Publisher's Synopsis
It is believed that service delivery through full utilization of human resources will become the major tool for competitive advances in the service industry in the coming years and the importance of customer orientation for the success of service organizations has been emphasized in the academic and applied literatures. The purpose of this thesis is to examine an explicit behavioral perspective where the focus is on the extent to which employees engage in direct behaviors specifically designed to benefit customers. This study examines empirically the nature, impact and development of employee customer oriented behaviors. The findings include a step-by-step approach to continuous improvement of service quality and the role of service training programs, employee selection and managerial implications are discussed. This publication is a thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD in Industrial Relations.
