Exploring the relationship between individual values and the customer orientation of front-line employees
2013; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 29; Issue: 15-16 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/0267257x.2013.798674
ISSN1472-1376
AutoresCarlos M.P. Sousa, Filipe Coelho,
Tópico(s)Organizational Leadership and Management Strategies
ResumoAbstractBecause of the nature of services, namely the inseparability of production and consumption, employee behaviours influence customer perceptions of service quality and satisfaction with the service provider. In particular, customer-oriented employees seek to help customers by addressing their needs, and this contributes to the building of customer satisfaction and the development of a relationship. Not surprisingly, research has been investigating the drivers of employees' customer orientation. This paper examines how individual values influence the customer orientation of front-line service employees, a topic that has been unexplored in extant literature, and this is useful for the selection of employees who match the firm's service strategy. To accomplish this, the study relies on the Schwartz value theory, which is applied to front-line employees in banking. The findings indicate that both resultant conservation and resultant self-enhancement affect the customer orientation of employees, and that these effects are moderated by job satisfaction and autonomy.Keywords: individual valuescustomer orientationjob satisfactionautonomy AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the advice and suggestions of Shalom H. Schwartz.Additional informationNotes on contributorsCarlos M. P. SousaCarlos M. P. Sousa is professor of marketing at Durham University Business School, Durham University, UK. His areas of interest include culture and international marketing, international marketing strategies, export marketing, and services marketing. He has published in the Journal of Marketing Management, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of World Business, European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review, International Business Review, Academy of Marketing Science Review, and International Journal of Management Reviews, among others.Filipe CoelhoFilipe Coelho is an assistant professor of marketing at Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. His major research interests include distribution channels, product innovation, and the behaviour of front-line employees. He participates regularly in international conferences, and has published in journals such as the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, and Industrial Marketing Management.T (+ 351) 239 790 574E fcoelho@fe.uc.pt
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