infonet-economy

The objective of this dissertation is to investigate how customer orientation can be achieved in service industries by focussing on customer value (CV) and how changing customer roles are interrelated with leadership and HRM.

Paper I focuses on customer value theory. In that CV research is a very broad research topic with remarkably little consensus, the objective of this paper is to provide a sound understanding of the research topic CV. Therefore, the research streams perceived customer value (PCV) and desired customer value (DCV) are analysed, including a critical evaluation of both conceptual and empirical work. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the relationships between the CV construct and other central marketing concepts. The results show that CV research makes a valuable contribution toward a better understanding of the needs, decisions, and behaviour of customers.

Paper II provides a managerial tool to identify what is creating value and to analyse the gaps between customer and employee value perceptions in order to improve a company's value proposition and delivery. An analytical model with a four-step approach is presented and implemented in the field of financial services. Based on 20 in-depth interviews with customers of a financial services broker, five value dimensions are identified. The results are compared to value assumptions made by advisors in 24 in-depth interviews. Subsequently, implications for CV management of the identified value drivers and dimensions as well as gaps are derived. Results support the appropriateness of the approach for identifying novel value drivers, interdependencies between value elements, and giving clear indications of how a company can improve CV.

Papers III and IV are based on the analysis of changing customer roles within the service process. The analysis shows that customers are becoming more active and taking on multiple and sophisticated roles as sources of competence, innovators or even as advocates. Based on these results, the interrelatedness and implications of customer roles on leadership (in Paper III) and HRM (in Paper IV) are investigated. Research in leadership and HRM concentrates thus far on configurations within organisations, without taking into account customers. Paper III shows that customers can not only exert influence on employees directly and indirectly, but also on leadership. Customers can take on leadership functions in the areas of behaviour selection, stabilisation and modification. Paper IV shows that customers can strengthen, complement, or thwart the workings of the organisation and functional components such as those of HRM. Furthermore, the paper presents how HRM can contribute to increasing the customer orientation of employees and companies by reducing role conflicts and role ambiguity and by creating added value for customers with various examples.