The effect of signage and emotions on satisfaction with the servicescape: An empirical investigation in a healthcare service setting

Marketing and environmental psychology studies have long emphasized the importance of signage in large and dispersive service settings but have focused little on utilitarian service contexts. Previous studies have also analyzed the role of emotions in customer satisfaction with the servicescape, particularly in hedonic service environments such as malls, hotels, and restaurants, but a limited research has been conducted on the role of emotions in utilitarian service settings such as healthcare services. This study draws from the environmental psychology and service marketing literature to investigate the effects of signage and emotions on satisfaction with the servicescape in the hospital setting. In addition, it explores the moderating effect of emotions on the relationship between signage and satisfaction with the servicescape. The findings show that signage has a positive and significant effect on satisfaction with the servicescape. Negative emotions have a significant negative effect on satisfaction, while positive emotions have no significant effect. Differently from what was expected, emotions do not moderate the relationship between signage and satisfaction. Managerial implications are provided for service managers who wish to design a utilitarian service setting to effectively increase user satisfaction with the servicescape.     

What Trade-Off between Efficiency and Equality?

David Rees, former Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and now Consultant Economist to a firm of Johannesburg stockbrokers, amplifies Professor Kantor's proposal to suggest the widespread sale of state assets to promote the establishment of a property-owning democracy in South Africa.     

Stakeholder Forces of Socially Responsible Supply Chain Management Orientation

This project investigates salient stakeholder forces of socially responsible supply chain orientation (SRSCO) in the apparel and footwear sector focusing on fair labor management issues. SRSCO was conceptualized as a composite of internal organizational direction and external partnership for a creation and continuation of fair labor conditions throughout the supply chain. Primary stakeholders identified were consumers, regulation, industry, and media. A total of 209 mail survey responses from sourcing managers of U.S. apparel and footwear companies were analyzed. Two dimensions of SRSCO were confirmed: internal direction and external partnership. Consumer and industry peer pressures were found significantly related to internal direction, while industry peers and media were significantly related to the external partnership. Regulation was not significantly related to either internal direction or external partnerships. Lack of regulation forces to govern labor issues and roles of consumers, industry peers, and media in promoting fair labor management are discussed in this article.     

The Demand for Private Medical Insurance in the UK: A Cohort Analysis

This paper examines the determinants of the demand for private health insurance in the United Kingdom from 1978 to 1996 using a pseudo-cohort panel. The focus is on the impact of public and private sector quality, generational change, and past purchase on demand. The results indicate that there has been generational change in buying behaviour, that the number of senior doctors employed in the public sector impacts upon demand for the private alternative, and that there is limited impact of habit in purchase. Changes to the structure of labour contracts in the NHS may affect demand for the private alternative.     

Energy pricing: 8 Proposals for a better fuel market

If energy policy is to get the mix of fuels right, it must ensure that consumers are faced with their true relative costs. That requires radical changes in the way prices are set as between nationalised industries as well as for commercial and domestic users.     

Ethical Issues in Electronic Commerce

This article reviews the incredible growth of electronic commerce (e-commerce) and presents ethical issues that have emerged. Security concerns, spamming, Web sites that do not carry an "advertising" label, cybersquatters, online marketing to children, conflicts of interest, manufacturers competing with intermediaries online, and "dinosaurs" are discussed. The power of the Internet to spotlight issues is noted as a significant force in providing a kind of self-regulation that supports an ethical e-commerce environment.     

How well do fundraisers communicate with their donors?

Fundraising charities invest substantial resources in producing and distributing an ever-growing range of publications. As part of a major research study into how donors view the results of these endeavours the authors set out to evaluate how the major charities respond to general enquiries from the public, and to see how charities plan the publications they produce.