Despite the recent recession, the economic growth of recent decades has created a group of so-called ‘Global-Elites’ (CeMoRe, 2010). Small in number, but high in net worth and influence they are influential in the creation of, and desire for consumption, often portrayed as luxury, privilege, prestige, and 'class'. The tourism industry has also benefited from growth, with demand predicted to double by the year 2020, reaching an estimated $14.95 billion (World Tourism & Travel Council, 2010). Much of this growth has been at the top end, as Keissling et. al. (2009) note an unprecedented rise in demand for the luxury hotel sector over the past decade. The global elite’s leisure consumption practices require considerable research attention, and yet research into luxury services, such as hotels and associated hospitality services, is greatly undeveloped. Atwal and Williams (2008) note the ability of consumption as a means for consumers to make statements about themselves, and nowhere is this more true than in the world of the Global-Elite, who seemingly having no desire to curb current travel activities (Elliott & Urry, 2009). This may be due to the uncertainty that is felt about future travel opportunities, with environmental decline of natural and heritage attractions paralleled by numerous threats to travel such as peak oil and political instability. However, in recent years, there has been increased interest in the study of ethical consumption in the tourism arena (e.g. Novelli, 2005; Sharpley, 2006; Lansing & Vries, 2006; Yeoman et. al., 2006). Although there appears to be incompatibility between the concepts of luxury and concerns around ethical consumption and sustainability, this research posits that while current transitions (around travel and tourism) continue towards further unsustainability (Cohen, 2010), ethical consumption may provide an avenue for social distinction and status differentiation in the world of the Global-Elites. In order to adequately understand the behavioural intentions of the Global-Elites, the synergy between consumer values, luxury dimensions and ethical consumption needs to be explored. This research examines the influence of consumer values, as a more universal measure of intent, in relation to ethical consumption in luxury hotels. This research argues that by reducing the uncertainty related to the degree to which consumers (Global-Elites) value ethical consumption, deeper insights into these apparently incompatible spaces and places for ethical consumption will be obtained. Furthermore, luxury hotels will be able to assess the suitability of marketing and communicating such strategies to their customers.

Control and involvement are well researched concepts in traditional marketing, while interactivity is a relatively new concept associated with Internet marketing and communication. From an Internet interaction perspective, the research examines the impact of interactivity, control and involvement on customer satisfaction and loyalty in an eBanking context. Using Flow Theory as the theoretical foundation, it is proposed that these three Internet communication constructs lead to eService dependency and eService encounter satisfaction, which, in turn, enhance the overall satisfaction and loyalty to the principal bank at corporate level. A mixed methodology using both qualitative and quantitative approaches of data collection is adopted. In-depth interviews with eBankers and focus group studies with eBanking customers support the importance of interactivity, control and involvement in the eService encounter. The in-depth interviews and focus groups facilitate the identification of eService dependency as a new construct in the model. Participants' views also help the operationalisation of constructs and development of questionnaire for quantitative data collection. ii Analysis of the quantitative data using structural equation modelling shows support for all three constructs' hypothesised positive relationships with eService dependency and eService encounter satisfaction i.e. satisfaction at the service encounter level. It is also confirmed that eService dependency and eService encounter satisfaction have a positive impact on overall satisfaction with the principal bank i.e. satisfaction at corporate level. However, the influence of eService dependency and eService encounter satisfaction on loyalty to principal bank is not supported. The research concludes with the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the research. Strategies to enhance interactivity with, control of and involvement by eBanking customers are recommended to eBankers. Limitations of the research and directions for future research in Internet and eService are also suggested.

Klientų lojalumo valdymo idėja sulaukia vis daugiau įmonių dėmesio, o šiandieninėje ekonomikos recesijoje, klientų išsaugojimas ir jų lojalumo didinimas tampa svarbiausia veiklos kryptimi. Daugiausiai dėmesio įmonės pradėjo skirti ne naujų klientų paieškai, o santykių su esamais klientais išsaugojimui. Šiame darbe nagrinėjama valdymo įmonė UAB „Parex investicijų valdymas“, kuri teikia investavimo paslaugas. Didžiausią įmonės gaunamų pajamų dalį sudaro klientų aptarnavimas, todėl efektyvus santykių su klientais valdymas yra vienas iš didžiausią įtaką įmonės sėkmei turinčių veiksnių. Valdymo įmonė neturi klientų lojalumo didinimo strategijos, nebuvo plėtojama santykiai su esamais klientais, todėl pastaruoju metu įmonę palieka vis daugiau klientų, o tai kelia grėsmę įmonės konkurencingumui. Darbe nagrinėjama problema – kaip padidinti esamų klientų lojalumą įmonei. Išsiaiškinus veiksnius, kurie įtakoja lojalumą, tikimasi pasiūlyti efektyvius problemos sprendimo būdus. Baigiamojo darbo tikslas yra parengti klientų lojalumo didinimo strategiją. Išsiaiškinti klientų lojalumą skatinančius veiksnius ir paruošti vadybinius pasiūlymus buvo atliktas kiekybinis aprašomasis tyrimas. Remiantis apklausos, kurioje dalyvavo 63 respondentai, duomenimis, naudojant SPSS programą atlikta ir aprašyta empirinio tyrimo analizė. Gauti duomenys parodė, kad svarbiausi veiksniai, įtakojantys klientų lojalumą, yra konfliktų valdymas, darbuotojų profesionalumas, bendrovės patikimumas. Prioritetinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The customer loyalty management concept is receiving more and more companies focus and in today’s economic recession, customer retention and increasing their loyalty is a key operational decision. The focus is turned from the need for a search for new customers to the relationship with existing customer retention. In this paper the UAB “Parex investiciju valdymas” company which provides investment services is described. The highest revenue of the company consists of customer service, and effective customer relationship management is one of the greatest impacts on the company’s success factors. The management company has no strategy how to strengthen customer loyalty and has never been developing relationships with existing customers. Many customers recently left the company and this poses a threat to the company’s competitiveness. This paper examines the problem how to increase existing customer loyalty to the company. The clarification on the factors that affect loyalty would be helpful for companies in defining solutions. The final goal of this research is to develop customer loyalty strategy. In order to ascertain customer loyalty and a preparation of management proposals a quantitative descriptive study was carried out. Based on the data which were gained from the 63 respondents’ answers, the analysis is done on. Conflict management, professional employees, the company’s creditability and the service of buying and selling are the most important factors influencing... [to full text]

An important question in today’s research on marketing is in what way a company can influence how customers perceive their brand and in what way they can facilitate customer retention. The aim with this paper is to research the impact the corporate brand image has on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty within the travel industry to further the understanding of how branding activities influence customer preferences. By using a survey with an experimental design, where corporate brand image is manipulated through a PR-article, the results indicate that a company can influence the loyalty a customer feels toward their brand by trying to influence the corporate brand image. The results also support the idea that corporate brand image does have its own effect on customer loyalty and is not merely indirectly influencing it through customer satisfaction. Furthermore, these results are of interest to the travel industry since it indicates that PR campaigns can aid the travel agency in differentiating itself from its competitors. In an industry with intangible and homogeneous services and a highly competitive market differentiating the brand is likely to have a positive competitive effect.

The main aim of the study was to determine which measurement tool, existing or adapted, would be able to determine the levels of customer centricity within the sales channels of a specific organisation, operating in the South African financial industry. A literary study showed that in order to determine the levels of customer centricity, customer experience should be measured. Six questionnaires were administered, namely, EXQ, NPS, CES, Customer satisfaction, Word-of-Mouth and Behavioural loyalty intention. The data showed a statistical significance and a positive relationship between all the constructs within all the questionnaires except with that of CES. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Background:  Social media is a constantly growing medium for communication that enables companies to interact with current and potential customers. It is of utmost importance that companies learn how to use social media in order to engage their customers, which will lead to greater customer loyalty. There is a large amount of literature on social media and customer loyalty separately, but not on how these subjects relate and interact. Therefore, the case study performed involving Mormor Magdas Därproducerade Glass will put focus on the activities that engage customers, which can lead to loyal customers.  Purpose:  The purpose of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of how small firms increase customer engagement through social media, leading to the creation of greater customer loyalty. Method:                           A qualitative approach to the research has been chosen which consists of a single case study that will allow for a deeper analysis of the subject. Data collection was performed through two interviews with the owners of the case study company and several observations of the company’s social media uses. Conclusion:                         By following the model provided in this thesis, more effective uses of social media for a small business are demonstrated, which will engage customers and enhance the company’s image, leading to greater customer loyalty. This model will also give a business a simplified picture of social media uses and how to use them properly. The case study shows a business the types of posts that are effective in engaging customers: frequent updates, prompt responses to all queries, and a focus on the specific social media platforms that are the most fruitful for each particular business’s needs.

In recent years, e-commerce has grown and spread to different markets. One of these markets is the toy market. This growth has created a need of expanding the loyalty research to the context of e-commerce. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the concept loyalty by identifying what loyalty building factors in Swedish online toyshops matters to the customer and how the customers utilize the factors. The collection method was semi-structured group interviews in order to explore the respondents’ experiences with online toyshops in Sweden. The findings suggest that eight factors influences loyalty in online toyshops. The factors were divided into internal- and external factors. The internal factors consist of convenience and children’s involvement. The external factors are product brand image, website attributes, delivery, service quality and security concerns. These external factors were found to affect company brand image. Depending on the customers’ preferences the factors are playing different roles in the customers’ life. The limitations of the study are few participants, risk of being biased because of the theory and many interpretations of the empirical material. The practical implication is that the companies can use the findings to understand their customers and that a theoretical development has been made. The original value of the study is that this kind of research has not been made in the context of online toyshops before, in the best of our knowledge.

Authors: Adrian Dilaver and Mario Oreski Tutor: Urban Ljungquist Examiner: Anders Pehrsson Purpose: The purpose of this study the relationship between brand experience, brand trust  and brand loyalty. Research questions: What type of relationship does brand experience have with brand loyalty? How does brand trust affect the relationship between brand experience and brand loyalty? Methodology: A descriptive research design with a quantitative approach was conducted, utilizing an online questionnaire with a total of 113 respondents. Conclusion: The findings of this research partially supports that sensory-, intellectual- and behavioral experience have a positive- and direct relationship with brand loyalty. Affective experience did not have a positive relationship with brand loyalty, not even when tested separately. The mediating variable in this study (brand trust), also partially mediated the relationship between sensory-, intellectual- and behavioral experience and brand loyalty. However, brand trust did not mediate the relationship between affective experience and brand loyalty. / <p>Acnkowledgments</p><p>This study could not have been conducted without the help of several people. Firstly, we would like to thank Urban Ljungquist for his guidance and assistance throughout this process. We would also like to thank Anders Pehrsson for giving us valuable feedback and input during the seminars. Further, we want to thank all of the respondents who participated in our survey and made it possible for us to conduct our research. Lastly, the researchers would like to thank each other for supporting and encouraging one another during this process.</p><p>Linnaeus University  </p><p>Växjö 26th of May 2017</p>

Abstract Social media is a marketing phenomenon that is growing very fast. Social media helps creating value for customers in broadcasting the advertising among social networks. Blog posts, videos, pictures, reviews and ratings all have a significant impact on marketing. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how companies can achieve customer loyalty and customer relationship management using social media marketing and if companies can target new customers by social media. An inductive research approach was used in the study. Semi-structured interviews were performed with interviewees from two companies. A survey questionnaire was answered by 100 social media users which were also customers of the companies. The findings show that there are certain constraints in social media such as risk of user information security when their information can be shared with the companies so that companies can do better marketing research. Word of mouth is spread on social media where new customers are targeted. Social media is providing new channels for support, advertisement and acting as a news feed tool to keep customers up to date about recent events and news. The company stated that no extra resources were required to market on social media.

Syfte: Vårt syfte är att analysera och klargöra hur företags bakgrund och historia relateras till varumärkens identitet.   Forskningsfrågor: 1. Vilket inflytande kan företags grundare eller andra ledare personer ha för varumärkets identitet? 2. Vilka orsaker finns till att företag väljer att accentuera den historiska bakgrunden?   Metod: Uppsatsen är skriven med en kvalitativ forskningsmetod som har en abduktiv ansats. Studiens empiriska data utgörs av fem stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med experter inom området.   Slutsats: Vi drar slutsatsen att företag som har möjlighet att använda sig av historieberättande eller sin bakgrund bör ta tillfället i akt. En historia skapar relationer och associationer och kan på så sätt differentiera varumärket från andra. Vidare framkommer att kultur inom organisationer kan vara den del som har störst möjlighet att påverka identiteten och att synliga och aktiva ledare är en stor del av kulturen. / Purpose: Our aim is to analyse and clarify how companies’ background and history can be related to corporate identity.   Research questions: 1. What influence can founders or other managing people of companies have for the corporate identity? 2. What reasons are there for companies to choose to accentuate the historical background?   Method: The essay is written with a qualitative research method, which has an abductive approach. The study's empirical data consists of five semi-structured interviews with experts in the field.   Conclusion: We conclude that companies that have the opportunity to make use of storytelling or their background should seize the opportunity. A history creates relationships and associations and can therefore differentiate the brand from others. Furthermore, it appears that the culture within organizations can be the part that has the greatest influence on corporate identity, visible and active leaders are a big part of the culture.