Perceived Customer Uncertainty Scale (Downsizing)

What it measures

Four-item manager-rated scale measuring perceived customer uncertainty following a supplier’s workforce reduction at the customer interface. Captures uncertainty about how to respond to the downsizing, how severely it will affect customers, whether it will negatively affect the business relationship, and whether the relationship will continue. Adapted from Rafferty and Griffin (2006) employee uncertainty measure to a supplier–customer context.

Representative items

• Many of our customers seemed uncertain about how to respond to the downsizing.
• Many of our customers were worried that the downsizing would negatively affect their business relationship with us.
• Many of our customers had doubts about the continuance of their business relationship with us.

Citation

Homburg, C., Klarmann, M., & Staritz, S. (2012). Customer uncertainty following downsizing: The effects of extent of downsizing and open communication. Journal of Marketing, 76(3), 112–129.