Seigyoung Auh

Seigyoung Auh is Professor of Global Marketing at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and a research faculty member with the Center for Service Leadership. His research examines three broad areas: (a) the interface between human and artificial intelligence (AI), (b) the application of cross cultural psychology to marketing and customer decision making, (c) what organizations can do to improve the interface between frontline employees (sales and service employees) and customers. More specifically, he conducts research on the impact of AI on employee and customer relationship management and how digital transformation affects customer service. 

His work has been published in journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Marketing Letters, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Business Research, among others. He is also the recipient of the Best Reviewer Award for Journal of Service Research in 2013.

He is currently the associate editor of Journal of Service Research and past associate editor of Journal of International Marketing and the European Journal of Marketing. He also sits on the editorial boards of several journals including Journal of Service Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, and Industrial Marketing Management.

Auh worked as a marketing scientist before entering academia and taught in Australia, Canada, and Korea, before joining Thunderbird. He teaches in various degree programs at Thunderbird, including the Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (MAGAM), Master of Global Management (MGM), and Executive Master of Global Management (EMGM) program. He has executive education experience with leading global firms such as Samsung Electronics Company and Hyundai Motors. He also served as the co-director for the CEO franchise program in Korea before joining Thunderbird. 

Representative Publications

Dr. Auh's work has been published in journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Marketing Letters, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Business Research, among others.

Ga Young Go, Shin, Donghyuk, Seigyoung Auh, Yeonjung Lee, and Sang Pil Han (2022), “Learning Outside the Classroom During a Pandemic: Evidence from an Artificial Intelligence-Based Education App” Management Science (forthcoming)

Sainam, Preethika, Seigyoung Auh, Richard Ettenson, and Yeon Sung Jung (2022), “How Well Does Your Company Use Analytics?” Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2022/07/how-well-does-your-company-use-analytics

Menguc, Bulent, Seigyoung Auh, and Fatima Wang (2020), “Customer Participation Variation and Its Impact on Customer Service Performance: Underlying Process and Boundary Conditions,” Journal of Service Research, 23 (3), 299-320.

Auh, Seigyoung, Bulent Menguc, Constantine S. Katsikeas, and Yeon Sung Jung (2019),  “When Does Customer Participation Matter? An Empirical Investigation of the Role of Customer Empowerment in the Customer Participation–Performance Link,” Journal of Marketing Research, 56 (6), 1012-1033.

Auh, Seigyoung, Bulent Menguc, Pinar Imer, and Aypar Uslu (2019), “Frontline Employee Feedback-Seeking Behavior: How Is It Formed and When Does It Matter?” Journal of Service Research, 22 (1), 44-59.

Katsikeas, Constantine S., Seigyoung Auh, Stavroula Spyropoulou, and Bulent Menguc (2018), “Unpacking the Relationship Between Sales Control and Salesperson Performance: A Regulatory Fit Perspective,” Journal of Marketing, (equal authorship), 82 (2), 45-69.

Menguc, Bulent, Seigyoung Auh, Volkan Yeniaras, and Constantine S. Katsikeas (2017), “The Role of Climate: Implications for Service Employee Engagement and Customer Service Performance,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45 (3), 428-451.

Simon J. Bell, Seigyoung Auh, and Andreas B. Eisingerich (2017), “Unraveling the Customer Education Paradox: When, and How, Should Firms Educate Their Customers?” Journal of Service Research, 20 (3), 306-321 (equal authorship).

Quackenbos, Douglas, Richard Ettenson, Martin S. Roth, and Seigyoung Auh (2016), “These Traits Help Firms Grow Abroad,” Harvard Business Review, (July/August), 26.

Auh, Seigyoung, David E. Bowen, Ceyda Aysuna Turkyilmaz, and Bulent Menguc (2016), “A Search for Missing Links: Specifying the Relationship between Leader-Member Exchange Differentiation and Service Climate,” Journal of Service Research, 19 (3), 260-275.

Quackenbos, Douglas, Richard Ettenson, Martin S. Roth, and Seigyoung Auh (2016), “Does Your Company Have What It Takes to Go Global?” Harvard Business Review (Digital Article). 

Reproduced as Harvard Business Review Video Series: What Your Company Needs to Go Global: https://hbr.org/video/4943086602001/what-your-company-needs-to-go-global

Menguc, Bulent, Seigyoung Auh, Constantine S. Katsikeas, and Yeon Sung Jung   (2016), “When Does (Mis)Fit in Customer Orientation Matter for Frontline Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Performance?,” Journal of Marketing, 80 (1), 65-83.

Reproduced in London School of Economics Business Review as “More Customer Orientation is Not Always Better for Frontline Employees.”

Seigyoung Auh, Menguc, Bulent, Stavroula Spyropoulou, and Fatima Wang (2016), “Service Employee Burnout and Engagement: The Moderating Role of Power Distance Orientation,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44 (6), 726-745.

Yeyi Liu, Andreas B. Eisingerich, Seigyoung Auh, Omar Merlo, and Hae Eun Helen Chun (2015) “Service Firm Performance Transparency: How, When and Why Does It Pay Off?” Journal of Service Research, 18 (4), 451-467.

Auh, Seigyoung, Bulent Menguc, and Yeonsung Jung (2014), “Unpacking the Relationship between Empowering Leadership and Service-Oriented Citizenship Behaviors: A Multi-Level Approach,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42 (5), 558-579.

Auh, Seigyoung, Stavroula Spyropoulou, and Bulent Menguc (2014), “When and How Does Sales Team Conflict Affect Sales Team Performance?” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42 (6), 658-679.

Merlo, Omar, Andreas B. Eisengerich, and Seigyoung Auh  (2014), “Why Customer Participation Matters,” Sloan Management Review (Winter Issue), 81-88 (equal authorship).

Eisengerich, Andreas B., Seigyoung Auh, and Omar Merlo (2014), “Acta Non Verba? The Role of Customer Participation and Word of Mouth in the Relationship between Service Firms’ Customer Satisfaction and Sales Performance,” Journal of Service Research, 17 (1), 40-53. (equal authorship)

Menguc, Bulent, Seigyoung Auh, Aypar Uslu (2013), “Customer Knowledge Creation Capability and Performance in Sales Teams,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41 (1), 19-39.

Auh, Seigyoung, Simon Bell, Colin McLeod, and Chuan-Fong Shih (2007), “Co-Production and Customer Loyalty in Financial Services,” Journal of Retailing, 83 (3), 359-370.

Bulent Menguc and Seigyoung Auh (2006), “Creating a Firm-Level Dynamic Capability through Capitalizing on Market Orientation and Innovativeness,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34 (1), 63-73.

Bell, Simon, Seigyoung Auh, and Karen Smalley (2005), “Customer Relationship Dynamics: Service Quality and Customer Loyalty in the Context of Varying Customer Expertise and Switching Costs,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33 (2), 169-183.