Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-69).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from file title page. James Boles, committee chair; Wesley Johnston, Greg W. Marshall, Edward Rigdon, Danny Bellenger, committee members. Electronic text (222 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 29, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-221).

In today’s competitive marketplace, simply satisfying customers is no longer sufficient to assure long-term customer-firm relationships, especially for firms that experience a service failure. Companies are now looking for additional ways to secure customer retention and raise customer loyalty. By applying social identity theory, this research empirically explores customercompany identification (customer identification) and its potential predicting factors in a service failure context. Service failures are inevitable but create negative emotions and behaviors in consumers that are directed against service firms. Service recovery from a failure is always a vital step in pacifying dissatisfied customers and maintaining ongoing relationships with them. However, is identification among customers also influenced by service recovery? The effect of customer perceptions of service recovery on customer identification is first examined in the present research. Moreover, given that service recovery may not always work in the desirable way that service firms expect, executing recovery is not the single solution for relationship maintenance following failed service. In contemporary marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is considered a measure for rebuilding customer relationships that offers firms “insurance-like protection against negative situations. Then, would CSR complement a recovery strategy and be effective in protecting firms from service failure? The effect of the interplay between recovery and CSR on customer identification in the advent of a service failure is examined. In addition, today’s customers are eager to participate in their service experience. Customers can now enjoy services by cooperating with service providers. Whereas the current literature emphasizes the benefits of customer participation only in routine service settings, this research attempts to further explore the potential moderating role of customer participation in service delivery (either service provision or service recovery) in influencing customer post-failure identification and subsequent responses in a failure context. A multi-method approach has been adopted in the present research. A field survey was first conducted using a sample of 354 customers in Hong Kong; this was followed by two scenario-based laboratory studies using a total of 370 students. The research findings contribute to the literature and social identity theory by examining the interaction between recovery and CSR with respect to customer identification in a service failure. The results demonstrate that perceived recovery justice positively influences customer post-failure identification with a service firm. Also, high perceived CSR performance is more effective in fostering customer identification when customers have lower justice perceptions regarding the recovery attempt. Furthermore, the research sheds light on the value of involving customers in service delivery. Customer participation in either service provision or recovery strengthens the positive impact of CSR on customer identification and ultimately contributes to customer loyalty intentions. Therefore, involving customers in co-creating service or recovery is a cost-effective strategy to strengthen customer-firm relationships even in the advent of a service failure.

Tradition dictates that marketing decision-makers remain accurately aligned with the dynamic and vacillating need structures of the target markets they serve. To comply with this caveat, a time-honoured and largely unchallenged philosophy of customer orientation has been applied. Theory further strongly contends that if such a business stance is vigilantly and diligently applied, any firm is bound to gain a competitive edge in the market place. A weakness in the above marketing mindset is the perception that when a spectrum of business elements are orchestrated and focussed on customers, target audience members will automatically be satisfied and return their patronage. This so-called marketing concept has undergone major reevaluations over the past decades, and it is now becoming ever more prevalent to witness varied permutations of new marketing architecture evolving in literature and practice. The unit of analysis selected for this research study is a niche restaurant that flouts many of the rudimentary traditional rules of marketing and iconoclastically succeeds despite all counter-logic. What such organisations have been practicing, albeit unknown to themselves, is a new way of business - a stance that has only recently been taken seriously by academics, writers and marketing professionals. These intuitive marketers are succeeding in niche businesses, despite going against the tide of the ingrained paradigm mindsets of conventional marketing stalwarts. Such niche business people have discovered is that there is more to satisfying consumer needs than simply honing in and understanding what the basic needs of designated audiences are. A growing band of new age marketers have been challenging orthodox marketing philosophy. Tofler, the visionary futurist, alluded to a host of unarticulated psychic consumer needs that would emerge as society drifted into a clinical and dispassionate ‘new’ millennium. In a world geared to instant gratification, fast-paced living and mechanistic social interactions, jaded consumers seek recognition as individuals (Tofler, 1970). They quest for inclusion rather than exclusion. They need a place to feel safe and find solace. Hence, it is now clear that simply attempting to satisfy the fundamental dimensions of consumers’ needs is no longer sufficient. Consumers rather seek the fulfilment of an holistic band of experience dimensions. Increasingly, phrases such as “winning consumer hearts and minds” are entering the vocabulary of marketers on a regular basis. The present vogue is to isolate and then include a range of intangible elements that are embodied in the process of satisfying customers needs. However, despite a growing awareness of the significance of mental-need satisfiers, in the specific domain of this investigation there is sparse evidence in literature of the mechanics of such novel thinking. The study unit is a second generation restaurant where many of the hollowed cornerstones of conventional marketing are inadvertently flouted. Different sets of rules of engagement seem to apply to their customers, who are also their most ardent advocates. A unique philosophy and business ethos also appears to prevail. In the study, the idiosyncratic characteristics which socially and competitively differentiate such a business were identified, explored and expiated. The constituents were then harmonised in an effort to establish what ‘it’ was that magnetically attracted patrons back despite the owner’s unintentional dismissive predisposition towards fundamental theory. As a result of this in-depth qualitative study, an holistic model encompassing all of the dimensions of a dining out experience at a niche restaurant have been proposed. Consequently the pillars upon which a sustained, enduring, loyal staunch customer base can be bed-rocked have been identified. Further, for the study unit, a typology of its diner corpse has been developed. The owners of the establishment under investigation have succeeded to provide an intimate family haven for their patrons. They, and their diners have collectively given strong, descriptive voice to the psychogenic need satisfying elements that have always existed, but to date have been unarticulated and unrecorded. This thesis brings the milieu of the iconoclast niche restaurant marketing practitioner to life.

Social norms have been claimed to influence customer retention when the social network the customer engages with is well aware of a customer’s use of the product or service. This research investigates whether social norms will also influence customer retention for services that are used so infrequently that the social network the customer engages with is not aware that the customer has the product or service. The specific services investigated are also impacted by the fact that the customers themselves are not entirely certain as to their individual need of the product, namely credence goods. The aim of this research is to provide a profile of a customer that would be more influenced by social norms; which knowledge would allow organisations to target specific customers. Using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, hypotheses were tested by analysing questionnaire feedback data on 100 active insurance customers and 100 inactive insurance customers from within the South African financial services market. Empirical support for the effect of social norms on customer retention of credence goods is found. Empirical proof that females are more influenced by social norms than males was found as well as the link between culture value orientation to social norms. In this research a link between a customer’s age to social norm influence was not found. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / ccgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of a selected company Notino, s.r.o. which is a retail company selling perfumes and cosmetics in Europe. The analytical part analyzes in detail the company, its competitors and loyalty programs of competitors. Based on the theoretical and analytical part, a loyalty program is developed for the company with a comparison of costs and benefits of the program for the company. Also, the risks associated with the introduction of a loyalty program and suggestions on how to reduce their impact are summarized.

AFRIKAANS: Bestuurders en personeel van dienslewering instansies staar huidiglik meer intensiewe klantediens eise in die gesig as ooit tevore. Vandag se klante is beter ingelig, stel meer vereistes en is meer self geldend wanneer diensprobleme ontstaan. Dit is gedeeltelik die gevolg van 'n styging in die vraag na toegevoegde waarde by produkte en dienste wat deur klante aangekoop word. Die klant se vraag na waarde lei tot 'n sterker fokus op 'n kombinasie van kwaliteit, billike pryse en goeie diens. Wanneer diensfalings ontstaan kan die diensverskaffer se reaksie die band versterk tussen die onderneming en die klant of dit kan 'n onbetekenisvolle irritasie verander in 'n groot insident. Gegewe dat 'n onderneming dieselfde effek het op winste as om kostes te sny met tien persent (Power 1992) is dit noodsaaklik dat bestuurders diensfalings en diensherstel kwessies versigtig oorweeg en bewus is van die vereistes van hoë kwaliteit diensherstel; en die uitwerking daarvan op die onderneming se winsgewendheid en oor 'n diensherstelplan moet beskik om die falings aan te spreek wanneer hul voorkom en nie bloot krisis bestuur toepas nie. Ten spyte van die belangrikheid van die opvolg en analise van diensfalings en diensherstel is daar slegs 'n beperkte empiriese navorsing gedoen wat falings en diensherstel ondersoek. Die hoofdoel van die navorsing was om die kwaliteit van diensherstel te bepaal van 'n lojaliteitstelsel in die landbou-bedryf vir produsente in Suid-Afrika. Die lojaliteitstelsel is tans die enigste van die kwaliteit van diensherstel, punte opgebou en herhalingsaankope intensies asook taal en geslag is ook ondersoek. Asook, die faktore wat verantwoordelik was dat produsente die diensherstel ervaar het as goed of swak. Tydens die studie is daar gebruik gemaak van die kritiese insidente tegniek wat ontwikkel is deur Flanagan. As 'n sistematiese, sekwensiële metode kan spesifieke insidente van effektiewe en oneffektiewe gedrag geanaliseer word met betrekking tot 'n vooraf bepaalde aktiwiteit. Die volgende faktore blyk die belangrikste faktore te wees wat verantwoordelik was vir hoë kwaliteit diensherstel: Werknemervriendelikheid, Bereidwilligheid, Een-tot-een persoonlike aandag en Kennis van produkte of klagtes. Die faktore wat statisties beduidende was en gelei het tot swak kwaliteit diensherstel is eerstens onvoldoende outoriteit van die dienssentrum personeel gevolg deur beleid wat optrede verhoed, geen kennis van 'n spesifieke reëling, stadige diens en die feit dat die klant in die verleentheid gestel is. Geslag het geen invloed gehad op die tevredenheid met die diensherstel nie, maar taal wel in 'n statistiese beduidende invloed het op respondente se tevredenheid met die oplossing van 'n probleem. Daar is geen verwantskap tussen die feit dat respondente reeds punte opgebou by die lojaliteitsprogram en hul ervaring van die bevredigende oplossing van probleme en klagtes nie. Daar is wel 'n verband tussen die opbou van punte en die gebruik van ander dienste wat die onderneming bied. Die meerderheid respondente 81,67 persent is tevrede met die diensherstel teenoor slegs 18,33 persent van die respondente wat ontevrede was met die regstelling. Die navorsing stel die onderneming in staat om sy sterk punte meer te beklemtoon en daarop te fokus asook om negatiewe punte in heroorweging te bring en aan te pas dienooreenkomstig die eise van die klant. Die aanstel van die regte dienspersoneel is dus van kardinale belang asook opleiding in kommunikasie vaardighede en etiket en bemagtiging is essensieel vir hoë kwaliteit diensherstel. Daar is 'n aanduiding dat die onderneming sy beleid rondom taal en ander diensleweringskwessies soos bemagtiging, outoriteit en verantwoordelikheid sal moet hersien. / ENGLISH: Service managers and personnel are facing more intensive customer service pressures than ever before. Today's customers are more demanding, better informed and more assentive when service problems arise. This may be due in part to increased customer demand for value in the products and services purchased. Customer demands for value result in a stronger focus on a combination of quality, fair price and good service in the purchases they make. When service failures occur, the service providers reaction can either reinforce a strong customer bond or change a minor distraction into a major incident. Given that improving a company's customer retention rate by t20 percent has the same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10 percent (Power 1992), it is imperative that managers consider failure and recovery issues and know what effect it has on the company's profitability. It is essential that a company has an established service recovery plan to overcome failures when the occur and don't apply crisis management. Despite the importance of tracking and analising service failures and recovery strategies, only limited empirical research examining failures and recoveries has been conducted. The purpose of this research study was to determine the quality of service recovery of a loyalty system in the agricultural industry of South Africa as perceived by produces. This loyalty system is the only of its kind. The correlation between the quality of service recovery, points accumulated in the loyalty system, repeat purchase intentions as well as sex and language were examined. The factors that led to high and low service quality as perceived by the respondent were identified. During the study the critical incident technique developed by Flanagan was used. It is a systematic, sequential method whereby specific incidents of effective and ineffective behaviour can be analised with regarding to a predetermined activity. The following factors appear to the most significant and important for high quality, good service recovery; friendliness of contact personnel, willingness to help, One-to-one personal attention and knowledge of the product of service. The statistical significant factors which led to low service recovery quality was first of all insufficient authority of service personnel followed by policy hindering needed action, no knowledge of a specific arrangement made, slow service and the fact that the client was humiliated in the process. The sex of the respondents didn't have any significance regarding the perceived quality of service recovery, but language did have a statistical significance on respondents satisfaction with the recovery effort. There is no correlation between the fact that respondents had already build up points in the loyalty system and their experience of the satisfactory resolving of problems and complaints. But there is a correlation between the build-up of points in the loyalty system and the use of their services the company provides. The majority of respondents 81,67 percent is satisfied with the service recovery against only 18,33 percent of the respondents that were dissatisfied with the recovery efforts. This research findings enables the company to focus and expend its positive strengths of service recovery and work on the weaknesses as identified by the clients. The appointment of the right personnel as well as sufficient training in communication skills and etiquette is of extreme importance for good service recovery. There is an indication that although the majority of respondents rank their service recovery effort very high, five out of seven, that the company must readdress certain policies regarding authority, responsibility and empowerment. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Marketing Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Customer loyalty programmes are widely regarded by companies as an effective means of achieving a strategic advantage over competitors and as a highly-effective platform to build lasting relationships with their most-valued customers. However, in today’s fast-paced world and loyalty-mature marketplace, customer loyalty programmes are showing signs of limited sustainability. Companies are starting to realise the importance of focusing on deeper, more meaningful, relevant and mutually-beneficial relationships with their customers in an attempt to sustain brand loyalty. The process of developing true customer loyalty involves companies adding extraordinary human level customer treatment. The purpose of this study is to explore whether customer loyalty programmes are developing true customer loyalty amongst customers. This research study explicitly investigates the views, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of consumers partaking in customer loyalty programmes. At the outset of the study a literature review was conducted to explore and discuss literature pertaining to the key concepts of this study, namely customer loyalty programmes and true customer loyalty. This research study initially made use of a qualitative research method in the form of a focus group. The findings from the focus group contributed to the design of the questionnaire for the survey. A survey formed the quantitative component of the research. The survey questionnaire was distributed by means of a mall intercept to shoppers in a predetermined shopping mall. The ordinal data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The analysis indicated a marked disconnect between customer loyalty programmes and true customer loyalty. Customer loyalty programmes are generally regarded by customers as discount drivers rather than loyalty drivers. Customers indicated superior service, quality, trust and aligned values as key drivers in developing true customer loyalty. The majority of respondents stated that their selected customer loyalty programme was not developing true customer loyalty. The study provides a clear indication that customer loyalty programmes are not shifting attitudes that lead to ongoing behavioural change such as motivating multiple purchases. A key recommendation resulting from this study is for companies to develop customer-centric loyalty programmes that sincerely consider the needs of the customer, rather than merely attempting to drive sales through discount initiatives masked as customer loyalty programmes.

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Thesis (doctoral) - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [271]-309).