Logistic service quality and technology: a comparison between supplier–retailer and retailer–consumer relationships

Physical distribution quality can be considered as a differentiation factor and, in this way, as a source of competitive advantage. Nevertheless, there is neither consensus about its dimensions, or on how it might be influenced by technological solutions. The present paper aims at identifying the main antecedents of logistic service quality, examining the influence of technology on logistic service quality and analysing its effects on firm results in terms of customer satisfaction and loyalty in different levels of the marketing channel. The proposed structural equations model is tested empirically in two different samples: 400 consumers and 304 distributors. For both samples, technology assessment shows a positive effect on logistic service quality and this, in turn, generates customer satisfaction and loyalty.     

Can compliance restart integrity? Toward a harmonized approach. The example of the audit committee

The compliance‐based approach and the integrity approach have been the mainstream responses to corporate scandals. This paper proposes that, despite each approach comprising necessary elements, neither offers a comprehensive solution. Compliance and integrity, far from being mutually exclusive, reinforce each other. Working together, in a correct relationship, they build a harmonized system that yields positive synergies and which also advocates prudence (phrónesis). It enables the generation of a culture of compliance that tends to minimize the technical and ethical errors in decision making. In order to explore an applied harmonized approach, we analyze the audit committee, a specific and broadly accepted regulatory instrument. Formed by non‐executive members, regulation requires these members to be dedicated, qualified, and independent as a guarantee of efficiency. We show how the compound of those elements produces positive effects in a context of solid governance. We conclude that it is the strong relationship between efficiency and prudence, in the creation of a culture of compliance, which enables the minimization of errors.     

If MacIntyre ran a business school… how practical wisdom can be developed in management education

The purpose of this paper is to show how a MacIntyre-inspired business school could contribute to developing practical wisdom in students through its curriculum, methods, faculty, student selection criteria, and governance. Despite MacIntyre's critiques, management can be presented, in MacIntyrean terms, as a second-order, domain-relative practice, with practical wisdom as corresponding virtue. Management education consists in developing practical wisdom. How? Primarily by initiating students and enabling them to participate in communal traditions of inquiry focused on, although not limited to, the purposes and ends of business. The transmission of objective knowledge, analytical skills, and techniques is subordinated to the end goal. We consider traditions centered on shareholder value maximization, the balancing of stakeholder interests, and the fulfillment of the common good of firms. Each gives rise to a particular kind of business school. A MacIntyrean business school is one that seeks the common good of firms.     

Measuring the antecedents of e-loyalty and the effect of switching costs on website

This paper deals with the process by which electronic customer loyalty (e-loyalty) is formed. The twofold aim is to analyse e-loyalty, describing its development in terms of how it is influenced by several determinants and to study potential barriers to switching which significantly affect the repeat purchase decision. In particular, an integrating theoretical framework is proposed to determine the e-loyalty dependency of electronic service quality and perceived value, and how this last relationship can be moderated by switching costs. Results offer evidence for the important role of customer's perceptions of e-service quality and value in e-loyalty. Proposals are made of how companies that are online can use this knowledge to build marketing strategies.