The Use of Co-ordination Theory to Improve Service Quality in Executive Search

L.C. Britton, M. Wright and D.F. Ball

The Service Industries Journal, 2000, vol. 20, issue 4, 85-102

Abstract: This article considers service quality in a business service industry - execirtive search. It uses co-ordination theory to idtentify the ‘service garps’ which occur in the use of executive search consultancies and considers the ways in which these gaps can be closed. The use of an executive search consultant turns the recruitment process into a three-way relationship -between client, consultant and candidate -and raises the possibility of further service gaps than those identified in the service quality literature. This article finds that there are gaps in expectations evident in all three arms of the relationship but that they are much wider where the candidate is involved. The use of a consultant introduces uncertainty into the process (especially on the part of the candidate), the issue of who has responsibility for what within this relationship is not satisfactorily resolved or communicated. Ways in which the process can be managed to reduce the size of the expectations gaps are considered.

Date: 2000
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/02642060000000048 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:servic:v:20:y:2000:i:4:p:85-102

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/FSIJ20

DOI: 10.1080/02642060000000048

Access Statistics for this article

The Service Industries Journal is currently edited by Eileen Bridges, Professor Domingo Ribeiro, Ronald Goldsmith, Barry Howcroft and Youjae Yi

More articles in The Service Industries Journal from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().