Beschreibung
Benjamin Krischan Schulte develops a process-model of consumer lock-in in service relationships by connecting three areas of research: path dependence, consumer behavior and service relationship marketing. He defines consumer lock-in as a situation of a potentially unaware inability to switch from or exit a consumption process due to entrenchment with increasing barriers on the individual and/or social level. Switching barriers are elaborated as consumer lock-in mechanisms. The resulting process model is outlined and empirically examined in an explorative panel study of a service relationship process in higher education. The author´s findings support the presence of consumer lock-in in services as an idiosyncratic process of gradual entrapment. The phenomenon has relevance for researchers and practitioners in complex service relationships, where lock-in was found to be a likely occurrence but difficult to grasp.
Autorenporträt
Benjamin Krischan Schulte obtained a Doctoral Degree in Business from Freie Universität Berlin in 2014.
Herstellerkennzeichnung:
Springer Gabler in Springer Science + Business Media
Tiergartenstr. 15-17
69121 Heidelberg
DE
E-Mail: juergen.hartmann@springer.com
