Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre-including this research content-immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

Central to this study is the emerging body of knowledge describing how social exchange relationships are being nurtured. A random sample of 343 Australian distributor firms from within the motorized vehicle industry was used to test a model developed on the basis of social exchange theory. Psychological contracts are perceptual in nature and were found to encompass reciprocal obligations stemming directly from the relational orientation between suppliers and distributors. This construct was also shown to have a positive impact upon the level of trust and commitment within the relationship. These findings have significant managerial implications for the manner in which managerial decision makers are modelling the firm -customer relationship because trust and commitment are essential elements in the development and maintenance of such relationships. The theoretical and managerial implications discussed have highlighted the need for further studies because there are deficiencies in the marketing literature pertaining to this important construct. D

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use “positive organizational behavior” and “transformative service research” paradigms to introduce “employee well-being” as a focal construct in the process by which internal service quality (ISQ) drives employee satisfaction, commitment and performance. Design/methodology/approach A field-survey using a structured questionnaire is employed to test all the hypotheses with 250 employees and their 25 supervisors in a manufacturing unit in Guangdong province of the People’s Republic of China. Findings All the eight hypotheses are supported. ISQ has a positive effect on employee satisfaction, commitment and employee well-being, which in turn positively influence employee performance. Employee well-being also positively moderates (strengthens) the effects of employee satisfaction and commitment on employee performance. Research limitations/implications This paper uses data from a single factory in China and focuses on a few key constructs, which may restrict the generalizability of its findings. Moreover, no significant differences were found among the supervisor-workers units. Practical implications Managers in non-service industries should focus on improving ISQ and employee well-being in their organizations because both these constructs have significant direct and indirect effects on employee performance. Originality/value This paper extends past research on ISQ by showing that it affects employee performance via satisfaction and commitment, and that employee well-being moderates the effects of employee satisfaction and commitment on performance.

Purpose -The nurturing of trust within firm-customer relationships highlights the significance of social exchange theory in helping to explain the relational paradigm. By focusing upon this theory it was hypothesized that psychological contracts also play an important role in helping manage customer relationships. The principal purpose of this study is to explore the role of the psychological contract within the firm-customer relationship, and its effects on trust. Design/methodology/approach -A sample of 343 distributor firms within the motorized vehicle industry was used to test a model developed on the basis of social exchange theory. Findings -Psychological contracts are perceptual in nature and encompass reciprocal obligations stemming from the relational marketing efforts between suppliers and distributors. This construct was shown to have a positive impact upon the level of trust and commitment within the relationship; however, perceived violations of the contract terms were found to reduce the distributor's level of trust. Originality/value -Given that trust was found to increase commitment, these findings have important managerial implications as they show that psychological contracts will erode important customer relationships if not factored into the customer decision-making processes within the firm.

Marketing managers in financial institutions should be aware that customers are likely to embody electronic banking provided that such technology contributes to existing relationships. Based on a survey of bank corporate clients in Singapore, the impact of satisfaction, trust and the use of electronic banking on commitment towards current banks was investigated. It was found that trust was the key factor influencing the adoption of electronic banking. Perceived customer satisfaction with the bank only impacted indirectly on the adoption of electronic banking. The cumulative effects of customer satisfaction were found to have a positive impact on trust directed towards the bank, and this greatly impacted on the propensity to use electronic banking. Customer satisfaction, trust, and the use of electronic banking were found to have a positive impact on the corporate clients’ commitment towards their bank.