Degree Of Customer Orientation Research Articles

Predicting brand equity by text-analyzing annual reports

A firm’s public disclosure, such as its annual report, usually carries information of what it has done and/or will do. Since brand equity is a result of a firm’s branding efforts resulting from its long-term culture, strategy, and execution, an interesting but understudied issue is whether the information revealed in the text of a firm’s public disclosure predicts its brand equity. In this study, we propose that how managers think and therefore what the firm behind a brand does will help predict brand equity, with the thoughts and deeds of concern reflected in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) component of the firm’s annual reports (i.e., 10-K filings). Through text analysis and regression analysis on annual reports, we empirically demonstrate that a firm’s degree of customer orientation and a set of word categories as inferred from its MD&A component in the annual reports significantly predict its brand equity (as measured by the four dimensions of Young & Rubicam’s Brand Asset Valuator, i.e., BAV).

Host Country Marketing Culture and Foreign Direct Investment

This paper attempts to analyze the impact of host country competitive environment on the level of FDI that the host country receives. Specifically, we consider two features of the competitive environment: buyers’ sophistication and firms’ degree of customer orientation. Using a large set of panel data and controlling for economic causes along with sources of risk, we find that FDI stocks in a country decreases with the degree of buyer sophistication and increases with the degree of customer orientation of firms. These results suggest that target country competitive environment is an important factor that determines where FDI goes.

Outsourcing frontline functions and implications on customer-oriented behaviors: A case of a telecommunications company and its partners in South Korea

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine whether outsourcing frontline functions warrants equivalent level of customer-orientated behaviors as provided by a principal organization, and, if not, what the causes of the differences are. A total of 753 frontline workers of a leading South Korean telecommunications company and its partner companies responded to a survey regarding their levels of customer-oriented behaviors, their supervisor's degree of customer orientation, and their organization's training on customer orientation. Structural equation models were then utilized to examine the proposed relationships. The results show that the frontline workers of the partner organizations have a significantly lower level of customer-oriented behaviors compared with those of the principal organization. The immediate supervisor's degree of customer orientation and customer-orientation training accounted for a significant amount of difference found between the principal and partner organizations.

Developing customer-focused public sector reward schemes

Purpose – Governmental agencies are interested in improving the quality of their service delivery. One tool that has been used to manage their performance is performance based reward schemes (PBRS). The aim of this paper is to examine the degree to which a sample of these plans, used within the Botswana public sector, is customer-focused. Being more customer-focused should deliver improved public sector service quality. Design/methodology/approach – This study carried out an evaluation of a sample of Botswana PBRS plans, using multidimensional content analysis undertaken by four expert “evaluators”, to identify the degree to which the PBRS were customer-focused. Findings – Classifying PBRS plans as being customer-focused was difficult, as the plans had few objectives related to customer experiences or outcomes. Those that did had poorly defined performance objectives, their targets were not specific, or there was limited explicit role responsibility. Thus, PBRS plans seemed not to focus on improving customer outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The PBRS evaluated do not appear to be customer-focused and, thus, would have limited ability to improve customer experiences (i.e. public sector quality). Further research is needed in other countries to see whether these results are generalisable, and whether service levels vary with more customer-focused PBRS plans. Practical implications – The results suggest improvements that could be adopted by organisations seeking to make their PBRS schemes customer-focused. Originality/value – Extensive research suggests that PBRS plans can be used to improve service quality. Most of the studies have focused on the employees' perspectives and have not looked at the degree of customer orientation within the plans.

Employee Empowerment and Customer Orientation: Effects on Workers' Attitudes in Restaurant Organizations

The goal of the research presented in this article is to contribute to a better understanding of how empowerment, employee customer orientation (CO), job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job involvement relate to each other. The path model presents a driver of CO (empowerment) and the influence of CO on outcome variables. Data from 308 employees of nine full-service restaurants of a major chain located in the central United States is used for the structure equation modeling analysis. Results indicate that empowerment plays a significant role in shaping an employee's level of customer orientation. Employees identified as having a high degree of CO in turn report more positive response than other employees to personal attitudes related to their jobs, such as job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment.

Tracing customer orientation and marketing capabilities through retailers’ websites: A strategic approach to internet marketing

The study extends the concepts of customer orientation and marketing capabilities to an online retailing context while it examines the ability of product involvement to distinguish retailers ' websites. The objectives of this article are: (a) to identify the degree of customer orientation as manifested on retailers ' websites, (b) to investigate the marketing capabilities revealed through their websites and (c) to examine the role of involvement as a differentiating factor in an online context. A twofold methodological approach was taken by employing content analysis and concept mapping. The results indicate that a certain degree of customer orientation and marketing capabilities are revealed through retailers ' websites while the above constructs can be used to identify distinct website groups. Moreover, the degree of customer orientation and marketing capabilities as refl ected on these websites differ signifi cantly between product categories of high and low involvement. Managerial implications for managing websites ' customer orientation and marketing capabilities are discussed.

A situation calculus based approach to dynamic management of e-business services

In the era of e-businesses, the traditional business services are greatly challenged by the ever-increasing demands from customers with various backgrounds and personalities. Large numbers of new e-businesses are driven by the needs of customers. The existing dynamics inherent in the customer needs require the corresponding dynamic management of services. Attempting to respond to customers in a rapid and intelligent way, this paper proposes a situation calculus based approach for dynamically managing e-Business services in the ubiquitous environment. By employing the formalism of the situation calculus to enable intelligence and automation, the approach can implement the functions of service automatic composition and model verification. These functions will improve the degree of customer-orientation and enable fast responsiveness in the emerging e-service systems.

Simulating Effects of Supply Chain Configuration on Industrial Dynamics in the Forest Sector

Two wood games are developed based on the structure and dynamics of the Beer Game. By introducing divergent and convergent flows in the supply chain, the relevance to the forest sector is increased. Using eight players in each run, the game is, in essence, a simulation tool that includes the human aspect in decision-making. The wood game is used to simulate the challenges that may be met when introducing a greater degree of customer orientation in the forest sector. Performance is measured using total system costs, amplification of demand variation and basic statistics of order rates. Results from pilot experiments indicate that performance and predictability of the system are negatively affected by increasing the complexity of the supply chain. The level of demand distortion varies considerably between different games. Distorted demand signals may complicate the planning and execution of upstream operations.

Service Elimination Decision-Making: Analysis of Candidates for Elimination and Remedial Actions

Despite the importance of service organisations′ ability to rationalise their service ranges and despite the recent calls from academics for more research on service elimination (Avlonitis et al. 2000), the empirically-based knowledge on the elimination decision-making process in service settings in general and in financial service settings in particular remains alarmingly sparse. Responding to this lacuna of knowledge the present paper presents qualitative and quantitative empirical evidence on a) the way in which British financial institutions analyse the deviant performance offinancial services, which have been identified as candidates for elimination and b) the remedial actions that they consider in order to restore a deviant performance, when possible and feasible. The evidence showed that the studied British financial institutions follow a largely informal and haphazard analysis procedure for candidates for elimination, even when a definite identification of the real problem behind the symptom of a deviant performance necessitates further and more well thought-out analysis. Moreover, the evidence pointed at the dynamism of the remedial attempts. As such, there is no golden rule that could, assign weights to the importance of the remedial actions fitting all financial services and all organisational and environmental circumstances. Instead the relative importance of the identified remedial actions proved to depend upon the method of delivery process of candidates for elimination, the service diversity offinancial institutions, the degree of customer orientation, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination, the legislative requirements, the intensity of market competition and the rhythm of technological change.

An Examination of the Relationships between Retail Work Environments, Salesperson Selling Orientation-Customer Orientation and Job Performance

This research examines the relationship between three organizational level constructs and salesperson’s selling orientation-customer orientation (SOCO) in an in-store retail setting. Respondents represent a wide variety of retail firms. A firm’s customer orientation, centralization, and employee perceptions of support from individuals in the organization were significantly related to customer orientation, selling orientation, or both. Firm level customer orientation and perceptions of work environment support were positively related to a salesperson’s degree of customer orientation and negatively related to selling orientation. Centralization was positively related to selling orientation but not to customer orientation. Customer orientation was positively related to performance, while selling orientation was not related.

A tractional Analysis Approach to the Categorisation of Corporate Marketing Behaviour

This paper suggests that companies, like people, possess an 'ego'; an ontological 'inner self' which emerges from its internalised core values and affects its marketing style and activities, particularly in relation to its dealings with customers. Pareek's (1984) well-established and extensively validated 36-item instrument for assessing ego-states and life positions within individuals is adapted for completion by marketing executives in connection with the activities of their firms. Six ego-states (two parent, one adult and three child) are combined with two generic life positions (OK and not OK) to obtain twelve possible marketing styles (e.g., prescriptive, bohemian, task obsessive [all not OK]; or supportive, normative or problem-solving [all OK]). The instrument was administered to 107 companies in the UK computer supply and software industry and the results factor analysed in order to explore the relationships between a business's dominant ego-state and, inter alia, its degree of customer orientation, innovativeness, financial performance, and the likelihood of it possessing a dedicated marketing department.

Customer orientation and performance: a study of SMEs

This study examined the customer orientation ‐ performance link in small‐ and medium‐sized businesses and tested for the possible effects of innovation orientation, market dynamism and competitive intensity on the degree of customer orientation among these firms. Specific performance measures used were new product success, sales growth and return on investment (ROI). Based on constructs of these measures, a research scale was developed for the study and data were collected via a self‐administered mail survey among a UK samples of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The results show a positive effect of customer orientation on SME performance. There are also findings on the varied influences of innovation orientation and the competitive environment on the levels of SME customer orientation. In the light of existing literature, implications of our findings for SME managers, the study’s limitations and future research directions are subsequently addressed.

Measuring Customer Orientation of Salespeople: A Replication with Industrial Buyers

A national sample of purchasing professionals was used to replicate the SOCO scale with buyers assessing the customer orientation of salespeople who call on them. The results are almost identical to those obtained when salespeople assessed their own degree of customer orientation, except that buyers’ mean ratings are substantially lower than salespersons’ mean ratings.

Psychological Type and Sales Orientation-Customer Orientation

A business firm expects that salespersons' degree of customer orientation will be compatible with the extent to which the firm itself has adopted the marketing concept. Customer orientation is an important behavior on the part of salespersons, yet it has received relatively little attention from organizational researchers. Differing psychological types show promise as a tool by which a salesperson S performance can be predicted. This exploratory research was designed to evaluate the relationships between individuals' psychological type preferences and their customer orientation. This study found Jungian psychological types to be significantly related to salespersons' customer orientation. These findings suggest that personality types can play a supplemental role in salesperson selection and training. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are also presented.