer Response to Sex in Advertising

The use of sex in advertising continues unabated, public outcry against it notwithstanding. Although some sex in ads might sell, as advertisers obviously believe to be the case, the question is, when is the use of sex appropriate, and for which target audiences? The present research examines this question, with consumer data from a study where consumers were shown an ad with either low or high sexual content. Results show that while the ad with high sexual content was uniformly judged to be ethically more unjust (compared to ads with low sexual content), the adverse effect on attitude toward the ad is not obtained for all consumers. Our results show that it depends on the sexual liberalism of the audience and on whether or not the use of sex is considered manipulative. Our research suggests that advertising professionals should assess sexual liberalism of their target audience and use sex only within the requisites of the communication task.

The mediating impact of stickiness and loyalty on word-of-mouth promotion of retail websites: A consumer perspective

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to develop and empirically test a model which examines the relationship between e-servicescape dimensions, website quality dimensions, website stickiness, website loyalty and word-of-mouth (WOM). The role of WOM in influencing consumer behaviour is documented in literature. However, despite its growing importance, research on the antecedents of WOM in the e-retail context is sparse. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by circulating the questionnaire using an online survey from the graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a large university in the northeastern USA. Out of 660 questionnaires distributed, 509 were usable. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings – Results show that website stickiness and website loyalty are two different constructs which form the immediate antecedents of WOM. Results also show the indirect effects of e-servicescape and website quality dimensions on WOM. Practi...

Increasing the persuasiveness of a service guarantee: the role of service process evidence

After investing in service quality improvement programs, firms may realize that they still face a daunting challenge: How should they persuade consumers that service has actually improved? One way of attempting to persuade consumers is to offer a service guarantee. But are guarantees credible? Are they really effective? Can they overcome consumers’ prior negative experience? Surprisingly, the topic has received very little attention. This paper provides a conceptual and an empirical examination of the persuasive power of service guarantees. Specifically, the effects of service process evidence, compensation and prior beliefs about the service provider, are examined. The experimental data indicate that the inclusion of service process evidence significantly increases consumers’ willingness to try the provider. The findings also suggest that compensation is more persuasive when service process evidence is specified in the guarantee. The synergy of presenting service process evidence and high compensation, is able to overcome consumers’ prior (negative) exposure. Overall, the study supports the conclusion that consumers are primarily interested in service reliability and only secondarily in compensation for service failures. Managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

Media perceptions and their impact on Web site quality

The growth of the Internet has created an explosion of sites that seek to provide information and conduct business transactions. The service industry and especially online banking stand to gain from that development. This study, anchored in the marketing, social psychology, media, and information systems literature, investigates how users perceive the Internet’s abilities to conduct banking activities. Results show variation in media perceptions for the same online banking site across various task environments. The results indicate that user perceptions of the Internet medium depend on task complexity and that technology can serve as a mitigating factor to improve media and quality perception.

The Pursuit of Excellence in Process Thinking and Customer Relationship Management

It is deduced from evolutionary economics theory that the first priority in sales and customer relationship management improvement is to identify, recruit, and train process thinking excellence. A method of measuring process thinking excellence is presented. We also propose a method and metric that the excellent process thinkers in sales management can use in pursuing customer relationship management best practice excellence.

Hispanic vs non‐Hispanic response to online self‐service tasks: implications for perceived quality and patronage intentions

Purpose – Although internet growth has allowed producers to shift control of service transactions to the customer, little research has examined the effects of this shift. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how the performance of different task types differentially affects consumer responses.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a field study using online data collection to examine the US Hispanic market, the fastest‐growing consumer group in the US as well as one of the fastest growing online user groups.Findings – The paper finds that Hispanic consumers were less affected by the type of task than non‐Hispanic consumers, in terms of perceived quality, satisfaction, and intended patronage. Using constructs from the communications literature, task effects on three communication perceptions were shown to explain the differences.Research limitations/implications – The results provide support for the notion that more complex (transaction) tasks can lead to lower evaluations than less complex (inform...

Convenience and satisfaction: mediation of fairness and quality

ABSTRACT This study investigates the role of service fairness and service quality in the relationship between service convenience types (decision, access, transaction, benefit and post-benefit) and customer satisfaction. Results show that service convenience has a significant positive impact on service fairness. Both service fairness and service quality mediate the relationship between service convenience and customer satisfaction. This study provides useful insights to both researchers and practitioners on the role of service convenience in improving service fairness, service quality and customer satisfaction. Findings of this study contribute to the literature by empirically investigating the impact of service convenience types on service fairness, service quality and customer satisfaction; and by examining the mediating role of service fairness and service quality between convenience types and customer satisfaction.

Antecedents to online purchasing : An exploratory comparison of anglo versus hispanic consumers in the United States

ABSTRACT This exploratory research investigates whether or not Anglo versus Hispanic consumers in the United States (US) differ with respect to purchase behavior on the Internet. As a new, ground-breaking innovation, the Internet represents an entirely new medium of exchange. In this study, we address whether or not the Internet has been adopted to the same extent and in the same way(s) among Anglo and Hispanic US consumers. Anglos and Hispanics represent the two largest segments of the US population and, curiously, little if any marketing research has compared and contrasted these two groups with respect to using the Internet to make commercial purchases. Extant theory and research in electronic commerce provide a basis to suggest that there may, in fact, be differences across these two US sub-cultures. Our findings reveal that the two groups do actually differ in this regard; the data also offer insights into these differences.

Relationship Communication and Relationship Quality as Predictors of Relationship Continuity

Communication is considered as one of the important factors in fostering relationship development and maintenance (Finne and Gronroos 2009; Dagger et al. 2011). It provides an understanding of the exchange partners’ intentions, and fosters trust and information exchange needed to promote long-term customer relationships. It is considered as a “necessary process” for developing and maintaining enduring and mutually beneficial relationships between the firm and its customers (Berry 1995). Despite its significance, communication has attracted limited attention in the relationship marketing and services marketing domain. In response to the recent calls for empirical inquiries into the role of communication (Finne and Gronroos 2009), this study contributes to literature by examining the strategic role of relationship communication in the B2C service relationships. More specifically, based on the intercultural and interpersonal communication and relationship marketing literature we propose and examine the role of relationship communication in enhancing the relationship quality and improving relationship continuity with the service provider.