Beyond the technology adoption: Technology readiness effects on post-adoption behavior

Technology readiness (TR) refers to people's propensity to embrace and use new technologies. Nowadays, the proliferation of technology-based products and services brings consumers not only benefits but also frustration over ineffective use of products and services. A key factor, therefore, in the diffusion and success of these products and services is how well-prepared consumers are for new technologies. Although some studies examine the relationships between TR and technology adoption, the long-term survival and substantial success of firms rely on the continued use of such technology rather than first use. This study focuses on post-adoption behavior and investigates how TR affects the continued use intention of new technology. Specifically, the study classifies usage behavior into the usage rate of basic functions, the usage rate of innovative functions, and the variety of use of innovative functions. The article then, examines how each dimension (optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity) of TR influences consumer usage patterns, and how usage patterns affect repurchase intention through consumer satisfaction. The empirical results from IPTV users in Korea show that each dimension of TR has a significantly different influence on usage patterns. The findings show that usage patterns, particularly the use of innovative functions, have a significantly positive impact on consumer satisfaction and repurchase intention. Finally, the article suggests several managerial implications and directions for further studies.     

Valuing customers for social network services

In the current Internet environment, many online service companies based on community factors (networks) produce and sell new types of digital products. For example, SNS (social network service) companies now sell customers digital decorative products for the adornment of online avatars. Not only do individual customers consume these digital products, but they also exchange them as gifts in their local neighborhoods. While previous studies on customer valuation (e.g. CLTV, RFM, etc.) focus on some important issues for identifying valuable customers, the literature does not resolve issues related to the effects on customer value of products purchased as gifts for another person. This study attempts to verify empirically the effects of two representative social network properties (tie strength and the number of ties) on customer monetary value.This study selects 2615 customers from a South Korean SNS website who enrolled on the site on the same day. Data include diverse purchase-related information, social network properties in terms of gift-giving for six months, and demographic information. The primary results of this study are as follows. First, the proposed model, which includes social network properties, has a great deal more explanatory power than the baseline model — the RFM-based customer value model. Second, tie strength and the number of ties in a gift-giving network increase customer value. Third, tie strength has a more profound impact on customer value than does the number of ties. The results of this study theoretically expand the domain of customer valuation studies due to the inclusion of social network properties, and suggest important practical implications for some online SNS companies in their efforts to find valuable customers and improve customer value.     

Extending the BG/NBD: A simple model of purchases and complaints

Extant customer-base models like the beta geometric/negative binomial distribution (BG/NBD) predict future purchasing based on customers' observed purchase history. We extend the BG/NBD by adding an important non-transactional element that also drives future purchases: complaint history. Our model retains several desirable properties of the BG/NBD: it can be implemented in readily available software, and estimation requires only customer-specific statistics, rather than detailed transaction-sequence data. The likelihood function is closed-form, and managerially relevant metrics are obtained by drawing from beta and gamma densities and transforming these draws to a sample average. Based on more than two years of individual-level data from a major U.S. internet and catalog retailer, our model with complaints outperforms both the original BG/NBD and a modified version. Even though complaints are rare and non-transactional events, they lead to different substantive insights about customer purchasing and drop-out: customers purchase faster but also drop out much faster. Furthermore, there is more heterogeneity in drop-out rates following a purchase than a complaint.     

Investigating the immediate and long-term effects of job stressors on frontline service employees

Two studies investigate the immediate and long-term effects of job stressors on frontline service employees (FSEs). Using cognitive appraisal theory, we develop and test a conceptual model of two job stressors (crowding and emotional labor) that affect coping strategies and job outcomes. Study 1, which is a field experiment, investigates the immediate effects of crowding in a single firm. Study 2 extends the findings of Study 1 and investigates the long-term effects of emotional labor and crowding on FSEs across multiple firms. The results show that crowding has a negative impact on coping strategies and job-related outcomes. In addition, emotional labor can lead to long-term negative outcomes, such as emotional exhaustion and decreased job retention, for some FSEs. Consequently, service organizations should consider strategies or tactics that prevent high levels of customer crowding and help FSEs deal with emotional labor.     

商业银行CRM的中国本土化业务流程重组研究

市场竞争日益激烈,我国商业银行越来越深刻地认识到客户是最有价值的资源.如何留住老客户和吸引新客户,充分挖掘和利用客户资源,成为国内各商业银行首要关注的问题.入世后外资银行的进入更加深了我国商业银行对客户关系管理(CRM)的研究和应用,借助CRM实现从"以产品为中心"到"以客户为中心"的经营理念的演变,实现对银行组织体系和业务流程的重组.本文在展开对商业银行CRM的应用和研究的时候,将CRM放在企业信息化和管理改造的整体框架中进行分析、论证和实施.将信息技术和企业管理结合起来,更深刻地体会"信息化带动工业化"的内涵,是本文的指导思想.     

服务质量、私人关系对顾客忠诚的影响研究

服务质量和顾客忠诚是企业获得竞争优势的法宝,而私人关系作为中国企业管理中独特的要素受到越来越多的关注,揭示三者之间的内在联系对于提升服务企业绩效及丰富相关管理理论十分重要。本文以服务行业为研究对象,研究服务质量、私人关系对顾客忠诚的影响。数据分析结果表明,企业的服务质量和顾客与服务人员私人关系都正向影响顾客对企业的忠诚,企业的服务质量有助于提升顾客与服务人员的私人关系,在企业一致性高的情况下,顾客与服务人员私人关系对顾客对企业忠诚有更大的影响。这些发现对于提升顾客忠诚有一定的借鉴意义,也有助于丰富中国情境下的本土化理论。     

Incorporating textual information in customer churn prediction models based on a convolutional neural network

This study investigates the value added by incorporating textual data into customer churn prediction (CCP) models. It extends the previous literature by benchmarking convolutional neural networks (CNNs) against current best practices for analyzing textual data in CCP, and, using real life data from a European financial services provider, validates a framework that explains how textual data can be incorporated in a predictive model. First, the results confirm previous research showing that the inclusion of textual data in a CCP model improves its predictive performance. Second, CNNs outperform current best practices for text mining in CCP. Third, textual data are an important source of data for CCP, but unstructured textual data alone cannot create churn prediction models that are competitive with models that use traditional structured data. A calculation of the additional profit obtained from a customer retention campaign through the inclusion of textual information can be used by practitioners directly to help them make more informed decisions on whether to invest in text mining.     

Relationship learning: A conduit for internationalization

Internationalization opportunities can emerge through inter-organizational sharing, yet research on why and how organizations learn through relationship interactions is underdeveloped. We explore how learning in supplier-customer relationships contributes to organizational offerings through the knowledge development process. We identify relationship learning as an organizational dynamic capability by thematic analysis of qualitative longitudinal data from large as well as small and medium-sized organizations. Our case study of organizations demonstrates that nurturing personal relationships and paying attention to customer communication is core in knowledge sharing. Customer input is valuable in solution offerings, strengthening mutual work, and growth in internationalization within an existing relationship or in new ones. The results endorse that the knowledge development processes and commitments transpire at both ends of the relationship. The findings provide practical managerial implications for ensuring the development of open and transparent communication conduits in relationships. The process of providing a solution that addresses customers' needs must begin with understanding their work, issues, and the intended jobs they will perform.     

移动运营商和增值服务提供商关系模型构建研究

利用价值链分析工具揭示了影响增值业务产业价值链上运营商和增值服务提供商力量对比和关系发展的本质因素是客户数量和客户价值,将二者合称为客户质量,其中客户价值被量化为货币收益价值和客户增量。并以移动运营商和增值服务提供商关系特征为基础提出了客户引力假说,建立了运营商和增值服务提供商之间的力量对比模型以及关系模型。通过关系模型说明运营商和增值服务提供商在关系生命周期各个阶段的关系发展趋向,将其作为运营商与服务提供商实行关系营销的参考依据。     

Equal access to hospitality services for guests with mobility impairments under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Implications for the hospitality industry

The hospitality operator's obligation to comply with the ADA has provided the necessary impetus to ensure that hospitality services are provided in a non-discriminatory manner. The ADA requires modification of hospitality policies and procedures to ensure that guests with disabilities are provided services in a manner equivalent to those provided to able-bodied guests. This article provides the hospitality operator with a framework for training front-line employees and offers recommendations for analyzing how current policies and procedures could be modified in a way that limits potential liability as well as more effectively meets the needs of guests with mobility impairments.