Showing papers in "The Marketing Review in 2015"

Social media marketing and advertising

Abstract: Social media has recently gained tremendous fame as a highly impactful channel of communication in these modern times of digitised living. It has been put on a pedestal across varied streams for facilitating participatory interaction amongst businesses, groups, societies, organisations, consumers, communities, forums, and the like. This subject has received increased attention in the literature with many of its practical applications including social media marketing (SMM) being elaborated, analysed, and recorded by many studies. This study is aimed at collating the existing research on SMM to present a review of seventy-one articles that will bring together the many facets of this rapidly blooming media marketing form. The surfacing limitations in the literature on social media have also been identified and potential research directions have been offered.

Social media as a bridge to e-commerce adoption in SMEs: A systematic literature review

Abstract: Through the analysis of a number of previous studies, this article aims to present an overview of extant literature on the adoption of e-commerce by Smalland Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) using social media. Firstly, the study provides an overview of e-commerce definitions and benefits; SMEs’ characteristics; opportunities and challenges of e-commerce adoption by SMEs; and social media and e-commerce adoption to offer some background. Secondly, studies that identify factors that influence SMEs to use social media to adopt ecommerce are highlighted. Finally, current gaps in knowledge are identified and future researches are highlighted.

Perceived service quality models: are they still relevant?

Abstract: This paper reviews the concept of perceived service quality and provides an update to the body of service quality knowledge. It consolidates the pathway of perceived service quality concept, from its emergence to the research model’s development. It also critically reviews service characteristics as prerequisites of perceived service quality conceptualisation. The examination of six perceived service quality models is intended to identify a superior model that could be used by further research. Yet, overall, the paper challenges the relevance of existing models for the current stage of service quality research. It also justifies the need to move towards a revised, service-driven framework and to consider perceived service quality through the lens of the customer.

Symmetric and asymmetric effects of primary healthcare attributes on patient satisfaction: Do they vary across patients?

Abstract: Perceived quality of primary healthcare services and patient satisfaction are concepts that are increasingly important because of their impact on healthcare results and providers operational expenses’ management. Though there is growing evidence that the relationship between service performance and satisfaction is asymmetric, there are no studies investigating the nature of this relationship in the context of primary healthcare services and how this is affected by patients’ characteristics. The purpose of this study is to exploit the framework of the three-factor theory to distinguish between different types of quality attributes, and then to explore possible deviations from the aggregated quality attributes’ classification pattern for patients with different demographic characteristics. The results of an empirical study, concerning 407 service users, confirmed the asymmetric relationship between identified attributes’ performance and patient satisfaction and revealed three attributes’ classification patterns for different patient characteristics. Implications for practice and directions for future research are then discussed.

E-Business In the University Sector: A Case Study From Libya

Abstract: E-business has often been linked with the sales and marketing functions of an organisation, and how they have changed with the advent of the Internet. E-business, however, now affects a range of processes in many organisations, and the associated technologies are often more than just using the Internet. This article explores this broader application of e-business in the context of the university sector in Libya, focusing on Misurata University as the main case study. It examines the current and potential uses of e-business, and assesses the barriers to its wider use and successful deployment. Existing models that assess e-business in organisations are reviewed, and a new model is developed to better gauge the current situation at process level in Libyan universities. This model is aimed to be applied and developed at other Libyan universities, to act as a framework for progressing the operational implementation of e-business in these organisations.