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This paper proposes a new discrete‐time formulation of state‐space model for voltage source inverter (VSI) fed AC motors, introducing the free evolution of the motor state and characterized by both the simplification of torque and flux output equations and the definition of a predictive reference frame oriented on the rotor free evolution vector. The potential of the proposed model for high dynamics discrete‐time controller synthesis is illustrated through an application to SM‐PMSM.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between country-of-origin (COO) and brand positioning in the context of the high-involvement service of health care. This paper compares and analyzes different positioning strategies used in Europe, North America and the Middle East.

This paper uses content analysis of promotional materials for a sample of 168 health-care organizations located in 14 countries to identify brand positioning strategies used, such as foreign, local and global consumer culture positioning. A chi-square analysis and post hoc testing is used to examine how positioning strategies differ among regions.

The findings indicate that European and Middle Eastern health-care organizations most frequently use foreign consumer culture positioning, while North American institutions tend to use global consumer culture positioning. The findings indicate that health-care organizations in countries with a better reputation for care use different positioning strategies than in countries with a lesser reputation for quality care.

The findings are of value to international advertising and marketing professionals and hospitals seeking to attract patients globally in a competitive marketplace. Hospitals must consider their positioning relative to both domestic and international competitors and the COO of their target audience.

COO is important in high-involvement service industries because consumers lack the information needed to evaluate service quality. Consumers may rely on COO and brand positioning signals more heavily relative to goods or low-involvement services. However, little prior research exists examining COO effects and brand positioning for high involvement services and for health care specifically. This paper makes a unique contribution by filling this gap.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of volume flexible strategies on organizational performance in academic medical centers (AMCs). Volume flexible strategies represent a variety of methods where organizations use their portfolio of resources and capabilities to meet fluctuating customer demand while improving organizational performance.

A path model is developed and tested based on a survey of AMCs in the USA as listed in the American hospital directory.

The results indicate that desired levels of volume flexibility have a positive impact on organizational capabilities that in turn, positively influence how internal sources of volume flexibility are leveraged. In addition, volume flexible capability and the use of internal strategies were found to have a positive influence on customer‐related performance that in turn, positively impacts financial and market share performance.

This research was exploratory in nature and limited to a sample of AMCs. To improve the generalizability of these results, future studies should evaluate these constructs using a larger sample of health care organizations.

The deployment and use of volume flexible strategies is germane to any health care organization's strategy and performance. This study offers some guidance to administrators who need both a clear understanding of the underlying tradeoffs involved in deploying these strategies and a prescriptive model to help guide their use.

This work answers the recent calls for more empirical research in general, and specifically, for more operations strategy research on flexibility in service industries. It should assist future researchers who focus on flexibility in health care services and would also be of interest to practitioners interested in keeping up with academic literature.

This paper aims to contribute industrial marketing literature by examining the relationship between market orientation and performance based on multiple perspectives and measures. Although the relationship between market orientation and firm performance has been examined in prior research a gap in the literature exists, as this relationship has not been examined from separate perspectives of managers, salespersons and customers. In addition to this gap in the literature, a further gap exists as these multiple assessments of market orientation have not been examined relative to both subjective and objectives measures of industrial firm performance.

The research is based on data obtained from 111 sales branches of a Fortune 500 industrial supplier.

The results indicate that managers, salespersons and customers all indicate a positive relationship between market orientation and perceived performance. Market orientation and actual branch performance were not related when assessed by any of the three respondent groups. Only salespersons were able to significantly relate perceived firm performance to actual performance.

These findings add a new dimensions to the existing stream of literature on the industrial marketing orientation and performance relationship.

These findings add new dimensions to the existing stream of literature on the industrial marketing orientation and performance relationship.

Notes that the establishment and maintenance of long‐term relationships with consumers is an important focus of marketing activities in many organizations. Examines gender differences in satisfaction and loyalty as influenced by the passage of time in a high‐involvement service setting. The study was based on a survey of 150 women and 133 men at two separate time periods – immediately after receiving a health care service and again two years later. The results indicate that overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions declined between the initial time of the service encounter and the time of the follow‐up survey for both men and women. However, women also experienced a decrease in composite satisfaction, as well as satisfaction with the physician, nursing staff, privacy and pain control, room, and surgery, whereas men only reported a decline in satisfaction with the physician and nursing staff.

The purpose of this paper is show how altruism provides a basis for understanding motivations that consumers may possess, especially as it relates to their response to buy‐national marketing campaigns. The paper aims to report research that examines traditional measures of altruism to determine whether there are differing or additional dimensions of altruism.

The research is based on a survey of 212 consumers and their responses to previously validated altruism scales. These scales were factor‐analyzed to identify new dimensions of altruism.

Eight dimensions of altruism are empirically identified and are demonstrated to be different by demographic groupings and their responses to altruism‐based marketing programs.

Patterns of altruistic behavior can enable marketers to estimate the relative size and behavioral patterns of altruism‐based market segments.

This paper reports research on the impact of mass communication and the passage of time on consumer satisfaction and loyalty in a high‐involvement service setting. The study was based on a survey of two groups of individuals. A short‐time lag group consisted of individuals who were surveyed immediately after receiving a service and one year later. A long‐time lag group consisted of individuals who were surveyed immediately after they received a service and two years later. Satisfaction and loyalty decreased from the initial time of the service encounter for both the short‐time and long‐time groups. While satisfaction and loyalty declined over time for both groups, the results revealed no difference in the change in satisfaction between the two groups. In addition, exposure to mass communication did not influence the change in satisfaction and intention to return over time.

This paper aims to report research on the relationship among market, industry, and company factors and the level of global product standardization.

The study is based on a survey of executive level managers in US‐based companies that market products both domestically and internationally.

Significant relationships were found between specific market, industry, and company factors and global product standardization.

The results of the research can be used both to understand and to manage global products in light of the market, industry, and company factors that influence their existence.

This paper aims to report a research methodology that is used to identify business buyer segments by relating demographic indicators to the needs of various market segments.

The research was based on a survey in the office systems industry. The respondents were asked to evaluate the importance of marketing services that are used by dealers to select, evaluate, and retain vendors.

Market segments were identified and categorized using demographic and need‐based data. Discriminant analysis was able to distinguish between demographic market segments and to identify these segments based on their market needs.

This paper demonstrates a methodology to identify customer needs based on demographic data, lowering the cost of identifying the product and service needs of different market segments.

Demographic and need‐based business segmentation methods are widely used, However, empirically based research that bridges the gap between these two segmentation processes has not been previously reported.

Technological innovation is a major competitive input that directly translates into long‐term competitive advantage. Presents the results of research that examines innovative activity by country, based on several measures of technological performance. The patterns of inventiveness reported reflect present product development activities that will in the future directly impact the ability of a country to bring unique and high value‐added new products to market. Develops a taxonomy that suggests that there are distinctively different patterns of inventiveness by country. Discusses marketing implications of the taxonomy and proposes future research.