Abstract:
The impact of service direction, service training and staff behaviours on perceptions of
service delivery are examined. The impact of managerial behaviour in the form of internal
market orientation (IMO) on the attitudes of frontline staff towards the firm and its
consequent influence on their customer oriented behaviours is also examined. Frontline
service staff working in the consumer transport industry were surveyed to provide subjective
data about the constructs of interest in this study, and the data were analysed using structural
equations modelling employing partial least squares estimation. The data indicate significant
relationships between internal market orientation (IMO), the attitudes of the employees to the
firm and their consequent behaviour towards customers. Customer orientation, service
direction and service training are all identified as antecedents to high levels of service
delivery. The study contributes to marketing theory by providing quantitative evidence to
support assumptions that internal marketing has an impact on services success. For
marketing practitioners, the research findings offer additional information about the
management, training and motivation of service staff towards service excellence.
