Xiaohua Bao, Ning‐Cheng Lee, Rajkumar B. Raj, K.P. Rangan and Anu Maria
The rheology of solder paste significantly affects the qualities of stencil printing, tack and slump performance. This paper describes a series of tests performed on solder paste…
Abstract
The rheology of solder paste significantly affects the qualities of stencil printing, tack and slump performance. This paper describes a series of tests performed on solder paste to investigate and determine the rheological properties of a group of solder pastes and fluxes, and the correlation of those properties with paste performance prior to reflow. Data indicate that: the incidence of print defects are proportional to the material’s compliant qualities (J1 and J2) and are inversely proportional to the elastic properties (G¢/G¢¢ and recovery) and meta‐rigidity (yield stress); slump resistance is proportional to elastic properties (recovery), solid characteristics (stress [G¢ = G¢¢]), and rigidity (|G*|); and that high elastic properties (recovery), low compliance (J1 and J2), and low solid characteristics (stress [G¢ = G¢¢]) are required in order to achieve high tack value. Good correlation between fluxes and solder pastes were observed for yield stress and recovery only, suggesting that those two properties are primarily dictated by fluxes.
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This study aims to examine customers’ reactions in service encounters in which the customer contact person (CCP) initially engages in positive social behaviors and then turns to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine customers’ reactions in service encounters in which the customer contact person (CCP) initially engages in positive social behaviors and then turns to suggestive selling.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental between‐subjects design was employed. The participants interacted in a service encounter with a CCP who engaged in positive social behaviors. At the end of the service encounter, participants were exposed to: no suggestive selling; congruent suggestive selling; or incongruent suggestive selling.
Findings
Customers’ intentions to buy additional products were lower in the two suggestive selling conditions than in the condition without suggestive selling. This outcome should be viewed in light of the contrast effect that occurs when the CCP's role comprises both rapport‐building activities and sales activities: suggestive selling near the end of a service encounter may “break the spell” of initial positive social behaviors. However, in terms of the customer's attitude toward the CCP, it was mainly the incongruent suggestive sales attempt that had a negative effect, presumably because congruent suggestive selling contrasts less with positive social behaviors than incongruent suggestive selling.
Originality/value
Researchers have acknowledged that many CCPs who are instructed to engage in positive social behaviors in service encounters are under increasing pressure to also actively engage in sales efforts. However, few studies have examined the reactions of customers exposed to both activities within the same service encounter.
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Erno Selos, Teemu Laine, Inger Roos, Petri Suomala and Lauri Pitkänen
This study aims to focus on the switching path analysis technique (SPAT) application to enlarge the understanding of customer switching from the business to consumer (B‐to‐C…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the switching path analysis technique (SPAT) application to enlarge the understanding of customer switching from the business to consumer (B‐to‐C) context to the processes of business‐to‐business (B‐to‐B) supplier switches.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a theory extension of SPAT, with nine (9) supplier switching cases in different B‐to‐B settings. The cases shed light also on the actual triggers and determinants of the B‐to‐B switches.
Findings
The study proves the applicability of SPAT in B‐to‐B settings. The B‐to‐B context adds complexity, forming a relationship flow where many driving factors act for switching. Thus, the findings suggest that a comprehensive analysis of the triggers and determinants is required to understand the switching processes. In particular, the characteristics of the active/passive behaviour should be analysed separately in the customer and in the old and new suppliers.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical findings are exploratory in nature. Further research should refine the characteristics of active and passive behaviour at the levels of the relationship, the companies and the individuals to comprehend the notion of the influential trigger in SPAT. Further research should also address the wider topic of the patterns of certain triggers and determinants that actually lead to unstable supplier relationships.
Practical implications
The B‐to‐B supplier switches appear to be complex processes. The supplier should be able to be constantly aware of the major changes in the customer's business. Based on this awareness, the supplier may actively affect the development of the relationship to avoid unwanted switches.
Originality/value
The paper combines the relatively mature research stream of B‐to‐C supplier switches and access to B‐to‐B supplier‐switching cases. The theory contribution of the paper is the extension of the theory to the B‐to‐B context, with relevant research implications.
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Per Carlborg, Daniel Kindström and Christian Kowalkowski
Service productivity continues to receive ever‐greater amounts of attention as service covers a greater portion of the economy. As competition increases, service productivity…
Abstract
Purpose
Service productivity continues to receive ever‐greater amounts of attention as service covers a greater portion of the economy. As competition increases, service productivity becomes increasingly important. This study aims to explore the applicability of lean principles in a service context and to conceptualize how these principles impact service productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a conceptual analysis of the six most commonly used lean principles in manufacturing and their applicability to a service context for different types of services. Using this analysis, six propositions are developed to examine the influence of lean on service productivity.
Findings
This study suggests promising synergies, as well as important obstacles, for applying lean principles in services. Standardizing services and increasing reliability in service processes through lean principles can increase efficiency. However, the customer's active role in certain services and, simultaneously, high diversity make the application of lean principles increasingly difficult. Also, customer satisfaction must be considered when improving service productivity, otherwise the positive long‐term effects of a lean approach in service will be absent.
Practical implications
These findings are useful for organizations aiming to improve their service productivity. Particularly, lean principles are invaluable to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction for services with low diversity and low customer participation. This paper suggests a direction for the proper use of lean principles for different service types, and how efficiency and customer satisfaction are affected through a lean approach.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the research on service productivity and continues the discussion on prototypic characteristics of service and manufacturing orientations.
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Mekhail Mustak, Elina Jaakkola and Aino Halinen
Customer participation in the creation of offerings has become a key focus in marketing literature. This paper synthesizes extant research on the topic to enhance understanding of…
Abstract
Purpose
Customer participation in the creation of offerings has become a key focus in marketing literature. This paper synthesizes extant research on the topic to enhance understanding of the conceptualization and value outcomes of customer participation in the creation of offerings.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on an extensive, systematic literature review covering 163 articles on customer participation published over the last four decades. Selected publications were analyzed according to the topics studied, study context, research approach, and findings.
Findings
The review demonstrates how the conceptualization of customer participation has evolved in terms of the nature and range of customer contributions, their temporal scope, and the outcomes considered. It also synthesizes the hypothesized and empirically scrutinized value outcomes of customer participation for both sellers and customers.
Research limitations/implications
The review reveals important gaps in the existing knowledge on customer participation, and identifies relevant areas for future research. The literature review may have missed some relevant papers that use different terminologies.
Practical implications
Managers should consider the strategic significance of customer participation in their businesses, promote the potential benefits to their customers, and institute necessary changes in their organization to facilitate participation.
Originality/value
This paper provides a structured overview of the empirical and conceptual research addressing customer participation and brings forth evidences regarding its value outcomes, thereby contributing to extant knowledge on value creation.
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Cristiana R. Lages, Cláudia M.N. Simões, Raymond P. Fisk and Werner H. Kunz
The evolution of the service marketing field was marked by the emergence of a global, vigorous and tolerant community of service marketing researchers. This paper seeks to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The evolution of the service marketing field was marked by the emergence of a global, vigorous and tolerant community of service marketing researchers. This paper seeks to examine the history of the service marketing community and argues that it may be an archetype for building the emergent global service research community.
Design/methodology/approach
The study combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. The authors interviewed four pioneering service scholars and also collected descriptive data (e.g. Authorship, Affiliation, Title, Keywords) of all service related articles published in 13 top peer‐reviewed marketing and service journals over the last 30 years (5,432 articles; 6,450 authors). In a dynamic analysis the authors mapped global collaboration between countries over time and detected clusters of international collaboration.
Findings
Findings suggest a growing international collaboration for the USA and the UK, while for other countries like Israel the global collaboration started from a high level and decreases now. Further, the service marketing community never became polarized and there were always contributions from researchers all over the world.
Research limitations/implications
As the global service research community is developing, service marketing becomes a research neighborhood within the broader service research community. Simultaneously, other research neighborhoods are emerging within this new community (e.g. service arts, service management, service engineering, service science).
Originality/value
Anchored on the social evolution and biological evolution metaphors, this study explains the evolution of the service marketing field from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Furthermore, it explains the development of the service marketing community as an archetype for building the global service research community.
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Anne-Maria Holma, Anu Bask, Antti Laakso and Dan Andersson
This paper aims to develop a framework for switching a service supplier in a supply network.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a framework for switching a service supplier in a supply network.
Design/methodology/approach
The study builds on existing literature in the field of purchasing and supply management, public procurement (PP) and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing approach, as well as on an illustrative example case, from the PP context, of a supplier switch in a service delivery process.
Findings
During a switching process, the buyer must simultaneously manage the ending of a relationship with the incumbent supplier and the beginning of a relationship with a new supplier. Collaboration with the focal suppliers to develop a service process with standardized components prevents disruptions in the service processes and reduces the impact of the switch on the wider network.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptualization suggested in this paper needs to be further explored in different empirical contexts to assess its practical adequacy.
Practical implications
Practitioners responsible for service procurement can use the findings to develop collaboration with suppliers, both when it comes to service process development and to the switching process. Furthermore, the authors highlight the importance of ending competencies and the development of an exit plan to conduct a “beautiful exit.”
Originality/value
The paper integrates relationship initiation and ending studies, as well as procurement process models to develop a refined switching process framework. Many PPs rely on short-term relationships due to the legal obligation to frequently invite suppliers to tender, thus understanding the supplier switching process is important both for private and public sector actors.
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In order to solve the current imbalance of academic resources within the discipline, this article builds a three-dimensional talent evaluation model based on the…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to solve the current imbalance of academic resources within the discipline, this article builds a three-dimensional talent evaluation model based on the topic–author–citation based on the z index and proposes the ZAS index to evaluate scholars on different research topics within the discipline.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the sample data of the CSSCI journals in the discipline of physical education in the past five years, the keywords were classified into 13 categories of research topics including female sports. The ZAS index of scholars on topic of female sports and so on was calculated, and quantitative indexes such as h index p index and z index were calculated. Comparative analysis of the evaluation effect was performed.
Findings
It is found that compared with the h index and p index, the z index achieves a better balance between the quantity, quality and citation distribution of scholars' results and effectively recognizes that the citation quality is higher and the number of citations of each paper is more balanced. In addition, compared to the z index, this article is based on a ZAS index model with an improved three-dimensional topic–author–citation relationship in research fields such as female sports.
Originality/value
It can identify some outstanding scholars who are engaged in small-scale or emerging topic research such as female sports and are excellent in different research areas. Talents create an objective and fair evaluation environment. At the same time, the ranking ability of ZAS indicators in the evaluation of talents is the strongest, and it is expected to be used in practical evaluations.