Distributed product knowledge service: model and system framework

Conventional business models focus on providing end products and services regardless of product- or service-related knowledge. Such models are unable to meet customer requirements in a knowledge economy. Therefore, to effectively capture, accumulate, store, and apply knowledge to provide product knowledge service to customers is central to enterprise success. This study has the following three objectives: (i) to propose a novel product knowledge service model based on the product lifecycle and its supply chain, (ii) to design a system framework for product knowledge service, and (iii) to implement the proposed system. The product knowledge service model can be seen as a product knowledge supplier chain based on the integration of the product lifecycle and its supply chain. Based on the knowledge management cycle, software agent technology, and service-oriented architecture, the agent-based knowledge service-oriented system framework is designed to reflect the distributed, flexible, and hierarchical characteristics of the product knowledge service model. Finally, the proposed agent-based knowledge service-oriented system framework is developed and implemented using Unified Modelling Language and Java programming language with the Java Agent Development Framework.     

Validating the Effects of Brand Quality on Attitude and Purchase Intention in Service–Product Alliances

The purpose of this article is to replicate the findings of previous research studying the effects of brand quality on consumer attitude and purchase intentions in service–product encounters. The main contribution of the current research is to improve the generalizability of the previous findings by basing the experimental inquiry on real-world brands. Drawing on information integration and categorization theories, a set of hypotheses are presented that predict both mediating and moderating relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Results from an experimental study confirm previous findings, demonstrating that the quality of a product brand in a service–product alliance has significant effects on the attitude toward the service brand. Such effects are moderated by the quality of the service brand. Alternatively, service brand attributes do not have the same effect on component product brands included in the performance of that service. Service and product quality exhibit the same effects on purchase intentions as mediated by attitude.     

功能经济下产品服务系统的企业竞争优势研究

功能经济是欧美发达国家所倡导的发展模式。产品服务系统是在功能经济理论指导下,以提供高附加值的服务来降低产品在整个生命周期对环境的影响,并提高消费者满意度和企业竞争力,其有效性已被多家企业的成功案例所证实。本文阐述了功能经济和产品服务系统的理论内涵和分类,以案例分析的研究方法详尽分析了北美客车工业公司(NABI)实施产品服务系统所获得的竞争优势,并概括总结出一系列可供中国汽车企业采纳的产品服务系统模式及其竞争优势,为中国这个将成为世界上最大的汽车消费国可持续发展汽车行业提供了战略新思路。     

Is similarity a constraint for service-to-service brand extensions?

Are service brands constrained in launching new service offerings? Both research evidence and managerial wisdom suggest brands should extend to similar categories. However, in five studies using real-life brands - four experiments and one large-sample survey - we provide evidence that similarity is less of a constraint for service brands extending to other service categories (service-to-service extensions), compared to cases involving parent brands or extension categories of a product nature. Importantly, we demonstrate that such an effect occurs because service brands possess associations relevant across the spectrum of service categories. Our results suggest that service brand managers have the opportunity to stretch their brands to dissimilar service offerings; yet, they need to ensure the marketing execution does not make the brands’ service associations inaccessible to consumers. The findings suggest that even product brands can build service associations by adding service components to their offering, thus becoming “servitized” and better able to extend to dissimilar service categories. Overall, our work contributes to the academic debate documenting that the principles governing the management of product vs. service brands are not identical.     

第三方物流产品设计与营销策略

第三方物流企业为客户企业提供物流服务其实质是一种产品即服务产品。不同的第三方物流产品组合满足不同客户个性化、差异化的物流需求。第三方物流企业通过分析客户企业的物流需求来设计符合客户需要的第三方物流产品组合,提供专业性的物流服务,并进行有效的服务营销和关系营销来获取竞争优势。     

The moderation influence of warranty on customer satisfaction’s antecedents: an empirical evidence from automotive dealerships

The purpose of this article is to investigate the differential influence of product quality and service quality on customer satisfaction (CS) along with the interaction role of warranty presence in the context of automotive dealerships. Survey-based research methodology is adopted in which the population are the car owners who perform repair and maintenance jobs in authorized service centres. It is found that the warranty moderation role is supported wherein the relationship between service quality and CS is strengthened by the warranty presence, contrary to the insignificant relationship between product quality and CS influenced by the warranty moderator; besides, the empirical results provide an evidence that the CS value relies on metrics comprising operational measures for service quality and product quality. The outcome of this study contributes to sensitizing the decision makers from manufacturing and service disciplines to the interdependencies and the prerequisite for overall collaborative development. This study presents the first systematic approach that differentiates the influence of product quality and service quality on CS, wherein the warranty service is primarily introduced as a moderator affecting the antecedent relationship in the context of automotive dealerships.     

New service development

The topic of new service development has been relatively neglected in the literature on innovation and new product development. This paper explores some of the similarities and differences between new product development and new service development. It outlines the typical stages of the new product development process and then suggests how new product development in service organisations may differ because of the characteristics of services like intangibility and inseparability.     

从“产品主导逻辑”到“顾客参与的价值共创”——看西方服务范式四十年来的理论演进

服务研究已经成为近四十年来的热点研究问题,从传统经典理论发展出的产品主导逻辑到服务主导逻辑与价值共创,服务范式的研究不断演进,如何认知服务的问题一直是学术界讨论的热点,文章对服务范式研究的发展历史与演进过程进行了梳理和分析,归纳、识别了包括产品主导逻辑、服务特征范式、关系主导范式、顾客接触范式、服务体验范式、服务主导逻辑和统一服务理论等七种不同的服务范式,分析了当前研究中的不足和面临的挑战,并对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

A Commentary on the Strategic Application of Service to Product and Consumer Flaws

An ever-changing consumer and the evolving role of service have contributed to the increasing difficulty faced by mar- keters to create a perfect match between products and consumers. The outcome has been an increase in mismatches or flaws. This paper considers the consumer and the product from a critical view- point, emphasizing the concept of flaws as a basis from which to apply service strategies. A new dynamic model is presented which suggests a definition for product and consumer flaws in several con- texts. Moreover, service strategies for responding to product and consumer flaws are presented. Finally, the future of service as a long-term marketing strategy is discussed and its impact on business is examined.     

When do AI chatbots lead to higher customer satisfaction than human frontline employees in online shopping assistance? Considering product attribute type

The increasing adoption of AI chatbots in online shopping assistance, as a complement or substitute for human frontline employees (HFLEs), leads to the question whether HFLEs perform better than AI service robots and why. From the perspective of product attribute type (experiential/functional) and focusing on customer satisfaction, this study explores how the impact of service agent on customer satisfaction varies along with product attribute type. A scenario-based experiment was designed and completed by 567 participants. Although HFLEs lead to higher customer satisfaction when the product attribute is experiential, AI chatbots perform better than HFLEs when the product attribute is functional. We make use of perceived information quality, perceived waiting time, and positive emotions, three determinants of customer satisfaction, to explain the variation of the role of different service agent types. The findings offer useful implications for companies when selecting service agent types in online shopping assistance.     

全球经济失衡与美国服务生产的贸易效应

本文从美国服务生产的贸易效应视角,探讨全球经济失衡中的逆差形成原因。以美国生产结构的变化为切入点,通过构建服务与商品两部门理论模型、统计分析与回归检验,讨论美国服务生产的贸易效应及其与收支失衡的关系。理论研究与模型分析证明,服务生产的非贸易品属性,使得美国经济在偏向于服务生产的产业结构调整中,形成了逆贸易倾向的增长方式。根据统计数据所做的实证分析显示,美国产业划分成生产与服务两部门时,在生产上存在着与理论分析相一致的逆贸易效应。在商品消费上,美国存在着商品边际进口倾向和商品进口需求收入弹性大于1的顺贸易效应。这两种相反的力量,会使出口增长速度低于进口增长速度,形成逆差。回归方程的计量检验发现,美国服务生产与美国商品贸易逆差之间存在因果关系,服务增长速度超过商品增长幅度时,商品贸易逆差增加。     

The role of emotions in utilitarian service settings: The effects of emotional satisfaction on product perception and behavioral intentions

The role of emotions in hedonic service settings is well established, but their role in utilitarian service settings has received scant attention. This research attempts to fill this gap by investigating the effects of customers’ perceptions of service quality and servicescape on their emotional reactions, and their perceptions of product quality and subsequent behavioral intentions. Data are collected from 189 clients/patients who visited an optometry clinic. The study reports that perceived service quality (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) and service environment (atmosphere and layout) both increase positive emotional satisfaction. In turn, positive emotional satisfaction leads to a high perception of product quality, high recommendation, patronage intention, and likelihood of purchase. Additionally, product quality perceptions have a significant positive impact on behavioral intentions.     

Critical innovation characteristics influencing the acceptability of a new pharmaceutical product format

This paper investigates the Critical innovation characteristics that influence the acceptability of a new pharmaceutical product format as perceived by medical service providers. Professional service providers act as "surrogate adopters" as they decide about the adoption of a product intended for their clients' use. We employ a qualitative research approach to explore which product related characteristics physicians evaluate when assessing the acceptability of a new product format in the pharmaceutical market. The main results concern (1) the distinct nature of a distributed adoption decision-making, (2) the refinement of relevant innovation attributes in a medical service context, and (3) the contextuality of innovation adoption. The research results show that innovation characteristics cannot be feasibly studied without taking into account the adoption context, here the medical service encounter and its institutional environment. Managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

An investigation into the link between consumer's product involvement and store loyalty: The roles of shopping value goals and information search as the mediating factors

This research proposes a theoretical model explaining the roles of multiple mediating factors – product quality, service quality, and information search –in the association between product involvement and store loyalty. The extant literature has examined different determinants of store loyalty but paid less attention to understand the link between product involvement and store loyalty and the underlying mechanisms. This study contributes to the literature by a) providing a comprehensive framework of involvement – loyalty link and b) investigating complex mediation effects. In this study, survey data were subjected to regression analysis to test parallel mediation and serial mediation effects of product quality, service quality, and information search in the link between consumer's product involvement and store loyalty. The results indicate that both product quality and information search mediate the association between product involvement and store loyalty. In addition, both product quality and service quality mediate the association between product involvement and information search. Results also indicate that product quality and information search work as serial mediators in the association between product involvement and store loyalty. For additional level of analyses, data were also subjected to Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Theoretical and managerial implications are also provided.     

Assessing the Quality of the Conference Hotel Service Product: Towards an Empirically Based Model

This is the report of a study which has sought to take steps towards increasing both our knowledge of how consumers assess the service product offered by conference hotels, and, at the same time, our understanding of the dimensions of service quality and how they may be measured. The authors seek to show how their approach to measuring service quality was developed and refined. Some preliminary findings of the final stage of the study are presented, which identify the key elements that go to make up the perceived quality of the conference hotel service product, utilising the notion of ‘net service quality’.     

Ethnocentric tendencies of Indian consumers: impact on preference for domestic versus foreign products

India is witnessing a plethora of foreign and domestic products competing against each other in its retail market. In order to understand how ethnocentrism among Indian consumers leads to attitudes toward foreign/domestic products, this study aims to understand the antecedents (socio-psychological and demographic) of consumer ethnocentric tendencies (CET) among Indian consumers, the impact of ethnocentrism on attitude toward domestic versus foreign product and service, and the impact of a moderator (perceived economic threat) on the relationship between ethnocentrism and attitudes. Using a sample of 800 Indian consumers, the relationships among variables were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling (SEM) using one product (soap) and one service (mobile phone service) category. The findings suggest that Indian consumers who are ethnocentric prefer domestic product/service to foreign product/service. Ethnocentrism of Indian consumers is influenced by education, income, cultural openness, and collectivism. The relationship between ethnocentrism and attitudes was moderated by perceived economic threat. Implications are provided for both Indian and foreign marketers to successfully promote their products to Indian consumers.     

Customer Satisfaction with Consumption Systems

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research examines how satisfaction toward a product and its associated services offered together by a single provider jointly affects behavioral intentions toward the provider.

Design/methodology/approach: In this study, empirical tests were conducted using longitudinal data spanning 5 years from a multinational company that offers both products and associated services as part of a consumption system to their customers.

Findings: Results show a joint congruent effect of product and services satisfaction on behavioral intentions is linear and positive. It appears that offering great service cannot compensate for less-than-adequate satisfaction toward the product. The results further highlight decreasing customer sensitivity to improvements in both sources of satisfaction and imply that focusing on too high levels of one type of satisfaction for their customers can actually be counterproductive for firms.

Research Limitations: Our model was tested using the data obtained from a single firm. Future research could test this model with data from multiple firms in various different industries and establish broader generalizability to the findings.

Practical Implications: Findings provide managers with insights on how to allocate resources across product and service spaces and to manage product and services revenues over time. Results also indicate that customer behavioral intention ratings are more weighted on product quality over the service received by them. However, mere improvements in the product cannot provide the highest desired results and therefore quality improvements in the product need to be complemented by improvements in service quality.

Originality/Value: There is a rapid emergence of the phenomenon of manufacturers providing both products and services as an integrated consumption system to their customers. While the provision of both product and service subsystems by the same firm leads to certain synergies, there are obvious costs to the development of new service capabilities and coordination with existing product capabilities. Our research intends to address this issue.     

Are services advertised differently? An analysis of the relationship between product and service types and the informational content of their advertisements

This study examines the informational content of service and product advertisements and analyses the relationship between the amount and type of information in an advertisement and the type of product or service being advertised. The influence that service characteristics have on advertising strategy is still not well understood. One theory is that services need to be more tangible in order to assist in the consumer decision-making process and advertising can assist with this by providing factual information. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether this theory is recognized and adopted in advertising practice. This is achieved by performing a content analysis. The results indicate that product advertisements contain more information than services, which indicates a discrepancy between advertising theory and practice. The results also prove that there are variances in the amount and type of information included in product and service advertisements. The paper examines these variances and applies existing classification frameworks to explain them. Areas for further research are also identified.     

Customer Satisfaction with E-Retailers: The Role of Product Type in the Relative Importance of Attributes

It is of strategic importance for e-retailers to allocate their resources to various service attributes according to their relative importance. How does one determine the relative importance of different service attributes? Does the relative importance of different service attributes remain the same across different product categories? These questions must be addressed by researchers and e-retailers. Since customer ratings for service attributes are highly correlated, modeling methods other than traditional regression models should be used to analyze the relative importance of service attributes to overall customer satisfaction. As such, this article utilizes neural networks in order to study the relative importance of e-retailer service attributes. Importantly, this article shows that the relative importance of e-retailer service attributes varies across different product categories (i.e., convenience, shopping, and specialty goods).     

Service providers’ sustainable service innovation: service-dominant logic

This study examined the service innovation in different service providers with multiple case-study approach. From the perspective of service-dominant logic, four service innovation development models can be distinguished in Technology Development Program companies in Taiwan, including service system integrator and niche market, innovative service solution provider and niche market, innovative service solution provider and mass market, and service system integrator and mass market. Service providers develop ICT platforms, customer relationship management systems, community commerce services, and multi-channel services that are appropriate for a specific industry. On the one hand, active improvement of ICT service system integration extends company capabilities toward external cooperative partners through the provision of integrated product services and comprehensive solutions. On the other hand, innovative service solutions optimize consumer experience and customer relationship management and improve business effectiveness and reduce operations costs due to an important role assigned to services and experience in product sales.