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The proliferating gig economy relies on online freelance marketplaces, which support relativelyanonymous interactions by text-based messages. Informational asymmetries thus arise that canlead to exchange uncertainties between buyers and freelancers. Conventional marketing thoughtrecommends reducing such uncertainty. However, uncertainty reduction and uncertaintymanagement theories indicate that buyers and freelancers might benefit more from balancing,rather than reducing, uncertainty, such as by strategically adhering to or deviating from commoncommunication principles. With dyadic analyses of calls for bids and bids from a leading onlinefreelance marketplace, this study reveals that buyers attract more bids from freelancers whenthey provide moderate degrees of task information and concreteness, avoid sharing personalinformation, and limit the affective intensity of their communication. Freelancers’ bid successand price premiums increase when they mimic the degree of task information and affectiveintensity exhibited by buyers. However, mimicking a lack of personal information andconcreteness reduces freelancers’ success, so freelancers should always be more concrete andoffer more personal information than buyers do. These contingent perspectives offer insights intobuyer–seller communication in two-sided online marketplaces; they clarify that despite, orsometimes due to, communication uncertainty, both sides can achieve success in the online gigeconomy.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a holistic understanding for the shaping of resilient service ecosystems that considers tactics that act as stabilizing forces, and tactics that promote diversity and change and act as destabilizing forces – both central for service ecosystems to bounce forward in times of crises and beyond. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper draws on theory on complex adaptive service ecosystems and work on organizational resilience and resilient systems. With a focus on Australia and New Zealand, stalwarts of the top three economies in Bloomberg’s COVID Resilience Ranking before the arrival of the Delta variant, this study illustrates how resilient service ecosystems can be shaped. Findings This study explicates complexity related to navigating service ecosystems toward a new order in response to the pressures of major crises. It points to the importance of understanding both, how service ecosystems stabilize and change over time. It documents a portfolio of tactics that service organizations can use to influence resilience in the service ecosystems of which they are part. It further reflects on the potential downside of resilient service ecosystems, as they tilt toward rigid structures, failure to learn and an inability to transform or alternatively chaos. Originality/value Service research has made progress in explicating how a service ecosystems perspective can inform crises management. This paper extends this work and explains how service ecosystems can be shaped to bounce not only back from the imposed pressures of a disruptive event but also forward toward a new order.

Eliminating modern slavery and ensuring gender equality are prominent themes in the UN sustainability development agenda. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies that link the two, which i...

Cautionary stories in which misbehavior results in negative outcomes are often used in public service announcements (PSAs) to promote behavioral change. These cautionary stories can either disclose or withhold their endings and the associated negative outcomes for the characters involved. In four experiments, we show that disclosing (vs. withholding) a story’s ending increases persuasion due to greater counterfactual thinking about alternative actions that could have prevented the negative outcomes. Integrating these findings within the Transportation-Imagery Model of narrative persuasion, we also show how dispositional levels of need for cognitive closure can amplify the effect of ending disclosure in a PSA. Our findings have important implications for both marketing communicators and policy makers who seek to improve the effectiveness of PSAs.

Notwithstanding the prevalent use of donor registration prediction models grounded by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), registration behavior continues to remain low. A collective donor behavior (CDB) model underpinned by social exchange theory is introduced and its predictive ability is tested against a baseline TPB model using an online survey of adults ( n = 1,055). Individuals who indicated they were not registered donors were contacted 3 months later to track their registration status. The CDB model was found to explain 45% of variance in registration intentions which was comparable in performance to TPB. Normative commitment was found to be strongly associated with registration intentions, and both institutional trust and trust in others fostered this commitment. The CDB model provides different insights on how to increase donor registration intentions. Namely, interventions need to facilitate individual positive experiences with institutions such as hospitals and strengthen social inclusion perceptions.

Identity is a useful lens to understand donation behavior. However, studies have typically conceptualized and examined donor identity as a generic, unidimensional concept. Through in‐depth interviews with 52 blood donors, this study sets out to discover if there is more complexity to donor identity, and what implications this might have for marketing communications, in the context of donation of the self (e.g., blood, organs, time, and effort). We use sentiment polarity and amplification analysis of inductive themes to uncover distinct patterns reflective of four different donor identities. We label these the Savior, Communitarian, Pragmatist, and Elitist, which are underpinned by theories of gift‐giving, sharing, pragmatism, and signaling, respectively. The typology offers a theory‐building mechanism to anticipate the effects of marketing stimuli on donation behavior. We conclude by presenting four theoretical propositions, for which we provide preliminary empirical evidence. The survey data is suggestive of action readiness for donation behavior when a marketing communication message is aligned with its intended donor identity.

Socially stigmatized service workers (SSWs) like probation officers, social workers, and even aged care workers are often subject to negative media scrutiny when a crisis occurs, leading to public ...

PurposeSince the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, customers fear for their health when interacting with service providers. To mitigate this fear service providers are using safety signals directed to consumers and other stakeholders who make organizational assessments. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the range of safety signals in a framework that integrates signaling theory with servicescape elements so as to provide guidance for service providers to assist in their recovery.Design/methodology/approachThe authors extracted examples of how service providers signal safety to their consumers that the risk of infection is low in exchanging with their service. These examples were taken from secondary data sources in the form of trade publications resulting from a systematic search and supplemented by an organic search.FindingsIn total 53 unique safety signals were identified and assigned to 24 different categories in our framework. Most of the signals fell into the default and sale independent category, followed by the default contingent revenue risking category.Originality/valueThis study builds on signaling theory and service literature to develop a framework of the range of safety signals currently in use by service providers and offers suggestions as to which are likely to be most effective. Further, a future research inquiry of safety signals is presented, which the authors believe has promise in assisting recovery in a post-pandemic world.

The second theme suggests the importance of innovating to better utilize (scarce) resources through changes to processes and outcomes. Because crises offer unique opportunities for change, the authors indicate that service innovation can be used in a transformational role. [...]the fourth theme offers insights regarding dealing with shocks. In order to deal with the potential risks of exclusion, the authors propose recognizing that refugees can provide resources as well as utilize them. [...]the authors conclude that more inclusive and hospitable service systems will be of value to both refugees and service providers.

Purpose Actors who participate in co-created service experiences typically assume that they will experience improved well-being. However, a growing body of literature demonstrates that the reverse is also likely to be true, with one or more actors experiencing value co-destruction (VCD), rather than value co-creation, in the service system. Building on the notion of resource misintegration as a trigger of the VCD process, this paper offers a typology of resource misintegration manifestations and to present a dynamic conceptualization of the VCD process. Design/methodology/approach A systematic, iterative VCD literature review was conducted with a priori aims to uncover the manifestations of resource misintegration and illustrate its connection to VCD for an actor or actors. Findings Ten distinct manifestations of resource misintegration are identified that provide evidence or an early warning sign of the potential for negative well-being for one or more actors in the service system. Furthermore, a dynamic framework illustrates how an affected actor uses proactive and reactive coping and support resources to prevent VCD or restore well-being. Originality/value The study presents a typology of manifestations of resource misintegration that signal or warn of the potential for VCD, thus providing an opportunity to prevent or curtail the VCD process.

PurposeEmpathy is a core characteristic of helping and caring interactions and thus is fundamental to service. Yet, to date, service marketing literature has focused on a restricted view of the value of empathy as it leads to improved service quality perceptions and successful sales outcomes. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the empathy literature and the dispositional and situational factors affecting it, so as to further explore its potential benefits and limitations for service.Design/methodology/approachA summative review of the empathy literature uncovers cause–effect relationships and their potential boundary conditions. Theoretical propositions set an agenda for future research on empathy for service that breaks new ground.FindingsEmpathy can reduce anti-social, revenge, discrimination and unethical behaviors in service settings. It can also improve value-in-context experiences for users of service innovations. Notwithstanding its potential benefits, empathy can diminish the objectivity and performance of service providers when experienced at extreme levels. Empathy can also serve as an ingratiation influence tactic and can be detrimental to the target in embarrassing service contexts.Originality/valueThis paper suggests propositions for future research to advance theory and managerial practice on the use of empathy to improve service outcomes for interacting actors. It also alludes to the potential dark side of empathy when experienced at excessive levels or when used to manipulate.

In light of recent calls for adopting a dynamic perspective on value propositions, this paper investigates value proposition dynamics - i.e., strategic moves made by firms to further develop and/or change their value propositions - in response to external event triggers. External event triggers are disturbances emitted from the macro-environment that challenge the status quo of one or more market actors and/or the industry in which they are embedded. This paper provides a framework that describes the characteristics of external event triggers as well as the elements and strategic dimensions of value proposition dynamics. The relevance of this framework is illustrated by exemplars and case vignettes from the accommodation industry with regard to two external event triggers: human trafficking awareness and the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude with a guide for practitioners on how the value proposition dynamics framework can be used to increase their firm’s ability to survive and thrive.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer relationship marketing (CRM) activities are utilized by plastic surgery providers to encourage the sale of non-surgical cosmetic procedures (such as Botox). These procedures are considered to be an important gateway for future, more invasive (and profitable) services. As a result, the techniques used to build relationships with clients may be unethical, as they prioritize increased financial performance and profitability over customer well-being. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual models are presented that compare and contrast the CRM activities, mediators and expected outcomes for plastic surgery providers, motivated primarily by profit, with those primarily motivated by mutual betterment. Findings It is suggested that when accompanied by sales promotions, problem augmentation – an approach used by plastic surgeons to broaden the scope of a patient’s aesthetic problem to other areas of concern – may generate increased sales in the short term, but reduce the opportunity of positive word-of-mouth to recruit new clients. Originality/value This paper applies relationship marketing to a novel context to demonstrate how practices to retain and improve clients may harm their well-being and commoditize the service, unless mutual betterment is a key objective.

This research examines the positive role of consumer education in diffusing innovative, sustainable products (ISPs). To enhance the effectiveness of a consumer education campaign, this study explores the type of message framing that can best facilitate product adoption among three different approaches: positive, negative, and hybrid framing. This study also investigates consumer traits and retailer attributes that facilitate or deter product adoption. The empirical application using biofuels shows that a negatively framed educational message highlighting the negative impact of gasoline (versus biofuels) is most effective in leveraging the social desirability of product adoption against its economic disadvantages. Consumer traits positively associated with the adoption of biobutanol are environmental consciousness, prosocial behavior, and openness to new experiences, whereas vertical individualism discourages such adoption. Furthermore, retailer choice attributes of location and payment convenience facilitate adoption, while retailer choice attributes based on price and servicescape cleanliness discourage such adoption.

Purpose: Integrated care requires solutions that cannot be delivered without addressing the underlying multidisciplinary problems. Yet with a few notable exceptions, there is a lack of coordination between disciplines, to effectively integrate knowledge. The main aim of this special section is to provide a platform that explicitly coordinates and curates multidisciplinary research aimed at providing a shared understanding and knowledge base that directly addresses the fragmentation in this field, with an explicit focus on the role of Marketing as a key but often neglected partner. We identify four big challenges (Self, Society, Micro Systems and Macro Systems) to which Marketing can contribute, illustrating these potential contributions through the articles and accompanying practitioner commentaries of this special section.\ud \ud Methodology: Ferguson demonstrates how reflexive introspection can be used, beyond its therapeutic benefits, to bring a deeper understanding of the meaning of illness and treatments from a patient’s perspective. Orazi and Newton establish experimentally the positive impact of collaborative sources on health messaging receptivity. Taiminen, Saramieni and Parkinson survey physicians to evaluate acceptance of/barriers to incorporating digital self-services into overall care delivery. Cruz, Snuggs and Tsarenko utilise interviews to understand the patient’s negotiation of the service labyrinth and fragmentation.\ud Findings: We demonstrate the scope and flexibility of marketing theories and methods and how these can be applied to the four main challenges of integrated care: Self; Society; Micro Systems; Macro Systems. \ud \ud Research Implications: We identify directions for future research as a means of stimulating fruitful multidisciplinary partnerships in the four key challenge areas. It is only by collaborating across disciplines that we can really develop and provide insights that inform policy, practitioners, society and consumers on how to future-proof our care services.\ud \ud Originality/Value: In addition to publishing new research, this special section directly encourages multidisciplinary collaboration between marketing, as a neglected partner, and health/social care disciplines by showcasing the theories and methods that can be used to address our identified four key challenges to integrated care. In a novel approach, practitioner commentaries evaluate the value of each study, placing them in the wider integrated care context and hence pointing out further directions for development.

Despite the emerging trend of adopting co-creative approaches in public and non-profit advertising, research has overlooked participatory approaches in non-commercial settings. This research extends current knowledge on consumer-generated advertising to communications fostering positive social change. The results of an experimental study show that the disclosure of consumer participation in the ad creation process results in positive ad evaluations and reduces positive attitudes towards unhealthy eating. The main effect of source disclosure on ad evaluations is mediated by sympathy towards the ad creator. In addition, floodlight analyses show that the main effect of source disclosure on ad evaluations and attitudes is amplified when the audience is highly involved with the advertised issue. Implications for theory, practice and public policy are discussed.

BACKGROUND Negative donation experiences, including vasovagal reactions, deter donor retention. However, whether this deterrence effect varies as a function of whole blood (WB) donation history and requests to donate the same or a different product remains unclear. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The responses of 894 eligible WB donors who had been approached to convert to plasmapheresis and 954 eligible first-time plasmapheresis donors who had been surveyed on their last donation experience and their intention to donate plasma were considered. This information was matched with individual vasovagal reaction records, deferral category, WB donation history, and subsequent donation behavioral data obtained from the blood collection agency. RESULTS Path analysis indicated that the application of a deferral and an officially recorded vasovagal reaction decreased donors' intentions to continue plasmapheresis donation, but had no effect on WB donors' intentions to convert to plasmapheresis. Consistent with past findings, vasovagal reactions occurred more frequently with female and inexperienced donors. CONCLUSION Experiencing vasovagal reactions and deferrals may not universally deter donors from continuing to donate. Rather, the offer to convert to another form of donation - in this instance, plasmapheresis - after experiencing a negative donation event while donating WB may be sufficient to eliminate the deterrence effect on retention.

This research investigates the impact of the nature and framing of gambling consequences in responsible gambling advertisements. Two experimental studies are conducted to assess (1) the construal level of gambling consequences, and (2) the influence of the nature and framing of gambling consequences on advertising effectiveness for both recreational and problem gamblers. The results show that, compared to material consequences, social consequences are at a higher construal level and are more effective in reducing the propensity to gamble. This differential impact of social versus material consequences is stronger among problem gamblers (vs. recreational gamblers) and when the consequences are presented as losses (vs. gains). Implications for public health agencies and social marketers are discussed.

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 tested using two experimental design studies of 180 and 107 adult respondents. Findings – The effects of both empathy (positive) and anger (negative) on attitudes toward the SSWs involved in crisis are mediated by controllability of attribution of crisis. Empathic concern mitigates negative public attitudes toward stigmatized workers and appears to remove the effect of anger but only when the crisis severity is not too high. In a severe crisis both empathy and anger are important predictors of public response. Research limitations/implications – Boundary conditions in terms of severity, nature and victim of crisis and media framing need to be investigated. Practical implications – Proactive crisis management practice is required by professional associations of SSW. Eliciting empathy and paying attention to prior crisis history and professional reputation offers scope to quell public anger and desire for punishment. Social implications – The attrition rates of socially stigmatized workers following crisis events have profound social and financial costs to society. This study sets a foundation for substantive managerial change in crisis response, and how the perception of socially stigmatized workers, is managed. Originality/value – This study is the first to examine the voracity of two theories which provide informed but different insights to public response to service workers in crisis.

A firm's ability to offer better service and to co-create valuable customer experiences is critically important to achieving competitive advantage. Service-dominant (S-D) logic, along with resource and capability perspectives, provides the underlying theoretical reasoning for the relevance of such capabilities. However, despite researchers’ recent contributions to marketing theory, empirical support for S-D logic and its implications is very limited at the strategic level. An open question, therefore, is what empirically constitutes a value co-creation capability, and what is its impact on important performance outcomes. Building on the conceptualization of an S-D orientation as a portfolio of value co-creation capabilities, this research first operationalizes and validates an S-D orientation measure through a multi-study approach across different contexts. The authors then apply the measurement instrument to an automotive retail setting to investigate the outcomes of S-D orientation in terms of both customer- and firm-related performance metrics. Results provide the first empirical demonstration of the importance of S-D capabilities, and thus S-D logic, for firms.

Consider scenario 1: a customer delivers his car to a garage before work to have a standard 50,000 km service. The car mechanic rings the customer and suggests that in addition to the service, there are a number of other components that should be replaced to improve the car’s performance. Scenario 2: a customer agrees to a bathroom renovation budgeted at $15,000. During the renovation the builder suggests that the house should be re-stumped at an additional cost of $10,000. These scenarios represent examples of problem augmentation, whereby a service provider expands the scope of the customer’s presented problem or need. We ask: What does the customer feel in these scenarios? Who does the customer blame for these additional problems? Do they take the advice of the service provider?

Demand for plasma-derived products, and consequently plasmapheresis donors, continues to increase. This study aims to identify the factors that facilitate the persuasion success of conversations with whole blood (WB) donors to convert to plasmapheresis donation within a voluntary nonremunerated context. Surveys were sent to WB donors after a plasmapheresis conversion conversation with a blood collection agency (BCA) staff member: in center (Sample 1) or via a call center (Sample 2). Participants reported the number of donor-initiated and BCA-initiated conversations about plasma, experienced in the prior 12 months. Perceptions of the most recent conversation, donor oriented and conversion oriented, were also reported. The BCA provided WB donation history for the prior 5 years. Participants' intentions to make a first plasmapheresis donation were captured and any subsequent plasmapheresis donation was objectively recorded. Conversion rates were higher for in-center than call center-based conversations. For both samples, path analyses revealed that intentions are associated with conversion. Prior WB donations are negatively associated, while donor-initiated and donor-orientated conversations are positively associated with conversion intentions. Results for agent-initiated conversations and conversion-orientated conversations were mixed across samples. Converting suitable WB donors to plasmapheresis is best achieved early in the donor's career using face-to-face conversations with collection center staff. BCAs should facilitate donor-initiated conversations through promotional campaigns that encourage donors to approach staff. Conversations that focus on donors' needs and welfare more effectively encourage conversion intentions than those perceived as pushing the requirements of the BCA.

Service workers like social workers are valuable to society ( LeCroy and Stinson, 2004 ), even noble and heroic ( Ashforth et al., 2007 ), yet, perversely, they are often socially stigmatized, seen as “dirty” by their communities because they deal with “tainted” people ( Ashforth and Kreiner, 1999 ). Other service workers also suffer stigmatization because their role is associated with effluent (e.g., refuse collector), they have a servile relationship with others (e.g., housekeeper), or adopt tasks that are perceived as amoral (e.g., pawnbroker) or intrusive (e.g., telemarketer). We propose that feelings of stigma lead to poor well-being and present a conceptual model which introduces the concept of “stigmatized labour” as a type of role stress. We postulate that excessive stigmatized labour (the cognitive and behavioural practices adopted by service workers to protect themselves from feelings of stigma) leads to burnout as service workers’ limited resources are exhausted to deal with the stress ( Hobfoll, 2001 ).

Charitable organizations are increasingly turning to online fundraising options as observed by the growth of online giving (MacLaughlin 2012). The growth in online solicitations may be explained by the wider outreach, lower solicitation and communication costs (Harrison-Walker & Williamson 2000) and increased convenience it offers (Bennett 2005). Thus it is critical that charity websites are designed so as to support and facilitate online donations.

The reported lack of research on consumer-to-health department interactions (Andersen et al. 2012) and the audience’s perceptions that many health campaigns greatly exaggerate health risks (Cancer Vic 2012) suggest that increased consumer involvement in the design of health messages and increased message authenticity may enhance the persuasiveness of many, limitedly successful public health campaigns (e.g., Darrow and Biersterker 2008; de Gruchy and Coppel 2008; Kerr et al. 2013). Source effects literature (Wilson and Sherrell 1993) suggests that positive message evaluations may be strengthened when the audience develops a sense of identification with the message source. Similar, audience evaluations may benefit from messages that are perceived to be more authentic, since message authenticity enables self-referencing to the scenarios depicted in the health message (Ertimur and Gilly 2012).

Service workers like child protective officers and mental health workers, are perceived overwhelmingly as valuable to society (Le Croy & Stinson, 2004). Yet, perversely, those who undertake these roles are also often socially stigmatized, seen as “dirty” by their communities, because they deal with “tainted” people (Ashforth, Kreiner, Clark, & Fugate, 2007). This dark side of public perception is most evident during crisis events when the media taps into the desire to blame workers for unfortunate occurrences, creating a frenzied environment in which individual accountability is often demanded. The negative portrayal of stigmatized service workers by the media has been linked to increased stress, burnout and employee turnover (see e.g., Gibelman, 2004; Tower, 2000; Zugazaga, Surette, Mendez, & Otto, 2006). For example, a 2008 submission by the Australian Association of Social Workers cites “bad press” as one of a number of key reasons for concern over adequate practitioner staffing in the near future. Further, in 2004 and 2005, after several high profile Child Protective Services (CPS) incidents in Texas triggered sustained negative media coverage, turnover in CPS increased from 29 % in 2004 to 39 % in 2005, continuing its upward trajectory to a high of 45 % in 2007 (Centre for Public Policy Priorities, 2009). This kind of response has profound care quality and economic consequences. Families must re-establish relationships with new workers, and remaining staff are forced temporarily to absorb the cases of those departing. This decreases the attention paid to their own case loads and affects the timeliness of key decisions on safe and stable placements (Social Work Policy Institute, 2010). In addition, staff replacement costs are estimated to be between one third and two thirds of annual salary per worker (Coperthwaite, 2006; Dorch, McCarthy, & Denofrio, 2008). Given the serious implications of media portrayal of stigmatized service workers, it is essential that we gain an understanding of factors that may influence community response to crisis events.

BACKGROUND: As demand for plasma-derived products increases internationally, maintaining a committed plasmapheresis panel membership is critical for blood collection agencies. This study addresses the current lack of knowledge regarding deterrents to the recruitment and retention of plasmapheresis donors in a voluntary nonremunerated environment. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Nine focus groups (n = 84) and six individual interviews were conducted using semistructured schedules. Three focus groups were conducted with each category of eligible whole blood (WB) donors: those who had 1) declined to convert to plasmapheresis (DTC), 2) converted but lapsed to WB (LWB), and 3) converted and lapsed from the panel completely (LFP). Transcript analysis revealed distinct deterrent categories. RESULTS: The time required for plasmapheresis was a universally identified deterrent, with concerns of donation frequency expectations shared between DTC and LWB. LWB and LFP both reported excessive questioning and paperwork, and eligibility requirements as deterrents. Unique deterrents for DTC were a lack of accurate knowledge about safety and process. LWB reported concerns about plasmapheresis donation outcomes; however, they were more committed to continuing donation than LFP, who reported donation not being salient, being too busy, and poorer donation experiences. CONCLUSION: Providing information to address safety and health concerns should be the focus for successful conversion to plasmapheresis. Setting donation frequency expectations at levels to which donors are accustomed may improve evaluations of the cost/benefit ratio of conversion and retention. Involvement levels (i.e., importance, personal meaning of donation) may be the key differentiator between those donors who return to WB and those that lapse altogether.

BACKGROUND: The Motivation Crowding-out Theory suggests that incentives undermine intrinsic motivation and thus blood donation behavior. While there is strong evidence showing the negative relationship between monetary incentives and blood donation, findings on the effect of nonmonetary incentives are mixed. Set in a voluntary, nonremunerated environment, this study explores aspects of the nonmonetary incentive–blood donation relationship not captured by the crowding-out hypothesis. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted to explore donors' attitudes toward nonmonetary incentives currently used or considered by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Blood Service). Transcripts were analyzed using an inductive, thematic approach. RESULTS: Of the nonmonetary incentives examined (i.e., health screening tests, branded tokens, paid time off work, recognition of key milestones, and postdonation refreshments), none were found to crowd out intrinsic motivation, although not all were viewed favorably. Donors who viewed branded tokens negatively considered the cost implications for the Blood Service, while donors who responded positively considered the public benefit of tokens in raising the profile of the Blood Service. Other nonmonetary incentives—paid time off work, postdonation refreshments, and health screening tests—were viewed positively because donors perceived them to be congruent to the effort expended in donating blood. Finally, donors expressed a preference for private over public recognition when acknowledging significant contributions. CONCLUSION: When operating in a voluntary, nonremunerated environment, blood services should view donors as supply partners rather than customers, only consider nonmonetary incentives that are congruent with the act of donation, and provide private rather than public recognition of key milestones.

The well-being of service personnel is an important issue to businesses given the crucial role they play as the interface between customers and the organization. Various life events and positive interaction with others contribute to an individual's level of well-being. This research focuses on helpful, discretionary behaviors of customers directed to service personnel. Open-ended elicitation procedures with hospitality and retail service personnel identified six categories of customer citizenship behaviors directed to service personnel that were perceived as helpful and not expected for successful service delivery. These were: assumed employee behavior; advocacy; consultancy; sportsmanship; social support and courtesy. Applying Social Production Function (SPF) theory our findings suggest that customer citizenship behaviors may assist service personnel to attain the instrumental goals of: comfort; stimulation; status; behavioral confirmation; and affection and thus subjective well-being.

Service-dominant (S-D) logic can function as a strategic business logic that portrays creating superior value in conjunction with—rather than for—customers as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. From this perspective, strategy is about making choices in terms of how to best facilitate and enhance value cocreation for mutual and long-term betterment. While the literature has pointed out the managerial merits of cocreating value, less is known about the organizational capabilities necessary to execute S-D logic in practice. This article devises an S-D orientation, specified as a portfolio of six strategic capabilities, namely individuated, relational, ethical, empowered, developmental, and concerted interaction capability. In combination, these six strategic capabilities constitute a cocreation capability. The authors develop the conceptual model of S-D orientation through (a) an in-depth literature review and (b) input from 21 expert academics. Conceptualizing S-D orientation provides a foundation for bridging S-D logic and strategy research with a more general framework, and for guiding much-needed empirical research that will inform managers. From a managerial point of view, S-D orientation provides a holistic approach to align the organization with its value network partners. The article also sets out an agenda for future research.

BACKGROUND: Increasing demand for plasma-derived products presents a major recruitment and retention challenge for blood collection agencies; however, little is known about what motivates individuals to become committed plasmapheresis donors. This study explored triggers for individuals' first plasma donation and factors associated with continuing donations. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 103 plasma donors were recruited into 11 focus groups. Reasons for donating were discussed using a semistructured questioning approach. Transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Categories of perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes were developed from the data, cross-validated, and when relevant, assigned to higher-order themes. RESULTS: Awareness of plasmapheresis was most often gained when donors were unable to donate whole blood. Accordingly, the main trigger for conversion to plasma donation was a personal request by collection staff. A key benefit of plasma donation was its increased frequency, which facilitated the establishment of a routine and relationship development with staff and donors, whereas the key reported sacrifice was the greater donation time. Disappointment was the main response to an inability to donate. Functional tokens and refreshments were valued by donors, although it was felt that money spent on tokens would be better invested in making operations more efficient. CONCLUSION: Suitable whole blood donors should be made aware of plasmapheresis and its associated benefits through collection staff. Sustained donation can be encouraged by the establishment of a regular schedule and positive interactions with collection staff and other donors to enhance the donors' subjective well-being.

Bove, Pervan, Beatty and Shiu (2009) develop and test a latent variable model of the role of service workers in encouraging helpful behaviors by customers towards the service business (OCBs). Farrell (2010) questions these findings due to an incorrect application of the Fornell and Larcker (1981) discriminant validity test. The authors respond to Farrell's criticism by discussing the options available for assessing discriminant validity, the current use of these options in top journals, the underlying assumptions of these assessments, and the appropriateness of the alternative assessments under different types of situations. Finally, the authors address the specific concerns raised in Farrell (2010) in regard to Bove et al. (2009).

This case study outlines the use of client-sponsored research projects in a quantitative postgraduate marketing research subject conducted in a 12-week semester in a research-intensive Australian university. The case study attempts to address the dearth of recent literature on client-sponsored research projects in the discipline of marketing. Evaluation results provided from students in a 3-year period indicate support for the use of client-sponsored projects because they provide a number of benefits. In particular, students feel that such projects give invaluable opportunities to develop consulting and research skills that are highly sought after by industry. However, despite the advantages of the client-sponsored research projects, the quantitative nature of the marketing research subject is still an impediment to attaining high student quality teaching scores. Furthermore, there can be problems if students lack basic statistical knowledge, do not practice SPSS outside of class, and segment project tasks within the team. Finally, although client-sponsored marketing research projects can improve the profile of marketing research courses, they demand high levels of energy by the lecturer, a small class size (up to 35 students), and are dependent on a strong degree of client commitment.

Assessment of the role of the individual service worker in encouraging customer organizational citizenship behaviors (customer OCBs) is the primary focus of this paper. The researchers investigate this topic empirically across three service contexts. Customer OCBs are voluntary, outside of the customer's required role for service delivery, which provide help and assistance and are conducive to effective organizational functioning. In this paper, commitment to the service worker is the strongest predictor of customer OCBs. Further, personal loyalty to the service worker serves as a partial mediator of the effects of perceived benevolence of the service worker and commitment to the service worker on customer OCBs. Finally, theoretical, managerial and future research implications are included.

Frugality reflects the degree to which one is both restrained in acquiring and resourceful in using products. It offers a vision of sustainable consumption slowing down the process of environmental harm. A number of antecedents to frugal shopping behaviour were investigated. Using a sample of experienced shoppers from Australia, market mavenism, shopping antipathy and age were found to be positively associated with frugality. By contrast, recreational shopping, intrinsic religiosity and social class were not significantly associated with frugality. These findings provide some insight into how frugal behaviour can be encouraged by governments and embraced by retailers.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of different reward programs on in‐role and extra‐role behaviour; and to investigate whether specific reward programs can be designed to enhance both in‐role and extra‐role behaviour simultaneously.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted on a total of 11 employees from four different fashion retail outlets. Informants consisted of employees from different positions within these organizations (i.e. store manager, assistant store manager and sales associates) to provide researchers with possibly differing viewpoints. Interviews were content analysed and classified, according to emerging themes.FindingsCertain reward programs, namely individual and group financial incentives motivated sales associates to engage in both in‐role and extra‐role behaviour simultaneously. Further, compared to formal recognition programs, informal reward programs (individual financial incentives, individual social recognition and group social recognition) appeared to be more effective in motivating sales associates to enhance their in‐role and extra‐role performance.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a better understanding of the effects of different reward programs and their administration on in‐role and extra‐role performance of retail sales associates.

PurposeThe paper aims to use Dick and Basu's two‐dimensional matrix that identifies four types of customer loyalty: true, spurious, latent and non‐loyal. It seeks to investigate if these four distinct clusters of loyalty existed both in terms of loyalty to the individual service worker (personal loyalty) and loyalty to the firm (service loyalty). The paper also aims to examine the stability of the loyalty clusters.Design/methodology/approachUsing self‐completion mail questionnaires, females over 18 who frequently used the service were surveyed at two time periods, 18 months apart. Of the original 341 respondents at time 1, only 137 (40 per cent) of these successfully completed the questionnaire at time 2.FindingsEven though the service context is such that the customer has the freedom of choice in selecting the service, the four loyalty clusters were found for both personal loyalty and service loyalty. Those customers who were originally classified as “true” loyals were the most stable group. Perceived credibility of the service worker and the length of the customer relationship with the service worker were found to be the main drivers of the type of customer loyalty cluster.Originality/valueThis study provides further empirical support of the value of true loyal customers, defined in terms of both a positive relative attitude towards the object of loyalty and high repeat patronage behavior. A higher proportion of true loyal customers were retained by both the service worker and firm compared to the other loyalty types.

This study outlines the development and validation of a measure of reciprocity. The definition used to develop the measure extends traditional quid pro quo interpretations to include behavior designed to stabilize relationships in times of exchange breakdown. This includes resisting and not returning harm and making reparation for harm done. Reciprocity is positioned as an important interpersonal norm of stable marketing relationships given recent findings that relationships develop most strongly at the individual level. It is suggested that reciprocity leads to personal well-being; thus providing an additional motivation, over and above economic incentives, to develop and maintain relationships. Results of the scale development tests indicated a valid, two dimensional measure which correlated with key relational variables such as trust, commitment, satisfaction, self-esteem and reduced conflict.

PurposeAlthough organizational change is inevitable with customer relationship management (CRM) implementation, very little is known about how this change affect employees, and how their actions in turn influence the success of CRM projects. The purpose of this study is to address this void in the current CRM literature.Design/methodology/approachUsing an exploratory approach, 13 in‐depth interviews were conducted with bank managers and staff of three banks to provide preliminary support for the conceptual framework.FindingsThe three banks approached their CRM projects with very different results. Two banks achieved less success from their CRM implementation as a result of too little focus being placed on managing CRM‐induced change and people. Only one bank focused a large part of its CRM budget on change management and the organizational factors critical to the implementation. Results demonstrate a possible correlation between employees' commitment to the CRM initiative and the positive outcomes of a bank's performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper lays down the foundation for more thorough studies on employees' affective commitment to change in the CRM context. Empirical research will be needed to verify the conceptual model presented.Practical implicationsThe importance of identifying and securing employees' affective commitment to CRM‐induced change to ensure the successful roll out of a CRM implementation is highlighted.Originality/valueInitial evidence is gained of the importance of employee commitment to CRM induced change for successful CRM implementation. A total of six organizational drivers are identified which assist in gaining employee commitment to CRM induced change.

PurposeThis study sets out to replicate Garbarino and Johnson's paper, where the effects of trust, commitment and satisfaction towards service provider loyalty were examined. However, whereby Garbarino and Johnson tested their model in a relationship prone environment, i.e. a theatre company, this study was set in a retail context where transactional customers are more likely. Personality traits as a means to identify customers who are prone to forming relationships with their service providers were also investigated.Design/methodology/approachIn total, customers of two fast food independent stores in Melbourne, Australia completed 202 questionnaires.FindingsThe findings in the paper showed that in this transactional context, only trust and commitment had a significant direct effect on store behavioral loyalty. Satisfaction did not offer any unique explanatory power but was a significant predictor of both trust and commitment. Further, trust, commitment and satisfaction all had significant direct effects on store attitudinal loyalty, with satisfaction displaying the strongest effect. There was little evidence to support the claim that certain consumer personality traits are more conducive to relationship formation in this low involvement retail context.Originality/valueThe paper shows that retailers need to be aware that even in a transaction prone retail environment, trust and commitment and not just satisfaction, play a significant role in both store behavioral and attitudinal customer loyalty.

The role of gender dyad in the prediction of a customer's perceived strength of relationship with an individual service worker was investigated. Relationship strength was defined as a customer's perceived extent, degree or magnitude of relationship with a service worker and was operationalised as the level of the customer's trust and commitment towards the service worker. Existing theories suggest that the same gender dyads lead to greater relationship strength than cross-gender dyads. This study, which measured female client perceptions of the strength of their relationship with their nominated service provider, found that gender of the service individual did not significantly impact the client's perceived relationship strength. Differences observed in relationship strength between the gender dyad groups was found to be driven by the differing ages of the relationship, suggesting that relationship age is a significant antecedent to relationship strength.

Customer relationships with service personnel have been recognised as a means by which a firm can gain service loyalty. However, loyalty to any one service worker (personal loyalty) has been generally discouraged by management due to the vulnerability of customer retention in situations where key employees leave the firm. We examine a personal services context where loyalty to an individual service worker is commonly formed and employee turnover is high. It was found that both perceived credibility of the service worker and the degree of personal loyalty were the most important contributors to service business loyalty. Hence rather than fear, and therefore discourage personal loyalty from developing, managers should capitalize on personal loyalty's contribution to service loyalty and safeguard this loyalty by ensuring that all service personnel working at the firm are perceived as credible by the customer.

Customers’ perceptions of service workers’ trustworthiness and power, and their commitment to the service worker were investigated as possible determinants of the likelihood of customer voice directly to the service worker in the event of a service failure. Set in the context of hairdressing salons, it was found that hair stylists’ perceived trust (benevolence and credibility) and expert power were positively associated with clients’ intention to voice. By contrast, the level of coercive power hair stylists were perceived to have was negatively associated with intentions to voice. Hair stylists’ perceived benevolence was the strongest predictor of client voice.

The role of trust and commitment in the prediction of a customer's personal loyalty to an individual service worker was investigated. Personal loyalty was defined as a customer's level of attachment to and exclusive use of a service individual. It was measured by the customer's attitude or relative attitude towards the service worker (relative to other service workers he/she is aware of, or has experienced in the service delivery), and the customer's level of exclusive use of the service worker over a defined period of time.The hairdressing context provided a research setting in which personal loyalty could exist. Multiple linear regression found that customer commitment to the hair stylist and the dimensions of trust (perceived credibility and benevolence of the hair stylist) were significant indicators of personal loyalty when attitude was used to derive the personal loyalty index. In contrast, when relative attitude was used to construct the personal loyalty index, only commitment and the credibility dimension of trust were significant indicators. The two personal loyalty indices were found to be significantly different from each other. Both personal loyalty indices were effective in predicting customer loss in the event that the hair stylist was to move to another nearby salon

The magnitude, degree or extent of a customer relationship with a service worker or provider/firm has variously been referred to in the services literature as relationship closeness, relationship quality, or relationship strength. This has led to inconsistency in both the terminology and measures used. We summarize this literature and proceed to provide clear guidelines as to when each of these terms is appropriate.

True loyalty, defined by a high relative attitude in addition to high repeat purchase, is an extremely valuable asset to the service firm – as the customer’s search motivation for competitive alternatives is reduced, he/she shows an immunity to the pull of competition and provides favourable word of mouth. A conceptual model presents the likely influence of customer relationships with service workers on the development of true customer loyalty to the service firm. It is suggested that strong customer relationships with a firm’s service personnel lead to true customer loyalty to the service firm, as positive attitudes towards service staff are transferred directly to the firm. In situations where a strong relationship develops between the customer and only one particular service worker, true loyalty to the service firm will be an outcome of high personal loyalty and therefore be dependent on the continued availability of the service worker. To assist managers in encouraging relationship development between high value customers and their service personnel, potential antecedents of relationship strength have been identified. These include: the amount of perceived benefits/rewards the customer receives from the service worker, the age of their relationship, the service contact intensity, the customer’s perceived risk in acquiring the service, the customer’s interpersonal orientation and the service worker’s customer orientation as perceived by the customer.

Demand for plasma-derived products, and consequently plasmapheresis donors, continues to increase. This study aims to identify the factors that facilitate the persuasion success of conversations with whole blood (WB) donors to convert to plasmapheresis donation within a voluntary nonremunerated context.Surveys were sent to WB donors after a plasmapheresis conversion conversation with a blood collection agency (BCA) staff member: in center (Sample 1) or via a call center (Sample 2). Participants reported the number of donor-initiated and BCA-initiated conversations about plasma, experienced in the prior 12 months. Perceptions of the most recent conversation, donor oriented and conversion oriented, were also reported. The BCA provided WB donation history for the prior 5 years. Participants' intentions to make a first plasmapheresis donation were captured and any subsequent plasmapheresis donation was objectively recorded.Conversion rates were higher for in-center than call center-based conversations. For both samples, path analyses revealed that intentions are associated with conversion. Prior WB donations are negatively associated, while donor-initiated and donor-orientated conversations are positively associated with conversion intentions. Results for agent-initiated conversations and conversion-orientated conversations were mixed across samples.Converting suitable WB donors to plasmapheresis is best achieved early in the donor's career using face-to-face conversations with collection center staff. BCAs should facilitate donor-initiated conversations through promotional campaigns that encourage donors to approach staff. Conversations that focus on donors' needs and welfare more effectively encourage conversion intentions than those perceived as pushing the requirements of the BCA.

This meta-analysis sought to identify the strongest antecedents of blood donation behavior and intentions. It synthesized the results of 24 predictive correlational studies of donation behavior and 37 studies of donation intentions. The antecedents were grouped into six research programs: (1) the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and its extensions, (2) prosocial motivation, (3) affective expectations, (4) donor site experience, (5) past donation behavior, and (6) donor demographics. Antecedent categories were cross-validated by multiple coders, and combined effect sizes were analyzed using a random-effects model. For donation behavior, medium positive associations were found with five of the constructs from the extended TPB: intentions to donate, perceived behavioral control, attitude toward donation, self-efficacy and donor role identity. Other antecedents displaying a positive association with donation behavior included anticipated regret for not donating, number of past donations and donor age. Donor experiences at the collection site in the form of temporary deferral or adverse reactions had a medium negative association with behavior. For donation intentions, strong positive associations were observed for perceived behavioral control, attitude, self-efficacy, role identity and anticipated regret. Medium positive associations were observed for personal moral norm, subjective norm, satisfaction, and service quality. All other potential antecedents had weak or non-significant associations with behavior and intentions. Several of these associations were moderated by between-study differences, including donor experience, the period of data collection in which donation behavior was observed, and the use of a nominal (yes/no return) versus a ratio measure of donation behavior. Collectively, the results underscore the importance of enhancing donors' attitudes towards donation and building their perceived behavioral control and self-efficacy to donate. Further, minimizing the risk of adverse reactions and enacting re-recruitment policies for temporarily deferred donors will help protect future donation behavior. Implications of these findings for blood collection agencies and researchers are discussed.

As demand for plasma-derived products increases internationally, maintaining a committed plasmapheresis panel membership is critical for blood collection agencies. This study addresses the current lack of knowledge regarding deterrents to the recruitment and retention of plasmapheresis donors in a voluntary nonremunerated environment.Nine focus groups (n = 84) and six individual interviews were conducted using semistructured schedules. Three focus groups were conducted with each category of eligible whole blood (WB) donors: those who had 1) declined to convert to plasmapheresis (DTC), 2) converted but lapsed to WB (LWB), and 3) converted and lapsed from the panel completely (LFP). Transcript analysis revealed distinct deterrent categories.The time required for plasmapheresis was a universally identified deterrent, with concerns of donation frequency expectations shared between DTC and LWB. LWB and LFP both reported excessive questioning and paperwork, and eligibility requirements as deterrents. Unique deterrents for DTC were a lack of accurate knowledge about safety and process. LWB reported concerns about plasmapheresis donation outcomes; however, they were more committed to continuing donation than LFP, who reported donation not being salient, being too busy, and poorer donation experiences.Providing information to address safety and health concerns should be the focus for successful conversion to plasmapheresis. Setting donation frequency expectations at levels to which donors are accustomed may improve evaluations of the cost/benefit ratio of conversion and retention. Involvement levels (i.e., importance, personal meaning of donation) may be the key differentiator between those donors who return to WB and those that lapse altogether.