Consumer search of the web: An exploratory analysis of antecedents of web search satisfaction

This article explores consumer Web-search satisfaction. It commences with a brief overview of the concepts consumer information search and consumer satisfaction. Consumer Web adoption issues are then briefly discussed and the importance of consumer search satisfaction is highlighted in relation to the adoption of the Web as an additional source of consumer information. Research hypotheses are developed and the methodology of a large scale consumer experiment to record consumer Web search behaviour is described. The hypotheses are tested and the data explored in relation to post-Web-search satisfaction. The results suggest that consumer post-Web-search satisfaction judgments may be derived from subconscious judgments of Web search efficiency, an empirical calculation of which is problematic in unlimited information environments such as the Web. The results are discussed and a future research agenda is briefly outlined.

User satisfaction with allied health services delivered to residential facilities via videoconferencing

We have investigated the role of videoconferencing in allied health service provision to high-care clients in rural residential facilities. Videoconferencing equipment was set up at a rural aged-care facility and a metropolitan allied health centre; ISDN transmission at 384 kbit/s was used to link the equipment. Twelve residents were assessed by both videoconference and face to face across five allied health disciplines (a total of 120 assessments). User satisfaction was measured using questionnaires and focus groups. Face-to-face assessment took significantly longer than videoconferencing assessment. However, the mean satisfaction ratings for face-to-face assessments were higher than for videoconferencing and the majority of the staff preferred the face-to-face format. Videoconferencing was particularly useful for consultations and the initial stages of the assessment process. A number of issues relating to the videoconferencing equipment, to the environment in which assessments were performed and to the clients themselves need to be addressed in order for this form of service delivery to be effective.

Assessing service satisfaction between a 3PL provider and a vehicle manufacturer using the SERVQUAL technique

This paper reports on a new study conducted within a leading UK based (and US owned) car manufacturing company looking at the satisfaction between parties within a newly formed third party logistics (3PL) relationship. The study contains a two-way assessment of the relationship (i.e. the vehicle manufacturer’s Parts Supply and Logistics Operation’s assessment of the 3PL’s service and the 3PL’s assessment of the vehicle manufacturer’s relationship management ability). The study principally used an online SERVQUAL survey, (backed up with an on-line questionnaire, and face to face interviews) for data collection. The paper discusses the background and problems that have arisen in the relationship, the analysis of how each of the parties sees one other in terms of the service provided. Also, the findings and recommendations presented to management are outlined: these include factors such as the need for information sharing, reliability, flexibility, role specificity, trust and effective requirements management.

Organizational commitment profiles and job satisfaction among Greek private and public sector employees

Recent research into organizational commitment has advocated a profiles-based approach. However, with the exception of Wasti, published findings are confined to North American samples. This article examines the relationships between organizational commitment profiles and job satisfaction in Greece. Greek organizations have rarely been the subject of detailed examination, so the study provides baseline information regarding levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction in Greece. Both private sector (N = 1119) and public sector (N = 476) employees in Greece were surveyed, as this sectoral distinction is regularly associated with different patterns of job-related attitudes. The contrasts between Greek and Anglo-American values present a new challenge to the profiles approach. The results confirm the utility of the profiles approach to the study of organizational commitment. Affective organizational commitment was found to be most influential with respect to levels of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. This concurs with other studies of the behavioural outcomes of commitment. Copyright © 2007 Sage Publications.

Examining a key aspect of agency-to-business relationships:the effects of regulatory control on the satisfaction of regulated firms

This paper studies an overlooked, but highly important relationship, the relationship that exists between regulatory agencies (e.g., the EPA, OSHA, and the FDA) and the for-profit businesses they attempt to govern. Drawing on business-to-business control and satisfaction research, a framework is developed to understand how regulatory control influences the satisfaction levels of customer firms. Regulatory control is disaggregated into four distinct facets: the controlling agency, the rules and regulations of control, the processes used by the agency to apply the regulations, and sanctions. Each facet is hypothesized to have an effect on satisfaction. A regulator's administration of state food safety regulations provides the empirical context for testing the hypotheses. Results from a survey of 173 restaurants provide empirical support for the conceptual model. Most importantly, the study finds that the informal control process increases customer satisfaction, while the formal control process decreases customer satisfaction. We discuss how these and other findings may contribute to more effective agency-to-business relationships and ongoing research.

Response-based segmentation using Finite Mixture Partial Least Squares: theoretical foundations and an application to American Customer Satisfaction Index Data

When applying multivariate analysis techniques in information systems and social science disciplines, such as management information systems (MIS) and marketing, the assumption that the empirical data originate from a single homogeneous population is often unrealistic. When applying a causal modeling approach, such as partial least squares (PLS) path modeling, segmentation is a key issue in coping with the problem of heterogeneity in estimated cause-and-effect relationships. This chapter presents a new PLS path modeling approach which classifies units on the basis of the heterogeneity of the estimates in the inner model. If unobserved heterogeneity significantly affects the estimated path model relationships on the aggregate data level, the methodology will allow homogenous groups of observations to be created that exhibit distinctive path model estimates. The approach will, thus, provide differentiated analytical outcomes that permit more precise interpretations of each segment formed. An application on a large data set in an example of the American customer satisfaction index (ACSI) substantiates the methodology’s effectiveness in evaluating PLS path modeling results.

'Taking a sickie':Job satisfaction and job involvement as interactive predictors of absenteeism in a public organization

Correlations between absenteeism and work attitudes such as job satisfaction have often been found to be disappointingly weak. As prior work reveals, this might be due to ignoring interactive effects of attitudes with different attitude targets (e.g. job involvement and organizational commitment). Drawing on basic principles in personality research and insights about the situational variability of job satisfaction judgments, we proposed that similar interactions should be present also for attitudes with the same target. More specifically, it was predicted that job involvement affects absenteeism more if job satisfaction is low as this indicates a situation with weak constraints. Both attitudes were assessed in a sample of 436 employees working in a large civil service organization, and two indexes of absence data (frequency and time lost) were drawn from personnel records covering a 12-month period following the survey. Whereas simple correlations were not significant, a moderated regression documented that the hypothesized interaction was significant for both indicators of absence behaviour. As a range of controls (e.g. age, gender, job level) were accounted for, these findings lend strong support to the importance of this new, specific form of attitude interaction. Thus, we encourage researchers not only to consider interactions of attitudes with a different focus (e.g. job vs. organization) but also interactions between job involvement and job satisfaction as this will yield new insights into the complex function of attitudes in influencing absenteeism. © 2007 The British Psychological Society.

Determining consumer satisfaction and commitment through self-service technology and personal service usage

This paper expands research into self-service technology in the service encounter. Self-service technology is where customers deliver service themselves using some form of a technological interface. There is still a great deal unknown about self-service technology, in particular its impact on consumer satisfaction and consumer commitment. With that in mind, this empirical study explores the relative impact of self-service technology on consumer satisfaction and on a multidimensional measure of consumer commitment containing affective commitment, temporal commitment and instrumental commitment. The results reveal that in a hotel context personal service still remains very important for assessments of satisfaction, and affective and temporal commitment. What is particularly interesting is that self-service technology, while impacting these constructs, also impacts instrumental commitment. This suggests that positive evaluations of self-service technology may tie consumers into relationships with hotels. A discussion and implications for managers are provided on these and other results, and the paper is concluded with further potential research.