Service firms´ action upon negative incidents in high touch services: A narrative study

The study concerns service management, and specifically the action service firms take with regard to customer dissatisfaction, customer complaints and complaining customers in high touch services. Customer dissatisfaction, customer complaints and complaining customers are called negative incidents in the study. The study fills a research gap in service management studies by investigating negative incidents as a part of an open service system. In contrast to main stream service management studies defining service quality as how the customer as a consumer defines it, in the present study, the concept of interactive service quality is adopted. The customer is considered as a co-producer of service who thus has a role to play in service quality and productivity. Additionally, the study juxtaposes the often opposed perspectives of the manager and the customer as well as the often forgotten silent voices of service employees and supervisors. The study proposes that the service firm as an entity does not act but it is the actors at the different hierarchical layers who act. Additionally, it is acknowledged in the study that the different actors at the different hierarchical layers have different knowledge of the service system and different objectives for service encounters. Therefore, they interpret the negative incidents from different perspectives and their actions upon negative incidents are subsequently guided by their interpretations. The research question is: how do service firms act upon negative incidents in high touch services? In order to answer to the research question a narrative research approach was chosen. The actors at the different hierarchical layers acted as informants of the study and provided stories about customer dissatisfaction, customer complaining and complaint handling in high touch services. Through storytelling, access to the socially constructed reality of service firms’ action was achieved. Stemming from the literature review, analysis of empirical data and my theoretical thinking, a theory about service firms’ action upon negative incidents in high touch services was developed and the research question was answered. The study contributes to service recovery and complaint management studies as well as to studies on customer orientation and its implementation in service firms. Additionally, the study has a methodological contribution to service management studies since it reflects service firms’ action with narratives from multiple perspectives. The study is positioned in the tradition of the Nordic School of Marketing Thought and presents service firms’ action upon negative incidents in high touch services as a complex human-centered phenomenon in which the actors at the different hierarchical layers have crucial roles to play. Ritva Höykinpuro is associated with CERS, the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management at Hanken School of Economics.

The Negative News Threshold - an Explanation for Negative Skewness in Stock Returns

A vast literature documents negative skewness and excess kurtosis in stock return distributions on several markets. We approach the issue of negative skewness from a different angle than in previous studies by suggesting a model, which we denote the “negative news threshold” hypothesis, that builds on asymmetrically distributed information and symmetric market responses. Our empirical tests reveal that returns for days when non-scheduled news are disclosed are the source of negative skewness in stock returns. This finding lends solid support to our model and suggests that negative skewness in stock returns is induced by asymmetries in the news disclosure policies of firm management.

Geometry changes induced by negative hyperconjugative interactions involving carbonyl and thiocarbonyl groups

MNDO geometry optimizations have been carried out on a series of acyclic and cyclic unsymmetrically disubstituted carbonyl and thiocarbonyl compounds. The C=X unit shows a consistent and often sizeable tilt towards one of the substituents, following the order O > Snot, vert, similarN > C > B. Reference ab initio calculations and available experimental results support the MNDO results. The effect, which is particularly dramatic in small rings, is attributed primarily to favorable negative hyperconjugative interaction between the lone pair on X and a low lying adjacent σ* orbital. Such an interaction can lead to highly distorted structures, including perhaps to a planar molecule with an inverted sp2 carbon center.

Negative differential resistance in doped poly(3-methylthiophene) devices

The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of poly(3-methylthiophene) devices show a negative differential resistance (NDR) at room temperature with a large peak to valley current ratio (similar to 507). This NDR can be tuned by two orders of magnitude by controlling the carrier density due to the variation of the space-charge region in the device. The temperature and scan rate dependent J-V measurements infer that the NDR is mainly driven by the trapping and de-trapping of carriers. The photo-generation of carriers is observed to reduce the NDR effect.

Negative differential resistance in Gd0.5Sr0.5MnO3: A consequence of Joule heating

Negative differential resistance (NDR) in current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and apparent colossal electroresistance were observed in Gd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 single crystals at low temperatures. The continuous dc I-V measurements showed a marked thermal drift. In addition, temperature of the sample surface was found to be significantly higher than that of the base at high applied currents. Two different strategies namely estimation and diminution of the Joule heating (pulsed I-V measurements) were employed to investigate its role in the electric transport properties. Our experiments reveal that the NDR in Gd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 is a consequence of Joule heating rather than the melting of charge order. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3486221]

Varistors based on mixed‐phase ceramics containing ZnO and negative temperature coefficient spinels

High nonlinearity coefficients of 60–150 are observed in the current‐voltage (I‐V) curves of the mixed phase ceramics formed by cosintering ZnO with spinel phases having large negative temperature coefficients (NTCs) in resistivity. The region of negative slope in the I‐V curves of the NTC ceramics is progressively made positive with ZnO phase content, wherein ZnO grains function as a built‐in resistor in series to the resistance of the NTC phase. High α depends on the optimum phase content of ZnO as much as its intrinsic conductivity. The studies indicate that the predominent contribution to power dissipation is by way of joule heating from the resistive component of the current.

Bovine mastitis caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci : host response and bacterial factors

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the most common bacteria isolated in bovine subclinical mastitis in many countries, and also a frequent cause of clinical mastitis. The most common species isolated are Staphylococcus (S) chromogenes, S. simulans, S. epidermidis, and S. xylosus. One half of the intramammary infections (IMI) caused by CNS persist in the udder. The pathogenesis of IMI caused by CNS is poorly understood. This dissertation focuses on host response in experimental intramammary infection induced by S. chromogenes, S. epidermidis and S. simulans. Model for a mild experimental CNS infection was developed with S. chromogenes (study I). All cows were infected and most developed subclinical mastitis. In study II the innate immune response to S. epidermidis and S. simulans IMI was compared in eight cows using a crossover design. A larger dose of bacteria was used to induce clinical mastitis. All cows became infected and showed mild to moderate clinical signs of mastitis. S. simulans caused a slightly stronger innate immune response than S. epidermidis, with significantly higher concentrations of the interleukins IL-1beta and IL-8 in the milk. The spontaneous elimination rate of the 16 IMIs was 31%, with no difference between species. No significant differences were recorded between infections eliminated spontaneously or remaining persistent, although the response was stronger in IMIs eliminated spontaneously, except the concentration of TNF-α, which remained elevated in persistent infections. Lactoferrin (Lf) is a component of the humoral defence of the host and is present at low concentrations in the milk. The concentration of Lf in milk is high during the dry period, in colostrum, and in mastitic milk. The effect of an inherent, high concentration of Lf in the milk on experimental IMI induced with S. chromogenes was studied in transgenic cows that expressed recombinant human Lf in their milk. Human Lf did not prevent S. chromogenes IMI, but the host response was milder in transgenic cows than in normal cows, and the former eliminated infection faster. Biofilm production has been suggested to promote persistence of IMI. Phenotypic biofilm formation and slime producing ability of CNS isolates from bovine mastitis was investigated in vitro. One-third of mastitis isolates produced biofilm. Slime production was less frequent for isolates of the most common mastitis causing species S. chromogenes and S. simulans compared with S. epidermidis. No association was found between the phenotypic ability to form biofilm and the persistence of IMI or severity of mastitis. Slime production was associated with persistent infections, but only 8% of isolates produced slime.

Exotic Physics in the Negative-U, Extended-Hubbard Model for Barium Bismuthates?

We point out possibilities for exotic physics in barium bismuthates, from a detailed study of the negative-U, extended-Hubbard model proposed for these systems. We emphasize the different consequences of electronic and phononic mechanisms for negative U. We show that, for an electronic mechanism, the semiconducting phases must be unique, with their transport properties dominated by charge ± 2e Cooperon bound states. This can explain the observed difference between the optical and transport gaps. We propose other experimental tests for this novel mechanism of charge transport.

Syntheses, spectroscopy, structures, and conformations of .lambda.3-cyclotriphosphazanes: role of negative hyperconjugation

The reactions of As-chlorocyclotriphosphazane [EtNPCl], with phenols or trifluoroethanol yield the respective aryloxy- or trifluoroethoxy-containingX 3-cyclotriphosphazanes [EtNP(OR)]3 (R = C6H4Br-4 (2),C 6H5 (3C,6 H3-Mez-3,5 (4), C6H3Mez-2,6 (5), CH2CF3 (6)) as their cis-transisomericmixtures. The products have beencharacterized by IRand NMRspectroscopy. Thecrystalstructuresofboth thecis (2a) and trans(2b) isomer_softhep-bromophenoxy derivative have been determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystal data for 2a: triclinic, P1, a = 9.872(4) A, b = 13.438(6) A, c = 13.548(8) A, CY = 117.02(5)', 0 = 96.00(6)', y = 105.38(4)O, Z = 2, final R = 0.080. Crystal data for 2b: monoclinic, P21/n, a = 12.721(6) A, b = 13.468(7) A, c = 17.882(5) A, /3 = 101.62(3)O, Z = 4, final R = 0.066. The cis isomer exhibits a chair-triaxial conformation and the trans isomer a boat-triaxial conformation. Conformational preferences of X3-cyclotriphosphazanes have been probed by both MNDO and ab initio calculations on model systems [HNPXIp (X = H, F). In addition to vicinal lone pair repulsions, negative hyperconjugative interactions involving the nitrogen lone pairs and adjacent P-X Q* orbitals are found to be important (especially when X is an electronegative substituent) in determining the conformational preferences of X3-cyclotriphosphazanes. The calculations also show that the axial - equatorial conversion at phosphorus has a large activation barrier in these systems

Negative differential capacitance in n-GaN/p-Si heterojunctions

Negative differential capacitance (NDC) has been observed in n-GaN/p-Si heterojunctions grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). The NDC is observed at low frequencies 1 and 10 kilohertz (kHz) and disappeared at a higher testing frequency of 100 kHz. The NDC is also studied with temperature and found that it has disappeared above 323 degrees C. Current-Voltage (I-V) characteristics of n-GaN /p-Si heterojunction were measured at different temperatures and are attributed to the space-charge-limited current (SCLC). A simple model involving two quantum states is proposed to explain the observed NDC behavior. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Large negative magnetoresistance and metal-insulator transition observed in MnO/C composite coatings grown on ceramic alumina by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

MnO/C composite coatings were grown by the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process on ceramic alumina in argon ambient. Characterization by various techniques confirms that these coatings are homogeneous composites comprising nanometer-sized MnO particles embedded in a matrix of nanometer-sized graphite. Components of the MnO/C composite coating crystalline disordered, but are electrically quite conductive. Resistance vs. temperature measurements show that coating resistance increases exponentially from a few hundred ohms at room temperature to a few megaohms at 30 K. Logarithmic plots of reduced activation energy vs. temperature show that the coating material undergoes a metal-insulator transition. The reduced activation energy exponent for the film under zero magnetic field was 2.1, which is unusually high, implying that conduction is suppressed at much faster rate than the Mott or the Efros-Shklovskii hopping mechanism. Magnetoconductance us. magnetic field plots obtained at various temperatures show a high magnetoconductance (similar to 28.8%) at 100 K, which is unusually large for a disordered system, wherein magnetoresistance is attributed typically to weak localization. A plausible explanation for the unusual behavior observed in the carbonaceous disordered composite material is proposed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of a Negative cis-Acting DNA Element Regulating the Transcription of CYP2B1/B2 Gene in Rat Liver

The region -160 to -127 nt of the upstream of CYP-2B1/B2 gene has been found to function as a negative cis-acting element on the basis of DNase-I footprint and gel mobility shift assays as well as cell-free transcriptional assays using Bal-31 mutants. A reciprocal relationship in the interaction of the negative and the recently characterized positive elements with their respective protein factors has been found under repressed and induced conditions of the gene. The negative element also harbors the core glucocorticoid responsive sequence, TGTCCT. It is concluded that the negative element mediates the repressed state of the gene under the uninduced condition and also mediates the repressive effect of dexamethasone, when given along with the inducer phenobarbitone in rats. Dexamethasone is able to antagonize the effects of phenobarbitone at as low a concentration as 100 mu g/kg body wt in these animals. (C) 1995 Academic Press,Inc.

Reactions of cyanogen radical with alkanes and an explanation for negative temperature dependence of rate constants

Reactions of cyanide radicals with alkanes have been investigated by ab initio methods. It is found that the potential energy surface for reaction of CN with a primary C-H bond in methane has a small positive barrier while reactions of CN with a secondary and a tertiary C-H bond in alkanes are barrierless at the correlated level. A simple explanation for the obtained negative temperature dependence of rate constants for reactions of CN with a secondary and a tertiary C-H bond in alkanes are given in terms of the collision theory of bimolecular reactions. It is shown that for barrierless reactions the negative temperature dependence of the rate constants is attributed to the variation of the pre-exponential factor with temperature.