Describes the current scenario for maternity services. Delineates an integrative approach dealing with the information cycle and applies it to the market for obstetrical services. Discusses directions for future research and provides strategic recommendations.

A growing number of US fast‐food franchises are expanding operations to overseas markets. Critical to the success of these service firms is an understanding of the way consumers in foreign markets evaluate their services. Reports the findings of a study that examined and compared the...

One of the most important developments in banking is the increased emphasis on marketing a wide array of financial services. This emphasis has led to the adoption of the product management system in one form or another by many large, full‐service commercial banks. The transition to a product...

One of the most unexamined assumptions marketing firms have made in recent years is that satisfaction alone will guarantee customer loyalty. Our research questions this assumption. We explored the correspondence between customer satisfaction and loyalty, and found as many as half of the...

Maintains that a core issue for the international competitiveness of US corporations is that of the innovation challenge, that is the failure to effectively exploit the inventiveness and energy of individuals in large corporation environments. Describes the background to the problem, that of the...

Within the existing health care system, a significant percentage of Americans over the age of 65 will have need of extended health care. Yet the extended care industry has little information as to how consumers will make a choice among placement options. The results of this study describe both...

Social insurance programs shield individuals from specific risks, but these programs are not necessarily independent of each other. The existence and scope of one program can potentially influence the use of others, especially when the risks covered by the programs are related. This study...