Consumer reliance on intangible versus tangible attributes in service evaluation: the role of construal level

The services marketing literature has traditionally characterized intangibility as the most critical distinction between services and goods, but in practice service production and consumption often involve both intangible and tangible elements. While prior research has examined and debated service intangibility from the firm’s perspective, what is missing is an understanding of how consumers weigh the relative importance of intangible versus tangible attributes in their service evaluation. Drawing on construal level theory, the authors propose that consumers with a high (vs. low) construal level rely more on intangible (vs. tangible) attributes in service evaluation. Furthermore, the effect of construal level on service evaluation is mediated by imagery vividness, with service type (e.g., experience vs. credence services) serving as a boundary condition. The authors conduct two field studies and two lab experiments and find that under a high construal level, consumers rely more on intangible attributes in their service evaluation and choice formation; under a low construal level, consumers rely more on tangible attributes in their service evaluation and choice. The findings not only offer new insights to help reconcile the disparate perspectives on service intangibility in the literature but also have practical implications on service firms’ positioning strategies that vary across time (e.g., advance selling vs. on-site selling) and space (e.g., near vs. distant outlet), as well as which attributes to emphasize in their marketing communications.     

The effects of filled waiting time and service provider control over the delay on evaluations of service

This article reports on an experiment that investigated the effects of a delay, perceived control over a delay, and the extent to which time was filled during the delay on various performance evaluations in a service encounter. It was determined that delays lower customers’ overall evaluations of service and of the tangible and reliability attributes of the service in particular. When delayed, performance evaluations were affected by whether the service provider was perceived to have control over the delay and whether the customer’s waiting time was filled. Overall performance evaluations and performance evaluations of tangibility, reliability, and responsiveness were highest when perceived service provider control was low and the waiting customer’s time was filled. These evaluations were lowest when perceived service provider control was high and waiting time was not filled. She received her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia.     

产出服务化战略:维度、研究假设及其管理含义

越来越多的企业的产出正在由实物产品为主向服务产品为主转变,但很少有学者关注产出服务化战略概念的测量问题.本文运用文献分析法,阐明了产出服务化战略的维度,开发了相关的研究假设,构建了产出服务化战略的影响因素及其绩效的概念框架,并指明研究的管理含义.这种理论分析为未来的实证研究提供了重要的基础.     

经济型酒店顾客价值与顾客满意、行为意向的关系研究

运用描述顾客价值、顾客满意和行为意向之间关系的概念模型,选择我国部分经济型酒店为背景,收集实证样本数据,利用Lisrel8.7结构分析软件对概念模型进行检验,检验结果表明,有形产品、品牌形象、地理位置、物有所值、服务公平和服务质量是顾客价值的6个构成因子,且顾客价值直接或通过顾客满意间接地影响顾客行为意向。这一实证结论对酒店业CRM实践的指导意义是:要树立价值为本的理念,注重为顾客提供优异的有形产品、保持经济型酒店特色,不能忽视顾客满意的作用。     

Individual differences in perceptions of service failure and recovery: the role of race and discriminatory bias

This article investigates the role of contextual cues in the evaluation of a service failure. Empirical data demonstrates that although discrimination is a factor in the evaluation of a service failure for black (vs. white) customers, contextual cues also play a role in the evaluation of the encounter. When a black customer experiences a service failure, the failure will be evaluated more severely when no other black customers are present. In addition, the context of the event differentially affects the negative emotions generated by the service failure and results in racially driven differences in the amount of remuneration perceived as necessary to successfully recover from the failure. The implication is that when serving customers, the race of both the customer and other customers can provide service providers with information relative to the appropriate service recovery effort to implement.

Service crisis recovery and firm performance: insights from information breach announcements

The extant literature has studied the effects of a firm’s service recovery efforts on the reactions of customers and employees following an individual service failure. However, the impact of recovery efforts on a firm’s performance after a public and large service failure—such as a large-scale information breach—has received scant attention. To address this gap, this current research develops a framework and finds support for the impact of service crisis recoveries on a firm’s performance, as measured by firm-idiosyncratic risk. Using a unique dataset of service crisis recoveries, the authors find that firms offering compensation (i.e., tangible redresses) or process improvement (i.e., improvements in organizational processes) show more stable performance (less idiosyncratic risk), from two quarters to two calendar years after the announcement of their recovery plan. In line with the documented dual effect of apologies, firms that offer apology-based recoveries display more volatile performance (higher idiosyncratic risk). Of note, this volatility increases with the number of affected individuals, and it remains unaffected even when the apology is expressed with high intensity.     

Relational benefits in services industries: The customer’s perspective

This research examines the benefits customers receive as a result of engaging in long-term relational exchanges with service firms. Findings from two studies indicate that consumer relational benefits can be categorized into three distinct benefit types: confidence, social, and special treatment benefits. Confidence benefits are received more and rated as more important than the other relational benefits by consumers, followed by social and special treatment benefits, respectively. Responses segmented by type of service business show a consistent pattern with respect to customer rankings of benefit importance. Management implications for relational strategies and future research implications of the findings are discussed. Kevin P. Gwinner is an assistant professor of marketing in the School of Business at East Carolina University, North Carolina. His primary research interest centers on improving and managing the performance of frontline, customer-contact employees. His research has been published in theInternational Journal of Service Industry Management, International Marketing Review, and theJournal of Marketing Education. Dwayne D. Gremler is an assistant professor of marketing in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Idaho. His current research interests are in services marketing, particularly customer loyalty and retention, relationship marketing, service encounters, and word-of-mouth communication. His work has been published in theInternational Journal of Service Industry Management, theJournal of Professional Services Marketing, andAdvances in Services Marketing and Management. Mary Jo Bitner is a professor of marketing and the research director for the Center for Services Marketing and Management at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on customer evaluations of service, service quality, and service delivery issues. She has published in theJournal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing, and theInternational Journal of Service Industry Management. She is coauthor of the textServices Marketing (McGraw-Hill, 1996).     

论饭店的个性化服务

在激烈的市场竞争中，根据饭店产品有形和无形的属性以及标准化服务的特征，进一步研究和探讨饭店的标准化与个性化服务之间的关系，以及在发展的进程中的应采取的形式，是每一个经营管理人员所面临的问题，也是当今饭店业发展的需要。     

旅行社产品有形化营销策略研究

通过信息环境的有形化和可感知化、产品主题的有形化与个性化、产品价格的规范化与差异化、导游服务的标准化与品质化、旅游宣传册的可读化与可信化、售后服务的程序化与有效化,可以有效提升旅行社产品的有形化程度,培育旅游市场,打造市场品牌,提升旅行社形象,从而提升我国旅行社业的整体竞争力.     

服务质量和感知价值对服务忠诚的影响——基于餐饮业和细分维度的探索

以餐饮业为调研对象,用结构方程方法探索服务质量和感知价值的细分维度对服务忠诚的影响.研究表明:服务质量的各细分维度对于服务忠诚的影响大多都是通过顾客感知价值的各个细分维度作中介来实现的,对服务忠诚具有直接影响的服务质量因素只有安全性因素;服务质量的移情性维度对感知价值的各维度均具显著影响,有形性维度对感知价值的价格、质量和社会维度具有积极的影响,可靠性维度与感知价值的情感维度相关,响应性维度与感知价值的情感和质量维度相关;感知价值除质量维度外,社会、情感、价格维度均对服务忠诚具有显著影响.因此,餐饮业企业应特别重视服务人员与顾客进行良好的人际互动,促进与顾客的情感交流,把向顾客提供高价值的服务作为提升服务忠诚的有效途径.     

政府规制下的城镇水务产业市场化转型模式

水务产品属性公共品。从理论和实践看,我国水务产业必须加快进行市场化转型。应从产业重组、经营权外包与政府规制三个方面同时着手,形成"三位一体"转型模式,以能更有效地保护消费者利益与提供优质的公共服务。     

基于偏离份额分析法的山东省服务业竞争力实证分析

本文运用偏离份额分析法对山东省服务业的竞争力作了实证研究,从服务业的行业结构和竞争力两个角度对服务业的14个具体行业作了详细分析。根据各行业的区域增长份额、产业结构偏离份额和区位偏离份额三大指标的不同状况进行综合分析,发现山东省服务业虽然相对全国增长较快,也具有一定的竞争力,但是内部结构存在较大问题,尤其是现代服务业行业的结构不合理,制约了其竞争力的进一步增强。因此,调整服务业内部结构,提升现代服务业的发展水平,成为进一步提高山东服务业竞争力水平的重要途径。     

未来十年中国西部大开发新战略

中国西部大开发十年来取得了显著成效,但也存在着诸多问题。未来十年,是中国深入推进西部大开发的关键时期,必须坚持“民富为先、稳定为重”的方针,更加注重维护社会稳定、扩大就业机会和让百姓得到实惠,大力推进实施新增长极培育、“三化”互动和新型开放三大战略,进一步加大国家政策扶持力度,切实提高西部自我发展能力和综合竞争力,使西部尽快走上持续稳定快速健康发展的轨道。     

The impact of a sales team’s perceived entitativity on customer satisfaction

This research investigates the impact of a sales team’s entitativity—the extent to which a group of individuals is perceived as a unified single entity—on customer satisfaction. Four studies demonstrate that a sales team entitativity cue, either based on appearance (e.g., wearing the same outfit) or based on behavior (e.g., explicit coordination in service), leads to heightened perceptions of service quality, which subsequently enhances customer satisfaction. Further, these two entitativity cues are shown to have interactive effects. Specifically, when both cues indicate high entitativity, customer satisfaction with the sales team exceeds the average evaluation of individual team members. However, if at least one cue suggests low entitativity (e.g., different outfits or no explicit coordination), the positive influence of the entitativity cue is undermined and customer satisfaction with the team’s service is mitigated. Product category is identified as an important moderator of the main effect.     

Cultivating service brand equity

In packaged goods, the product is the primary brand. However, with services, the company is the primary brand. This article, based on primary research with 14 mature, high-performance service companies, makes a case for service branding as a cornerstone of services marketing for today and tomorrow. The article presents a service-branding model that underscores the salient role of customers' service experiences in brand formation. Four primary strategies that excellent service firms use to cultivate brand equity are discussed and illustrated. Branding is not just for tangible goods; it is a principal success driver for service organizations as well. Leonard L. Berry holds the JCPenney Chair of Retailing Studies and is a Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. A former national president of the American Marketing Association, he is the author ofDiscovering the Soul of Service andOn Great Service and coauthor ofMarketing Services and Delivering Quality Service, all published by Free Press (New York). He received the 1996 Career Contributions to Services Marketing Award from the American Marketing Association. He also has been recognized twice with the highest honors Texas A&M bestows on a faculty member: the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (in 1990) and the Distinguished Achievement Award in Research (in 1996). He is a board member of CompUSA, Genesco Inc., Hastings Entertainment, and Lowe's Companies, Inc.     

Exploring impulse buying in services: toward an integrative framework

Prior research on impulse buying focuses mostly on goods, ignoring its incidence in services despite growing evidence about the prevalence of impulsive behaviors across diverse consumption contexts. This paper introduces an integrative conceptual framework to study impulse buying in both goods and services by using perceived risk as a focal construct in the impulse buying process and reports findings from two empirical studies. The first study uses a mall-intercept survey to show that perceived risk is lower and likelihood of impulse buying is greater for services with higher tangible (vs. intangible) attributes and higher search (vs. experience and credence) properties. The second study uses a lab-experiment to show significant differences in the influence of three relevant consumer traits (consumer impulsiveness, optimum stimulation level, and self-monitoring) on the level of perceived risk and impulsiveness in purchase decisions for six different services with varying levels of attributes (tangible vs. intangible) and evaluation properties (search, experience, and credence). Overall, the two studies provide substantial evidence of the presence of impulse buying in services and useful insights for researchers and services marketers.     

科技信息工作服务于区域经济发展的策略

科技信息对振兴区域经济具有重要作用。区域经济建设对科技信息服务模式、信息资源建设、信息服务环境、服务人员素质等提出了挑战。科技信息服务工作应树立市场观念和效益观念，力求在信息服务网络、信息资源开发创新、信息服务领域走出一条新路子，并积极推进网络化信息服务。     

企业核心竞争力研究——基于范围经济的研究视角

传统范围经济理论认为范围经济主要来源是有形资源的充分利用。事实上像企业核心竞争力这样的无形资源的充分利用也是范围经济的重要来源。企业核心竞争力作为范围经济的重要来源,它能够通过实现自身巨大的范围经济效益而给企业带来持续的市场竞争优势。企业核心竞争力与范围经济之间存在着如此密切的联系,然而学者们没有对此给予足够的重视。试图从范围经济的角度系统地去研究企业核心竞争力的内涵、特征、构成要素及其管理。     

中国FTA实践进展及战略选择

双边自由贸易协定（FTA）的签署可以为成员国带来巨大的经济利益与政治利益。中国目前从FTA中获得的直接经济利益虽然相对有限，但仍然可从缓解国内面临的资源压力、赢得经济发展的良好外部环境、增强多边谈判中的地位等方面实现自己的利益。为进一步增加在FTA实践中的获益，中国应加快FTA步伐，适时与大国及重要贸易伙伴开展FTA谈判，且应将FTA涉及的领域拓宽至服务贸易以及多种合作便利化和合作形式等方面。     

我国网络团购发展中存在的伦理问题及其对策研究

近几年,随着我国网络购物的发展,网络团购也作为一种新的购物模式逐渐发展起来,网络团购因物美价廉等优势逐渐成为最受欢迎的网购模式.网络团购给网络消费者带来实惠的同时也引起了大量的伦理道德问题,夸大宣传、虚标原价、货不对板等问题频频受到网民消费者的投诉.通过对我国网络团购发展现状的描述,分析我国网络团购发展中存在的突出伦理道德问题,针对这些问题提出相应的解决对策.