This research makes a case for treating an electronic commerce web site as a social actor and argues that LT-enabled support for personalization systems and virtual communities has a significant impact on the perceived communication characteristics of a web site. This research studied the impact of two communication characteristics - adaptiveness and connectivity of a web site. Adaptiveness indicates the extent to which a web site adapts itself to support the needs of its customers whereas connectivity refers to the ability of a web site to link potential customers with other visitors. Further, synthesizing research from communication, media choice and technology adoption literatures, this thesis proposes social presence as the experiential construct and perceived usefulness as the utilitarian construct that will mediate the relationship between communication characteristics of a medium and customer loyalty. A survey and a laboratory experiment were conducted to test the linkages proposed above. The survey showed that while adaptiveness impacted on both social presence and perceived usefulness, connectivity had an impact only on social presence and an insignificant impact on perceived usefulness. Social presence did not influence perceived usefulness while both social presence and perceived usefulness had a significant impact on customer loyalty. By filtering Amazon.com real-time, the lab experiment was conducted to specifically study the causal impact of a web site's support for personalization and virtual communities. Support for personalization had a strong impact on adaptiveness, whereas support for consumer reviews had strong effect on connectivity. Interestingly, support for personalization had a weaker, but significant effect on connectivity and support for consumer reviews had a similar effect on adaptiveness. Data from the experiment was also analyzed using mediation analyses as well as partial least square analysis to show that the general pattern of results observed were consistent across methods thus improving the confidence in the research model proposed. This research by proposing social presence as a crucial experiential predictor of customer loyalty has addressed an important gap that exists in our current understanding of web users' behavior. It also makes a key contribution by empirically showing that a web site's support for IT-enabled personalization and virtual communities do have a significant impact not only on the perceived communication characteristics, but also on customer loyalty through social presence and perceived usefulness.

This research focuses on dining experience as an example of experience marketing. In this study, the qualitative research method has been used to derive particular concepts involved in the dining experience from the bodies of reviews. Similarly, quantitative content analysis method has been used to provide rich and valuable information about the concepts explored from the qualitative data. Inferential statistics has been used in the study to test hypotheses about the relationships between elements in the dining experience context. The results indicate that food quality is the most important predictor of the dining satisfaction while service quality may not be an effective factor to create satisfaction. Moreover, social needs in dining experience are more evident in dinners than in lunches. The results of the study reveal the effectiveness and applicability of the online review analysis in bringing new insights from dining experience to contribute to the field of experience economy. / viii, 127 leaves ; 29 cm

The presence as well as the nature of the relationship between customer perceptions of service customization and reliability is investigated in the first of three studies of the dissertation by applying an exploratory analytical approach---"probabilistic scaling analysis." Results suggest the existence of a positive and ordinal relationship between customer perceptions of customization and reliable quality. The second study of the dissertation applies a more confirmatory, 'contingency theory' approach to validate, and further develop the findings of the first study. Results are consistent in that a positive and ordinal relationship is observed between customer perceptions of service customization and reliability. Further, findings suggest that customization quality moderates the affect of reliable quality on overall service evaluations. Some support is also found for the moderating role of reliable quality. Together, these findings help unravel the relationship between customer perceptions of service customization and reliability, and demonstrate how each of them affects the marketplace efficacy of the other. / Overall, results of the probabilistic scaling analysis, as well as contingency theory demonstrate that among customers at the lower end of the latent scale, it is primarily the 'things gone wrong,' i.e. lack of reliability that governs the unfavorability of their overall perceptions. Among customers on the higher end, it is 'things gone right,' i.e. favorable customization quality perceptions that govern the favorability of their overall perceptions. Together, these results suggest that a service provider must minimize 'things gone wrong' and then focus on 'things gone right' to elicit favorable overall evaluations. / In a service environment however, 'doing things right' requires an immediate understanding of individual needs that a customer brings forth during every service transaction, and that must be met to create value for the customer. Qualitative data are analyzed using a conceptual framework to provide a systematic understanding of these issues. Such understanding also provides diagnostic information towards exploring key segment level differences observed in the second study of the dissertation. Overall, the analyses of the third study extend current subject understanding by providing a contextual development of value-creating individual customer needs as they relate to service customization and reliability, and their implications on service design. / Overall, the dissertation develops current subject understanding of service customization and reliability, and therefore of service quality in general. Customers evaluate service offerings on both elements of quality---customization and reliability, and thus one of them cannot be studied without understanding its affects on the other component of quality. The research, we believe, would develop the understanding of the subject, and would also aid service providers in more scientific service design as well as decision-making.

The South African music industry is in crisis. Recent data suggests that the industry has declined by an average of 13.2% per year for the past 5 years. The industry seems to be unable to accept responsibility for this state of affairs and consistently blames external factors for its woes. A new look at the marketing strategies for the industry is urgently required The primary objective of this dissertation is to raise the debate around current marketing strategies, to show that these strategies are not able to facilitate growth in the industry, and need to be radically reassessed. Anticipated results were achieved during the interviews that were conducted. There is a general belief throughout the industry that the reason for the decline is beyond the control of retailers or suppliers. Blame was placed on the increasing sales of cellular phones, gambling, the national lottery and piracy. None of the interviewed stakeholders considered a change in marketing strategy to be beneficial. It is recommended that marketing strategies be reviewed. The tendency to operate on a 'product and price' advertising strategy should be removed, and a strategy put in place that responds to the wants and needs of consumers. This strategy should include a great degree of personal relevance for the consumer. Retail stores should focus on establishing brand identity for their stores rather than focusing on product and price. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Two studies, based on the prototype approach to emotions, examined individual level (appraisals, expressions/action readiness and coping) and interpersonal components (provider response to consumer emotions) of consumer anger and anxiety during air travel, and the impact of these components on service evaluation. It is proposed that the nature of provider response to the overall emotion experience determines consumer evaluation of the service. / A survey of recalled experiences of these emotions (Study 1) found that, consistent with the hypotheses, anger experiences comprised appraisals of provider blame for the negative event, problem focused coping (e.g., confronting the provider), and support withholding provider response (i.e., not assisting the consumer through the negative experience). Anxiety experiences, as hypothesized, had greater appraisals of uncontrollable circumstances, but emotion-focused coping (i.e., attempts to manage the affective reaction) was only marginally more than problem-focused coping, and there was no difference in support providing (i.e., assisting the consumer though the negative event) and support withholding provider responses. The survey could not elicit details of the physical expressions accompanying either emotion. Analysis of structured questions show that while support withholding responses decrease evaluations, support providing responses can increase evaluations despite the negativity of the emotions. / Study 2 sequentially manipulated emotions (anger, anxiety) and provider response---emotion support (reassuring consumers), instrumental support (attempting to resolve the problem), mixed support (doing both), and no support. Structured questions that followed the emotion manipulation measured coping and action readiness underlying expressions. Coping patterns replicated the results of Study 1. Expressions of anger conveyed action readiness modes of approach and antagonism while anxiety expressions conveyed approach and helplessness. Measures of consumer evaluation followed the provider response manipulation and confirmed that support providing responses lead to higher evaluations. The social support literature indicates that support strategies closely aligned with the components of consumer emotions will be the most effective. Results confirm, that this occurs at high levels of emotion intensity. Instrumental support that matched the well-defined problem oriented components of anger experiences tended to be more effective than emotion support. Instrumental support was also effective for anxious consumers, but a mixed support strategy that matched the occurrence of both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping in anxiety, tended to be more efficacious. Results are discussed in terms of the context specific nature of the components of emotion experience, and of the need to be cognizant of these components when designing provider response strategies.

Dissatisfaction with medical information is a common problem among patients. There is also evidence that patients lack information that physicians believe they have given to the patient. The aims of this study were to 1) survey patients' subjective need for, and satisfaction with, the information that they received during their hospital stay 2) develop and evaluate systematic routines for giving information to the patients and also communication and collaboration between the medical and nursing staff concerning the satisfaction of the patients' need for information. The study was an intervention project and the research perspective was organizational psychology. Survey study. The patients experienced a considerable need for medical information, especially about the examination results and prognosis. The patients' need for information regarding prognosis was the least satisfied. Intervention 1. A general improvement of the information to the patients occurred when the systematic routines were established. The patients' subjective need for information was unchanged throughout two years. Their satisfaction with information, after an initial improvement, did not increase throughout these two years. There was low correlation between the patients' and their physicians' estimations concerning the patients' need for information on diagnosis, prognosis and examination results. Likewise, concerning the adequacy of that information. Intervention 2. Communication and collaboration between the medical and nursing staff included a system for assessment and solution of the patients' information problems. Problem-solving took place at a multidisciplinary team conference (MTC). Medical problems were better elucidated than the patients' psychological problems. After training of registered nurses (RN) as conference chairpersons, the patients need for information was better understood. The staff reported 42 information problems after training compared to two before. For half of the information problems decisions were discussed on steps to be taken in order to satisfy the patients' need for information. A year after the system for assessment and solution of information problems was established, the patients were more satisfied with information about examinations and their results and on information about medication (p&lt; 0.05). Further, new norms for the patients' need for information were established and a change was initiated. The results are discussed with regard to how and why patients' shall have information, by whom and to whom information shall be given, when and where information shall be given and which content it shall have. / <p>S. 1-56: sammanfattning, s. 57-137: 4 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

The purpose of this thesis was to provide insights into the consumer's perception of the risk of Riba (the Islamic prohibition of baking interest) and its influence on consumer's bank patronage. In Bahrain, the Conventional and the Interest-free banks operate side by side representing different philosophies of business and operation. Selecting a conventional bank requires Muslim customers to negotiate the risk of jeopardizing religious convictions, and selecting an Interest-free bank requires customers to adjust to possibilities of losing some of their convenience, time, services quality, and perhaps their money. Specifically, this study explored the interaction of risk perception (ethical and performance) with the banking patronage and a host of attitudinal and behavioural correlates in banking among the Bahraini customers. The study surveyed a random sample of customers from the population of Muslim teachers by means of Questionnaires. Risks of ethical, ideological and religious nature were identified These were new risks that extended the perceived risk research. Findings were reported about the public reaction to Riba as a threat and customers' concerns about it. The analysis also used attitudes, beliefs and world views, worrying, sin perception, religious orientation, Riba charactenstics, banking knowledge, social relations and contexts, as well as the risk handling activities to explore their influences on the perceived risks and banking patronage.

It is proposed by scholars of consumer complaining behaviour that dissatisfaction occurs at two levels: (1) the primary level resulting from product or service failure; and (2) the secondary level resulting from an unsuccessful attempt at complaint resolution with the company held responsible. This thesis provides an integrated analysis of the triggers of voiced and non-voiced consumer responses to the level of primary dissatisfaction. A deductively derived two-factor taxonomy of consumer responses to dissatisfaction was developed out of the extant literature, to identify those responses to dissatisfaction analogous with both primary and secondary dissatisfaction. Based on this taxonomy, a deductively derived typology of consumer responses to primary dissatisfaction, together with two truncated alternatives, was also proposed. The proposed typologies facilitated two levels of analysis: (1) the unidimensional level relating to whether or not the dissatisfaction was voiced to the company held responsible; and (2) the multi-dimensional level of response style engaged in. At each level of analysis, the contribution to total explained variance of six trigger sets was assessed: pre-dissatisfaction situation, post-dissatisfaction situation, company/consumer relationship, marketplace/consumer relationship, psychographics and demographics. The validity of both the proposed two-factor taxonomy and the three typologies was examined through a cross-sectional survey of 1000 dissatisfied consumers across eight product and service categories. Findings supported the deductive basis of the taxonomy, where it was found that whilst exit behaviours and private negative word-of-mouth are analogous with the level of primary dissatisfaction, the incidence of public negative word-of-mouth, third party action and grudge holding was significantly greater among consumers experiencing secondary dissatisfaction. These findings also supported the deductive basis of the proposed typologies of responses to primary dissatisfaction, by empirically identifying those responses analogous with this level of dissatisfaction. At the unidimensional level of analysis, the trigger sets explained 54% ofthe variance between a voiced and a non-voiced instance of primary dissatisfaction. At the multidimensional level of the response style, 63% of variance was explained between response styles in the truncated typology with the most practical use for suppliers. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are made to practitioners on how to encourage supplier-friendly consumer response styles following primary dissatisfaction, and to discourage less friendly styles. The empirically supported truncated typology -distinguishing between passive, private responses, telling, and telling + private responses -represents an important strategic tool for suppliers to monitor and benchmark responses to primary dissatisfaction among their customer base.

The growth of the Internet has imposed a fundamental shift in business economics and is particularly true for the banking industry. Banks have been adopting more Internet banking services in order to remain competitive in the banking industry. Drivers of growth in Internet banking are a combination of convenience provided to those with easy Internet access, the availability of secure and high standard Internet banking functionality and the necessity of banking services to be efficient (ACNielsen, May 2002). / The convenience of banking via the Internet is allowing the growth of multiple banking relationships as customers learn to shop around and utilize one bank's specialized services while maintaining an everyday account with another bank. Denton and Chan (1991) defined this kind of multiple banking as being conducted where people employ two or more bankers to handle their personal financial affairs. Gerrard and Cunningham (1999) indicated that socio-economic characteristics can be used to identify a multiple bank user(s) from a single bank user. / According to Dick and Basu (1994), switching costs are a common strategy to maintain the loyalty. Switching costs have been identified as a factor contributing to maintaining a relationship (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). / While a large amount of literature has examined the issues of consumers' multiple bank behaviour in traditional non-Internet setting (Burnett and Chonko, 1981; and Chan, Ghee and Ho, 1993), few consumer behaviour studies have extended beyond traditional non-Internet settings into the context of Internet commerce. This research would be among the earliest attempt to study this issue in an Internet setting. / Based on a review of the literature, a research model linking customer satisfaction, loyalty, switching costs and split Internet bank behaviour was developed. The model has two main features. First, it examines the main direct effects of customer satisfaction, loyalty and switching costs on split Internet bank behaviour. Second, the model also examines the moderating role of socio-economic characteristics (income, education and positions) on the relationship between customer satisfaction, loyalty and switching costs - split Internet bank behaviour. / The empirical research was based on data collected by an Internet survey of adopters of Internet banking service in Hong Kong. Results from the statistical analyses indicate that customer satisfaction, loyalty as well as switching costs have a strong positive effect on split Internet bank behaviour. These analyses also examine the moderating role of socio-economic characteristics on the relationship between customer satisfaction, loyalty, switching costs and split Internet bank behaviour. / Implications for researchers and the banking industry are discussed which include factors that affect split Internet bank behaviour; socio-economic characteristics that could be used to distinguish a split Internet bank customer from a single bank customer; effective strategies to user retention and multiple banking relationships reduction. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

The service sector of many developing countries is playing an increasingly significant role in terms of its contribution to both revenue and labour employment. As for Thailand, it contributed to approximately 53 per cent of GDP in 2003 and is growing every year. The performance of service firms is, therefore, of much interest to both executives and academics. While most empirical research in service firms in Thailand has focused mostly on service quality or customer satisfaction, other aspects of the important factors for the firms' success such as the relationships of customer satisfaction/loyalty and employee satisfaction/loyalty to the firm, performance have not received adequate academic attention. / Most of the research work on the relationships between key stakeholders of service firms has been conducted in developed countries, particularly the USA and the UK. The three key stakeholders of firms normally include customers, employees, and shareholders. Quite surprisingly, relatively little empirical research to study the links between those stakeholders has been carried out in Asia and Thailand in particular. This research is probably the first academic attempt in Thailand to address this gap by empirically examining the three constructs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and firm preference that have been found in past research to have positive associations. The private hospitals which are located in Bangkok and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) were the sample population. Four hospitals agreed to take part in this study. / This study used secondary data that were already available from the four hospitals. The data include patient satisfaction surveys they regularly conduct and financial performance measures, such as revenue, profit, and return on assets, which are publicly available in their annual reports and the SET's online database. The data were processed and examined using correlation analysis method. The three variables studied were processed and examined using correlation analysis method. The three variables studied were patient satisfaction, patient loyalty, and hospital performance. The data on patient surveys and other relevant data were given with written consent from the four hospitals. The data on patient satisfaction and loyalty were derived from scores in the patient surveys. As for the hospital performance measures, they were derived from the financial data in the annual reports from the four-year period of 2001-2004. The data of the four hospitals was studied by two methods. The first method was processing all data of the four hospitals as a whole and then analysing them in one aggregate. A major limitation of this study is that the data of the four hospitals on patient loyalty was not complete. / Based on correlation analyses, the results from both methods reveal that some of the hypotheses were supported. Specifically, the results from the first method show that patient satisfaction was positively associated with the two measures of patient loyalty, referrals and repeat visits. However, significant relationships between patient satisfaction and hospital performance and between patient loyalty and hospital performance were not found. As for the second method, the results reveal that there were some positive relationships between variables of three hospitals. Only the results of one hospital show no significant associations between all the three variables. The findings were analysed in detail and implications for researchers and practitioners were also given. Based on the results of this exploratory research, more empirical studies with complete data in the private hospital market are warranted to be able to obtain more conclusive results. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.