These research areas currently fall into two broad categories:

• Understanding what customer value and related concepts mean to customers (e.g., what concepts such as customer value, customer value change, customer satisfaction, and service quality mean as perceived by customers)

• Applying what we know about customer value to important marketing strategy processes and decisions (e.g., market opportunity analysis, customer value determination, customer value prediction, new product development, customer satisfaction management)

Current ongoing research projects with associated faculty and doctoral students include:

• Customer value change understanding and prediction processes (Drs. Dan Flint, Robert Woodruff, and Sarah Gardial)

• Customer value in business buyer-seller relationships (Geoffery Stewart and Dr. Robert Woodruff)

• Brand equity and customer value (Donna Davis and Dr. Robert Woodruff)

• Customer-retailer bonding (Simon Walls and Drs. David Schumann, Ernest Cadotte, Tom Mentzer, and Dan Flint)

• The role of sales people in creating customer value (Drs. Robert Woodruff and Sarah Gardial)

• The value of technology-based self services to customers (two groups (1) Ismet Anitsal and Dr. Dan Flint, (2) Dr. Pratibha Dabholkar)

Our aim is to identify relevant, long-term marketing problems on which to focus research resources. We design, execute, analyze, interpret, and publish results from this research rigorously. A sample of publications generated by our marketing faculty is provided on the readings page of this web site.

We actively seek input from Forum sponsors on the customer value and marketing strategy topics we should research and the business problems we should try to resolve. This is a key reason for the existence of the Customer Value/Marketing Strategy Forum.