Information sources used to select different types of management consultancy services

Understanding how professional services are purchased is vital to the success of the firms that provide such services. Although recent research has provided some insights into how consumers purchase professional services, little is known about how organisations buy these services. Our study, using data collected from 253 Australian organisations, describes an important part of the organisational buying process, namely pre-purchase information search. More specifically, we examine the influence of a range of information sources on the choice of a management consultant in the following areas: strategic and economic planning; marketing; human resource management; information technology; production planning and logistics. The results show that information sources related to an organisation's internal network (ie, discussions inside the company, and past dealings with a consulting firm) were by far the most influential information sources in choosing a consultant. Further, the least influential sources were impersonal advertising (ie, advertising in the business press, corporate brochures and professional directories). Only minor differences in the influence of the information sources were found across the various types of consulting assignment.(The authors' names are in alphabetical order.)     

Customer Rage Episodes: Emotions, Expressions and Behaviors

In this research, we examine customer rage-associated emotions, expressions, and behaviors following service failure. Three independent studies involving 656 respondents and multiple methods are employed to investigate customer rage. Scales for each form of rage emotion, expression, and behavior were developed and used to assess their interrelationships. Results suggest that different forms of customer rage emotions tend to be linked to different types of expressions and behaviors. For example, both Rancorous Rage and Retaliatory Rage emotions tend to increase Verbal expressions (such as raising one's voice, yelling, and making insulting remarks). In contrast, Retaliatory Rage emotion increases Physical expressions (tried to physically harm a service employee, tried to cause damage to property, and threatened to damage property) and Displaced expressions (took anger out on other people nearby, yelled at other people, and took their anger out on other people later on) whereas Rancorous Rage emotion decreases Physical and Displaced expressions. Interestingly, Verbal expressions are linked to passive-aggressive behaviors, such as switching service providers and spreading negative word of mouth while Physical expressions are linked to relatively aggressive behavior, such as a desire for revenge. Implications for scholarly research and retailers are discussed.     

Managerial perceptions of technology licensing as an alternative to internal R&D in new product development: an empirical investigation

Increasingly, companies are using the licensing approach to acquire external technology as an alternative to internal new product development. However, the licensing literature presents lists of benefits and costs without identifying either their relative importance or the underlying dimensions. This article presents the results of a survey of Australian licensee firms designed to fill this gap in the literature. The results show that the major reason for licensing relates more to the immediate need to gain competitive advantage than the relative low cost advantage of technology licensing or having access to future technology. The major impediments to licensing are the entry and exit costs and the loss of decision-making autonomy resulting from licensor-imposed restrictions. Further, only two factors, perceived search costs and low cost market entry advantage of licensing appear to vary among the industries studied. Future research and managerial implications of the results are discussed.     

Technological trends in the automobile industry and their impact on aluminum usage

The U.S. passenger automobile is undergoing dramatic alteration in response to changing energy, environmental, and safety influences. Diminishing oil supplies have created a particularly pressing need for improved fuel efficiency, which is being satisfied by aerodynamic streamlining, improving engine and powertrain technology, lowering performance, and reducing weight by downsizing, redesign, and materials substitution. Historical trends in these areas are used in this study as a basis for predicting important attributes of future automobiles. Results suggest that by the end of the century average fuel economy probably will double or triple and per-car aluminum usage will at least double. Aluminum could assume early dominance in lightweight materials substitution because it entails less capital investment and risk to automobile manufacturers than alternative plastic materials.     

Modeling the determinants of customer satisfaction for business-to-business professional services

This research empirically examines for the first time the determinants of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction (CS/D) in the context of business professional services. The simultaneous effect of key CS/D constructs (expectations, performance, and disconfirmation) and several variables—fairness (equity), purchase situation (novelty, importance, and complexity)—and individual-level variables (decision uncertainty and stakeholding) are examined in a causal path framework. Data were obtained from a two-stage longitudinal survey of client organizations. The results indicated substantial support for the hypothesized model. The effect of purchase situation and individual-level variables (via their indirect affects) rivals that of disconfirmation and expectations in explaining CS/D. Performance was found to affect CS/D directly but not as powerfully as disconfirmation. His current research interests include modeling customer satisfaction and service quality, services marketing (especially in a business-to-business environment), and relationship marketing. His research has appeared in theInternational Journal for Research in Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Advances in Services Marketing and Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Asia-Pacific Journal of Management, R & D Management, Journal of International Marketing, and others. he has been on the faculty of a number of U.S. and Australian universities. His research interests focus on services marketing, marketing research methods, and modeling satisfaction processes. He has published in theJournal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business, Journal of Services Marketing, and others. He is currently the editor of theAustralasian Journal of Market Research. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. His research interests include consumer satisfaction, service quality, and consumer information processing. His work has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and others.