Competitive Positioning in International Logistics: Identifying a System of Attributes Through Neural Networks and Decision Trees

Firms involved in international logistics must develop a system of service attributes that give them a way to be profitable and to satisfy customers’ needs at the same time. How customers trade-off these various attributes in forming satisfaction with competing international logistics providers has not been explored well in the literature. This study explores the ocean freight shipping sector to identify the system of attributes that maximizes customers’ satisfaction. Data were collected from shipping managers in Singapore using personal interviews to identify the chief concerns in choosing and evaluating ocean freight services. The data were then examined using neural networks and decision trees, among other approaches to identify the system of attributes that is connected with customer satisfaction. The results illustrate the power of these methods in understanding how industrial customers with global operations process attributes to derive satisfaction. Implications are discussed

Business to Business Marketing: Service Recovery and Customer Satisfaction Issues with Ocean Shipping Lines

The tenets of relationship marketing are useful in understanding the success of a service provider. Based on a sample of 221 firms in Singapore that use ocean freight shipping services, examines service recovery issues related to satisfaction. It was found that service recovery methods such as claims handling, problem handling and complaint handling are associated with the level of satisfaction of customers. In addition, interfacing departments also have varying association with levels of satisfaction of customers. Finds that users of these services can identify problems they experience with ocean freight shipping services, and this may impact their choice of most preferred vs. least preferred shipping line. Concludes by giving recommendations on how service firms can mitigate and be vigilant for service recovery problems

Testing the SERVQUAL Scale in the Business-to-Business Sector: The Case of Ocean Freight Shipping Service

A key question is whether the instruments developed for consumer services can accurately gauge the service quality perceptions of organisational customers. Reports psychometric testing of the SERVQUAL as a measure of service quality in ocean freight services. Based on a survey of a cross-sectional sample of 114 business organisations in Singapore, which regularly utilise ocean freight services for their export needs, this study found that the psychometric properties of the SERVQUAL scale are at variance with those found in consumer services settings. Further, the SERVQUAL perceptions scores were found to be a better predictor than the SERVQUAL gap scores. In sum, the service quality measures developed for consumer services can only be applied with caution in business-to-business marketing. Implications and future directions for research are discussed

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Cognitive Responses, Beliefs, and Attitudes Toward Advertising in General in Two Asian Countries

An important research topic in advertising is the study of consumer advertising perceptions. As shown by previous research, these perceptions affect attitude-toward-advertising-in-general which, ultimately, affects consumer brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Understanding consumer ad perceptions is useful to advertising practitioners in developing and implementing effective ad campaigns both nationally and internationally. Our study extends previous research efforts by comparing the cognitive responses, beliefs, and attitudes of consumers regarding advertising in two countries located in Southeast Asia. While results indicate similar advertising beliefs (in direction) and favorable attitudes, differences in cognitive responses and magnitude of beliefs and favorable attitudes exist. The implications of various results are then discussed

Technology and its CRM Implications in the Shipping Industry

This paper investigates the relative importance of service factors such as technology and facilities, how service providers are rated on those factors, and their relationship to customer satisfaction in a B2B environment. The results show that in the ocean freight shipping industry, customers placed more importance on factors such as efficiency in complaint handling, prompt availability of delivery information as compared to the use of latest equipment and technology. Most importantly, customers who had a more favourable evaluation of shipping companies on these factors also experienced a higher level of service satisfaction. Implications of these results for the use of technology in managing customer relationships are then presented

The Power of Interfacing Departments in Shaping B2B Customer Satisfaction

Extant research identifies service quality and service encounter perceptions as the key determinants of satisfaction. However, no study in a business-to-business environment has examined the simultaneous effect of these two determinants on overall satisfaction. Hence, we do not know which of these two determinants has a stronger impact on service satisfaction. We investigated this issue by collecting data from shipping managers of several firms in Singapore that used the services of ocean freight shipping companies. Results of path analysis indicate that perceptions of service encounters have a relatively stronger impact compared to service quality. Implications of these results are discussed

Advertising Beliefs and Attitudes: Are Students and General Consumers Indeed Different?

Studies of advertising beliefs and attitudes are crucial because these measures are shown to affect brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Previous studies in this area used either student or general consumers samples; no comparisons were made between the two groups. Therefore, it is not known whether and to what extent responses of student samples are likely to differ from those of general consumers. Differences would indicate that the two segments view advertising dissimilarly. However, by applying covariance structure analysis on a sample of students and a sample of general consumers from India, our study found no significant differences between them in their beliefs toward advertising in general, attitudes toward the institution of advertising, attitudes toward the instrument of advertising, or attitudes toward advertising in general

Service Encounters: The Missing Link Between Service Quality Perceptions And Satisfaction

Relationship marketing emphasizes that for a firm to be profitable, it must be attentive to those factors that affect service satisfaction. Extant research in the service sector reveals two important determinants of service satisfaction. One is service quality, and the other is the service encounter, representing the interaction between the customer and the service provider. Further, it has been demonstrated that service quality is also related to customer perceptions of the service encounter. However, a question that a remains unanswered is about the precise nature of the relationship between service quality and service encounter on one hand, and service satisfaction on the other. Is the relationship direct or indirect? Does one of the factors instead serve as a mediator? This study provides an answer by examining a sample of industrial customers in Singapore who evaluated the service dimensions of ocean freight shipping lines. Results reveal that the relationship between service quality and service satisfaction is not direct, but it is defined or mediated by customer perceptions of service encounters. Implications of the results are discussed