Service Industries Journal 

Abstract: In today's world of intense competition, satisfying customers is only the base line and may not be sufficient for survival. Management should focus on gaining customer loyalty by enhancing customer perceptions of service quality and increasing as perceived by the consumer value. Although previous studies have addressed the importance of service quality, satisfaction, perceived value, and image, the precise nature of the relationships that exist between these constructs and the understanding of their effect on customer behaviour still remains a key issue. This empirical study seeks to understand the relationships that exist between service quality and perceived value and how they impact customer satisfaction, corporate image, and behavioural intentions. The proposed model indicates that delivering high quality service and creating superior customer value can result in achieve high customer satisfaction, thus effecting the firm's corporate image, and ultimately leading to consumer retention.

Abstract: Along with the ‘servicisation’ of society, innovation in services has become a topical issue. However, analytical and detailed discussion about the nature of service innovations and their emergence is only beginning. This article aims to contribute to this discussion through a theoretical analysis supplemented with findings from two empirical case studies. The theories examined are multi-disciplinary including general service theories, general innovation theories and theories linked to new service development and innovation management. The empirical studies have been carried out in Finland in the fields of real estate and construction services and of knowledge-intensive business services.

Abstract: It is suggested that the four main characteristics of services, intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and inseparability, greatly increase the degree of perceived risk in the purchase of services by decreasing the certainty with which purchases can be made. A review of the literature shows that the only two studies have considered the difference in risk between goods and services. The present study reports in more detail on the differences in perceived risk, its component losses and of the usefulness of fourteen risk relievers in the purchase of six services. The results confirm the hypothesis that services are riskier than products and that this riskiness is primarily due to extra uncertainty in the purchase of services. The importance of losses and the usefulness of risk relievers for six service offerings are reported and indicate financial loss as being the most important loss and brand loyalty as most important risk reliever.

Abstract: The measurement and management of customer satisfaction has become a key issue in the last decade. Banks must thoroughly understand the needs of their customers and design products and services that meet and exceed their expectations. The importance-performance analysis (IPA) is a widely used analytical technique that yields prescriptions for the management of customer satisfaction. IPA is a two-dimensional grid based on customer perceived importance of service attributes and attribute performance. Depending on the interplay of these two dimensions, four strategies can be derived. Recent research in customer satisfaction, however, suggests that service attributes fall into three categories (basic factors, performance factors, and excitement factors) and that their importance depends on their performance. As a result, the traditional IPA needs to be reconsidered. In this article, the results of an empirical study on the satisfaction with bank services are presented and it is demonstrated that traditional I...