Na visão contemporânea de empresas orientadas ao mercado, o consumidor é o principal elemento de uma empresa. Simultaneamente, o retorno financeiro das empresas de capital aberto é de fundamental importância, uma vez que investidores deixam de aplicar seus recursos caso o retorno obtido não seja o almejado. Dessa forma, a lógica binária de aumento da satisfação do cliente e paralelamente a busca da valorização das ações e outros índices de retorno financeiro são premissas-chave para os gestores das grandes corporações. Esse estudo traz uma discussão sobre os principais pontos análogos entre esses construtos. Foi feita uma pesquisa quantitativa e realizada, também, uma extensa revisão bibliográfica. A parte quantitativa foi feita mediante análise descritiva e foram aplicados questionários com os clientes das instituições selecionadas para medir a satisfação no ponto com os clientes. Foram utilizados também dados secundários para analisar o valor das ações dos bancos estudados e o índice de ROE. Os dados foram coletados a partir de sites dos próprios bancos e também dos sites BOVESPA e BACEN. Como principais resultados desta pesquisa pode-se destacar os principais construtos que levam à satisfação dos clientes bancários universitários, a saber: rapidez e confiabilidade, construtos esses que aparecem como resultados nos quatro bancos pesquisados. Os bancos que apresentaram maior índice de satisfação entre os clientes bancários universitários da amostra da pesquisa foram: Bradesco, Banco do Brasil, Santander e Itaú-Unibanco, respectivamente. Destaca-se, também, como contribuição desta pesquisa a identificação dos bancos de varejo com melhor desempenho financeiro no Brasil, quais sejam: banco Itaú-Unibanco, banco Bradesco, Banco do Brasil e banco Santander, respectivamente. Por fim, a pesquisa identificou que não existe uma relação entre os bancos de maior índice de satisfação e rentabilidade. / In contemporary vision of market-oriented companies, the consumer is the main element of a company. Simultaneously, the financial return of publicly traded companies is of fundamental importance, since investors stop applying its resources if the payoff is less than expected. Thus, the binary logic of increasing customer satisfaction and the parallel pursuit of share valuation and other financial rates of return are key premise for managers of large corporations. This study provides a discussion of the main similar points between these constructs. A quantitative study was conducted. It was also done an extensive literature review. The quantitative section was made through descriptive analysis and questionnaires were applied to customers of the institutions selected to measure satisfaction at the point with customers. There were also used secondary data to analyze the value of shares of the studied banks and ROE index. Data were collected from sites of the banks themselves and also at the Central Bank and BOVESPA sites. As the main results of this research, there can be said that are the main constructs that lead to satisfaction of university banking customers, named: speed and reliability. These results appear in all the four banks surveyed. Banks that had higher satisfaction rate among university banking customers of the survey sample were: Bradesco, Banco do Brasil , Santander and Itau-Unibanco, respectively. Finally, the survey identified that there is no relationship between banks with higher levels of satisfactions and profitability.

Em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo como o de telefonia celular pós-paga as organizações modernas estão em constante busca por lucratividade e crescimento contínuo. Nesse sentido, a retenção dos clientes atuais e a busca por fidelidade tornam-se pauta de discussões acadêmicas e empresariais. No estudo dessa fidelidade, a academia se divide em duas correntes: a primeira defensora da satisfação como antecessor necessário da lealdade e a segunda, da lealdade como elemento independente da satisfação. O presente trabalho buscou aclarar esses conceitos, com definição dos termos e principais pensamentos. Por meio de pesquisa realizada junto aos consumidores de telefonia celular pós-paga, verificou-se a avaliação desse público quanto à satisfação, vínculo, imagem da operadora, bem como a manutenção ou não desse relacionamento. / In a competitive market as the mobile post paid, the modern companies are in a constant search for profitability and growth. In that sense, the consumer retention and the study of loyalty become topics into the agendas of the academics and the business discussions. Through the study of the consumer´s loyalty the academics are divided in two different ideas: the first one defends the satisfaction as a prior to the loyalty and, for the defenders of the second idea, the loyalty is an independent element from the satisfaction. The current paper tried to dig into these concepts, with the definition of the main terms and thoughts. By researches made with the mobile post paid consumers, the evaluation of topics such as satisfaction, link, image and the capacity to keep the relationship.

by Melwani Cheng Ngar Man Angela, Tang Wai Shan. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-113). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.vi / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Background --- p.1 / Method --- p.2 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.4 / The Emergence of Relationship Marketing --- p.4 / Definition of Relationship Marketing --- p.5 / Segmentation --- p.9 / Niche Marketing --- p.9 / Database Marketing --- p.11 / Frequency Marketing --- p.13 / Acceleration of the Evolution of Relationship Marketing --- p.14 / New behaviour: the challenges to brands --- p.16 / New media: the challenge to advertising --- p.18 / New technology: the challenge to distribution --- p.21 / Relationship Marketing in Industrial and Service Marketing --- p.23 / Relationship marketing in industrial markets --- p.24 / Relationship marketing in the service industry --- p.25 / Relationship Marketing in the Consumer Goods/Retailing Industry --- p.28 / Relationship Marketing vs Traditional Marketing (4 Ps) --- p.31 / Benefits of Relationship Marketing --- p.40 / Implementation of Relationship Marketing --- p.42 / Database --- p.52 / Loyalty Marketing Programmes --- p.52 / Relationship marketing involves everyone in the company --- p.61 / Dissolution of a Relationship --- p.62 / A Truly Caring Relationship --- p.67 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- RELATIONSHIP MARKETING IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY --- p.71 / Cathay Pacific Airways --- p.73 / Customer Loyalty --- p.74 / Dissolution of relationship --- p.79 / Evaluation and Recommendation --- p.81 / Evaluation of the Current Loyalty Marketing Programmes --- p.81 / Success Criteria --- p.82 / Evaluation of Relationship Marketing Efforts --- p.84 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- CONCLUSION --- p.96 / APPENDICES --- p.98 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.106 / REFERENCE --- p.108

by Wong Chi Wa. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-62). / ABSTRACT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / The Telecommunications Industry in Hong Kong --- p.1 / Existing Market Environment --- p.3 / Market Size and Market Segmentation in Hong Kong --- p.4 / Long-range Marketing Strategy for Telecommunications Industry --- p.6 / Value of Relationship --- p.7 / Chapter II. --- RELATIONSHIP MARKETING --- p.9 / Definition of Relationship Marketing --- p.9 / Relationship Marketing vs Marketing --- p.12 / A Model of effective Relationship Marketing --- p.12 / Relationship Marketing Inputs --- p.13 / Understand Customer Expectations --- p.13 / Building Service Partnerships --- p.14 / Empowering Employees --- p.15 / Total Quality Management --- p.16 / Positive Outcome of the Relationship Marketing Process --- p.16 / Customer Satisfaction --- p.17 / Customer Loyalty --- p.17 / Quality Products --- p.18 / Increased Profitability --- p.18 / Assessment Stage --- p.18 / Customer Feedback --- p.19 / Integration --- p.19 / Why Relationship Marketing Is Needed in Telecommunications industry in Hong Kong --- p.20 / Maturing of Services Marketing --- p.21 / Benefits to the Firm --- p.21 / Benefits to the Customer --- p.22 / Technological Advances --- p.23 / Chapter III. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.24 / The Sample --- p.24 / The Survey --- p.26 / Hypotheses --- p.26 / Chapter IV. --- STUDY RESULTS --- p.29 / Hypothesis Testing --- p.30 / Chapter V. --- DISCUSSION --- p.37 / Test Results for Hypothesis --- p.40 / Different Perception Between China and Non-China Based Banks --- p.43 / Critical Success Factors for Relationship Marketing --- p.45 / Chapter VI. --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.46 / Chapter VII. --- CONCLUSION --- p.50 / APPENDIES --- p.52 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.60

Wong, Yuen Chau. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Overview --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Motivation --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objective --- p.5 / Chapter 1.4 --- Our contribution --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.6 / Chapter 2 --- Related Work --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Existing Sentiment Classification Approach --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2 --- Existing Sentiment Analysis Approach --- p.9 / Chapter 2.3 --- Our Approach --- p.11 / Chapter 3 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences using Supervised Learning Algorithms --- p.12 / Chapter 3.1 --- Overview --- p.12 / Chapter 3.2 --- Association Rules Mining --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Apriori Algorithm --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Class Association Rules Mining --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3 --- Naive Bayesian Classifier --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Basic Idea --- p.14 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Feature Selection Techniques --- p.15 / Chapter 3.4 --- Experiment --- p.17 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Data Sets --- p.18 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Experimental Setup and Evaluation Measures --- p.19 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Class Association Rules Mining --- p.20 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Naive Bayesian Classifier --- p.22 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Effect on Data Size --- p.25 / Chapter 3.5 --- Discussion --- p.27 / Chapter 4 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Unsupervised Learning Algorithms --- p.28 / Chapter 4.1 --- Overview --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2 --- Unsupervised Learning Algorithms --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- K-means Algorithm --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Density-Based Scan --- p.29 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Hierarchical Clustering --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Distance Function --- p.32 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Euclidean Distance --- p.32 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Jaccard Distance --- p.32 / Chapter 4.4 --- Experiment --- p.33 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Cluster Labeling --- p.33 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- K-means Algorithm --- p.34 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Density-Based Scan --- p.35 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Hierarchical Clustering --- p.36 / Chapter 4.5 --- Discussion --- p.37 / Chapter 5 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Concept Clustering --- p.39 / Chapter 5.1 --- Overview --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- Distance Function --- p.40 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Association Weight --- p.40 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Chi Square --- p.41 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Mutual Information --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3 --- Experiment --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Effect on Distance Functions --- p.42 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Extraction of Product Features Clusters --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Labeling of Sentences --- p.45 / Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.48 / Chapter 6 --- Extracting Product Feature Sentences Using Concept Clustering and Proposed Unsupervised Learning Algorithm --- p.49 / Chapter 6.1 --- Overview --- p.49 / Chapter 6.2 --- Problem Statement --- p.50 / Chapter 6.3 --- Proposed Algorithm - Scalable Thresholds Clustering --- p.50 / Chapter 6.4 --- Properties of the Proposed Unsupervised Learning Algorithm --- p.54 / Chapter 6.4.1 --- Relationship between threshold functions & shape of clusters --- p.54 / Chapter 6.4.2 --- Expansion process --- p.56 / Chapter 6.4.3 --- Impact of Different Threshold Functions --- p.58 / Chapter 6.5 --- Experiment --- p.61 / Chapter 6.5.1 --- Comparative Studies for Clusters Formation and Sentences Labeling with Digital Camera Dataset --- p.62 / Chapter 6.5.2 --- Experiments with New Datasets --- p.67 / Chapter 6.6 --- Discussion --- p.74 / Chapter 7 --- Conclusion and Future Work --- p.76 / Chapter 7.1 --- Compare with Existing Work --- p.76 / Chapter 7.2 --- Contribution & Implication of this Work --- p.78 / Chapter 7.3 --- Future Work & Improvement --- p.79 / REFFERENCE --- p.80 / Chapter A --- Concept Clustering for DC data with DB Scan (Terms in Concept Clusters) --- p.84 / Chapter B --- Concept Clustering for DC data with Single-linkage Hierarchical Clustering (Terms in Concept Clusters) --- p.87 / Chapter C --- Concept Clusters for Digital Camera data (Comparative Studies) --- p.91 / Chapter D --- Concept Clusters for Personal Computer data (Comparative Studies) --- p.98 / Chapter E --- Concept Clusters for Mobile data (Comparative Studies) --- p.103 / Chapter F --- Concept Clusters for MP3 data (Comparative Studies) --- p.109

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering (Industrial), 2012 / This research project undertakes to investigate the linkage between firni Net Promoter score and firm growth in the South African context. South African fmns arc selected from the cellular service provider industry and the retail banking service provider industi7 and a primary research study is undertaken to obtain sample data for the respective firms’ Net Promoter scores. Finn revenue is defined as a suitable measure of firm growth and half year time period from 2010 to 201 1 arc defined as periods from which percentage growth rates may be computed. Revenue data for each linn is collected from public sources and an annual percentage growth rate for each firm is calculated from revenue reported for the first half of 2010 to 2011. A data reliability test is perfonned on the Net Promoter data set and the data is found to be non-uniform and preferential, indicating scores which arc not arbitrary. A Pearson’s correlation analysis is performed to measure the strength of relationship between the Net Promoter scores and percentage firm revenue growth rates. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicates a relatively stronger linear relationship between Net Promoter scores and percentage firm revenue growth for the South African cellular service provider industry segment (0.9932) and a relatively weaker linear relationship between that and the South African retail banking industry segment (0.4752). This research finds that there is a positive linkage between Net Promoter scores and revenue growth rates which is consistent with previous research undertaken on the subject. / WS2017

MCom (Marketing) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg / With the increasing development of new technologies, organisations are encouraged to integrate these new technologies into their business model in order to be competitive and respond to consumers’ quick adaptation. Today, consumers drive organisations’ strategies across most industries including electronics. The electronic sector is a fast-paced industry and has been steadily growing in South Africa. Businesses need to consider the consumer voice in order to be successful and take into account that consumers are more influenced by their peers rather than a business advertising campaign. The internet has facilitated the communication between businesses and consumers who are using the internet more and more as a tool to seek information about a product or share information about a brand or a product; thus creating content. Therefore, businesses are no longer the sole content generators online. The aim of this study is to explain the importance of user-generated content in making sales and creating long lasting relationships with consumers. In addition, this study will highlight the factors that will enhance the positive attitude of internet users toward the use of user-generated content (UGC). For the purpose of this study, six variables were identified. Subjective norm, information quality and source credibility are the predictor variables of the study. Attitude towards UGC use, followed by brand trust, are both mediator variables and, finally, purchase intention is the depend variable in this study. The nature of the survey was quantitative research and the survey was administered to 400 individuals. Both self-administered and online surveys were distributed to women and men from 18 years to 55 years and older. Findings reveal that there is a positive relationship between the use of UGC, brand trust and purchase intention. However, it was also found that subjective norms, information quality and sour credibility were affecting the use of UGC for decision making. To improve the relationships amongst the different variables, the study suggests few recommendations that marketers need to apply for the benefit of the brand and the satisfaction of the consumers. Main recommendation is firstly that marketers get to know online audience and learn to engage consumers as well as find an opinion leader or influencers to endorse the brand. This will contribute to improving quality of the information, drive individuals to share information with each other and increase the perceived credibility of the source. Secondly, the firm platforms such as the website and social media pages need to be up to date, regularly assessed, measured and promoted through different tools in order to build brand trust and lead eventually to purchase intention. Overall, this study will assist marketers in understanding the factors leading to brand trust and purchase intention through the influence of UGC and the factors affecting it. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / Sales promotions are ever-present occurrences in modern day markets with companies using them as part of their marketing mix (Blattberg & Neslin, 1990). They also have the ability to effect customer satisfaction and in turn the brand loyalty for that consumer (Li-Xin & Shou-Lian, 2010). Bawa and Shoemaker (2004) found links between non-monetary sales promotions and the brand loyalty of a consumer. Consumers exposed to sales promotions usually had increased purchasing probability and enhanced loyalty to the brand, compared to consumers that were not exposed to the promotion. This study set out to establish the effects on the attitudinal loyalty of consumers who missed the opportunity to partake in a free premium sales promotion. Utilizing a quantitative research methodology, data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire from respondents in South Africa. Internal factors such as the consumers experience of cognitive dissonance; emotion showed towards the brand; and their attitudes towards the brand, were measured and analysed through factor analysis. The most notable finding from the study was that the effect on a consumer’s attitudinal loyalty was contained to the attitude they have towards the brand, irrespective of the level of dissonance that might appear or even the emotional feelings they might have for the brand. Missing the sales promotion would almost certainly alter their perception of the brand and change the internal factors a consumer turns to when searching for information and evaluating their post-purchase consumption. Ultimately, a missed free premium sales promotion will do very little to destroy any brand loyalty that is already present with that consumer. / MT2017

Abstract not available

In order to successfully implement service internationalisation, a detailed knowledge of the target foreign culture is required (e.g., beliefs, values, lifestyles, symbols, psycholinguistics, and attitudes). This information may be used to manage the alignment of service offerings with local tastes, and create perceptual stimuli to foster trust and encourage consumption (Fugate 1996). Credible tools are therefore required to provide the market intelligence required to understand the cultural context and inform adaptation to local preferences. Service quality modelling and measurement perform such a role in reporting customer perceptions of the effectiveness of service marketing effort. However consideration of culture�s influence upon service quality evaluation has hitherto received only periphery attention within the literature. While numerous researchers have examined the role that values play as an antecedent of the service quality construct (e.g., Donthu and Yoo 1998; Furrer et al. 2000; Mattila 1999; Winsted 1997) there are no published studies adopting a more comprehensive view of culture�s role. The widespread adoption of values as a proxy for understanding culture�s influence upon the service quality construct appears flawed as there is no theoretical justification to isolate values from the rest of the cultural field (Bourdieu 1990; Radcliffe-Brown 1949). Values alone, such as Hofstede (1984a) and Schwartz and Bilsky�s (1987) schemas, cannot fully explain how individual consumers reconcile their individual preferences with broader cultural influences (e.g., institutions, beliefs, regulations, and artefacts). In this study Bourdieu�s (1986) structuralist perspective of culture is utilised as a framework to explore how culture influences service quality. In this perspective the social world is viewed as being comprised of rules and systems that guide/inform an individual�s behaviour. Values are only one element of this social system. In this study a case approach is adopted to map the role of culture in constructing service quality preferences. While the breadth of the research agenda means there is a large population of possible cases, Taiwan is selected as the case boundary principally due its logistical accessibility. Case selection in this study can therefore be classified as a convenience sample. However, to facilitate intensive study (Stake 2005) complexity is added to the case design through purposeful sampling (Patton 1990). In addition to seeking the perspectives of local Taiwanese outside perspectives are sought from expatriate New Zealanders and Taiwanese who have lived in New Zealand. Through purposive triangulation (Patton 1990) of both the sample underpinning the case and an interpretive multi-discipline analysis the researcher constructs a model of culture�s influence upon service quality evaluation within this case boundary. No evidence is found within either the primary data or critical literature review that Taiwanese culture has any impact upon the evaluation of service quality at the primary dimensional level (i.e., �Process/Outcome Quality�, and the �Personal Interaction Quality�). Indeed apriori modelling of the construct has similarly modelled how consumers separately evaluate interpersonal aspects from other key evaluative criteria (e.g., Dabholkar et al. 1996; Gronroos 1984). This level of the dimensional hierarchy is therefore tentatively determined to be etic (Pike 1967), subject to further cross-cultural studies. A moderate level of cultural influence was however noted amongst the second-order dimensions. Finally, the third and subsequent level indicators were widely found to display extensive cultural influence and require significant adaptation efforts for local cultural preferences.