No description available.

Rådande marknadssituation för lokaluthyrning är tuff. I konkurrensutsatta branscher är nöjda kunder en klar målsättning och ett måste för att överleva. Fastighetsbranschen har tidigare haft andra mål med sin verksamhet än kundnöjdhet, byggandet har varit i fokus och förvaltningsfrågorna har varit lågprioriterade. Idag är många fastighetsföretag på vägen mot att bli mer kundorienterade, det vill säga sätta kunden i fokus istället för fastigheten. Den kunddrivna fastighetsförvaltningen innebär att maximera värdet för sina hyresgäster. Genom ökade resurser på förvaltningen kan man skapa bättre relation med sina hyresgäster vilket medför många fördelar och på sikt kanske även en högre värderad fastighetsportfölj. Dock uppkommer en del ovisshet kring hur stor påverkan kundnöjdhet kan ha på fastighetsvärdet, vilket denna studie undersöker närmre. Studien utreder vilka parametrar kundnöjdhet kan komma att påverka i en fastighetsvärdering, samt hur mycket, med hjälp av markandssimuleringar för vissa antaganden. Resultatet för best case scenario blev en ökning på ungefär 10 % för en fastighet med hög kundnöjdhet kontra en med låg kundnöjdhet. Att hög kundnöjdhet påverkar fastighetsföretagens siffror verkar branschkunniga personer eniga om, dock finns tvivel på om man kan värdesätta kundnöjdhet. Man anser att kundnöjdhet är ett diffust mått och för tillfälligt för att applicera på fastigheters värde. Men då kundnöjdhet i allra högsta grad styr uthyrningsmöjlighet och hyressättning bör kundnöjdhet ändå få mer uppmärksamhet än vad det har idag, vilket studien syftar till att ge förståelse för. / This bachelor thesis focuses on the economic advantages of a service minded property management. It describes why real estate companies should invest in being more service minded with focus on the tenants instead of the buildings. The report provides an overview of possible factors that influence the property valuation when putting more resources into the service management. The customer-driven property management is about to maximize the value for the tenants and to create a stronger relationship, so you get to know their needs and can fulfill them. In return the company will increase their profitability. By adapting a cash flow method it shows that a building with higher customer satisfaction can be around 10 % more worth than a building with more unsatisfied customers, with a best-case scenario. But there are a few question marks, customer satisfaction is a very abstract and diffuse measurement. Experts say it is to temporarily to apply on the property value and further on it depends on too many considerations. Although, customer satisfaction should get more attention as it affects both the rental opportunity and the rent level. The report aims to provide a closer insight in what it means to be more customer oriented for a real estate company and that it has become more important to have a high quality management since there is a lot of competition on the rental market.

The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of customer vulnerability across varying service industries. While the concept of customer vulnerability has been debated in business, marketing, sociology, and psychology scholarly literature, there has been little research conducted that specifically investigates consumers’ perceptions of vulnerability during the service exchange. Specific to this research, customer vulnerability is defined as experiences in which consumers participate in a service exchange with a firm during a time of individual or shared medical, physical, emotional, or spiritual necessity, whether the vulnerability is experienced during the course of the transaction or whether consumers arrive to the firm already immersed in that state. Customer vulnerability is an important concept for research, as the exchanges between service providers and consumers during a time of vulnerability are heightened in emotion and memory. As a result, these exchanges lend themselves to be more likely to become transformative experiences, in that the provider and recipient may be left emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually changed as a result. Therefore, additional focus is needed in this area to understand transformative experiences in service as a result of exchanges between service providers and customers. The explorative study first conducts a critical literature review across disciplines regarding scales that have been used and are considered by the researcher to be important constructs of analysis when exploring vulnerable service encounters. Next, a qualitative investigation of consumer forums is conducted in the air travel, banking, and assisted living industries, which resulted in the finding that similar behavioral attributes within industry, but iv different behavioral attributes between industries, were needed to cater to consumers experiencing vulnerability. The study is followed by a quantitative investigation of vulnerable service experiences through an application of the identified scales combined with the results of the qualitative investigation across the same three industries. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that two industries’ results loaded onto two factors; however, each industry’s factors differed due to the nature of that industry. The air travel factors were entitled task humanism and task functionality. The banking factors were entitled maintenance functionality and maintenance humanism. A third factor was revealed within the assisted living facility segment entitled hospitable humanism, along with factors of personal humanism and personal functionality. The study concludes by presenting a discussion of the findings and practical implications for service industry managers, a presentation of the study limitations, and suggestions for future research.

In the increasingly competitive world of retail banking, organizations are focusing their attention on customer service as a means of increasing customer loyalty and retention. With this goal of increasing customer retention, the link between the attitudes of the service provider (employee satisfaction), the customer interaction behaviors that those attitudes lead to (customer service quality), and the attitudes that those behaviors generate in the customer (customer satisfaction) has become an increasingly important area of investigation. The goal of this research is to analyze the relationships that exist between these three variables: employee satisfaction, customer service quality, and customer satisfaction in a mid-sized retail bank. Data from three separate surveys collected during the same time period in 137 branches of a regional bank are analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine whether relationships and interactions exist at a banking center level. While results of the analyses did not show a significant relationship between the variables, issues relevant to this determination are discussed and conclusions drawn regarding the nature of these constructs.

Poor quality of information and forecasting create a number of problems for manufacturing companies, such as poor planning of products and insufficient service levels, which leads to increased inventory and stock holding or stockouts and increased total costs. Cussons (UK) Limited is experiencing precisely these problems. Apart from these problems normally associated with forecasting demand for fast moving consumer goods there is an additional problem of reconciling the Western calendar with the Muslim calendar, and a recognition of the effects that Muslim religious holidays, as opposed to Christian religious holidays, have on demand. Muslim religious holidays rotate backwards with regard to the Western calendar, but in fact they occur at known dates and therefore the effect they have on demand for products can be taken into consideration when attempting to forecast demand. An additional problem that influences Cussons' sales in the market is the seasonal pattern of demand. Due to this, there is an increase in demand for Cussons' products during summer months. From the analysis of both data sets it was identified that the warehouse movement data is less variable and more reliable for business forecasting than order data. In this thesis, these forecasting problems are examined as a case study, focusing on these particular problems. To overcome these problems and to improve business forecasting of Cussons' products in the Middle East market, a forecasting strategy has been suggested which will enable Cusson's to reduce the inventories throughout the supply chain and to improve their customer's service. / Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan, Cussons (UK)Limited.

No description available.

Denna studie handlar om kompetensutvecklingen kring kundbemötande för medarbetare på ett svenskt internationellt företag. Kundbemötande är av betydelse för företag i anseende av marknadsvärde och konkurrens. Det är därför viktigt för företag att dess personal är kompetent när det kommer till kundhantering. Studiens syfte är att bidra med kunskap om kundtjänstmedarbetares kompetens om kundbemötande. Därmed vill studien åskådliggöra hur medarbetarna hanterar kunder samt hur kompetens kring detta tas till vara och utvecklas inom företaget. Studien har reflekterat över angränsande tidigare forskning och har tagit stöd i detta till våra teoretiska utgångspunkter men även metodologiska val. Denna studie använder Tannenbaum, Beard, McNall och Salas (2011) modell för informellt lärande för att illustrera och tolka kundtjänstmedarbetarnas lärandeprocess. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem informanter har använts som datainsamlingsmetod för att komma fram till studiens resultat.  På den observerade arbetsplatsen återger informanterna att de lär sig om kundbemötande främst genom egna erfarenheter med en process som går att tolka som informellt lärande med hjälp av Tannenbaum et al. modell. De beskriver även hur de introduceras till företagets värdegrund vid anställning. Denna skildrar hur företaget vill att medarbetare agerar som medmänniskor. Informanterna menar därför att det finns ett underförstått sätt som företaget vill att kundbemötande ska ske på.

Artificially intelligent chatbots are rapidly gaining popularity in customer service, and they can offer businesses benefits such as increased stock prices and low-cost, efficient service. However, customer trust and satisfaction with these chatbots are often low. Most current research focuses on which business benefits artificially intelligent systems can yield, and less focus lies on how to create satisfactory experiences for the customers. This study examines which chatbot characteristics that build customer trust and satisfaction, and identifies the types of inquiries where customers prefer artificially intelligent chatbots over human customer service agents. An online questionnaire was conducted with 47 participants, primarily 18-24-year-old females from Sweden, with a university degree and high comfort with modern technology. The data analysis, using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and an investigation of the mean and median scores, revealed no characteristic was significantly more important for trust than for enhancing experience. However, anthropomorphism was indicated to have some importance for trust, though not statistically significant. Machine reading comprehension, perceived accuracy, and privacy concerns were found to be important for a positive customer experience. Participants preferred artificially intelligent chatbots over human customer service agents only for basic information inquiries. The findings support existing theories such as the service quality model and can provide guidance for businesses wanting to implement artificially intelligent chatbots in customer service.

The South African government, in its attempt to curb unemployment, continues to promote and facilitate the establishment of small businesses. The promotion of businesses is evident through the development of policies, establishment of supporting agencies and the formation of the new ministry, Department of Small Business Development. The government acknowledges the contribution of small businesses in relation to job creation, poverty alleviation and having an inclusive economy. There are different types of businesses in the South African context, such as registered and unregistered businesses, operating in both informal and formal sectors. This study focuses on registered businesses in the main economic sectors such as retail, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, services, construction and transport. Its main objective is to develop a framework that will enable small businesses to operate sustainably irrespective of the challenges experienced in these economic sectors. Areas of focus in the research study are in the City of Matlosana that falls within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West province. The City of Matlosana comprises of Klerksdorp, Orkney, Stilfontein and Hartbeesfontein (KOSH). The areas consist of many small businesses in different sectors of the economy. It is an area known to have been dependent mainly on mining activities for its economic sustainability. However, the mining activities have declined due to depletion of mining reserves and the focus is mainly on alternative potential economic sectors such as manufacturing, services, retail, agriculture and construction. A quantitative research approach was applied for the study. Data analysis and interpretation were conducted by using statistical methods such as frequencies, reliability with reference to the mean, standard deviation and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient as well as Spearman’s Rank Order Correlations. Internal and external factors such as management skills, inability to access funding, the lack of proper business planning, economic conditions and industry changes influence the failure rate of businesses. The study investigates the extent of such factors that influence sustainability opportunity. Previous research on this topic indicates that most businesses fail within three years of their start-up. Some newly formed businesses are a result of the reasons such as unemployment or inability to be employable, that result into survival type of small business. Businesses operating in a survival mode do not employ as many people as possible and are easily susceptible to challenges due to changes in economic conditions. They typically have a small impact on the economic growth of the area. Conclusions of the study show that most owners do not necessarily empower themselves by short training courses or study business as a career choice to enhance their knowledge and skills. The level of education is as low as below matriculation (grade 12) with three to five years of experience in a particular business sector. There is a low level of prior knowledge of business but a high level of prior working experience in the same sector of the economy. Small business owners are mostly involved at operational and management level in their businesses indicating that administration and strategic planning are lacking which affects long-term plans of most businesses. The framework developed focused on many different aspects that influence the success and failure of small businesses. It is evident that there are factors that are influential to any business operating in a particular sector. There are instances where some factors have a major bearing on particular businesses as compared to others. In cases where the owner is strategic, experienced, qualified and skilled, the businesses have all-important competitive advantage to stand the challenges. Business characteristics such as location, years of operation, its responsiveness to its customer needs and business planning contributes advantageously to its sustainability. In various economic conditions, some sectors are affected in different ways depending on its financial strength. There is no single aspect that is identified as a stand-alone factor to enable a small business to be sustainable. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The South African government, in its attempt to curb unemployment, continues to promote and facilitate the establishment of small businesses. The promotion of businesses is evident through the development of policies, establishment of supporting agencies and the formation of the new ministry, Department of Small Business Development. The government acknowledges the contribution of small businesses in relation to job creation, poverty alleviation and having an inclusive economy. There are different types of businesses in the South African context, such as registered and unregistered businesses, operating in both informal and formal sectors. This study focuses on registered businesses in the main economic sectors such as retail, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, services, construction and transport. Its main objective is to develop a framework that will enable small businesses to operate sustainably irrespective of the challenges experienced in these economic sectors. Areas of focus in the research study are in the City of Matlosana that falls within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West province. The City of Matlosana comprises of Klerksdorp, Orkney, Stilfontein and Hartbeesfontein (KOSH). The areas consist of many small businesses in different sectors of the economy. It is an area known to have been dependent mainly on mining activities for its economic sustainability. However, the mining activities have declined due to depletion of mining reserves and the focus is mainly on alternative potential economic sectors such as manufacturing, services, retail, agriculture and construction. A quantitative research approach was applied for the study. Data analysis and interpretation were conducted by using statistical methods such as frequencies, reliability with reference to the mean, standard deviation and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient as well as Spearman’s Rank Order Correlations. Internal and external factors such as management skills, inability to access funding, the lack of proper business planning, economic conditions and industry changes influence the failure rate of businesses. The study investigates the extent of such factors that influence sustainability opportunity. Previous research on this topic indicates that most businesses fail within three years of their start-up. Some newly formed businesses are a result of the reasons such as unemployment or inability to be employable, that result into survival type of small business. Businesses operating in a survival mode do not employ as many people as possible and are easily susceptible to challenges due to changes in economic conditions. They typically have a small impact on the economic growth of the area. Conclusions of the study show that most owners do not necessarily empower themselves by short training courses or study business as a career choice to enhance their knowledge and skills. The level of education is as low as below matriculation (grade 12) with three to five years of experience in a particular business sector. There is a low level of prior knowledge of business but a high level of prior working experience in the same sector of the economy. Small business owners are mostly involved at operational and management level in their businesses indicating that administration and strategic planning are lacking which affects long-term plans of most businesses. The framework developed focused on many different aspects that influence the success and failure of small businesses. It is evident that there are factors that are influential to any business operating in a particular sector. There are instances where some factors have a major bearing on particular businesses as compared to others. In cases where the owner is strategic, experienced, qualified and skilled, the businesses have all-important competitive advantage to stand the challenges. Business characteristics such as location, years of operation, its responsiveness to its customer needs and business planning contributes advantageously to its sustainability. In various economic conditions, some sectors are affected in different ways depending on its financial strength. There is no single aspect that is identified as a stand-alone factor to enable a small business to be sustainable. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015