The impact of service intangibility on consumer service quality expectations

Research consistently demonstrates the strategic benefits of providing quality in service delivery (Tse and Wilton 1988; Anderson and Zeithaml 1984). However, to deliver a quality service, it is first necessary to determine the level of quality expectations that consumers have for a particular service industry. This paper examines whether quality expectations vary across services based on their degree of total intangibility. A controlled, repeated measures design is utilised, whereby subjects are each asked to evaluate three services that vary in their degree of intangibility. Contrary to past findings, results indicate that consumer expectations for service quality do not vary with the level of intangibility of the service.

Transforming frameworks: new approaches to CCTs and the pursuit of educational equity

Teacher educators throughout the world are increasingly under pressure to develop educational programs and school-based relationships which respond simultaneously to the multiple consequences of changed and changing technologies, new understandings of identity (what it means to be a teacher and a student) and persistently uneven pattems of educational (and social) success. Responses to these challenges regularly draw upon computer and communication technologies (CCTs) in the sometimes optimistic belief that this will improve the chance of any educational reform having a positive impact on students at risk of educational alienation and failure. Unfortunately, the gap between the hopeful embrace of technology and the actual outcomes delivered by technologically mediated educational innovations is often quite considerable. This paper investigates the kinds of educational conversations that are necessary to allow us to move beyond these optimistic adoptions of technology to address long standing patterns of educational success and failure and outlines a framework for transformative work in this area.

An exploration of the components of relational bonds to an arts festival brand

This research investigates the nature of the bonds that consumers form with a brand that provides highly uncertain outcomes, and is only available intermittently. The research model draws upon elements of Keller’s (2001) conceptualisation of brand resonance, and extends McAlexander, Kim, and Roberts’ (2003), and Muniz and O’Guinn’s (2001) brand community construct, testing these in an atypical service environment. Qualitative research suggested the need for a broader view of the bond formed in these circumstances, specifically one comprising measures of anticipation of usage, social attraction, commitment, loyalty, and trust. This paper reports on analysis undertaken to develop such a construct, which has been labelled “brand affinity”. Tests for discriminant validity suggest that the brand affinity construct is a distinct construct that can be used to measure consumer attitudes toward a highly uncertain, intermittently available product.

Consumer complaint channel choice in self-service technology encounters

Consumers’ choice of channel to communicate complaints, following the decision to voice to the organisation, has received very little research attention. This study contributes to filling this gap by exploring the drivers of consumers’ choice of complaint channel in the self-service technology (SST) context. Surprisingly, in this context, consumers have often chosen interpersonal complaint channels over electronic channels, resulting in some of the value of using SSTs being lost for consumers and organisations alike. Preliminary findings indicate that the perceived ease of use, the likelihood of organisational response, the desire for social interaction and the source of the SST-related complaint, might provide some clues as to the organisational strategies that can be used to encourage greater utilisation of technology-based complaint channels.

Predicting consumer innovative behavior using alternative theories and likelihood measures: a longitudinal study

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of consumers, where two dominant theories that purport to predict innovative behavior are applied and compared directly, using a methodology suggested as ideal by past researchers. Predictions made prior to launch were then evaluated against multiple measures of purchase likelihood, and against actual adoption behavior up to 12 months after launch. The results of this study suggest that perceptions of the innovations characteristics (PIC) predicted the selfreported likelihood of adoption better than the Domain Specific Innovativeness (DSI) scale, a personality-based measure. Prediction of actual adoption was largely inaccurate and both theories massively over predicted adoption levels, however the DSI scale was slightly more accurate. The conclusions here are that no one theory could make adequate predictions of behavior, that purchase likelihood measures are a poor substitute for measuring actual behavior but that purchase probability scales should be used more often in adoption research.

Brand orientation : conceptualisation, operationalisation and explanatory power

This study contributes to the brand management literature by providing a conceptualisation of brand orientation from a resource based theory perspective. Moreover, the study advances seminal brand conceptualisations through operationalising the construct and empirically testing its psychometric properties and explanatory power. The construct was explored within a services context focusing on Australian retail organisations, thereby extending brand management research beyond the manufacturing domain. Building on the work of leading brand authors four reflective dimensions of brand orientation are operationalised including distinctive, functional, value adding and symbolic capabilities. The results of this study suggest that brand orientation is a robust construct with strong explanatory power in regards to dependent constructs; positional advantage and organisational performance.

Consumer choice, information product quality, and market implications

The paper concerns with the peculiarities of consumer choice in information product markets. This is a multidisciplinary study based on both information system research and microeconomic theory. An extension is introduced to the conventional general theory of consumer choice for explicitly taking into account the impact of information product quality on consumer behaviour. Multiple quality characteristics, considered against the price of product, are an essential reason for consumer choice of high tech product in general and information product in particular. We assume that consumers are able to aggregate their preferences of multiple product characteristics into a product preference order. On the supply side, the product quality characteristics incur costs. In the case of information product, those costs are the costs of the first copy, and marginal costs are near zero. All of the above constitute the distinctive characteristics of the competitive mechanism in the digital economy and in information product markets. A model, based on the game theory is used to consider two special cases. The first one deals with monopolistic competition for a share of the market with a limited number of customers. Conditions are derived for IT firm survival. The second one considers conditions at which a monopoly is able to successfully introduce a new version if its information product.

The importance of overcoming cultural barriers in establishing brand names: an Australian company in China

Considering the importance of cross-cultural competencies in the context of rapid globalisation and the growth of China in the world economy, this paper uses case study methodology, to document the difficulties encountered by an Australian multinational beverage company, Foster’s, in attempting to establish its brand in China’s rapidly expanding market economy. Many of these related to culturally distinct attributes of the market, the consumer base and retail practices. The paper analyses these in terms of key concepts in marketing and cross-cultural business theory, in order to provide guidelines on how to overcome cultural barriers when establishing a foreign brand name in China. It also discusses the impact of cultural differences on brand loyalty after the establishment of the brand and on the sustainability of that brand. In attempting to assist foreign firms to succeed in the Chinese market, this paper offers suggestions that will help marketers to first understand the importance of cultural differences and then to succeed with further recommendations. Being a complex market and a market that is different from the Australian market, this is extremely valuable for those foreign brands entering China.

Bonding with cultural brands: exploring the 'binds that tie us'

In contexts such as those in the arts and culture industry, where the use of branded products may be difficult to access due to intermittent availability, or, where the branded product outcomes may be difficult to predict, it is argued that consumers form complex relationships with brands.
In order to explore these complex relationships, this research explores the components of the bond that consumers form with arts and cultural products and brands. This research highlights empirically five components of brand bonding with arts and cultural products, viz., brand trust/affinity, social/self connectedness, loyalty, emotional connectedness and brand involvement. These results found that intricacies emerge, such as consumer optimism about branded product failures, anticipation of usage, and a sense of responsibility for the success of the brand. More importantly, these findings suggest that in situations where service outcomes are uncertain, and where the service is available intermittently, loyal consumers are still willing to develop a relationship based on their connectedness or bond with the brand, despite the situational difficulties associated with accessing it.

The composition of brand knowledge across product categories

This research reported in this paper tested the composition of the brand knowledge construct across three product categories. The brand knowledge construct was tested for a fast-moving consumer good (fmcg), a service, and a durable good. A quasi-experimental method was utilised, with the order of recall manipulated. Respondents undertook a free recall exercise using category cues, and then completed multi-item measures of brand knowledge. This exercise was repeated for each product category. A usable sample of 270 responses was gained. Analysis of the data found that respondents utilised different components of the knowledge construct depending on the product category being recalled. In addition, the order of recall (fmcg or durable first) affected the recall performance for later categories. Recall performance was highest for the durable category, which indicated that respondents may have been delving into different memory stores, and accessing long-term memory for durable good recall. This paper makes a contribution to the field of branding by providing a test of the knowledge structure across three product categories, and indicating the components that contribute to knowledge for each category. These findings have implications for advertising design, and the formation of links to brands in memory by advertisers, for use in later recall episodes.

Social structures of science and approaches to outcomes-based medical research

Recently, two seemingly divergent approaches have emerged in outcomes-based medical research. Proponents of evidence-based medicine (EBM) argue that the most effective treatments will be found by adopting a hierarchical approach that gives pre-eminence to randomized controlled clinical trials, where these are available. Proponents of participatory medical research argue that research undertaken with consumers and other partners in the community will produce the best outcomes. While one approach marginalizes consumer experience the other approach draws consumers into it. EBM assumes a high level of consensus in a scientific community, while participatory medical research relies on co-opting consumer experience. This paper indicates that each approach involves a particular view of social structure in science. The paper uses theories of social relations among scientists for the purpose of critically assessing EBM and the participatory model.

Experience as a moderator of involvement and satisfaction on brand loyalty in a business-to-business setting 02-314R

This paper examines the relative influence of two key antecedents of brand loyalty—satisfaction and involvement and the moderating role of experience, using a sample of business buyers. The central argument of this paper is that the strength of the effect of these variables on attitudinal brand loyalty will vary with the level of customer experience with purchasing the service. Building on previous research which examined low-risk, customer product settings [Kim, J., Lim, J.S., & Bhargava, M. (1998). The role of affect in attitude formation: A classical conditioning approach. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 26 (2): pp. 143–152; Shiv, B., & Fedorikhin, A. (1999). Heart and mind in conflict: The interplay of affect and cognition in consumer decision-making. Journal of Consumer Research 26: 278], this study shows that for a high-risk setting, involvement with the service category will be more dominant in its influence on brand loyalty than satisfaction with the preferred brand. Furthermore, it was found that experience moderated the influence of involvement and satisfaction on attitudinal brand loyalty for a high-risk business-to-business service. This study provides new insights into the theory and practice of buyer behavior and business-to-business brands.

Cross-cultural differences in consumer decision-making styles

This article compares consumer decision-making styles between Singaporeans and Australians. Utilising Hofstede’s framework, the paper argues that cultural dimensions influence consumer decision making styles. It is essential that managers understand cross-cultural consumer decision-making styles to make strategic decisions or effectively handle members of these nationalities. Marked differences were found between the two populations for: brand consciousness, innovativeness and overchoice confusion. The results suggest that some consumer decision-making styles differ due to consumers’ cultural values. Managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.

Assessing cost-effectiveness of drug interventions for schizophrenia

Objective: To assess from a health sector perspective the incremental cost-effectiveness of eight drug treatment scenarios for established schizophrenia.

Method: Using a standardized methodology, costs and outcomes are modelled over the lifetime of prevalent cases of schizophrenia in Australia in 2000. A two-stage approach to assessment of health benefit is used. The first stage involves a quantitative analysis based on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted, using best available evidence. The robustness of results is tested using probabilistic uncertainty analysis. The second stage involves application of 'second filter' criteria (equity, strength of evidence, feasibility and acceptability) to allow broader concepts of benefit to be considered.

Results: Replacing oral typicals with risperidone or olanzapine has an incremental costeffectiveness ratio (ICER) of A$48 000 and A$92 000/DALY respectively. Switching from low-dose typicals to risperidone has an ICER of A$80 000. Giving risperidone to people experiencing side-effects on typicals is more cost-effective at A$20 000. Giving clozapine to people taking typicals, with the worst course of the disorder and either little or clear deterioration, is cost-effective at A$42 000 or A$23 000/DALY respectively. The least costeffective intervention is to replace risperidone with olanzapine at A$160 000/DALY.

Conclusions: Based on an A$50 000/DALY threshold, low-dose typical neuroleptics are indicated as the treatment of choice for established schizophrenia, with risperidone being reserved for those experiencing moderate to severe side-effects on typicals. The more expensive olanzapine should only be prescribed when risperidone is not clinically indicated. The high cost of risperidone and olanzapine relative to modest health gains underlie this conclusion. Earlier introduction of clozapine however, would be cost-effective. This work is limited by weaknesses in trials (lack of long-term efficacy data, quality of life and consumer satisfaction evidence) and the translation of effect size into a DALY change. Some stakeholders, including SANE Australia, argue the modest health gains reported in the literature do not adequately reflect perceptions by patients, clinicians and carers, of improved quality of life with these atypicals.

Buyer-supplier relationships and brand strategy within commoditised industries : a suggested theoretical framework

Research into commodity markets has identified an increase in non-price based competition. In pursuit of sustainable bases for differentiation, many commodity industries including fresh produce, dairy and meat are introducing branded products. Using the Resource-Based View (RBV), this paper postulates that such branding is influenced by the nature of the buyer-supplier relationship. We suggest that the individual resources and capabilities of trade partners, in addition to the capabilities of that relationship, influence the brand strategies pursued. Moreover, we propose that by combining organisational resources and capabilities and brand strategy in an holistic framework, we may explain variations in buyer-supplier relationship performance.