True loyalty, which denotes customer's willingness to continue patronizing a firm over the long term, buying its goods and service on a repeated and preferably exclusive basis, and voluntarily giving word-of-mouth referrals to friends and associates, is an extremely valuable asset to the financial service providers - as the customer's motivation for switching to competitive alternatives is reduced. A conceptual model is developed in this paper to present the likely influence of customer relationship quality with the salesperson on the development of true customer service loyalty (dispositional dimension) to the associated financial service provider firm through personal capitalization on a customer's trust, satisfaction, commitment, affective conflict and reduced perceived risk with the salesperson (attributional dimensions) and a customer's positive perceived service quality of the firm (structural dimension). It is suggested that a strong customer relationship with a financial planning salesperson leads to true service loyalty to the principal, as positive attitudes towards the salesperson are transferred directly to the firm. In situations where a strong relationship develops between the customer and only one particular salesperson, true loyalty to the firm will be a consequential outcome of high personal loyalty and, therefore, rely on the continued availability of the salesperson. To assist managers in encouraging relationship development between their financial planning sales professionals and their customers, potential antecedents of relationship quality in the perspective of sales ethics and interpersonal selling behaviours are identified and discussed in this paper. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

The service sector of many developing countries is playing an increasingly significant role in terms of its contribution to both revenue and labour employment. As for Thailand, it contributed to approximately 53 per cent of GDP in 2003 and is growing every year. The performance of service firms is, therefore, of much interest to both executives and academics. While most empirical research in service firms in Thailand has focused mostly on service quality or customer satisfaction, other aspects of the important factors for the firms' success such as the relationships of customer satisfaction/loyalty and employee satisfaction/loyalty to the firm, performance have not received adequate academic attention. / Most of the research work on the relationships between key stakeholders of service firms has been conducted in developed countries, particularly the USA and the UK. The three key stakeholders of firms normally include customers, employees, and shareholders. Quite surprisingly, relatively little empirical research to study the links between those stakeholders has been carried out in Asia and Thailand in particular. This research is probably the first academic attempt in Thailand to address this gap by empirically examining the three constructs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and firm preference that have been found in past research to have positive associations. The private hospitals which are located in Bangkok and listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) were the sample population. Four hospitals agreed to take part in this study. / This study used secondary data that were already available from the four hospitals. The data include patient satisfaction surveys they regularly conduct and financial performance measures, such as revenue, profit, and return on assets, which are publicly available in their annual reports and the SET's online database. The data were processed and examined using correlation analysis method. The three variables studied were processed and examined using correlation analysis method. The three variables studied were patient satisfaction, patient loyalty, and hospital performance. The data on patient surveys and other relevant data were given with written consent from the four hospitals. The data on patient satisfaction and loyalty were derived from scores in the patient surveys. As for the hospital performance measures, they were derived from the financial data in the annual reports from the four-year period of 2001-2004. The data of the four hospitals was studied by two methods. The first method was processing all data of the four hospitals as a whole and then analysing them in one aggregate. A major limitation of this study is that the data of the four hospitals on patient loyalty was not complete. / Based on correlation analyses, the results from both methods reveal that some of the hypotheses were supported. Specifically, the results from the first method show that patient satisfaction was positively associated with the two measures of patient loyalty, referrals and repeat visits. However, significant relationships between patient satisfaction and hospital performance and between patient loyalty and hospital performance were not found. As for the second method, the results reveal that there were some positive relationships between variables of three hospitals. Only the results of one hospital show no significant associations between all the three variables. The findings were analysed in detail and implications for researchers and practitioners were also given. Based on the results of this exploratory research, more empirical studies with complete data in the private hospital market are warranted to be able to obtain more conclusive results. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

The aim of this thesis is to develop a greater understanding of consumers' brand repertoires. This research is part of the brand choice literature, which involves the analysis of all parts of the brand choice process. While there is clearly a need for research on the size of consumers' repertoites, little research has been conducted on this topic to date. This thesis provides much needed descriptive knowledge in relation to repertoire size, as well as providing information about the potential influence of a selection of consumer characteristics on this measure.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 7, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-145). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.M.S.)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed October 2, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-127)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. / "August 2006." Title taken from title screen (viewed October 5, 2007). Includes bibliographical references and appendices.

Title: How can loyalty programmes improve brand loyalty? Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Anna Kapetanakis, and Gideon Mekonnen Jonathan Supervisor: Sarah Philipson (Assistant Professor) Date: June, 2015 Aim: To investigate how customers loyalty can be improved through loyalty programmes. Method: Mixed approach, both qualitative and quantitative data, is chosen for this study. The qualitative data using telephone interviews with customers and the firm was carried out at the beginning of the study to formulate the survey. Online survey with closed questions, based on responses from the qualitative interviews and the theoretical framework, was designed and sent to 3500 potential respondents. The contact list from IvyWear’s CRM database was used to distribute the survey. 309 respondents (9%) completed the survey, which was available online for 7 days. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and cluster analysis. Result & Conclusions: The empirical data and analysis has shown that IvyWear customers can be categorised as “true loyals”, “latent loyals”, “spurious loyals”, and “not loyals”. It was also found that “bonuses and points” are the most preferred reward among customers that can be used to improve loyalty toward IvyWear. Suggestions for future research: The findings may not reflect brand loyalty and effects of loyalty programmes on loyalty beyond the clothing retail industry. Comprehensive study covering other industries and targeting respondents outside membership registers would provide deeper understanding of brand loyalty among customers. Contribution of the thesis: The study adds to the debate on loyalty programmes and how members of these programmes can be managed in the way that they can not only choose the brand, but also attract new customers through positive word of mouth. The results are particularly important for managers and marketers in the retail industry, who are under pressure to show the benefits of loyalty programmes. The results will be invaluable in the design of loyalty programmes to impact on the long-term profitability of firms.

A retenção de clientes pode ser um diferencial competitivo para provedores de serviços e, sob a ótica das trocas relacionais, torna-se fundamental entender os fatores determinantes que a antecedem, identificando os construtos que a estimulam. Para o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa, foi desenvolvido e testado um Modelo Teórico, com suas respectivas hipóteses, que contemplam os construtos Táticas Vinculantes (Financeiras, Sociais e Estruturais), Reputação do Provedor de Serviços, Confiança e Compromisso como antecedentes da Retenção de Clientes. Neste sentido, o objetivo geral deste trabalho foi analisar as Táticas Vinculantes (Financeira, Social e Estrutural), a Reputação do Provedor de Serviços, a Confiança e o Compromisso como antecedentes da Retenção de Clientes. Foi realizado o levantamento teórico que aborda a Retenção de Clientes, bem como o entendimento e a análise dos construtos que a antecedem e que a afetam. Posteriormente, foi realizado um estudo quantitativo, de caráter descritivo, por meio da implementação de uma survey. A análise dos resultados foi feita com base em estatísticas multivariadas, utilizando-se a técnica da Modelagem de Equações Estruturais para se observar e analisar os elementos que compõem o fenômeno em estudo. A amostra foi composta por 344 empresas-clientes dos provedores de serviços contábeis pesquisados. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o Modelo Teórico apresentou índices satisfatórios, considerando-se o seu ineditismo. As contribuições e destaque são a comprovação de que as Táticas Vinculantes Financeiras, Sociais e Estruturais impactam positivamente a Confiança; que a Confiança e o Compromisso impactam positivamente na Retenção de Clientes; e que a Reputação do Provedor de Serviços não tem influência significativa sobre a Retenção de Clientes e a Confiança. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2016-07-08T13:35:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Renato Breitenbach.pdf: 1670412 bytes, checksum: 10052a347c6ff1deded25c29b7a3938f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-08T13:35:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Renato Breitenbach.pdf: 1670412 bytes, checksum: 10052a347c6ff1deded25c29b7a3938f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-08 / Customer retention can be a competitive advantage for service providers and, from the perspective of relational exchanges, it is essential to understand the determinants that precede, identifying the constructs that stimulate. To develop this research project, it was developed and tested the theoretical model, with their hypotheses, which includes the constructs bonding Tactics (Financial, Social and Structural), Reputation Service Provider, Trust and Commitment as antecedents to the Customer Retention. In this sense, the aim of this study was to analyze the bonding Tactics (Financial, Social and Structural), the Reputation of the Service Provider, Trust and Commitment as background to the Customer Retention. It was held the theoretical research that addresses the Customer Retention and understanding and analysis of the constructs that precede and that affect it. Subsequently, it conducted a quantitative study of a descriptive nature, by means the implementation of a survey. The analysis was based on multivariate statistics and it used the technique of structural equation modeling to observe and analyze the elements of the phenomenon studied. The sample consisted of 344 client companies of financial services providers reaserched. The survey results indicate that the Theoretical Model stated presented satisfactory levels, considering its originality. Still, the associations were analyzed time and size of client and the type of business and the form of taxation adopted, confirming that client's size affects the bonding Financial Tactics. The contributions and highlight are proof that the tactics bonding Financial, Social and Structural positively impact the Trust; the Trust and Commitment impact positively on Customer Retention; the Reputation of the service provider has no significant influence on Customer Retention and Trust.

This paper is about the omnichannel marketing strategy, defined by Levy, M., Weitz, B., and Grewal, D. (2013) as, “a coordinated multichannel offering that provides a seamless experience when using all of the retailer’s shopping channels”. This is an evolution of the multichannel marketing strategy and a topic that remains underexplored in the academic world. The aim of the omnichannel strategy is to expand the available touch points and combine the advantages of the interactive aspect of a physical store with the information-rich experience aspect of online shopping (Frazer & Stiehler, 2014). This paper is focused on the fashion retail industry in Sweden, an industry worth 206 billion Swedish SEK turnover in 2011 (Volante Research, 2015), which has seen a steady growth in the use of online shopping services.   The purpose of this paper is to explore what implications an omnichannel strategy may have on customer loyalty in the fashion industry in Sweden. The method used to assess the potential implications involved five focus group sessions with a total of twenty-five millennial participants. The primary and secondary information gathered was broken down and analysed using a conceptual model, inspired by existing theories, developed specifically for this paper. This analysis lead to the conclusion that, although the omnichannel strategy can provide benefits for customers and ease the shopping experience, customers do not see the strategy as being a make or break factor in their satisfaction and loyalty development.