Associate Professor of Marketing Ursula Sullivan’s co-conducted research in the area of customer service was published in Harvard Business Review Turkey. The article is entitled, “Processes that involve the customer in defect compensation should be designed.” Sullivan’s co-authors are Bengü Sevil Oflaç and Zeynep Kaya Aslan, both of whom are from Izmir University of Economics.
For their research study, the authors surveyed 300 businesses on the topic, which included an exploration of two concepts the authors consider to be very important: 1) who does the customer see as the source of the error, and; 2) what is their perception of the compensation to remedy the error. Their findings indicate the importance of intentionally designing processes for defect compensation that involve customers. Specific research findings include, among others, the need to create a proactively structured design, an effective complaint management system, standards for success and assessment, clear steps for addressing deviations as well as the establishment and utilization of an effective feedback system.
Harvard Business Review, the world’s most prestigious business and management magazine, has been guiding management for 90 years and offering practical and real solutions to the fundamental problems of the business world. HBR’s articles offer a wide range of content related to different industries, management units and geographic locations. Focusing on important areas such as leadership, organizational change, negotiation, strategy, business, marketing, finance and people management, HBR appeals to senior executives in the business world. HBR Turkey started its publication life in October 2012 as the 11th local edition of the magazine.
Housed in the Department of Marketing in the NIU College of Business, Professor Sullivan’s research focuses mostly on marketing strategy, including some very new analyses of customer preferences for autonomous vehicles. Some of her published research has been in multiple channels of communication and includes one of the first papers to examine the omnichannel phenomenon, which propelled her interest in engaging customers wherever they want to be. She has presented her research at several academic conferences and her publications can be found in various business journals including Journal of Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, and Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing. She has also received Best Paper awards for her research on global distribution and supply chain alliances. Her teaching covers and has covered many aspects of marketing strategy, including multinational and global marketing, biotech marketing, international channel strategy and purchasing and supply chain management.
by M. De Jean, Director of Marketing, NIU College of Business
