Customer Satisfaction in Industrial Markets : Dimensional and Multiple Role Issues

It has been said that in industrial markets relationships are long-term oriented, enduring, and complex (Ford 1980; Hakansson, 1982; Hutt and Speh 1992; Turnbull and Wilson 1989). The relationships between buyers and sellers are often bilateral and the products need to be customized to the buyers´ needs. Therefore, the customer is no longer a passive buyer, but an active partner. Against this background, the satisfaction of the customer may play an important role in establishing, developing, and maintaining successful customer relationships in industrial markets. Clearly, the construct of customer satisfaction for industrial customers is of sufficient importance both theoretically and managerially to warrant more attention. In spite of the apparent importance of the concept, customer satisfaction in industrial markets remains a rather primitive concept. It is almost never conceptually defined, nor explicitly operationalized, when it is used. However, before customer satisfaction can play a positive role in its envisioned applications, it must be based on adequate conceptualization and suitable measurement methodologies, which, most researchers agree, are presently lacking. In contrast to most of the studies in this area, we focus on customer satisfaction for industrial firms, specifically customer satisfaction in customer-supplier relationships. Customer satisfaction in marketing channels, i.e., satisfaction of a dealer with the overall relationship with a manufacturer (see Gassenheimer, Sterling, and Robicheaux 1989; Ruekert and Churchill 1984; Schul, Little, and Pride 1985), thus is not considered in this paper. Our article makes several contributions: First and most important, our purpose is to develop a multiple-item measure of industrial customer satisfaction and assess its psychometric properties. Second, the influence of the identified dimensions of customer satisfaction on overall satisfaction is analyzed. Third, as buying decisions in industrial companies are usually not individual but group decisions (see, e.g., Haas 1989; Lilien and Wong 1984; Webster and Wind 1972a), we analyze differences in customer satisfaction between functional categories of the members of the buying center (referred to as "multiple role issues"). A buying center may be defined as an "informal, cross-sectional decision-unit, in which the primary objective is the acquisition, importation, and processing of purchasing-related information" (Spekman and Stern 1979, p. 56). The paper is organized as follows. In the first section we review the relevant literature. In the two sections to follow we describe the research method and the scale development and validation. After this multiple role issues are analyzed. Finally we discuss theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications and offer directions for future research

Customer Satisfaction in Industrial Markets : Dimensional and Multiple Role Issues

It has been said that in industrial markets relationships are long-term oriented, enduring, and complex (Ford 1980; Hakansson, 1982; Hutt and Speh 1992; Turnbull and Wilson 1989). The relationships between buyers and sellers are often bilateral and the products need to be customized to the buyers´ needs. Therefore, the customer is no longer a passive buyer, but an active partner. Against this background, the satisfaction of the customer may play an important role in establishing, developing, and maintaining successful customer relationships in industrial markets. Clearly, the construct of customer satisfaction for industrial customers is of sufficient importance both theoretically and managerially to warrant more attention. In spite of the apparent importance of the concept, customer satisfaction in industrial markets remains a rather primitive concept. It is almost never conceptually defined, nor explicitly operationalized, when it is used. However, before customer satisfaction can play a positive role in its envisioned applications, it must be based on adequate conceptualization and suitable measurement methodologies, which, most researchers agree, are presently lacking. In contrast to most of the studies in this area, we focus on customer satisfaction for industrial firms, specifically customer satisfaction in customer-supplier relationships. Customer satisfaction in marketing channels, i.e., satisfaction of a dealer with the overall relationship with a manufacturer (see Gassenheimer, Sterling, and Robicheaux 1989; Ruekert and Churchill 1984; Schul, Little, and Pride 1985), thus is not considered in this paper. Our article makes several contributions: First and most important, our purpose is to develop a multiple-item measure of industrial customer satisfaction and assess its psychometric properties. Second, the influence of the identified dimensions of customer satisfaction on overall satisfaction is analyzed. Third, as buying decisions in industrial companies are usually not individual but group decisions (see, e.g., Haas 1989; Lilien and Wong 1984; Webster and Wind 1972a), we analyze differences in customer satisfaction between functional categories of the members of the buying center (referred to as "multiple role issues"). A buying center may be defined as an "informal, cross-sectional decision-unit, in which the primary objective is the acquisition, importation, and processing of purchasing-related information" (Spekman and Stern 1979, p. 56). The paper is organized as follows. In the first section we review the relevant literature. In the two sections to follow we describe the research method and the scale development and validation. After this multiple role issues are analyzed. Finally we discuss theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications and offer directions for future research

Codebook and documentation of the panel study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS) : Volume I: Introduction and overview. Wave 2 (2007/2008)

"The panel study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS), established by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), is a new dataset for labour market, welfare state and poverty research in Germany, creating a new empirical basis for the scientific community and for policy advice. This Datenreport provides an overview of the second survey wave, for which 12,487 individuals were interviewed in 8,429 households between December 2007 and July 2008. 10,114 individuals and 7,342 households were interviewed for the second time in the context of PASS. The spectrum of questions and the design of PASS are intended to close gaps in the existing stock of data. PASS has three main characteristics that extend analysis potential beyond that of the Federal Employment Agency's administrative data: 1. The panel takes the household context into account - including the situation before and after receipt of Unemployment Benefit II. 2. The panel is complete in that it covers all groups of persons and all employment biographies, not only people in dependent employment, unemployed people and those in need of assistance. The dataset also provides information on the status during phases of economic inactivity, self-employment or employment as civil servants. 3. The panel collects additional or significantly more detailed data on relevant characteristics such as attitudes, employment potential or job-search behaviour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) Additional Information Questionnaires of the second wave. Here you can find the German version. Further information about the panel study "Labour Market and Social Security".IAB-Haushaltspanel, Datengewinnung, Erhebungsmethode, Stichprobe, Panel - Methode, Datenaufbereitung

Codebuch und Dokumentation des 'Panel Arbeitsmarkt und soziale Sicherung' (PASS) : Welle 2 (2007/2008)

"The panel study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS), established by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), is a new dataset for labour market, welfare state and poverty research in Germany, creating a new empirical basis for the scientific community and for policy advice. This "Datenreport" written in German provides an overview of the second survey wave, for which 12,487 individuals were interviewed in 8,429 households between December 2007 and July 2008. 10,114 individuals and 7,342 households were interviewed for the second time in the context of PASS. The spectrum of questions and the design of PASS are intended to close gaps in the existing stock of data. PASS has three main characteristics that extend analysis potential beyond that of the Federal Employment Agency's administrative data: 1. The panel takes the household context into account - including the situation before and after receipt of Unemployment Benefit II. 2. The panel is complete in that it covers all groups of persons and all employment biographies, not only people in dependent employment, unemployed people and those in need of assistance. The dataset also provides information on the status during phases of economic inactivity, self-employment or employment as civil servants. 3. The panel collects additional or significantly more detailed data on relevant characteristics such as attitudes, employment potential or job-search behaviour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) The english version of this "Datenreport" you can find here: http://fdz.iab.de/187/section.aspx/Publikation/k100607a04 Additional Information Hier finden Sie Band I des Datenreports: Einführung und Überblick Hier finden Sie Band II: Codebuch Haushaltsdatensatz Hier finden Sie Band III: Codebuch Personendatensatz Hier finden Sie Band IV: Codebuch Spelldaten, Registerdaten und Gewichte Fragebögen der 2. Welle Hier finden Sie die englische Version des Datenreports. Weitere Informationen zum Panel "Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung".IAB-Haushaltspanel, Datengewinnung, Erhebungsmethode, Stichprobe, Panel - Methode, Datenaufbereitung

Protein phosphorylation and its role in archaeal signal transduction

Reversible protein phosphorylation is the main mechanism of signal transduction that enables cells to rapidly respond to environmental changes by controlling the functional properties of proteins in response to external stimuli. However, whereas signal transduction is well studied in Eukaryotes and Bacteria, the knowledge in Archaea is still rather scarce. Archaea are special with regard to protein phosphorylation, due to the fact that the two best studied phyla, the Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeaota, seem to exhibit fundamental differences in regulatory systems. Euryarchaeota (e.g. halophiles, methanogens, thermophiles), like Bacteria and Eukaryotes, rely on bacterial-type two-component signal transduction systems (phosphorylation on His and Asp), as well as on the protein phosphorylation on Ser, Thr and Tyr by Hanks-type protein kinases. Instead, Crenarchaeota (e.g. acidophiles and (hyper)thermophiles) only depend on Hanks-type protein phosphorylation. In this review, the current knowledge of reversible protein phosphorylation in Archaea is presented. It combines results from identified phosphoproteins, biochemical characterization of protein kinases and protein phosphatases as well as target enzymes and first insights into archaeal signal transduction by biochemical, genetic and polyomic studie

Bewertung der SGB II-Umsetzung aus gleichstellungspolitischer Sicht: Jahresbericht 2007 des Gender-Projekts; Kurzfassung - 5. Oktober 2007; Projektnr. 03/06

Im Zentrum der vorliegenden Kurzfassung des ersten Jahresberichtes stehen die Ergebnisse einer Online-Befragung der Personen, die bei den SGB II-Trägereinheiten für Chancengleichheit, Gleichstellung oder Gender Mainstreaming zuständig sind. Die Befragung diente in erster Linie dem Ziel, ein Bild vom Ausmaß der konzeptionellen, organisatorischen und personellen Verankerung des Gleichstellungszieles zu erhalten. Darüber hinaus enthält der Bericht eine erste geschlechterdifferenzierende Bestandsaufnahme des Leistungsbezugs im SGB II auf Basis von öffentlich zugänglichen Statistiken und Befragungsergebnissen. Neben dem Umfang und der Zusammensetzung der Bezieher/innen von Grundsicherungsleistungen nach SGB II wird analysiert, inwieweit geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in Bezug auf die Arbeitslosigkeit, die Abgangsdynamik, die Erwerbstätigkeit und die Maßnahmeteilnahme festzustellen sind

Immunoblot analysis of the seroreactivity to recombinant Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato antigens, including VlsE, in the long-term course of treated patients with Erythema migrans

Objective: We evaluated whether immunoblotting is capable of substantiating the posttreatment clinical assessment of patients with erythema migrans ( EM), the hallmark of early Lyme borreliosis. Methods: In 50 patients, seroreactivity to different antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was analyzed by a recombinant immunoblot test (IB) in consecutive serum samples from a minimum follow-up period of 1 year. Antigens in the IgG test were decorin- binding protein A, internal fragment of p41 (p41i), outer surface protein C (OspC), p39, variable major protein-like sequence expressed (VlsE), p58 and p100; those in the IgM test were p41i, OspC and p39. Immune responses were correlated with clinical and treatment-related parameters. Results: Positive IB results were found in 50% before, in 57% directly after therapy and in 44% by the end of the follow-up for the IgG class, and in 36, 43 and 12% for the IgM class. In acute and convalescence phase sera, VlsE was most immunogenic on IgG testing 60 and 70%), and p41i (46 and 57%) and OspC (40 and 57%) for the IgM class. By the end of the follow-up, only the anti-p41i lgM response was significantly decreased to 24%. Conclusions: No correlation was found between IB results and treatment-related parameters. Thus, immunoblotting does not add to the clinical assessment of EM patients after treatment. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel