Excellence-market orientation link: Some consequences for service firms

The possible interrelationships among four constructs-excellence, market orientation, management of expectations, and service reliability-are considered. Proposals concerning the interrelationships among these constructs are made, and a model of their relationship to business performance specified. The model is tested with data from a sample of larger U.K. service firms, and the relationships are analyzed using LISREL. The research implications for academics, and the ramifications for practitioners are discussed. The results highlight the role that management of expectations plays in moderating the relationship between excellence and business performance. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.