Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 41 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-38).

Thesis (MBus) -- University of South Australia, 1996

Dissertation, Technische Universität München, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (SpringerLink, viewed Nov. 21, 2009). Includes bibliographical references and index.

In the service industry, preferential treatment is a popular strategic approach for retaining valued customers (e.g., Barnes, 1997; Gronroos & Ojasalo, 2004; Zabin & Brebach, 2004; Lacey, Russell, Jaebeom, & Morgan, 2007; Mattila, Hanks, & Zhang, 2013). However, some researchers argue that preferential treatment can lead to customer dissention toward the service firms (Fournier, Dobscha, & Mick, 1998). Marketers are reminded not to ignore the majority of less-profitable non-VIP customers, who have potential to be developed into valuable VIP customers in the future and contribute to firms’ economies of scale, total profits and healthy long-term growth (e.g., Zeithaml, Rust, & Lemon, 2001; Johnson & Selnes, 2005). The existing literature has mostly focused on negative responses (e.g., negative word-of-mouth, brand switching) of non-VIP customers in a preferential treatment context (Feinberg et al., 2002; Lehmann, 2001). However, positive responses of non-VIP customers in a preferential treatment scheme are largely neglected. Therefore, research on the positive responses from the majority of non-VIP customers is important for building a more complete theory of preferential treatment in this regard. In the current research, benign envy refers to a positive motivation derived from envy that compels the envious person to catch up with the envied person. Non-VIP customers with benign envy are more likely to have positive responses (e.g., treatment upgrading, positive word-of-mouth) toward the desired possession of other customers (i.e., VIP treatment). Investigating the antecedents leading to non-VIP customers’ benign envy of preferential treatment in the relationship marketing domain is a critical issue. Therefore, the primary objective of the current research is to investigate the antecedent conditions leading to non-VIP customers’ benign envy in preferential treatment (i.e., VIP treatment) contexts. To achieve my research objective of predicting benign envy of non-VIP customers, I first propose a popular market factor, the VIP granting method, as an antecedent variable influencing non-VIP customers’ benign envy (criterion variable). Specifically, I propose two types of VIP granting methods which have different impacts on benign envy of non-VIP customers toward VIP treatment. The current research theorizes that ascription-oriented VIP granting methods (e.g., birthdate, gender, kinship) and achievement-oriented VIP granting methods (e.g., accumulated consumption points, accumulated mileage, stipulated deposits) determine the choice of salient dimensions for comparison between non-VIP customers and VIP customers, which in turn determines the outcome of comparison (similar vs. dissimilar). The current research further investigates the mediation roles of perceived attainability and perceived deservingness to explain the psychological mechanisms that induce benign envy in non-VIP customers (Study 1). In addition, the current research examines the impact of cultural differences (ascription-oriented versus achievement-oriented) on perceived deservingness of VIP treatment by envied VIP customers (Study 2). The current research contributes to the marketing theory of preferential treatment in four respects. First, this research operationalizes the concept of benign envy as a motivation rather than an emotion to help explain and understand the controversial concept of benign envy in previous studies (e.g., Tai, Narayanan, & McAllister, 2012; Van de Ven, Zeelenberg, & Pieters, 2009). Second, drawing on the concepts of ascription and achievement in the discipline of sociology, the current research classifies conventional VIP granting methods into two categories based on customers’ ascribed attributes (e.g., birthdate) and achieved attributes (e.g., accumulated mileage). This classification helps both scholars and practitioners better understand the impacts of different VIP treatment strategies on non-VIP customers. Third, a theoretical model is proposed to predict benign envy. The proposed model contributes to the service literature with an in-depth understanding of psychological processes explaining how the benign envy of non-VIP customers is induced in the preferential treatment marketing context. Fourth, instead of drawing a holistic view on similarity as adopted in previous envy research and social comparison literature, the current research investigates the effects of similarity between the VIPs and non-VIPs from a more complex but realistic perspective. In this research, the upward social comparison which elicits envy was operationalized by similarity/dissimilarity along with two independent dimensions (ascription and achievement) instead of a unidimensional holistic perception. This operationalization allows the possibility that individuals will be similar in one dimension but dissimilar in another. The salient dimension of similarity between VIP customers and non-VIP customers thus can be triggered and manipulated by different VIP granting methods at the discretion of marketers. This advancement in the operationalization of similarity further contributes to envy studies and social comparison theory in the preferential treatment domain. Finally, the current research contributes to the theory of envy from a cross-cultural perspective and reveals a cultural boundary condition of the effect of perceived similarity on perceived deservingness of VIP treatment, which in turn influences the valence of envy. My findings showed that the effect of perceived similarity on perceived deservingness is more pronounced in achievement-oriented cultures than in ascription-oriented cultures. This is because ascription-oriented non-VIP customers (vs. achievement-oriented) tend to respect and value the ascribed attributes regardless of whether they are the actual beneficiary (i.e., similar to the VIP in personal salient attributes)

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Marketing channel research has relied on a variety of theoretical perspectives to understand interfirm relationship management and governance processes between a buyer and a seller, such as a supplier and a distributor. However, conclusions arising from different theoretical perspectives sometimes can be controversial. For example, both the economic approach and the sociological approach that conventionally dominate extant marketing channel research encourage firms to commit to existing relationships. Seeking new partners increases transaction costs, and therefore can harm incumbent relationship loyalty, leading to potential exchange hazards. On the other hand, however, network theory and the resource-based view suggest that exploring new relationships can help firms gain new knowledge and capabilities that contribute to superior firm performance and competitiveness. Therefore, how marketing channel firms balance the seemingly contradictory strategies - committing to the incumbent relationship (i.e. relationship exploitation strategy) while also exploring new relationships (i.e. relationship exploration strategy) is the central theme of the thesis. By focusing on the distributor firms, the thesis investigates the issue by two essays. The first essay examines how a distributor's relationship exploration strategy and relationship exploitation strategy influence its opportunism. The research provides different boundary conditions for how to manage relationship exploration strategy and relationship exploitation strategy, including two types of uncertainties (environment uncertainty and performance ambiguity), and two types of network factors (network density and network centrality). One of the interesting findings in the first essay is that while relationship exploitation reduces opportunism as predicted, relationship exploration exerts no significant main effect. This finding demonstrates that relationship exploration strategy is not the opposite of relationship exploitation strategy; rather, it is a conceptually independent construct. The nature of relationship exploration and its effect on incumbent relationship is the subject of the second essay. A theoretical framework was thereby developed to examine how a distributor's relationship exploration strategy can enhance its own dynamic capabilities, which in turn can promote the dyadic relationship quality between the distributor and its incumbent supplier. In sum, relationship exploration is not necessarily destructive. If firms are able to develop their own dynamic capabilities in forms of absorptive capacity and innovative capability, exploring new relationships can be a constructive co-development strategy beneficial for sustaining long-term continuity in the channel dyads.

Relationship marketing provides a new foundation for thinking, genuine change in values and ethics and a new logic that sees consumers as the prime drivers of the value creation process. It seems to have a lot to offer to social marketing, however, despite its potential, the social marketing field is responding slowly to relational thinking. This research demonstrates that relationship marketing helps social marketing and that its absence seriously undermines the field. Our examination is critical because it de-constructs the transactional paradigm and shows how its logic is incapable of responding to the complexities of contemporary pluralist societies. From the literature, we have identified the principles, processes and constructs of relationship marketing that are transferable to social marketing. Further, we have identified the challenges and implications of that transference, given the particular characteristics of social marketing. To empirically examine the potential of relationship marketing in social marketing, we have conducted a process evaluation and developed a specific framework that incorporates and reflects relationship marketing principles, processes and constructs. This research makes an important methodological contribution because it goes beyond current frameworks and suggests alternative evaluation components. The process evaluation was applied through an explanatory, holistic and single case-study design. The case was a parent drugs prevention programme and to examine it we have predominantly used a mix of qualitative methods and a research design which enabled triangulation. Through the application of process evaluation to the case we have de-constructed the dominant paradigm of the programme and examined its consequences. The findings indicate that the programme did not widely applied the principles, processes and constructs of relationship marketing. Despite having successfully applied relationship marketing in specific parts of the programme, these correspond to technical rather than strategic aspects of relationship marketing and worked as isolated parts rather than as a whole. More fundamentally, rather than seeing consumers as partners, the programme saw consumers as targets, not recognizing them as the main drivers of the value creation process. The programme was therefore shaped by a transactional perspective which affected its assumptions and undermined its design and implementation. The main conclusion is that, despite its theoretical potential, it is challenging and difficult to transfer relationship marketing to real live social marketing programmes. In particular, social marketing needs to be more reflexive and self-critical in order to de-construct its prevailing paradigm and start re-constructing an alternative. This demands not only a new attitude, new values and new assumptions but also a focus on resources, competences and new and more flexible organizational structures.

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This research examines the characteristics of successful university - industry relationships. By integrating the research areas of relationship marketing and technology transfer, it attempts to provide a unique contribution to both streams and the emerging literature on university - industry relationships. This thesis argues that conceptualising relationships beyond those between private sector organisations, the current central focus of relationship marketing theory development, is needed in order to mature the discipline. In particular, university - industry relationships offer research opportunities due to their incorporation of fundamentally different organisational cultures. The aim of this research is to identify key drivers of university - industry relationships by taking into account the impact of organisational culture difference and other relevant antecedents, such as individuals engaged in the relationship process. Based on a literature review and initial qualitative research, two conceptual models were developed and subsequently tested using Structural Equation Modelling methods. The first generic model identified the key drivers of satisfaction and intention to renew and examined the influence of organisational compatibility and personal experience on university - industry relationships. The second dyadic model focused on identifying the impact of individual dimensions of organisational culture difference on relationship characteristics and success. Comprising the perspectives of both relationship parties, the dyadic data enabled an advanced reflection of cultural differences and relationship dynamics. Four dimensions were analysed, namely differences in time orientation, market orientation, employee empowerment and corporate flexibility. Both models were analysed in three steps, including path analysis and hypotheses testing, model re - specification and multigroup analysis. Consistent with the literature, trust, commitment and integration were found to positively influence the primary outcome variable, satisfaction, and were thus confirmed as key drivers of successful university - industry relationships. While trust was identified as the strongest driver for satisfaction, commitment emerged as the strongest predictor of intention to renew. Also confirming relationship marketing theory, the results showed interrelationships between these relationship factors : Trust positively affected commitment and integration and commitment strongly and positively influenced integration. The findings further demonstrated that organisational compatibility positively influenced all relationship characteristics. However, only two significant paths were confirmed between the individual dimensions of organisational culture difference and relationship characteristics : Differences in time orientation and corporate flexibility both impacted commitment negatively. Furthermore, market orientation difference directly and negatively affected the relationship outcome measure intention to renew. The results only showed a weak influence of personal experience, the variable measuring the relevance of individuals for university - industry relationships, on commitment. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Commerce, 2006.