This research reports the relationship of service ethnocentrism to two constructs representing social connectedness- susceptibility to interpersonal influence and allocentrism. Using the responses on a survey measuring the constructs, the hypothesized model was subjected to structural equation modeling. Based on the model, the study concludes that individual's susceptibility to interpersonal influence operates through service ethnocentrism to influence people's intent to choose a service provider of their own ethnic origin. However, contrary to previous findings in the literature on similar constructs (i.e. CET), allocentrism does not work on intent to choose a service provider of one's own ethnicity through service ethnocentrism. The paper also reports the preliminary attempts to develop a measure of Service Ethnocentrism.
 

Japan has constructed a notable model for transforming external crisis into a springboard for new innovation. This can be attributed to technology substitution for constrained production factors inspired by induced bias in innovation. Because of the current global economic stagnation, Japan's model has drawn global concerns. However, the limit of a substitution model in a production function has been revealed in an information society, leading to an increasing significance of the integration of production, diffusion and consumption functions. Consequently, the emergence of supra-functionality encompassing social, cultural, aspirational and emotional needs beyond economic value, leading to utmost gratification of consumption, has become critical. Since a group of consumers with a disability is more demanding of supra-functionality, an empirical reasearch based on an analysis of the demand of such a group and the institutional impediments that hinder the group's ability to achieve utmost gratification was conducted. Japan's mobile phone development trajectory was used for the analysis as its development trend corresponded to emerging from a disability of effective utilization of information technology (IT) in the paradigm shift to an information society and was typical of Japanese institutions in a constrained circumstance. Based on the optimal theory, optimal functionality development trajectory leading to utmost gratification of consumption was compared with that of the actual trajectory. The result demonstrated that while the optimal trajectory was lower than the actual level in its initial stage, it exceeded this level during the period when supra-functionality substituted for resistance to innovation by means of the emergence of mobile phone e-mail transmission. This emergence instilled in customers an exciting story with their own initiative as heroes/ heroines and thrilled them with gratification. This dynamism provides an insightful suggestion for overcoming the current global economic stagnation that has resulted in diminishing consumption.
 

IPast studies have shown that good service quality often leads to a better performance and higher satisfaction level. This study examines service quality dimensions and its impact on Bario, a rural tourism destination in Malaysia. Five dimensions of service quality namely, places of interest, sceneries, outdoor activities, atmosphere, and motives interest, have been chosen as the focus of this study on tourists' satisfaction. This study focuses on tourists, who visited Bario between August 2009 and January, 2010, as a population of interest. One hundred and forty six local and foreign tourists participated in this study, which attempted to add to the sparse research and to bridge the gap between service quality and tourists' satisfaction in the rural destination. The analysis has shown that different service quality components had various impacts on tourists' satisfaction. The results of this study propose that places, outdoor and atmosphere are the important dimensions to enhance tourists' satisfaction. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research, are discussed.
 

Market orientation in B2B industry, both in developed as well as developing countries, acts as the implementation part of marketing. In very limited number of earlier studies conducted in emerging economies, market orientation has been considered as a part of firm capabilities, or as a part of firm resources or how it leads to different types of learning or innovations in organizations. None of the studies so far have tried to find out how firm's resources, capabilities and technology would adversely affect market orientation. In the present study we have treated market orientation differently from firm's resources and capabilities and have tried to find out extent to which the firm's resources, capabilities and technology would contribute to firm's market orientation. From data of 215 Indian B2B companies operating in capability, resource and technology intensive industries we show that which one out of resources capabilities and technology, would play a major role in the market orientation of each of these industries. While resources, capability and technology play an important role in market orientation of firms in developed countries to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, managers in Indian B2B firms need to look and implement them from customers' point of view.
 

The research aims to determine the leisure behavioural styles associated with happiness. The research also intends to determine the leisure behavioural styles based on the non-monetary and monetary leisure activities which the participants intend to involve with. The study was conducted among 343 par ticipant s in order to determine leisure behavioural s tyles based on non-monetary and monetary leisure behavioural styles that derive happiness. The study identified seven general leisure activities, that provide happiness and four non-monetary and monetary leisure behavioural styles. The study developed a happiness continuum based on the leisure behavioural styles that provide high to low happiness. The study unearthed that the non-monetary leisure behavioural styles provide high happiness than the monetary leisure behavioural styles.
 

With the revolution in the telecommunication field, technology has become an integral part of the business and has changed the way businesses are being run today. Many new services have come up using technology-based remote services in addition to the existing physical channels. This study aimed at getting a clear idea about the underlying complex relationships between perceived value, satisfaction, trust, commitment and their effects on loyalty in technology-based remote service encounters. The study has revealed both the direct and indirect effects of these constructs on loyalty and has brought about a better understanding of the factors that govern the technology-based remote service process. This study is not only useful for academic purpose but can also help managers devise strategies to attract customers, retain them for a longer period and make them loyal, which in turn would add to the bottom lines.
 

This paper describes the construction and validation of a 21 item scale for measuring brand equity in services. The procedure suggested by Churchill (1979) is followed. The scale is composed of four sub scalesbrand familiarity, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand association. The proposed scale is aimed at assisting brand managers in tracking the equity of the services offered by their organisations. Three types of validity are assessed - convergent validity, divergent validity and nomological validity. For constructing this scale data was collected from consumers for three services viz. banking, insurance and cellular services.
 

The paper discusses how a firm can re-engineer service delivery process for a billing service to customers. Customer billing process of PNG service utility firm has been mapped. The process analysis helped the firm to identify problems in the customer billing service delivery process. We have further looked at how firm identified and evaluated various other options of billing service processes and ultimately found the best possible solution. The solution identified by the firm involves use of Information Technology (IT), which made the billing process efficient for the firm and its customers.