Internet marketing and relationship marketing are becoming prevalent in Australian firms. The advent of the internet has created numerous opportunities for marketing professionals to enhance current marketing practices, including relationship marketing. However, the investigation of marketing relationships in an internet environment is scant. Further, there appears to be no investigation of this phenomenon within the context of Australian service industries. Thus this research attempts to bridge the gap that exists between academia and practitioners by investigating internet-facilitated relationship marketing. Given these gaps in the literature, the research problem investigated in this research is: How does B2B internet use affect inter-firm relationships in service industries? The literature does not investigate this research problem in any depth. However, a framework about internet-facilitated marketing relationship in the extant literature was integrated and synthesised with literature about internet marketing and relationship marketing to arrive at three research issues: RI 1: How does level of internet use affect structural and social bonds in an inter-firm relationship? RI 2: How do structural bonds interact with social bonds in an internet environment? RI 3: How do structural and social bonds determine relationship outcomes in an internet environment? To investigate these three research issues, a combination of qualitative and quantitative two-stage methodological approach was used. The first stage was eleven convergent interviews to build on the extant literature and to further confirm and refine the theoretical framework. In the second stage, a survey methodology was used to test the model about internet-facilitated inter-firm relationships in Australian business internet banking users. Data was analysed and the hypotheses specified in the main model were tested using structural equation modelling techniques. Thus this research involved both theory building and theory testing. The findings of this research have implications for the three research issues. The results for the first research issue showed that the internet has little negative impact on relational bonding in the B2B context. That is, technology-mediated transactions in financial services may not be detrimental to established relationships because trade efficiencies are more of a concern for businesses rather than the social aspects. Information technology-enabled connectivity can facilitate trade efficiency, therefore the relationship. Moreover, the impact of internet use on relational bonds of trust and dependence is moderated by the length of B2B internet use. That is, a longer period of dealing with an exchange partner on the internet facilitates relational bonding. The findings for the second research issue were that most interrelationships between structural and social bonds in an internet environment are in line with the generic literature. The findings for the third research issue are related to the relational outcome as a result of bonding. Although the internet has little direct impact on commitment and intention to stay, it contributes indirectly to the relational outcomes through structural and social bonding. In addition, the findings of this research highlight some important issues in relationship marketing research. That is, inter-relationships of the relational constructs depend on the context in which the relationship exists. The main contribution of this theory building research is the development and confirmation of a final theoretical framework about internet-facilitated inter-firm relationships. That framework is a contribution because it is the first rigorously researched step towards understanding the important confluence of two new and powerful streams of business activity of internet marketing and relationship marketing. This thesis has both theoretical and practical implications in the area of internet marketing and relationship marketing. The framework was built from theory and empirical research to represent this process and provides a foundation for further research.

<p>Title: Traditional marketing vs. Internet marketing: A comparison</p><p>Problem: Marketing is an important strategy for businesses and it contains numerous effective tools. Traditional marketing has been in use for many years and nowadays Internet has brought new ways of doing business for companies and that has affected marketing. What are the main differences between Internet marketing and traditional marketing? Which one of the two approaches contains the most used and effective marketing tools according to chosen companies in this thesis?</p><p>Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare traditional marketing and Internet marketing and show the differences of characteristics between them. And to find out what marketing tools are effective for some chosen companies in the fashion industry.</p><p>Method: The information gathered in this study was obtained through qualitative research from textbooks, websites, articles and interviews. Some quantitative data such as statistics were also gathered. The authors conducted interviews with few companies operating in the fashion industry to collect information needed for the analysis in this study.</p><p>Conclusion: By analysing different aspects of theory, comparison and interview answers, the authors came to a conclusion. Using the advantages of both Internet marketing and traditional marketing according to the goals of the company, is considered to be the most effective way of marketing. Comparing the two approaches, Internet seemed to be a complementary tool to traditional marketing.</p>

Mises en perspective, mes recherches contribuent principalement au développement de méthodes et mesures ainsi qu'au développement des théories dans le domaine du comportement du consommateur : 7 - Développement de méthodes : il s'agit de construire de nouvelles méthodes permettant de mieux servir la mise en oeuvre de la démarche marketing. La partie théorique d'un tel travail met en avant les limites des méthodes existantes et propose un nouveau paradigme de recherche pouvant améliorer les méthodes existantes. La phase empirique du travail teste, compare et valide la supériorité de la nouvelle méthode. - Développement des théories : il s'agit d'approfondir la réflexion théorique afin de proposer de nouvelles hypothèses qui seront à leur tour soumises à une ou plusieurs validations empiriques. Les champs de nos recherches L'innovation et le degré « d'innovativité » d'une entreprise sont depuis longtemps considérés comme des indicateurs-clef de la valeur à long terme d'une entreprise (Cooper, 1990). Pourtant une étude récente de la PDMA aux Etats Unis montre que plus de 60% des nouveaux produits lancés sont des échecs ou n'atteignent pas les objectifs qui leur étaient initialement assignés. Dans la même lignée, les travaux de Wind (1982) au début des années 80, avec l'entreprise General Foods, montrent que sur une période de 10 ans, plus de 600 idées de produits nouveaux furent systématiquement étudiées et évaluées pour à peine générer une trentaine de succès commerciaux. Pour assurer la pérennité de l'entreprise, il est donc fondamental de disposer « d'un flux continu et programmé de produits nouveaux aux différents stades de développement, d'évaluation, de lancement et de retrait du marché » (Choffray et Dorey, 1983). Ce constat est plus vrai que jamais, quelles que soient les industries, et s'est accéléré avec le développement de l'Internet. - Le processus de développement et de lancement de nouveaux produits est le premier champ de nos recherches. Ces dernières années ont été marquées par un développement important de l'Internet. Parfois qualifié de « média cannibale » (Denjean, 2006), Internet poursuit son développement sans ralentissement notable et provoque un grand nombre d'interrogations, de remises en question, et d'émergence de nouveaux modèles ou de nouveaux paradigmes touchant les stratégies et les actions marketing des entreprises. - Le marketing « interactif » constitue le deuxième champ de nos recherches.

<p>The purpose of this dissertation is to present how online marketing tools influence customer relationship management (CRM) in a Business to Business (B to B) company. After reviewing the relevant theories, a frame of reference for client relations through the internet is selected from the research of Bauer</p><p><em>et al (2002). Six key characteristics of internet were discussed in order to reveal their impact on CRM. Meanwhile, three variables, which are commitment, satisfaction, and trust, are explored to measure the concept CRM. Both qualitative and quantitative research are used in this study, through analyzing the company’s internal documents, the authors come to a conclusion that the internet tool could improve customer satisfaction, commitment and trust, so as to improve customer relationship. <strong><p>Key words:</p><p>Internet marketing Tools, Customer Relationship Management, Commitment, Satisfaction, Trust, Webinar, Multiple method</p></strong></em></p>

The purpose of this dissertation is to present how online marketing tools influence customer relationship management (CRM) in a Business to Business (B to B) company. After reviewing the relevant theories, a frame of reference for client relations through the internet is selected from the research of Bauer et al (2002). Six key characteristics of internet were discussed in order to reveal their impact on CRM. Meanwhile, three variables, which are commitment, satisfaction, and trust, are explored to measure the concept CRM. Both qualitative and quantitative research are used in this study, through analyzing the company’s internal documents, the authors come to a conclusion that the internet tool could improve customer satisfaction, commitment and trust, so as to improve customer relationship. Key words: Internet marketing Tools, Customer Relationship Management, Commitment, Satisfaction, Trust, Webinar, Multiple method

Title: Traditional marketing vs. Internet marketing: A comparison Problem: Marketing is an important strategy for businesses and it contains numerous effective tools. Traditional marketing has been in use for many years and nowadays Internet has brought new ways of doing business for companies and that has affected marketing. What are the main differences between Internet marketing and traditional marketing? Which one of the two approaches contains the most used and effective marketing tools according to chosen companies in this thesis? Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare traditional marketing and Internet marketing and show the differences of characteristics between them. And to find out what marketing tools are effective for some chosen companies in the fashion industry. Method: The information gathered in this study was obtained through qualitative research from textbooks, websites, articles and interviews. Some quantitative data such as statistics were also gathered. The authors conducted interviews with few companies operating in the fashion industry to collect information needed for the analysis in this study. Conclusion: By analysing different aspects of theory, comparison and interview answers, the authors came to a conclusion. Using the advantages of both Internet marketing and traditional marketing according to the goals of the company, is considered to be the most effective way of marketing. Comparing the two approaches, Internet seemed to be a complementary tool to traditional marketing.

Relationship marketing represents a trend in marketing to focus on mutual value creation and consumer retention by strengthening the connection between an organization and its customers. With the growing popularity of online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter as communication platforms, the networks have gained attention as tools that organizations can use to address current and potential consumers. To utilitize these networks, it is crucial for organizations to understand how consumers use the net-works, what attracts them towards communicating with organiza-tions on online social networks and what drives them to maintain these relationships in the long run. This study examines the willingness of students, the dominant user base of online social networks, towards the  initiation of relation-ships with organizations on the networks Facebook and Twitter, and the drivers behind the relationship. The  study was performed through a mixed method approach consisting of a quantitative survey study and a qualitative focus group discussion conducted at Jönköping University. The survey addressed the topics of usage patterns and adopter motivations, while the focus group attempted to explain and motivate the data gathered during the survey study. Both studies targeted Swedish and international students. The students tended to be long-term users of the networks, and were positive towards communicating with organizations through the networks. However, the majority of respondents had not adopted relationship marketing through online social networks at this point in time. The respondents favored access to information and communication channels with peers as value offerings that would attract them to form relationships with organizations. Ulti-mately, relationship marketing on online social networks is com-pletely dependent on the consumer’s consent and wishes, and marketers must focus entirely on satisfying the concerns and re-quirements of its targeted users.

The rapid penetration of the Internet and the prevalence of various social media facilitated by new technologies provide new opportunities for how marketing techniques are developed and refined. The creation of viral marketing has been driven by technological innovations and cultural changes. Responding to marketing trends and catering to consumers’ psychological demands and behavioral changes, viral marketing represents the latest online customer-centric marketing (Shukla, 2010). Extending the advertising effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication and Internet marketing, viral marketing has demonstrated considerable success and utility in a promotional phase and development process of a product and/or service. This study intends to illustrate the benefits and challenges of viral marketing. The effects and concerns with the adoption of viral marketing are reinforced by previous research and findings from marketer and consumer focus groups. This thesis will contribute to building a theoretical and empirical foundation for viral marketing research and professional practice.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Computer and Information Science

The rapid penetration of the Internet and the prevalence of various social media facilitated by new technologies provide new opportunities for how marketing techniques are developed and refined. The creation of viral marketing has been driven by technological innovations and cultural changes. Responding to marketing trends and catering to consumers’ psychological demands and behavioral changes, viral marketing represents the latest online customer-centric marketing (Shukla, 2010). Extending the advertising effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication and Internet marketing, viral marketing has demonstrated considerable success and utility in a promotional phase and development process of a product and/or service. This study intends to illustrate the benefits and challenges of viral marketing. The effects and concerns with the adoption of viral marketing are reinforced by previous research and findings from marketer and consumer focus groups. This thesis will contribute to building a theoretical and empirical foundation for viral marketing research and professional practice.