Purpose – New internet technologies are not always readily accepted by target users – especially by small companies. More effective identification of target market characteristics and requirements associated with the adoption and ongoing usage of internet‐based service systems (NCSSs) is...

Purpose – Today, almost all manufacturers provide after sales support services. But these services are usually the same across all of a company's product segments, and warranty terms and product support services are typically the same across the industry. Executives believe that if they invest...

Purpose – Many product organizations recognize the benefits of outsourcing manufacturing of key components or even entire product lines to China and other low labor cost countries. But while the cost savings are obvious, many product companies fail to grasp the parallel risk of their own...

Purpose – To explore the extent to which generosity, as instructed by culture, performs both a formative and a filtering role in the consumers’ service experience. Design/methodology/approach – The critical realism paradigm, a multi‐method/discipline approach is adopted. The research...

Purpose – The aim of the present research is firstly to examine and recognize the quality elements of services in the banks by SERVQUAL instrument and some Islamic banking factors. Secondly, the aim is to prioritize these factors based on fuzzy TOPSIS. Fuzzy logic provides a useful tool for...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the bullwhip effect, as found in product supply chains, might also manifest itself in services, as well as what policies can be successful for mitigating it. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of analytic methods was...

Purpose – To provide fashion catalog distributors with an approach to reduce costs from returns processing by considering an array of characteristics related to demand, lead‐time, and inventory level. Design/methodology/approach – Apparel return rates from catalog sales are frequently...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how to integrate the performance management (PM) process of delivery service in customer/supplier dyads. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a multiple case study of six customer/supplier dyads of manufacturing companies....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore, analyse and discuss the published concepts of “the customer” and “customer service” in the context of managing international emergency relief chains. Design/methodology/approach – This is a literature‐based approach that extends...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential of a new convenience‐enhancing service at the interface between retailers and consumers: time‐based delivery of parcels. The service allows consumers to choose a preferred time slot for a parcel to be delivered. This...