Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze a contract-based relationship for value co-creation and gain-sharing between two companies for the purpose of industrial maintenance services. After five years of good results for both parties, the relationship was terminated, thus raising...

Describes an empirical study of 15 business processes in three organizations. Business process data were collected in the context of action research projects where the researcher was involved in organizational development activities. Suggests that business processes tend to cut across different...

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to illustrate the management policies behind the success of Swiss product‐manufacturing companies in international competition. Design/methodology/approach – The study included a few multinational corporations as well as a large number of “hidden...

This paper follows recent research about the importance, the variety and the development of innovation in the service industries. We study the innovations which have appeared in the fast growing activity of mobile telecommunication services in France. These innovations have essentially been...

Service‐marketing literature has traditionally built upon the combination of low technology and high interaction between service providers and customers in service delivery. However, many service organisations have started to utilise high‐tech in their operations. More specifically, they are...

Looks at the author's research among several companies in Sweden and Finland with regard to market‐orientation of service as against physical goods. Found the main difference between them was the difficulty of developing a concrete, tangible service offering. Points out that many experts...

Purpose – Explains they key role played by human resource management in the success of T‐Systems, a company delivering made‐to‐measure information and communication technology solutions ranging from telecommunications billing to customer‐relationship management and from manufacturing...

Purpose – Describes how apprenticeships have contributed to organizational success at the four winners of the latest UK Apprenticeship Awards – yacht‐builder Pendennis, furniture‐maker MFW, Arcana hair and beauty and Kingscliffe Day Nursery. Design/methodology/approach – Details, for...

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – Scans the top 400 management publications in the world to identify the most topical issues and latest...

Discusses waiting as a part of the service experience, and thus its influence on customer satisfaction. Explains how to distinguish satisfaction and its role in determining customers’ future attitudes. Examines how to manage the waiting experience via two case studies, and concludes that...