Academic sell-out: how an obsession with metrics and rankings is damaging academia

Increasingly, academics have to demonstrate that their research has academic impact. Universities normally use journal rankings and journal impact factors to assess the research impact of individual academics. More recently, citation counts for individual articles and the h-index have also been used to measure the academic impact of academics. There are, however, several serious problems with relying on journal rankings, journal impact factors and citation counts. For example, articles without any impact may be published in highly ranked journals or journals with high impact factor, whereas articles with high impact could be published in lower ranked journals or journals with low impact factor. Citation counts can also be easily gamed and manipulated, and the h-index disadvantages early career academics. This paper discusses these and several other problems and suggests alternatives such as post-publication peer review and open-access journals

I want to believe they really care: how complaining customers want to be treated by frontline employees

Purpose – Using a realist perspective, this paper investigates how complaining customers want to be treated by frontline employees in personal complaint handling encounters. For this purpose, an exploratory research study using the qualitative laddering interviewing technique was regarded as appropriate as it allows researchers to gain a deeper insight into an underdeveloped research subject. Following realist thinking and terminology, the exploratory study aims to develop a deeper understanding of the so-called micro structures of complaining customers. Design/Methodology/Approach – A semi-standardized qualitative technique called laddering was used to reveal the cognitive structures of complaining customers. In total, laddering interviews with 40 respondents with complaining experience were conducted. Findings – The research shows that the most important attributes for complaining customers are the contact employees’ authenticity, competence, and active listening skills. These concepts are linked with several consequences and values such as “Justice”, “Well-Being”, and “Security”. Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory nature of the study in general and the scope and size of its sample in particular, the findings are tentative in nature. As the study involved students from one university, the results cannot be generalized beyond this group even though in this case the student sample is likely to represent the general buying public. Practical implications – If companies know what complaining customers expect, frontline employees may be trained to adapt their behaviour to their customers’ underlying expectations, which should have a positive impact on customer satisfaction. For this purpose, the paper gives several suggestions to managers to improve active complaint handling and management. Originality/value – Our findings enrich the existing limited stock of knowledge on complaint satisfaction by developing a deeper understanding of the attributes that complaining customers expect from frontline employees, as well as the underlying logic for these expectations. Revealing the important role of employee authenticity adds to our knowledge on complaint satisfaction. Another strong contribution of this paper lies in the finding that all the identified concepts must not been seen in strict isolation, as in previous research, but have to be understood as a network of interrelated concepts: The attributes of frontline employees have several important consequences for customers (e.g. the feeling of being taken seriously), which are then linked to consumers’ personal values and basic motivations (e.g. perceptions of justice)

The desired teaching qualities of lecturers in higher education: a means end analysis

Purpose – The study aims to develop a deeper understanding of the teaching qualities of effective lecturers that students desire and to uncover the constructs that underlie these desire expectations and reveal the underlying benefits that students look for. Design/Methodology/Approach - A semi-standardized qualitative technique called laddering was applied that allows researchers to reach deeper levels of reality and to reveal the reasons behind the reasons. The study was conducted amongst teacher education students at a large German University of Education and laddering questionnaires were handed out to 53 students enrolled in a business management course. Findings – The exploratory study gave a valuable first insight into the desired qualities of lecturers. In particular, the study results indicate that students want lecturers to be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, approachable, and friendly. Students predominately want to encounter valuable teaching experiences to be able to pass tests and to be prepared for their profession. This study also showed that students are mainly concerned about vocational aspects of their studies and are less interested in their subject. Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory nature of the study and the scope and size of its sample, the results outlined are tentative in nature. As the study involved only a single group of university students from one university, the results cannot be generalized to the student population as a whole. Originality/value – The study was the first to successfully apply the means-end approach and the laddering technique to the issue of service quality in higher education. The study has, hopefully opened up an area of research and methodology that could provide considerable further benefits for researchers interested in this topic

Uncovering the desired qualities and behaviours of general practitioners (GPs) during medical (service recovery) encounters

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to uncover the desired qualities and behaviours that patients believe GPs should have in medical (service recovery) encounters. In particular, we try to reveal the qualities and behaviours of GPs that patients value, to understand the underlying benefits that they look for during personal (service recovery) encounters, and to graphically illustrate the findings in a so-called hierarchical value map. This will prove to be important in order to understand patients’ needs and desires correctly. Design/Methodology/Approach – An exploratory research study using the qualitative laddering interviewing technique was regarded as appropriate as it allows researchers to gain a deeper insight into an underdeveloped research subject. In total, in-depth laddering interviews with 38 respondents were conducted. Findings – In case of a service recovery encounter, patients believe that GPs need to show competence, friendliness and empathy in order to restore trust in them. GPs should also listen actively and do the appropriate checks in order to find the root cause of the problem. “Health” was the main value sought by patients. This value is considered by patients to be the gateway to moving on with their everyday lives and search the attainment of other values such as wellbeing, belongingness, accomplishment and self-realization. Moreover, respondents would like to gain knowledge about their disease in order to prevent them in the future and to have some sense of control over the decision of the treatment. Patients also want a more active role in the medical (service recovery) encounter, which calls for a more shared approach by GPs in the interaction with their patients. Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory nature of the study in general and the scope and size of its sample in particular, the findings are tentative in nature. As the study involved patients from one large metropolitan area in the UK, the results cannot be generalized beyond this group. Practical implications – If GPs know what dissatisfied patients expect, they can adapt their behaviours to their patients’ underlying expectations, which should have a positive impact on the evaluation of the doctor-patient relationship. For this purpose, the paper gives recommendations that can help GPs recover patients’ trust while at the same time improving their performance in medical (service recovery) encounters. Originality/value – This paper gives a valuable first insight into the desired qualities and behaviours of GPs during medical (service recovery) encounters. The study results especially indicate that complaining patients are people first and patients second, where the primary importance is the satisfaction of basic social needs. The fact that this study has revealed the highest number of values in published laddering studies so far shows how crucial these medical (service recovery) encounters in general and GP qualities and behaviours in particular are for patients. Another strong contribution of this paper is the finding that all the identified concepts from the laddering interviews that are shown in the hierarchical value maps must not been seen in strict isolation, as in previous research, but have to be understood as a network of interrelated concepts

Understanding satisfying service encounters in retail banking – a dyadic perspective

The aim of this study is to expand understanding of satisfying service encounters. In particular, this research study will investigate both parties of the service encounter (customers and frontline employees). A dyadic approach will help to identify whether customer expectations differ from what contact employees believe customers desire from the service encounter. Insights will then lead to a greater understanding of the service encounter as revealed discrepancies in perceptions will not only increase employees' and management awareness, but also provide implications for training and recruitment of employees. An exploratory research study using the well-established laddering interviewing technique was regarded as appropriate as it allows researchers to gain a deeper insight into the research subject. In total, in-depth laddering interviews with 40 respondents (20 customers and 20 frontline employees) were conducted. The findings of this study suggest that customers and employees identified several similar concepts as being important for a successful service encounter such as friendliness, competence, responsiveness, honesty, and communication skills

When good news is bad news: the negative impact of positive customer feedback on front-line employee well-being

Purpose – Front-line employee (FLE) well-being is an under-researched field. Contrasting the prevailing view that Positive Customer Feedback (PCF) can only have ‘positive’ impacts, this study aims to answer the counterintuitive question: Could the apparently positive construct ‘Positive Custo mer Feedback’ have a negative impact on the well-being of front-line employees? Consequently, working within the Transformative Service Research (TSR) framework, we investigate whether PCF can negatively affect the eudaimonic and hedonic well-being dimensions of FLEs, thus decreasing their overall psychological well-being level. Design/methodology/approach – A multidisciplinary literature review was conducted, particularly in the social psychology, human resources and organizational behavior fields, to examine the potential negative impacts of PCF. Subsequently, an exploratory qualitative study consisting of seven focus groups with 45 FLEs and 22 in-depth interviews with managers working across various service industries were performed. All the transcripts were analyzed via an iterative hermeneutical process. Findings – A model describing ten negative impacts and six key contingencies of PCF was developed. The identified impacts can negatively affect the eudaimonic and hedonic well-being dimensions of FLEs. PCF can have a negative impact on the eudaimonic dimensions such as harmony, respect and support. Moreover, PCF appears to increase the negative affect by creating tension, fear, strain and stress, thus, negatively affecting the happiness level of FLEs (hedonic well-being). The identified contingencies play a crucial role in determining the direction and intensity of the negative impact of PCF. Therefore, the overall psychological well-being level of FLEs can suffer as a result of PCF. This study also discusses managerial challenges associated with PCF management. Research limitations/implications – The article discusses important managerial implications in the field of FLE well-being and PCF management and suggests directions for future research aiming to expand the boundaries of the current TSR agenda and service human resources. Originality/value – This study is the first to explore the negative side of PCF from a TSR perspective. It extends the understanding of the overlooked area of PCF and FLE well-being

Developing a deeper understanding of the attributes of effective customer contact employees in personal complaint-handling encounters

Purpose – The paper explores the nature of complaint satisfaction. It examines how contact employees should behave and which qualities they should possess. The study also aims to explore the comparability of results obtained from two laddering methods as the alternative techniques may lead to different sets of attributes. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study using the means-end approach and two laddering techniques (personal interviews and questionnaires) was conducted. Findings –While the personal interviews produced more depth in understanding, the results of the two laddering methods are broadly similar. The research indicates that being taken seriously in the complaint encounter and the employee’s listening skills and competence are particularly important. Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory nature of the study and the scope and size of its student sample, the results outlined are tentative in nature. Practical implications – If companies know what customers expect, contact employees may be trained to adapt their behavior to their customers’ underlying expectations, which should have a positive impact on customer satisfaction. For this purpose, the paper gives suggestions to managers to improve active complaint management. Originality/value – The study was the first to successfully apply the means-end approach and two laddering techniques to the issue of complaint satisfaction. The paper has hopefully opened up an area of research and methodology that could reap considerable further benefits for researchers interested in the area of customer complaint satisfaction

Which classroom service encounters make students happy or unhappy?: insights from an online CIT study

Purpose – This paper explores satisfactory and dissatisfactory student-professor encounters in higher education from a student’s perspective. The critical incident technique (CIT) is used to categorise positive and negative student-professor interactions and to reveal quality dimensions of professors. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study using an online application of the well established CIT method was conducted. The study took place at a large European university. 96 students took part in the study on a voluntary basis and reported 164 incidents. Respondents were aged between 19 and 24 years (X=23.2) and slightly more female students (52%) filled in the online CIT questionnaire than male students (48%). On average, every student provided 1.7 incidents. Findings – The results of the critical incident sorting process support previous classification systems that used three major groups to thoroughly represent the domain of (un)satisfactory student-professor encounters. The results of the CIT study also revealed 10 quality dimensions of professors, corroborating previous research in this area. Research limitations/implications – Due to the exploratory nature of the study and the scope and size of its student sample, the results outlined are tentative in nature. The research study also only investigates the experiences of one stakeholder group. Practical implications – Gaining knowledge of students’ classroom experiences should be beneficial for professors to design their teaching programmes. Based on the results, universities might consider the introduction of student contracts or student satisfaction guarantees to manage student expectations effectively. Originality/value – The study was the first to successfully apply an online version of the CIT techniques to the issue of higher education services. This study shows that the CIT method is a useful tool for exploring student-professor encounters in higher education. The paper has hopefully opened up an area of research and methodology that could reap considerable further benefits for researchers interested in this area