Interaction orientation: The new measure of marketing capabilities

Advances in technology have resulted in increasing opportunities for interactions between firms and customers, between customers, and between firms. The effective management of interactions and the interfaces where these interactions occur is increasingly being recognized as a source of lasting competitive advantage for firms. Firms that develop the capabilities needed for the successful management of interactions would be termed \u27interaction oriented\u27. ^ First, we identify and discuss the four components of interaction orientation: (1) customer concept, (2) interaction response capacity, (3) customer empowerment, and (4) customer value management. ^ Second, we relate interaction orientation to performance measures. We posit the following: (1) An interaction orientation leads to superior customer-level relational performance; (2) An interaction orientation leads to superior customer-level profit performance; (3) Superior customer-level relational performance is associated with superior customer-level profit performance. ^ Third, we identify the antecedents of interaction orientation as: (1) A firm\u27s dependence on trademarks and patents; (2) The institutional pressures that a firm faces to adopt interactive technologies; (3) The outsourcing expertise of a firm; (4) The extent to which a firm\u27s employee rewards system is based on customer-centric measures of performance; (5) Whether a firm operates in the business-to-business industry or not. ^ Fourth, we examine the moderating effects of customer initiated contacts and competitive intensity on the interaction orientation-performance linkage. ^ The results based on a survey of top marketing managers in a hundred and seven firms, obtained using a structural equation modeling approach, provide evidence that the proposed relationships between interaction orientation, its consequences, and its antecedents are by and large supported. The commonly held view that customer-level relational performance is related to customer-level profit performance is not supported. However, both customer-level relational performance and customer-level profit performance affect aggregate level business performance positively. Also, contrary to expectations, the results indicate that interaction orientation is a phenomenon observed equally among business-to-business firms and business-to-consumer firms. The extent of customer initiated contacts moderates the interaction orientation performance relationship whereas competitive intensity does not.

Application of Plackett-Burman design for screening of factors affecting pitavastatin nanoparticle formulation development

Introduction: Nanoparticle formulation of pitavastatin calcium is a potential alternative to solve the solubility related problem. However, the formulation of nanoparticle involves various parameters that affect product quality. Plackett-Burman design could facilitate an economical experimental plan that focuses on determining the relative significance of many.Aim: The objective of this study was to screen the variables which could significantly affect the pitavastatin nanoparticle formulation.Materials and methods: The pitavastatin nanoparticles were formulated by preparing nanosuspension using the emulsion solvent evaporation technique followed by freeze-drying. A Plackett-Burman screening design methodology was employed in which seven factors at two levels were tested at 12 runs to study the effect of formulation and process variables on particle size and polydispersity index of nanoparticles. The surface morphology and crystalline nature of nanoparticle were also evaluated.Results: The particle size and polydispersity index of nanosuspension was found in the range of 113.1 to 768.5 nm and 0.068 to 0.508, respectively. Statistical analysis of various variables revealed that stabilizer concentration, injection flow rate, and stirring rate were the most influential factors affecting the particle size and polydispersity index of the formulation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study suggested the amorphous nature of nanoparticles.Conclusions: This study concluded that the Plackett-Burman design was an efficient tool for screening the process and formulation variables affecting the properties of pitavastatin nanoparticles and also for the identification of the most prominent factor

A role of Agnikarma in the management of Vatkantak w.s.r. Planter Fasitis - A Single Case Study

Vatakantaka (Planter Fasciitis) is a common cause of heel pain which is caused due to vitiation of Vata. Vata is vitiated due to walking on irregular or uneven surface, excessive strain on heels and get accumulated in (Ankle joint) and causes pain as if pricked by a thorn. Hence it termed as Vatakantaka (Plantar Fasciitis). Plantar Fasciitis is caused due to silent and repeated injury resulting in inflammation of the plantar fascia which results in the painful heel. Aacharya Sushruta has mentioned different treatment measures for management of its. One amongst them and it was used in this case study, to assess its efficacy in relieving pain. 51 years old female complaining of pain in the right heel, tenderness and pain during walking was treated with 3 successive sittings of along with for 21 days. In and was given. After treatment, symptoms of patient were relieved and she was able to walk without pain

Anomalous superficial ulnar artery based flap

Upper limb shows a large number of arterial variations. This case report describes the presence of additional superficial ulnar artery which was used to raise a pedicle flap to cover an arm defect thus avoided using the main vessel of the forearm - radial or ulnar artery. Vascular anomalies occurring in the arm and forearm tend to increase the likelihood of damaging the superficial anomalous arteries during surgery. Superficial ulnar or radial arteries have been described to originate from the upper third of the brachial artery; here we report the origin of the anomalous superficial ulnar artery originating from the brachial artery at the level of elbow with the concomitant presence of normal deep radial and ulnar arteries

Customer Complaints and Recovery Effectiveness: A Customer Base Approach

Although customer complaints are a well-studied aspect of business, no study has measured the impact of actual complaints and recoveries on subsequent customer purchasing. The authors develop a customer base model to investigate the effectiveness of recovery in preventing customer churn. They calibrate it on panel data that track actual purchases, complaints, and recoveries for 20,000 new customers of an Internet and catalog retailer over 2.5 years. Complaints are associated with a substantial increase in the probability that the customer stops buying, but the size of the increase depends on prior customer experiences: prior purchases mitigate the effect, and their impact is long-lasting, whereas prior complaints exacerbate the effect, but their impact is short-lived. Thus, unless the customer leaves the company after a complaint, or a second failure occurs shortly after the first, the relationship quickly returns to normal. Recovery counters the effect of the complaint but, in almost all cases, does not entirely offset it. The authors use simulation to translate the results to financial impact and discuss implications for researchers and managers