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This research reviews aspects. of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) literature. It examines, in particular, the area of CRM performance measurement. The main objective of this research is to develop a business-orientated measurement tool for the assessment of CRM performance. The research context is set within the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across the United Kingdom. Although the literature review showed that there are both successful· and unsuccessful cases of CRM performance, the research highlighted a significant issue concerning CRM performance measurement. It was found that many companies are unable to quantify their performance claims. Additionally, there is little or no strong evidence that companies measure their CRM performance, it is therefore questionable in regard to the justification of reported cases of CRM success and failure. Further literature evidence on the area of existing CRM performance measurement tools was critically reviewed. Overall the evidence points to the need for a simplified and realistic measurement tool that is based on what CRM user companies are actually doing or capable of doing regarding the assessment of CRM performance. Research methodological approaches undertaken were hierarchical in their nature. Two stages of empirical work were conducted: questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews. The questionnaire survey covered the scope of 2,200 SMEs across the United Kingdom. The survey aimed to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ,adopted by companies and to also create a profile of CRM companies for the next phase of research. The interview stage aimed to gain insight into CRM performance measurement in order to aid the development of a practical and business-orientated CRM performance measurement framework. There were 26 self-selected CRM user companies involved at the interview stage. Results from the quantitative analysis of survey data revealed a number of KPIs adopted by companies including the profile of CRM users. The qualitative· and quantitative analyses of interview data allowed a CRM performance measurement framework to be derived and developed. The main findings suggested that companies should focus primarily on assessing the process rather than putting the entire focus only on the final outcome or bottom line (i.e. financial outcome). The close relationship between the process and outcome measures implied that the effective assessment ofprocess would result in the effective outcome. There were also other outcomes relevant to the research such as issues with CRM market forecasts, issues with existing CRM measurement tools and extreme views on CRM. In regard to the ways they assess their CRM, one of the interesting findings of this research revealed that CRM user companies who view CRM from a customer perspective enabled by technology perspective appear to be more successful than those who view CRM solely from a strategy perspective.

Internet use in Canada and the us has grown and has transcended the lives of many, as it offers unprecedented :c'onveniences. However , privacy and security concerns related to Internet use are widely prevalent and are -:~considered as barriers to realizing the Internet's fullest ._''.' . ~ ,'. potential in the e-Commerce and e-Health arena. Two related studies were conducted to try and .C''':''~'uriderstand the extent of privacy and security concerns related to Intern~t use. Using a national dataset, study 1 examined the profile of Internet use, as well as Internet privacy and security concerns among Canadians. On average, ;57 percent of respondents used the Internet on a regular basis, and Internet privacy and security concerns were expressed by SO and 78 percent, respectively. Given that Internet privacy and security are complex .constructs, these constructs should be examined from a multidimensional ~erspective. As such, study 2 focused on the development of a tool to measure Internet privacy and security concerns. Another purpose of this study 2'was to examine the relationships between Internet privacy and security factors with e-Commerce (i.e., shopping online) and e-Health (i.e., accessing health information online). This study was examined from the perspective of potential customers in Canada, particularly through a survey of students enrolled at a Canadian university. Internet privacy and security tool development led to five statistically determined factors: Interaction, Data Intrusion, Privacy Policy, Security, and Information/Data Sharing. Further analyses showed that the level of concern was significantly higher in four of five factors for those who did not shop online, compared to those who did. -However, no statistically significant difference emerged in any of the five factors in accessing e-Health information . The results of these two studies may have implications for managerial and government regulatory bodies establishing Internet privacy and security codes with further research based on the present findings. Also, the findings may be used to address customers'/marketers' concerns through evidence-based education programs and the development of alternate marketing strategies among young adults. It is hoped the results will form the basis for future research with other customer groups especially as it relates to the concepts of trust and risk.

Market segmentation lies at the core of many normative, strategic marketing initiatives, arguably facilitating the identification and satisfaction of an organisation's most profitable customers. Therefore, a central task for managers adopting a market segmentation strategy is to identify customers in a meaningful way, satisfy their requirements profitably,' and implement the segmentation concept in ways which provide manageable solutions. However, it is suggested that the increasing fragmentation of consumer lifestyles has, paradoxically, made market segmentation more difficult to implement in many contexts, leading some observers to question the effectiveness and efficiency of the approach. Furthermore, the uncritical acceptance of some of the broader assumptions underpinning a market segmentation approach also raises fundamental questions for the theoretical . foundations of the concept in mainstream .marketing discourses. In practice the response to managing consumer fragmentation has seen an increased popularity of segmentation approaches based on behavioural characteristics, and arguments in the marketing literature highlight a requirement for scholarly research to focus on the so-called theory versus practice deba~ in market segmentation. In this thesis epistemological considerations are described as a reflective process from which the methodological stance was developed. Dominant paradigms in segmentation research are therefore interrogated, alongside commentaries which critique them, before outlining how a social constructionist standpoint informs an appropriate methodological direction. Moving beyond these abstract debates, the adoption of a sensemaking perspective facilitates an evaluation of managerial accounts in a manner consistent with utilising social constructionist thinking in empirical research. The UK apparel retailing sector provides an illuminating empirical context in which to locate the research problem. The research demonstrates sensitivity towards arguments calling for a more modest form of engagement with the marketing discipline and its representations of the everyday practices of managers. Dialogues have been maintained, primarily through key informant interviews, within data consultancies and apparel retailers, in order to examine how managers develop and make sense of market segmentation in practice. This thesis makes a number of contributions. First, it offers an original qualitative insight into managerial constructions of market segmentation in practice. Second, it extends critical debates in marketing by introducing and applying a social constructionist perspective to the segmentation debate. Finally, the key informant interviews are presented as narratives in order to make sense of managerial accounts pertaining to uses of segmentation. In doing so, the research answers calls for a more comparative perspective on marketing through the integration of a multi-disciplinary approach. This work offers a first step in developing critical perspectives in market segmentation research and indicates an alternative direction for further research based on this inquiry.

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