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Managing relationships ‐ is this a quality issue?

Kathryn Whymark (Senior Lecturer in Management at Luton Business School, Luton, Bedfordshire, UK)

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal

ISSN: 0960-4529

Article publication date: 1 June 1998

1396

Abstract

This paper investigates how companies are managing their relationships with customers and employees. It shows that loyalty to both groups is shifting. While most companies are claiming that their staff are their most valuable resource the enclosed research findings reveal that the reality is vastly different. On the other hand, many companies are rewarding customer loyalty but the service being delivered, largely through demoralised staff, is falling short of expectations. According to the Commission on Public Policy and British Business (1997), UK firms are generally under‐performing and the staff they employ underachieving. It is suggested that the way forward is for companies to manage their relationships more effectively with both groups and to break the vicious cycle of decline.

Keywords

Citation

Whymark, K. (1998), "Managing relationships ‐ is this a quality issue?", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 158-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604529810215576

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited

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