Undoubtedly one of the most significant developments to affect marketing worldwide in the 21st century has been the development of the Internet. As a communication tool the Internet is emerging as a new challenge to mass media advertising. As a result advertising agencies need to readdress their techniques, services and agency structure. Additionally, the shape and form of the traditional advertising agency will need to change along with the adoption and usage of this new interactive media channel. Agencies are now being forced to consider broadening their service offerings to clients. Apart from widening their service offerings, advertising agencies are being driven to invest in building and sustaining valuable client relationships to establish client loyalty, with profit and a healthy bottom-line being the ultimate objectives. Bush, Bush and Harris (1998) point out however, that whilst a growing number of companies are interested in developing an online presence, significant confusion remains about what this new medium will offer stakeholders in the advertising industry. The study undertaken in this thesis explores the relationship between two influential stakeholders in the advertising industry - advertising agencies and their clients. To explore this relationship, the study modified Parasuraman, Zeithamal and Berry's (1988) SERVQUAL model to explore whether gaps exist between agency-client expectations of the value of the Internet as a promotional tool. The SERVQUAL model, which was designed for measuring gaps between service expectations and perceptions, was adapted for use in the business-to-business environment (B2B). In the marketing literature there is little evidence of B2B research in relation to agency-client relationships, nor has there been significant scholarly work exploring the effect of the introduction of the Internet as a promotional tool on the agency-client relationship. The research undertaken in this study aims to respond to this gap in the marketing literature by addressing the broad research question: &quotHow will the introduction of the Internet as a promotional tool impact agency-client relationships?" Undertaking a review of agency-client expectations of the value of the Internet will ascertain whether gaps exist between agency and client expectations of the value of the Internet as a promotional tool. The discovery of gaps in the agency-client relationship in relation to Internet perceptions will indicate potential opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed by advertising agencies interested in extending their advertising services to embrace the Internet as a promotional tool. A major assumption in this inquiry was that gaps would exist between agency and client perceptions of Internet value. In particular, that advertising agencies would perceive the Internet to be a more valuable promotional tool than their clients. This assumption was informed from mass media and industry press, which indicated that advertising agencies were embracing new advertising creative in website design and strategic marketing activities using interactive media such as newsgroups and email to reach customers. However, the research of Bush et al. (1998) and Ducoffe (1996) suggests that little is known about the value of these Internet-based activities. Such thinking raises questions, such as: are advertisers feeling compelled to jump on the Internet bandwagon because of its popularity, or are businesses' desires to use Internet advertising a manifestation of Internet hype? To begin to answer these questions advertising industry stakeholders need to identify whether gaps do exist between agency and client perceptions of the value of the Internet as a promotional tool. The existence of such gaps could lead to tension in the agency-client relationship, which may ultimately mean a loss of client accounts for the advertising agency. Identifying and remedying such gaps could therefore aid in ensuring long-term and profitable working relationships with the agency's clients. To undertake this advertising industry research and respond to the research questions in this study an international advertising agency network, made up of 206 offices in 90 countries and a selection of their clients, were recruited to participate in the study. A two stage survey method approach was adopted because it was a time-efficient and affordable method for collecting detailed information from a dispersed network of professionals. The survey tool was a web-based questionnaire which was firstly submitted to a selection of advertising agencies within the international agency network. On completion of the questionnaire, agencies were asked to provide contact details for their top three billing clients. The second stage of the survey research involved the submission of a client questionnaire to the client contacts provided by the advertising agency. Both questionnaires used a modified SERVQUAL multi-item scale to measure service expectations. Discrete agency and client questions were also included in the respective questionnaires to situate the SERVQUAL analysis within the context of Internet usage, value perceptions and organisational characteristics (e.g. agency size, advertising spend, experience in using interactive media). The major finding of this study is that within the international advertising agency network there were no significant gaps in agency-client expectations concerning the value of the Internet as a promotional tool. Whilst several statistical analyses were undertaken, including bivariate and multivariate techniques such as Pearson's Chi-Square cross-tabulations, independent t-tests and ANOVAs, no statistically significant results are reported. In fact, it was found that advertising agencies and clients have similar expectations of the value of the Internet as a promotional tool. Gaps actually exist in relation to the clients who use the Internet as a promotional tool and agencies who supply Internet advertising services. Many agencies within this international agency network were found to be actively using the Internet, but their Internet advertising functions were not being provided by their traditional advertising agency. Descriptive analyses reported in the findings from this research study indicate that advertising agencies in this international network need to better understand their clients' Internet promotion needs. This will ensure the establishment of healthy, profitable and long-term agency-client relationships in the future. The research findings from this study offer advertising agencies worldwide insight into client expectations of the Internet, as well as other agency services. Furthermore, the findings reported contribute to the current small body of research in relation to B2B relationships in the advertising industry. The groundwork is set for future analysis of agency-client relationships in the advertising industry. In summary, while gaps between agency and client expectations of the value of the Internet as a promotional tool were expected, this research study found that agency and client expectations are quite similar. Analysis did reveal that one important factor, which influences the agency-client relationship, relates to the provision of Internet advertising services. Specifically, when an agency is not responsible for developing and maintaining clients' Internet advertising, these clients are utilising services from external providers of Internet services. These new stakeholders, who provide specialist services (i.e. graphic design houses, Internet advertising specialists and client's in-house Internet services), are changing the competitive environment of advertising services in the industry. Another interesting discovery, specific to the sample population, was that one third of agencies within the study did not provide Internet advertising services to current clients. However, these agencies have clients that use Internet advertising. On the one hand, this finding indicates that opportunities exist for these agencies to extend their service portfolio to embrace Internet advertising. However, it also raises an important question: that is, have these agencies created greater competition by not providing a full service communication portfolio for clients? These factors, and other methodological issues will inform directions for future research to explain the influential role of the Internet within the agency-client relationship in the advertising industry.

The therapeutic alliance has consistently been associated with improved client outcomes across numerous psychotherapy outcome studies. Previous systematic reviews have, however, evaluated the univariate association of the alliance with client outcome. The present meta-analytic review examines the association of the alliance with improved client outcomes after accounting for the presence of therapist empathy, client attachment styles, and client expectations. Across 23 independent studies, the alliance, adjusted for the presence of the other variables, remained as the most robust predictor of improved outcomes r = .258 (SE = .01, p < .001), with a 95% confidence interval of r = .18 to r = .33. After accounting for therapeutic alliance, therapist empathy was a small but statistically significant predictor of improved outcomes. These findings provide the first attempt at synthesizing multivariate estimates of the contribution of the alliance with improved outcomes when in the presence of empathy, client attachment style, and client expectations. The findings presented here suggest the superordinate nature of the alliance as a variable that exists on a separate conceptual level from the other variables evaluated.

When entering a new market and working for a new client, delivery of consistent and high quality is of great importance for future opportunities. Studies have shown that from having a good internal quality control and quality assurance for client deliveries leads to increased client satisfaction and consequently more successful projects. To study this connection and how to meet client expectations when working in a new country, this thesis outlines a case study performed at Jacobs Engineering Group (Jacobs) in Stockholm. Quality is defined as the processes used to strive for a degree of perceived client satisfaction. These processes differ across different countries. This thesis has compared cultural differences identified in the case study between Sweden and the UK and assessed Jacobs’ internal methods (Project Delivery Workflow) of assuring quality to meet and exceed client expectations. The findings from this study can probably help Jacobs adapt their practices and ways of conducting business for ongoing and future projects in Sweden. Furthermore, the report will give a basis on how Jacobs should prepare their projects prior to further expansion into new markets. To fulfil the purpose of this thesis, literature was compiled with a focus of quality, culture and client satisfaction to provide a basis for the assessment. The methodology consisted of assessing Jacobs’ internal Quality Management System to identify potential areas of improvement. Following, interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative responses on how Jacobs should adapt to cultural differences within the Swedish market to meet client expectations and expand their businesses. The interviews included a quantitative segment to visualise cultural differences and identify areas where Jacobs should preferably develop to meet client expectations. The interviews were then presented and analysed using a thematic analysis to identify the most significant themes of this study. This thesis suggested that Jacobs should adapt their Project Delivery Workflow for projects of different magnitudes and improve connections between project phases and disciplines. Other suggestions were to reconfigure their organisational structure when embarking upon a project in Sweden. From the findings in this study, further recommendations were given to Jacobs on how to conduct business in Sweden from comparing cultural differences for continued cooperation with Trafikverket and what project aspects Jacobs should focus on. Lastly, this thesis concluded how Jacobs should conduct further studies to assess the importance of project aspects across borders and cultures when entering a new market to deliver projects successfully. / När ett företag äntrar en ny marknad med en ny kund så är det av stor betydelse för framtida möjligheter att leverera konsekvent arbete av hög kvalité. Tidigare studier har visat att god intern kvalitetskontroll samt försäkran för leverans av god kvalité till kunder leder till ökad kundtillfredsställelse och följaktligen ett lyckat uppdrag. För att studera denna koppling samt för att veta hur man ska möta kundförväntningar när man utför arbete i ett nytt land så kommer detta examensarbete utgöra en fallstudie för Jacobs Engineering Group (Jacobs) i Stockholm. Kvalitet är definerat som processerna som ska leda till en grad av uppfattad kundtillfredsställelse. De processer som används för att öka kundtillfredsställelsen skiljer sig mellan länder. Detta examensarbete jämförde kulturella skillnader från denna fallstudie mellan Sverige och Storbritannien, samt Jacobs interna metoder (Project Delivery Workflow) för att försäkra hög kvalitet som möter samt överträffar kundens förväntningar studerats och föreslagits till Jacobs. Resultaten från detta examensarbete är menat att hjälpa Jacobs att anpassa sitt tillvägagångssätt av pågående samt möjliga framtida uppdrag i Sverige. Vidare så kommer detta examensarbete att utge en grund av hur Jacobs bör förbereda sina projekt innan de äntrar en ny marknad för fortsatt expandering. För att uppfylla syftet med detta examensarbete så samlades litteratur in inom kvalitet, kultur och kundtillfredsställelse för att ge en grund till studien. Metoden bestod av en granskning av Jacobs interna kvalitetsledningssystem för att identifiera potentiella förbättringsområden. Fortsättningsvis så utfördes intervjuer vilket resulterade i kvalitativa svar angående hur Jacobs bör anpassa kulturella skillnader till den svenska marknaden för att möta kundens förväntningar och stärka sin position på marknaden. Intervjuerna innehöll även ett kvantitativt inslag för att visualisera kulturella skillnader samt identifiera områden där Jacobs bör anpassa sig för att möta kundens förväntningar. Intervjuerna presenterades sedan genom en tematisk analys som identifierade de viktigaste projektaspekterna kopplade till denna studie. Detta examensarbete föreslog att Jacobs bör anpassa deras Project Delivery Workflow (uppdragets arbetsflöde) till uppdrag av olika storlekar samt förbättra kopplingarna mellan uppdragets faser och discipliner. Förslag som uppkom var att Jacobs bör ändra sin organisationsstruktur när de arbetar med uppdrag i Sverige. Utifrån resultaten uppkom flera rekommendationer av hur de bör utföra uppdrag i Sverige och inom vilka delar som fokus bör ligga för förbättrat samarbete med Trafikverket. Avslutningsvis så framkom förslag till ytterligare studier Jacobs bör utföra när de äntrar en ny marknad för att beakta de viktigaste aspekterna vid uppdrag samt beakta kulturella skillnader för att leverera ett lyckat uppdrag.

The career counselling services industry is currently being challenged by a unique set of conditions which has resulted in calls for a greater client orientation in the delivery of career services. The current study takes up this challenge by using marketing concepts to explore the relationship between the expectations (desired) people in career transition have of a career counselling service and the perceptions career counselling service providers have of client expectations. In the process, it also examines variables (career transition group membership, career decision-making self-efficacy, age, gender, and previous experience with a career counselling service) that may impact on the expectations people in career transition have of a career counselling service. The study used a three-phased mixed method approach to gather expectation and perception data. In Phase 1, focus group interviews were conducted with participants from three career transition groups - Year 12 students, final year university students, and adults in midcareer transition. A series of one-to-one interviews with three groups of career counsellors (those in schools, tertiary institutions, and private practice) was undertaken in Phase 2. Phase 3 consisted of a questionnaire, which was administered to broader populations of people in career transition and career counsellors. The people in career transition subject group completed a three-part questionnaire consisting of the Expectations About Career Counselling measure (developed by the researcher), the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy-Short Form (an existing measure), and demographic questions. Career counsellors completed a two-part questionnaire, which included the Expectations About Career Counselling (EACC) and demographic questions. The people in career transition subject group were asked to respond to the EACC according to what they wanted from a career counselling service. Career counsellors were asked to respond to the same measure as if they were one of their clients attending their first career counselling interview. In the development of the EACC, an existing measure (the Expectations About Counselling-Brief Form; Tinsley, 1982), was modified using career counselling expectation themes derived from the analysis of data collected in Phases 1 and 2. Factor analysis of the data obtained from the EACC identified four clear factors. These factors were named Career Counsellor Responsibility, Client Responsibility, Quality Outcome and Realism. The findings from Phase 3 indicated that people in career transition had high to very high expectations for the EACC subscales Career Counsellor Responsibility and Quality Outcome, moderate expectations for Realism, and moderate to high expectations for Client Responsibility. Significant differences were found based on transition group membership, gender, age, and previous experience with a career counselling service. In addition, it was found that people in career transition had moderate to high career decision-making self-efficacy and that respondents with higher self-efficacy scores also had higher expectations of a career counselling service. The findings also indicated that there was a significant difference or gap between the expectations of people in career transition and the perceptions of career counsellors concerning client expectations of career counselling. Career counsellors perceived that clients were less committed and more unrealistic about the career counselling process and the counsellor's role than was indicated by the results from the people in career transition subject group. Recommendations based on the findings of this research study were made for career counsellors, professional associations, education and training organisations, education institutions and systems and government policy makers. Specifically, the recommendations addressed the importance of acknowledging, clarifying, and managing client expectations, providing interventions to educate people in career transition about the career decision-making process and the role of the career counsellor, and the implementation of processes to promote ongoing professional development in the career counselling services industry.

Service provision in veterinary oncology in Ontario was examined using a mixed methods approach. First, an interview-based qualitative study explored the service expectations of oncology clients at a tertiary referral centre. Next, a survey-based quantitative study established an understanding of oncology service in primary care practice and investigated the treatment recommendations of practitioners for dogs diagnosed with cancer. The first study, which involved 30 individual and dyadic interviews, identified “uncertainty” (attributable to the unpredictable nature of cancer and its treatment) as an overarching psychological feature of clients’ experience. Consequently, “the communication of information” (both content and process) was the foremost service expectation. For clients, it enabled confidence in the service, the ability to make informed patient care decisions, and preparedness for the potential outcomes of those decisions; it also contributed to creating a humanistic environment, which enhanced client resiliency. Findings suggest that services can support client efforts to manage uncertainty through strategic design and delivery of service, and incorporate intentional communication strategies to support clients’ psychological fortitude in managing the cancer journey. The second study, a vignette-based survey of primary care practitioners across Ontario (N=1071) which investigated veterinarian decision-making in relation to oncology care, determined that 56% of practitioners recommended referral as their first choice of intervention, while 28% recommended palliative care, 13% in-clinic treatment, and 3% euthanasia. Recommendations were associated with patient, client and veterinarian factors. Specifically, referral and treatment were recommended for younger dogs, healthier dogs, and dogs with lymphoma versus osteosarcoma; for strongly bonded clients, and financially secure clients; and by veterinarians who graduated from a North American college, had experience with treating cancer, felt confident in the referral centre, and believed treatment was worthwhile, with variation in relation to practitioner gender and the type of medicine practiced. The human-animal bond appeared to be the primary factor associated with practitioners’ advocacy for quality of medical care for patients. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this thesis contributes to the evidence upon which best practices may be built so as to enhance the quality of patient and client care in veterinary oncology. / Ontario Veterinary College Pet Trust Fund 049406 and 049854