Designing IS service strategy: an information acceleration approach

Information technology-based innovation involves considerable risk that requires insight and foresight. Yet, our understanding of how managers develop the insight to support new breakthrough applications is limited and remains obscured by high levels of technical and market uncertainty. This paper applies a new experimental method based on “discrete choice analysis” and “information acceleration” to directly examine how decisions are made in a way that is behaviourally sound. The method is highly applicable to information systems researchers because it provides relative importance measures on a common scale, greater control over alternate explanations and stronger evidence of causality. The practical implications are that information acceleration reduces the levels of uncertainty and generates a more accurate rationale for IS service strategy decisions

Color as a source of brand differentiation: Can it be defended?

Savvy marketers have long sought to exploit the psychological effects of color to differentiate their brands and create competitive advantage: IBM Blue, Coca- Cola Red, and BP Green. These are not new colors but well-known brand colors. While changes in international trademark law over the past decade paved the way for marketers to seek protection for a color associated with a brand, this case demonstrates some important challenges in defending such trademarks

Managing ethics in the tourism supply chain: The case of Chinese travel to Australia

The purpose of this paper is to provide clues to industry and academia on how best to approach the challenge of managing ethics in the tourism supply chain. To achieve this objective, the paper provides a case study of how the Australian Government has responded to concerns about unethical practices in the tourism supply chain from China to Australia. A series of best practice recommendations are provided following a review of demand- and supply-side processes

Impact of Strategic Alignment on IT Outsourcing Success in a Complex Service Setting

Improved conceptual and methodological understanding of strategic alignment is essential for better IT outsourcing decisions. This research will investigate how strategically well aligned ITO investments can lead to improved performance and greater competitive advantage. The strategic alignment literature is dominated by a focus on strategy formulation at a single point in time. In contrast, little is known about how strategic alignment is enacted in the choices managers make over time, and in particular, as it applies to IT outsourcing decisions in complex service settings. To address this situation we: (1) develop a novel dynamic alignment model that links espoused and enacted strategies, (2) operationalize strategy as a set of strategic decisions around capabilities, and (3) apply a range of novel methods to measure the decisions managers make

Marketing and the law: defending single color trademarks

Most international jurisdictions have sought to broaden their definition of a trade mark following the Qualitex v Jacobson Products (Qualitex Case)2. In Australia, the Trade Marks Act (Cth) 1995 was introduced to recognise that colors, scents, shapes and sounds could be registered as a trade mark provided the mark was capable of distinguishing, in the course of trade, the proprietor’s goods or services from the goods or services of others. However, to date, it has proven extremely difficult to defend the registration of a single color trade mark in Australia

Marketing and the law: defending single color trademarks

Most international jurisdictions have sought to broaden their definition of a trade mark following the Qualitex v Jacobson Products (Qualitex Case)2. In Australia, the Trade Marks Act (Cth) 1995 was introduced to recognise that colors, scents, shapes and sounds could be registered as a trade mark provided the mark was capable of distinguishing, in the course of trade, the proprietor’s goods or services from the goods or services of others. However, to date, it has proven extremely difficult to defend the registration of a single color trade mark in Australia

What Drives the Choice of Third Party Logistics Provider?

It is generally believed that companies choose supply chain partners on the basis of their distinctive value propositions; a fact one would also expect holds true when companies choose a logistics service provider. However, faced with the complexities of varied customer demands, it can be difficult for logistics service companies to obtain an effective understanding of how customers differentially value the service components they offer. In this paper, we address this by identifying the factors that are important in a customer’s choice of a logistics service provider. Using stated choice methods we explore the relative importance of seven service attributes using a sample of 309 managers with a central role in purchasing logistics services across a range of industries and countries. The results reveal that three distinct decision models populate our data where the preferences for different logistics service attributes – such as price and delivery performance –vary greatly between customer groups represented by these models. Strategically, our findings provide the management of a third party logistics provider with a logical starting point from which to determine the goals that are set for their operations, particularly in choosing the customer segments to service

Exploring the mediating role of relationship quality in online services

This paper is the first to examine the mediating role of relationship quality in the online context. By investigating this major tenet of customer relationship management theory in this nascent service setting, this paper clarifies the interaction between service quality and relationship quality, as they impact on customer loyalty. The findings reveal some fundamental differences in the way that strong relationships and loyalty develop in the online setting vis-à-vis the offline setting. The findings of this empirical research support the existence of a partial mediating relationship. While effective service delivery was found to enhance the quality of customer-firm relationships, and consequently, the customer’s perceived loyalty to their main financial institution; there was also evidence of a concurrent link between service quality and loyalty. This finding suggests that a strong relationship does not make customers immune to poor future services, and that firms operating in the online environment should maintain high service standards if they are to enjoy continued loyalty from their customers