Establishment of a service culture
The emphasis on culture’s role and influence on organizations has been indicated in a wide
array of literature. For instance, Deal and Kennedy (1982) and Schein (1999) highlight that
organizational culture is the pattern of shared values and beliefs that gives members of an
organization meaning, and provides them with the roles of behavior in the organization.
Within this context, a number of studies approve the potential of implementing internal
marketing through developing organizational culture patterns suggesting focusing on
hiring, training and motivating employees (Arnett et al., 2002; Ballantyne, 2003; Wasmer
& Gordon, 1991). This approach corresponded with the nature of service organizations
where frontline employees represent most of the contact with customers (Wasmer &
Gordon, 1991).