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In services marketing, the employee plays a central role in attracting, building and maintaining relationships with customers. The recognition of the central role of employees in service marketing has given rise to “internal marketing” programs strongly oriented to employee development. This paper explores the linkage between internal marketing activities (directed at employee recruitment, training, motivation, communication, and retention) and the more traditional external marketing activities (e.g., pricing, advertising, and personal selling). An examination of the relationship between the key elements of the services marketing management model (internal and external marketing, employee attitudes and behavior, and customer attitudes and behavior) demonstrates how service managers can enhance customer loyalty, satisfaction and perception of quality.

Information is an important resource for firms to develop new products successfully, and firms must rely on their ability to use information effectively. This research builds on information processing and contingency theories to explore the effect of firm strategy type and the conceptual and instrumental use of information on new product outcomes. Firms operating in high-tech industries are faced with high levels of uncertainty caused by rapidly evolving technologies. Consequently, creating innovative and successful products becomes particularly challenging. Past research examining organizational use of information points to the presence of strategic contingencies that may impact the new product outcomes that accrue to a firm. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine how the impact of information use on new product outcomes varies by strategy type. Using data from 150 software development firms based in a developing economy, the theoretical hypotheses proposed are tested. After controlling for environmental turbulence, the research results demonstrate that firms focusing on specific types of information use innovate successfully only when that information use is congruent with an appropriate strategic orientation. Specifically, the present study finds that prospector firms focusing on conceptual information use enhance both their new product performance and new product creativity outcomes, whereas analyzer firms enhance only their new product performance outcomes. A focus on instrumental information use has different effects for firms. Defender firms enhance both their new product performance and creativity outcomes only when focusing on instrumental information use. In contrast, prospector firms detract from their new product creativity outcomes, and analyzer firms reduce their new product performance outcomes when focusing on instrumental information use.T he importance of organizational information processing in the effective management of firm resources and ultimately on firm performance is well established (Cyert

Concepts of internal marketing and external marketing in the context of service firms are here discussed and examined for their effects on consumer satisfaction. These concepts in the context of foreign and domestic banks in Thailand are focused upon. The results show differences between banks and a strong relationship between internal marketing and consumer satisfaction. The effective practice of internal marketing appears to influence the effectiveness of external marketing programmes influencing customer satisfaction.

This article addresses the conceptual and measurement issues related to the study of information technology capability (ITC) in small to medium businesses that focus on exports. We review the concept of ITC and its components and report on the construction and psychometric assessment of a measure of ITC. We develop a multi-dimensional scale showing strong evidence of reliability and validity in samples from export-focused SMEs based in mainland China. Finally, we demonstrate nomological validity by examining the relationship between ITC and export-focused SMEs' performance.