<p><strong>Date</strong>                                   </p><p>2009-09-07</p><p><strong>Program</strong>                           </p><p>MIMA – Master of International Marketing</p><p><strong>Course Name</strong>                   </p><p>EFO705 Master Thesis</p><p><strong>Title</strong>                                   </p><p>From Core Values to Customer Satisfaction: Ericsson in Kazakhstan</p><p><strong>Authors</strong>                             </p><p>Dalila Aitpayeva (Västerås), Dejan Mandic (Göteborg)</p><p><strong>Supervisor</strong>                        </p><p>Joakim Netz </p><p><strong>Problem                           </strong></p><p>How can a company deploy its core values into customer relations to increase customers’ satisfaction?</p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>                             </p><p>The purpose of this study is to explore how company’s core values can interact with customer’ expectations and as embedded in the customer relation make impact on the customer satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Method                            </strong><strong>  </strong></p><p>Inductive research was used for data collection and analysis because the study is explorative in nature and therefore based on interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with Ericsson’s managers and their customers in Kazakhstan.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Findings                             </strong></p><p>Findings resulted from this study indicate that strong direct relationship exist among core values of service providers and expectations of their customers.<strong>        </strong><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusion                         </strong></p><p>Ericsson’s core values: professionalism, respect, and perseverance are constantly integrated in Ericsson daily business operations. Commitment to its customers, willingness to share knowledge and continuous offering of new technologies are best examples of that integration. Ericsson’s unique and professional service offerings meet and in many cases exceed high customer expectations and ultimately satisfy its customers in Kazakhstan.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Date                                    2009-09-07 Program                            MIMA – Master of International Marketing Course Name                    EFO705 Master Thesis Title                                    From Core Values to Customer Satisfaction: Ericsson in Kazakhstan Authors                              Dalila Aitpayeva (Västerås), Dejan Mandic (Göteborg) Supervisor                         Joakim Netz  Problem                            How can a company deploy its core values into customer relations to increase customers’ satisfaction? Purpose                              The purpose of this study is to explore how company’s core values can interact with customer’ expectations and as embedded in the customer relation make impact on the customer satisfaction. Method                              Inductive research was used for data collection and analysis because the study is explorative in nature and therefore based on interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with Ericsson’s managers and their customers in Kazakhstan.  Findings                             Findings resulted from this study indicate that strong direct relationship exist among core values of service providers and expectations of their customers.        Conclusion                         Ericsson’s core values: professionalism, respect, and perseverance are constantly integrated in Ericsson daily business operations. Commitment to its customers, willingness to share knowledge and continuous offering of new technologies are best examples of that integration. Ericsson’s unique and professional service offerings meet and in many cases exceed high customer expectations and ultimately satisfy its customers in Kazakhstan.

<p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This thesis is a part of a larger collaboration between students during the spring semester of 2009. The aim was to work together in order to collect more data and allow deeper analysis in the specific area chosen by each student-group. The goal was to come up with advice for banks on how to target immigrants in Sweden.</p><p>During this process a common theoretical framework was decided on and a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was written in English and later translated to several other languages in order to reach some of the target groups that were not fluent in English.</p><p>The chosen structure of each paper was to write it more like an article than a “traditional” master thesis.</p>

This thesis is a part of a larger collaboration between students during the spring semester of 2009. The aim was to work together in order to collect more data and allow deeper analysis in the specific area chosen by each student-group. The goal was to come up with advice for banks on how to target immigrants in Sweden. During this process a common theoretical framework was decided on and a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was written in English and later translated to several other languages in order to reach some of the target groups that were not fluent in English. The chosen structure of each paper was to write it more like an article than a “traditional” master thesis.

This thesis used ACSI model as a theoretical basis, which is a cause-and-effect model, to measure the quality of goods or service that starts from “customer expectations” to “customer satisfaction”. The purpose of this thesis is to find a suitable model for developing the customer satisfaction of No.2 bus service, by examining the relationships between perceived quality, customer expectation, perceived value and customer satisfaction in ACSI model. According to the data from survey of the international students in Gävle University, who lives in Sätra of Gävle of Sweden, this thesis used the partial least squares (PLS) regression to estimates the ASCI model. As a result, the coefficients of each variable and R-square statistics indicate that the relationships between PQ, CE, CS and PV are very weak; PV should be ignored in the case. Therefore, the ACSI model in this case had been revised, and the conclusion can be drawn: the ACSI model was unsuitable for No.2 bus case, furthermore, this study presents a new model for No.2, which is “customer expectation—perceived quality—customer satisfaction”. Consequently, the X-traffic Company should know the customers expectation and provide the service which can meet customer needs. By expanding previous research and based on ACSI model, the study empirically examines the relationships between three customer satisfaction dimensions.

Live performing arts are one of the most important heritages, defining the cultural identity of a society. Since live performing arts are cultural services, the process of experiencing them is pivotal in forming satisfaction on the customer side. Achieving customer satisfaction is crucial for non-profit cultural institutions operating under the Swedish cultural model. An investigation of the achieved level of customer satisfaction and a comparison to customer expectations is therefore necessary for offering cultural services, which meet customer expectations. Since service quality and hence customer satisfaction can be controlled via the elements of the services marketing mix, the authors focused on investigating the marketing mix of Programbolaget i Jönköping (PJ). The authors wish to investigate to what extent PJ’s current audiences are satisfied with the quality of the services marketing mix provided by PJ, what customers expect from it and what managerial implications can be advised to improve the service. The authors use a mixed methods approach. Quantitative data about customer satisfaction is collected via a questionnaire, which applies a five point Likert scale. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics are used in the data processing. Semi-structured interviews with PJ and customers are conducted to obtain information about the nature of PJ and customer expectations. The conclusions drawn from this study are that the overall level of satisfaction with PJs services marketing mix among PJ’s customers is satisfying, while deviations between the different elements exist, where the elements price, promotion and product score lowest. It is also found that some parameters of the marketing mix have significant levels of importance for customer groups. Customer expectations regarding the services, which scored low, were investigated through interviews. Based on the conducted statistical tests and the expectations of the customers, recommendations regarding PJ’s services are made in order to increase customer satisfaction.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / The aim of this study is to investigate service quality at retail banks, such as Standard Bank, ABSA Bank, First National Bank and Nedbank in Durban. The four objectives of this study are set as: Firstly, to identify the level of satisfaction with customer service received from different retail banks in Durban; Secondly, to identify customers’ expectations in terms of quality services provided by retail banks; Thirdly, to ascertain the perceptions of customers towards the service provided by retail banks in Durban; Fourthly, to measure the gaps between customer expectations and perceptions of service quality, using a modified version of the SERVQUAL model. The instrument used to assess the retail bank customer’s expectation and expectations of service quality, was the SERVQUAL questionnaire, measuring expectations and perceptions according to five quality dimensions. A total of 448 students were surveyed. Quota sampling was used in this study, in order to improve representativeness. Using quota sampling involves selecting the characteristics that are required in the sample and then sampling until enough representatives of each category are achieved. Although this is a form of non-probability sampling, a quota sample can provide a good approximation to a probability sample. It means that distributing questionnaires to a certain group would be stopped after the prescribed quota is reached. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Conclusions and recommendations were thereafter drawn from the literature and the findings of the study. The study shows that retail bank customer expectations of service quality exceeded their perceptions in the five service quality dimensions used in the SERVQUAL questionnaire. This study is also important because it will assist bank managers to convert negative perceptions to positive impressions. Consequently, customers will benefit from the improved, outstanding customer service.

Background:  The prevalence of augmented reality (AR) is on an upward trend and is expected to accelerate in growth in the upcoming years. This poses a strategic opportunity for marketers as it paves the way for incorporating AR into their marketing activities. However, a challenge for companies who wish to incorporate AR into their marketing is the lack of internal capabilities concerning AR among marketers. Research has shown that AR marketing (ARM) has several advantages such as it improves customer engagement, customer-brand relationships, customer’s purchasing intentions, and customer’s attitudes towards brands. The key factor that drives these positive outcomes of ARM is the enhanced hedonic and utilitarian benefits it provides. However, there is currently a lack of understanding regarding what utilitarian and hedonic benefits customers expect to derive from ARM. understanding these expectations is essential as their fulfillment is a determinant of how meaningful and satisfactory the ARM experiences are perceived.  Purpose:  The purpose of this study is to bridge the current research gap by exploring customers' expectations regarding the hedonic and utilitarian benefits of ARM and how well they perceive that these expectations are met and subsequently what this means for the overall customer experience.  Method:  The study is based on an exploratory qualitative research design with an abductive approach. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with fifteen participants that were purposely sampled. This allowed us to get rich data and develop an in-depth understanding of customers’ expectations and experiences with ARM. The interviews were conducted in two rounds, the first round was to explore their expectations of ARM shopping applications while the second round was to explore their experiences. Between the two interviews, the participants used two ARM applications (IKEA Place &amp; Wanna Kicks) and were asked to use them in their domestic setting. We analyzed the interview data using thematic analysis. By doing so we took a systematic approach to identify and compare similarities and dissimilarities in our data, leading to emerging themes. The results were compared to existing literature to identify new findings and develop conclusions.  Findings:  Our findings contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of ARM by identifying and categorizing customers' hedonic and utilitarian expectations and shedding light on the specific AR attributes that contribute to these expectations. Furthermore, we also present novel insights into how ARM can provide meaningful customers experiences. Our findings have several theoretical and managerial implications offering valuable insights for the continuation of theoretical development and strategic marketing practices.

Background: The concept of the chatbot has been around for nearly 60 years. However, service providers have recently increased the integration of chatbots in distinct industries due to the growth in digitalization and advanced technology. Not only that, chatbots can support service providers in becoming more efficient and reducing overhead costs. As a result, this transformation in service offering has influenced customers in various forms. Thus, this study explores Generation Z's perceptions and experiences using chatbots, with a focus on the influence these systems have on their trust. There is little information about this topic, and this study should aid organizations in learning how to better meet customer expectations, which could lead to more promising customer satisfaction in the future. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate customer perceptions and trust in chatbots which is a form of advanced technology in a customer service setting. The aim is to gather empirical evidence from customers' social reality to answer the research question of this investigation. Method: This research conducted an exploratory qualitative study with an inductive research approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 respondents from Generation Z, located in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany to achieve a broad perspective regarding their experiences with chatbots. The respondents were selected using the snowball and networking sampling method. The research paradigm of this study is interpretivism, which supports the examination in exploring and gaining knowledge about this phenomenon. Conclusion: The aim of this study was achieved, and the gathered empirical evidence presents further knowledge regarding customers' experiences with chatbots. This study and other relevant examinations prove that the increase of digitalization in customer service settings has an influence on customer experience. Primarily, the empirical findings indicate that there is an overall lack of trust in advanced technology due to the issue of privacy. Although Generation Z has grown up alongside the worldwide digital transformation, they remain cynical and distrustful of the future of technology. Thus, it occurs that there is a lack of customer trust in chatbots. However, this is confirmed by the fact that customers are sharing low pre-expectations towards chatbots. As a result, customers experience a more dissatisfied feeling towards the service provider. On the other hand, the empirical findings reveal that customers' loyalty remains unaltered towards businesses.

In the era of experience economy, how best to deliver memorable and exciting customer experiences has become a key issue for service providers. This research aims to build a systematical, quantitative and expectation-based mechanism to design and manage service experience and operation for cyber-physical services. Consequently, this study not only analyzes and synthesizes the critical factors by reviewing literatures (that is, customer expectation, service operation and customer emotion) within the background of service science but also establishes a conceptual theoretical framework for designing satisfactory service experiences. Furthermore, this study presents a concept of the Exquisite Technology and a service system (i.e. U2EX) with a customer expectation management engine (including five core methods, Hawk-Dove game, Coopetition, PSO, FCM and expectation measurement model) in the exhibition context to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing the notions of customer expectation management and service experience design. Besides, we integrate the expectation theory with the emotion theory to build a theoretical concept and employ a multimethod (including a single case study, interviews, simulations and questionnaire surveys) to test the relations and research propositions of the theoretical concept. The research results show positive evidences to support our developed theoretical concept. The customer expectation measurement model is one critical element of the proposed engine that can help service providers understand and quantify customer expectation in dynamic and real time environments for appropriate service experiences based on the systematical and theoretical groundings (i.e. Fechner’s law and operation risk). Hence, we use the simulations to verify the reliability of the customer expectation measurement model. Meanwhile, this research also conducts simulation experiments of Hawk-Dove game, PSO, FCM and Coopetition methods to have preliminary evidences for supporting the proposed mechanism. Thus, service providers provide customers with high-quality service experiences to achieve customer satisfaction and co-create values with customers through meticulous service experiences design approaches. The proposed mechanism of expectation-based service experience and operation design and management has been demonstrated in the exhibition service sector. We would like to apply the advantage and usage of the proposed mechanism to the other feasible domains and service sectors. Consequently, this study proposes a S-D based input-output analysis approach in order to find the potential fields that can also adopt the proposed mechanism by measuring the effects of technology spillovers.