Trade-offs in customer–employee focus: implications on boundary-spanning capabilities

Yelena Tasrenko, Felix T. Mavonda, Mark Gabbott, Graham Hooley, Gordon Greenley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference outputChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

In pursuing their particular strategic goals, organisations place differential emphasis in their activities on employees and customers. Those who focus predominantly on employees see them as key resources contributing to successful achievement of goals, while those who focus on customers believe that customer commitment is the prime source of financial prosperity and competitive advantage. In all firms, there is potential for conflict and subsequent trade-offs in the emphasis placed on employee resources and customers. This paper investigates the implications of these potential trade-offs on firms’ boundary-spanning capabilities (those capabilities that enable firms to interact effectively with their customers, their suppliers, their strategic allies and others in their business networks) in European and Australasian markets. The results suggest that those companies which achieve a strong but balanced focus on both employees and customers have heightened boundary-spanning capabilities. The comparison between UK and Australian businesses indicates that the balance is more highly developed in Australasian than European (UK) markets.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMarketing issues in Western Europe
Subtitle of host publicationchanges and developments
EditorsErdener Kaynak, Frédéric Jallat
Place of PublicationAbingdon (UK)
PublisherHowarth Press
Pages105-124
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)978-0-203-05130-6, 978-1-13643752-6
ISBN (Print)978-0-7890-1838-9, 978-0-7890-2837-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2005

Keywords

  • boundary spanning
  • capabilities
  • customer orientation
  • employee orientation

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