Although many Studies assume that customers monotonically act in both a functional and a good-mannered way during exchange, considerable anecdotal evidence suggests that customers routinely behave negatively and often disrupt otherwise functional encounters. However, to date, rigorous empirical...

Although accountability standards (e.g., the Global Reporting Initiative and SA 8000) have made their way onto the agendas of managers and researchers, a model to compare and analyze these tools in a systematic way is a conspicuous omission. This article aims to develop such a model. First, we...

This paper examines euro preparations by U.K. SMEs with trading links with the euro currency area. It suggests, notwithstanding the U.K.'s decision not to join the euro in the first wave, that SMEs with euro area trade links are particularly likely to have had to make some adjustments for the...

Business-to-business relationships are characterized by an exchange between two or more parties. Research has identified several factors that enhance marketing and management in business relationships, mainly with a focus on large manufacturing firms. However, less is known about how service...

The increasing pace and cost associated with the development and exploitation of new technologies is making it prohibitive for organizations to work on their own. Supply chain companies are expected to share the risks of developing technologies, without necessarily being offered long-term...

While Six Sigma programs have delivered many millions of dollars in savings to large multinationals, application of the philosophy in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) remains rare. As a consequence of relative resource disparities, these smaller organizations find it difficult to adopt...

Drawing on Pepper's World Hypotheses we describe four different approaches to obtaining formal knowledge in management studies. These approaches are: formism, mechanism, contextualism, and organicism. All of them are valid ways of refining common sense that resist synthesis. Applying Pepper's...

Recent interest in the growth of subcontracting, as part of a broader trend towards greater 'flexibility' in forms of employment relationship, has not as yet been matched by a full consideration of its organizational and managerial implications. In particular, the question of whether or not...

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a conceptual model of purchase intentions, trust, and e-servicescape that presents online physical environments as comprising three dimensions. It aims to develop and extend existing research into physical service environments through...

Purpose - Although dysfunctional behaviors by customers is increasingly being recognized by both scholars and practitioners, "illegitimate" complaining, in the form of fraudulent returns by customers, is under-researched. The aim of this study is to address this gap in extant knowledge through...