Co-production is currently one of cornerstones of public policy reform across the globe. Inter alia, it is articulated as a valuable route to public service reform and to the planning and delivery of effective public services, a response to the democratic deficit and a route to active citizenship and active communities, and as a means by which to lever in additional resources to public service delivery. Despite these varied roles, co-production is actually poorly formulated and has become one of a series of ‘woolly-words’ in public policy. This paper presents a conceptualization of co-production that is theoretically rooted in both public management and service management theory. It argues that this is a robust starting point for the evolution of new research and knowledge about co-production and for the development of evidence-based public policymaking and implementation.

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Co-production and the co-creation of value in public services: A suitable case for treatment?

Purpose – In today's highly competitive environment losing customers is very costly. Customer retention and loyalty have become possible through the development of long‐term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers. This paper seeks to critically review the literature on relationship quality (RQ) and to suggest avenues for further research.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected with impartial cross‐referencing of papers published in all major journals in the marketing area. Papers are presented in tabulated form based on six rigorously cross‐checked categories of information.Findings – Most RQ research centres on business‐to‐business (b‐to‐b) markets and products use survey data, look at relationships from the customer perspective and analyse either the US or European markets. Also, results differ in various contexts and there is no universally accepted framework for RQ. By analysing the different variables used in previous studies, a general conceptual framework is provided for the st...

Relationship quality: a critical literature review and research agenda

We propose an important theoretical development for our understanding of the co-production of public services. It combines the insights from both public administration and services management theory to produce a novel typology of co-production. This clarifies its role at the operational and strategic levels, as well as its potential for transformational change in public services. Understanding co-production in this way provides a basis through which to explore a whole range of dimensions of co-production that were previously undifferentiated.

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It takes Two to Tango? Understanding the Co-production of Public Services by Integrating the Services Management and Public Administration Perspectives

In previous articles, I have developed two inter-linked lines of argument. The first has been that the complexity of public services delivery in the twenty-first century has moved beyond a situatio...

Delivering Public Services: Time for a new theory?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an ethical foundation for relationship marketing using a virtue ethics approach.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a conceptual one providing a background on relationship marketing from both American and European perspectives. Earlier studies published in EJM on relationship marketing are featured in a table.Findings – The proposed ethical relationship marketing approach has three stages (establishing, sustaining and reinforcing) that are paired with specific virtues (trust, commitment and diligence). These and other facilitating virtues are shown in a figure.Researchlimitations/implications – The model and its components have yet to be tested empirically. Some strategies for undertaking such research are discussed.Practical implications – Several European and American companies that currently practice ethical relationship marketing are discussed.Originality/value – Although relationship marketing has been studied for a number of years by many s...

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An ethical basis for relationship marketing: a virtue ethics perspective

The study extends the existing knowledge by taking a relationship perspective to study the effect of service quality on customer retention. We integrate business‐to‐business marketing literature with service quality literature to develop a model to capture relationship commitment and other influencing factors. The model is improved with help of semi‐structured interviews which is later tested through a survey of 241 companies in the advertising sector. Findings indicate that service quality indeed contributes to the long‐term relationships and customer retention.

Karin A. Venetis

Papers

Service quality and customer retention: building long‐term relationships

Service Quality and Customer Retention: Building Long-Term Relationships