Purpose – To contribute to improved research practices by addressing three key realities in management research, all being largely disregarded by research: complexity, context and persona (the human and social aspects of researcher behaviour). Design/methodology/approach – Based on...

Stresses issues brought up in the first World Wide Web conference on relationship marketing. Based on research on relationship marketing going back to the early 1970s which resulted in the definition of 30 relationships in marketing ‐ the 30R approach. Brings up inconsistencies in marketing,...

Some economic conditions change gradually and sometimes sudden discontinuities occur whereas other conditions remain stable for decades, even centuries. In this sense there is always a new economy in the making. The author claims that marketing theory lags behind and that marketing as it is...

It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the GNP in western developed countries is services. Some twenty‐five years after the discovery of this fact the academic world found the time ripe to recognize services as a research area. Says German service pioneer Professor Wolfgang von Dienstbode:...

Purpose This paper aims to emphasize the need for generation of more general, abstract and grand theory in marketing by synthesizing relationship marketing and other developments and to address complexity instead of fragmented bits of marketing. Design/methodology/approach This study is a...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that there are many sources to quality, not just the supplier; that quality is a complex concept which must be balanced against productivity and profits; that quality has to be considered within a network of relationships and contributions; and...

Purpose From a service ecosystem perspective, the purpose of this paper is to examine students’ evaluation surveys as a tool used by most higher education (HE) institutions worldwide to measure teaching quality with consequences for tenure and promotion. Design/methodology/approach This study...

Discusses how service quality lags behind product quality. Contends that combining the management aspects of product quality, service quality and computer software quality with customer perceived quality is essential in order to produce a total holistic quality environment. Presents nine lessons...

Stresses the necessity of systematic design of services. Asserts that systematic design is a necessary pre‐requisite for service quality. Describes how the Nordic School of Services has found that service quality is key to competitiveness and profitability. Asserts that gradually service...