Thesis M.Com. (Human Resources Management))--University of the Witwatersrand, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2014. / The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of implicit leadership theories (ILTs) in leader-member exchanges (LMX) and the association of these leadership variables on employee outcomes, customer service orientation and turnover intentions. The specific context for this study is call centres. The growth in the call centre industry has warranted an investigation into variables that lead to their success. With an increased focus on retaining satisfied customers, the need to understand the factors that lead to this is emphasised. The importance of leadership and its impact on the success of organisations is often accentuated in the literature This research aimed to gain a better understanding of the variables which affect the success of call centres from a leadership perspective. The effect of leadership and specifically leader- member exchange - on employee and organisational outcomes is studied. These outcomes include job satisfaction, commitment, psychological empowerment, turnover intentions and customer orientation. The effect of implicit leadership theories (ILTs) on LMX was also assessed. This research was conducted in the South African call centre context. The target population was defined as call centre agents in the Gauteng region. 192 call centre agents from various call centres formed part of the sample. Data was gathered using self-report questionnaires. The questionnaire was administered in two parts and once all the data was collected, the relationships were tested using structural equation modelling in the SAS 9.3 statistical program. Various other tests were conducted, including tests for reliability and validity. Cronbach alphas were calculated in order to confirm the reliability of the variables. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in order to confirm validity. Furthermore, correlation analysis iv and path analysis was conducted to ascertain the significance of the relationships identified. LMX and psychological empowerment were found to be central in this research, having the greatest impact on the outcome variables studied; turnover intentions and customer orientation. Important recommendations for further research include the assessment of a more balance mix of in-bound and out-bound call centres since differences may exist and this research was predominantly comprised of in-bound call centres. With one of the most significant paths identified being psychological empowerment to employee customer orientation, the findings suggest that call centre managers may need to consider the long term effects of psychological empowerment on employee customer orientation and turnover intentions. The cost involved with employees leaving the organisation or losing dissatisfied customers may warrant an initiative to empower call centre agents. The use of self-managed teams may be one way to achieve this. Leaders were also found to play a central role in the outcomes studied in this research. In this regard, leaders should also go on extensive training programmes on how to deal with individual employees and on establishing good relationships with them. Managers could get peer reviews of leaders to understand where and if any problems exist. The use of team building exercises may also assist in developing good, high quality LMX relationships.

Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de método para a melhoria de fluxos de informação em ambientes administrativos usando princípios da mentalidade enxuta e da reengenharia de processos. O método foi criado através de características encontradas em duas metodologias existentes da mentalidade enxuta e de soluções desenhadas pela reengenharia de processos com este propósito. Estas características foram identificadas, selecionadas e adaptadas para uso no método seguindo um modelo de gestão de mudança. Em seguida, o método foi aplicado em um fluxo de informação em uma empresa do interior de São Paulo, seus resultados foram medidos apresentando boas melhorias em relação à maior velocidade de processamento de informações, redução da quantidade de pessoas necessárias e maior porcentagem de tempo de agregação de valor. Por último, foram apresentadas observações sobre as limitações do método e da generalização dos resultados da aplicação apresentada. / This work presents a proposal of method for the improvement of information flows using the principles of lean thinking and solutions from business process reengineering (BPR). The method was created using characteristics encountered on two existing lean office methodologies, and with the solutions presented by business reengineering. Those characteristics were identified, sorted and adapted to be used in the method based on a change management model. The proposed method was implemented in an information flow of a company in the brazilian state of São Paulo, and its results were measured, presenting significant reduction of the information flow lead time, reduction of people needed to process the information and a larger percentage of added-value time. Finally, limitations of the method and the application results were presented.

O processo de globalização e a revolução digital têm trazido novos desafios de competitividade às empresas. Um desses desafios é a mudança do foco da gestão organizacional para toda a cadeia na qual cada empresa se insere. A gestão da cadeia de suprimentos (supply chain management) requer, entre outros aspectos, a integração dos \"processos-chave\" de negócios ao longo dessa cadeia. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar a relação entre a integração de processos ao longo da cadeia de suprimentos e seu desempenho no serviço prestado ao cliente (customer service). Para tanto, a abordagem utilizada para a pesquisa de campo foi do tipo exploratória, tendo como objeto de estudo a cadeia calçadista da cidade de Franca, a qual constitui-se em um exemplo consolidado e de resultados concretos já obtidos de uma cadeia setorial, além de inserida no mercado internacional pela sua forte tradição exportadora. As evidências obtidas permitiram concluir que o desempenho da cadeia calçadista de Franca no serviço ao cliente está relacionado diretamente a integração dos processos de atendimento de pedidos, gestão da demanda e desenvolvimento de produtos ao longo da cadeia, envolvendo não apenas a integração com clientes, mas também com os fornecedores críticos a montante da empresa focal da cadeia, no caso os fabricantes de calçados estabelecidos na cidade. Pode-se constatar ainda que esse desempenho está relacionado também a existência de competências internas nas organizações estudadas, nos processos identificados. / The globalization process and digital revolution have been brought new challenges for organizations competitiveness. One of these challenges is the change from organizational management to supply chain management. The supply chain management requires, among other aspects, the key-business processes integration along the chain. This work has the aim to identify the relationship between processes integration along the supply chain and its customer service performance. In order to achieve this aim, a exploratory research was conducted, having as focus the footwear chain located in the city of Franca, that constitute itself a consolidate example of supply chain with good results and strong presence in international footwear markets. The evidences obtained allowed us to conclude that the performance of Franca footwear chain in the customer service is straight related to integration of order fulfillment, demand management and product development processes, encompassing not only the integration of shoes manufacturers with customers, but also with critical suppliers upstream the chain. It still can be concluded that this performance is related also to the existence of internal competences in the organizations studied, referring to the processes identified.

Inom modebranschen växer konkurrensen sig allt större och fler modeföretag satsar på fast fashion som konkurrensstrategi. Konsumenterna har idag ett starkare modeintresse än någonsin vilket gör att företagen genom korta ledtider kan ta fram moderiktiga produkter till ett lågt pris för att tillfredsställa konsumenternas efterfråga. Den ökade konkurrensen gör att det blir viktigare för modeföretagen att samspela med sina olika attribut för att skapa en stark position på marknaden. Företagets tjänster har blivit ett av de omdiskuterade attributen. Där modebutiker bör satsa på att förbättra sin servicekvalitet genom att ge en högre nivå i sitt kundbemötande för att öka kundlojaliteten och konkurrenskraften. Enligt en mystery shopper undersökning av Nylund (2012) visade det sig att många butiker inte uppfyllde en godkänd och acceptabel servicenivå. En av de butiker som uppmärksammades ha en låg nivå i sitt kundbemötande var Gina Tricot.Med bakgrund till mystery shopper undersökningen har vi fått i uppdrag av Gina Tricots huvudkontor i Borås att studera vad kunderna vill ha i ett kundbemötande för fast fashion butiken Gina Tricot. För att undersöka vad kunderna efterfrågar har en kvantitativ studie genomförts i form av en enkätundersökning. Mätinstrumentet SERVQUAL används för att mäta ett företags servicekvalitet och har varit ett hjälpmedel i vår studie. Undersökningen utfördes utanför fyra utvalda Gina Tricot butiker i Borås och Göteborg där ett urval på 200 personer tillfrågades att delta i undersökningen. Datorprogrammet SPSS har använts för att presentera vårt resultat. Undersökningen visar utifrån analysen att det är viktigt för kunden att bli uppmärksammad och att personalen ska visa ett högt engagemang när kunden får hjälp av personalen. Resultatet visar även att personalens produktkunskap är av betydelse för kunden. Utifrån resultatet ser vi att kunderna tycker det är viktigt med service i en fast fashion butik. Undersökningen har hjälpt oss att ta fram viktiga grundparametrar i kundbemötandet för fast fashion butiken Gina Tricot.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2016-09-20T16:57:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Raphael Rossi Rodrigues.pdf: 1927039 bytes, checksum: d62f71cc9d072958cd804d56ebe97f8a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-20T16:57:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Raphael Rossi Rodrigues.pdf: 1927039 bytes, checksum: d62f71cc9d072958cd804d56ebe97f8a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-17 / This survey was conducted in a multinational company that operates in the sector of nondurable consumer goods in the international context through the licensing of its brands. Companies that have the right to produce and distribute licensed products are named bottlers. The aim of this study was to measure 13 bottlers in the level of development of logistics Customer Service activities for Key Accounts clients, for it was developed a diagnostic tool based on the available literature on the subject. This diagnostic tool was used in three rounds of assessment in order to check the evolution of the bottlers maturity level of logistics Customer Service activities. They also identified and discussed a series of logistic activities of Customer Service based on a visit in a multinational food industry considered benchmarking in these activities. The diagnostic results show that there was an evolution of the maturity level of logistics Customer Service activities over time, however this trend was not uniform, resulting in a higher variance when comparing the levels of development of all bottlers in the first assessment with the levels obtained in the third and final evaluation. / Esta pesquisa foi realizada em uma empresa multinacional que atua no setor de bens de consumo n?o dur?veis no contexto internacional atrav?s do licenciamento de suas marcas. As empresas que possuem o direito de produzir e distribuir os produtos licenciados s?o denominados fabricantes. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi mensurar em 13 fabricantes o n?vel de desenvolvimento das atividades de Customer Service log?stico para clientes-chave, para isso foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta de diagn?stico com base na literatura dispon?vel sobre o tema. Esta ferramenta de diagn?stico foi utilizada em tr?s rodadas de avalia??o com o objetivo de verificar a evolu??o do n?vel de maturidade das atividades de Customer Service Log?stico nos fabricantes. Tamb?m foi identificada e comentada uma s?rie de atividades de Customer Service log?stico com base em uma visita realizada em uma multinacional do setor de alimentos considerada benchmarking nestas atividades. Os resultados do diagn?stico mostram que houve uma evolu??o do n?vel de maturidade das atividades de Customer Service log?stico ao longo do tempo, entretanto esta evolu??o n?o foi uniforme, o que resultou em uma maior vari?ncia quando comparamos os n?veis de desenvolvimento de todos os fabricantes na primeira avalia??o com os n?veis obtidos na terceira e ?ltima avalia??o.

El presente trabajo de investigación es un análisis que ayuda a poder medir el grado o intensidad entre dos o más variables con el fin de mejorar la gestión de la logística del abastecimiento en los aspectos de evaluación, selección y control de desempeño logístico. En la metodología empleada, básicamente se ha empleado la investigación científica, para identificar las causas originadas dentro de la gestión logística. The present research work is an analysis that helps to measure the degree or intensity between two or more variables in order to improve the logistics management of the provision in the evaluation, selection and performance control aspects logistic. In the methodology used, basically scientific research has been used, to identify the causes originated within the logistics management.

More than 90 of every 100 new businesses fail within 5 years. The need to explore ongoing strategies that provide low-cost alternatives can prove invaluable to cash-strapped new business owners. Exploration of relationships among a group of stakeholders essential to business success provided data in this case study. Those stakeholders include the owner, the customer service personnel and the consumer. Without the consumer, all other business activities would cease to be necessary. Five business owners and five employees from Redding, California participated in 2 separate focus group interviews. The conceptual framework for this case study was to explore the specific business problem, the lack of low-cost strategic resources, and initiatives to facilitate continued existence of new small businesses. The focus group interviews were conducted in 2 separate settings using notes and Audacity voice recordings. Through personal notes and the use of NVivo 11 data was disseminated and provided rich information on at least four themes. Major themes were customer retention, creating teamwork, building relationships, and communication to create business sustainability. Having communities in which businesses thrive allows for greater job opportunities and increased community revenue. The impact of empty storefronts in cities throughout America and the loss of community identity necessitate the need for the strategist to continue to attempt to provide resources and strategies to business owners everywhere. The social change impact occurs when SBOs who recognize their business provides structure to the community seek out ways to increase sustainability.

The present study examines the process of emotional labor as performed by customer service employees. This research investigates some of the consequences of performing emotional labor such as emotional exhaustion, affective well-being, and job satisfaction, and attempts to determine which individual and organizational variables play moderating roles in these relationships. One hundred and seventy-six participants from 10 customer service organizations, ranging from retail stores to call centers, completed a 126-item survey. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that gender, emotional intelligence, and autonomy are key moderator variables in the relationship between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, affective well-being, and job satisfaction. Females are more likely to experience negative consequences when engaging in surface acting. Individuals high in emotional intelligence experienced positive outcomes as emotional labor increased, and the converse is true for those low in emotional intelligence. Autonomy serves to alleviate negative outcomes primarily at the higher levels of emotional labor.

In the last decade, the ever increasing pressure of competition faced by businesses has led to the development of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). In short, CRM is the practice of integrating all aspects of business functions for dealing with customers, with the assistance of technology, and with the intention of boosting company profitability. CRM has been widely promoted as a critical contributor to business survival. However, the high failure rate of CRM projects has also attracted research attention and many factors have been discussed as contributing to the success or failure of CRM implementation. This research argues that CRM is not simply a software package or a computer program. CRM, instead, should be perceived as a strategic issue in order to realize its potential. In addition, this study also argues that CRM implementation is affected by organizational, strategic and cultural factors. In particular, this study was conducted within the context of Chinese small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), with company size and culture as two major focuses in this study. SMEs were chosen as this segment has been overlooked in CRM study, yet it represents a great potential for growth in CRM adoption. Chinese culture was chosen as most of CRM studies have been conducted within a western cultural background. The Chinese culture has distinctive characteristics different from western culture, and this has strong influences on business operations. A quantitative method was adopted for this study and a mailed survey was used to collect data to examine the relevance of these factors within this context. Research participants were recruited using a systematic sampling technique through a comprehensive Chinese business directory. Results suggest that there are positive associations between a company’s CRM implementation and its practice of organizational, strategic, and cultural issues. In particular, four organizational issues – organizational integration, executive commitment, system readiness, and resource availability; three strategic issues – vision, planning, and customer-centric culture; and one cultural issue – networking, have an impact on a company’s CRM implementation.

<p>Title: Customer Satisfaction toward TrueMove Customer Service</p><p>Problem Statement: How are TrueMove customers satisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in Bangkok?</p><p>Purpose: To evaluate “whether” and “how” TrueMove customers are satisfied or dissatisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in the Bangkok region with the help of evaluation of service quality by customers of the shop.</p><p>Theory and Methods: The research bases mainly on quantitative method; that is questionnaire method. The Service Quality Gap which aims to measure the customer satisfaction by comparing their expectation and perception of service after experiencing the service serves as the theoretical framework for the research. Moreover SERVQUAL dimensions covering Reliability, Assurance, Empathy, Responsiveness and Tangibles are used in the further development of theory and modeling of the questionnaires for this research.</p><p>Conclusion: TrueMove customers are not yet fully satisfied with customer service provided at the TrueMove shops in Bangkok region. The service quality perceived cannot yet meet the expectation of customers in any SERVQUAL Dimensions.</p><p>Recommendations: The issue of reliability in service aspect needs to be dealt with an overhaul of systems and routines while other aspects of service call for equipping employees with required knowledge. A focus on specific services to the target group of customers also needs to be established.</p>