PurposeWith the growing interest in service orientation research, the concept has been demonstrated to be a defining factor in the creation of superior customer service and value. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate service orientation as a socially constructed variable, empirically examine its relationship with measures of organization performance, and offer implications for management.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted to conceptualize and measure service orientation as an element of organizational culture, understand the linkage between service orientation as a strategic choice and organizational performance, and measure service orientation utilizing a multi‐informant approach.FindingsThe data indicated that organizational service orientation in banking is positively correlated with employee commitment, longevity, and esprit de corps, consumer products performance, service quality image, and banking profitability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study had five principal limitations: the relationships were tested in one industry, the study was cross‐sectional, the researchers were dependent on self‐reported data, the incidence of low job performance may have affected other relationships in the study, and the number of strategic units was relatively small.Practical implicationsOrganizational commitment and esprit de corps are important facets of an organization's culture that lead to longevity, higher service quality and profits.Originality/valueThis study is a step forward in investigating the organizational service orientation/organizational performance relationship in the arena of banking.
Purpose -The paper's purpose is to provide background and practical exercises for management to gain a perspective on the nature of true employee empowerment. Design/methodology/approach -After a brief overview of the nature of empowerment, a series to training exercises offers insight into how employee empowerment in the tourism industry can create deeper investment in the corporate mission and greater customer service. The exercises also examine approaches for management to avoid. Findings -Employee empowerment results from recognizing the employee's ability to be organization's eyes and ears. Originality/value -This discussion and set of exercises provides management with the opportunity to test their instincts against realistic situations of employee empowerment in the context of service failure.
Case description
Dean Adams was given notice to develop an online program with the School of Business Administration as a prototype of online education for the rest of the University. A major task which faced the Dean involved working with University information technology (IT) staff and faculty to choose a learning management system (LMS) to support the online program. After talking with the Chief Information Officer at Seacoast University and appointing a committee made up of IT staff and faculty, the Dean was presented with the committee's recommendation that focussed on two major decisions: first, choosing the LMS product for the University, and second, choosing to locate the LMS product and server either on-campus or off-campus. In the course of considering whether or not to accept the committee's recommendations, Dean Adams weighed the evaluations and justifications as outlined by the committee in the context of Seacoast University's IT situation.
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