PurposeThis study seeks to investigate, through the development of an operationalized service quality construct in the context of a service factory, whether the typology to which a service belongs may explain the nature of the service quality (SQ) construct and its relationship to customer satisfaction (SAT) and behavioral intentions (BI).Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory factor analysis used a sample from undergraduate student respondents. Then, a more representative sample of hotel guests was used, in a second‐order confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsThe dominant dimensions of SQ construct in the service factory were found to be: Tangibles, Recovery, Responsiveness, and Knowledge. Further results indicate that, although the direct effect of SQ on BI is significant, the indirect effect (with SAT playing a mediating role) is a stronger driver for BI in the context of the service factory.Research limitations/implicationsA notable limitation is that the present study focuses only on the service factory and uses only one industry (lodging) to illustrate the findings. Future research should examine other service categories.Practical implicationsService managers are recommended to devise operations and marketing strategies that focus on the dominant SQ dimensions in order to enhance SAT and, in turn, foster positive BI.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that SQ, SAT and BI and their interrelationships may be typology‐specific. If this is true, two or more industries (e.g. airlines and lodging) may exhibit similar relationship characteristics with regard to these constructs if they belong to the same service category. This knowledge is useful for benchmarking best practices among such industries.

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This study examines the direct influence of national culture on the cross-national diffusion of innovations. Focusing on seven technological innovations across 13 European countries, the authors use Hofstede's multidimensional approach to culture to investigate this relationship. They find support linking four cultural dimensions-individualism, masculinity, power distance, and long-term orientation-to cross-national product diffusion. The findings suggest that national culture explains a relatively sizable amount of variation in cross-national diffusion rates. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of these results, including prescriptive guidance with respect to product launch strategy and tactics.

This study uncovers the ignored role of institutional environment for marketing strategy and customer relationship management. Hypothesis tests in a sample of Chinese firms find support that channel networking strengthens the customer orientation-customer trust/commitmentfirm performance (CTP) causal chain. In addition, the results show that government networking moderates this chain in a non-linear fashion. The CTP linkages are most salient when the firm develops a moderate level, rather than a high or low level of networking ties with government agencies.

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