Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of university ranking systems as instruments of university quality assessment. Some controversy surrounds the methodology used to compile such instruments. Accordingly, different compilers have adopted different methods to produce...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the individual mechanisms that mediate the relationship between marketing practices and growth-quality of work life ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from small service firms via an online survey...

Purpose – The authors seek to better understand the critical incidents and factors that influence the switching behaviours of back pain sufferers who use mainstream and/or complementary and alternative medicine (Edvardsson, 1998). That is, the purpose of this paper is to uncover how they...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how a crisis affects public attitudes toward stigmatized service workers (SSWs) who are blamed by the media for the event. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses grounded in two theories, crisis communication and empathic concern, are...

Purpose – Primarily, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the interaction and direct effects of tie strength between sender and receiver of word of mouth (WOM) and the receiver’s service purchase decision involvement on WOM influence. A secondary aim is to investigate how a...

Purpose – In drip pricing, companies advertise low prices for products or services and then tack on additional surcharges later in the purchase process. This tactic has not only become popular for airlines but also for other online services, such as retailers and telecommunication companies....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of attributions on the efficacy of service recovery strategies in preventing customer defection following a service failure. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical investigation is carried out on the retail banking industry...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide managers and researchers a comprehensive view of the root causes of customer departure and empirically test the attitudinal and behavioural consequences of failed service quality in a retail banking context. Design/methodology/approach – A...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of three price-matching guarantee (PMG) variables, including refund depth, refund period and competitive scope, on consumer response; the moderating role of consumer search costs is also examined. Design/methodology/approach –...

Purpose – Employees in community pharmacies play a far significant and distinct role compared to the employees in traditional retail stores. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of employee performance (EP) on customer loyalty of pharmacy services. Design/methodology/approach...