METU-Online, a distance education tool developed and maintained by Middle East Technical University (METU) Informatics Institute, can be defined as Customer-to-Business-to-Customer (C2B2C) e-business. In this thesis, a new design and improvement of this system based on Customer Relationships Management (CRM) is presented. With this approach a CRM system is designed, an organizational change is recommended, customercentered business processes are improved to a certain extend, a CRM data warehouse is broadly defined and a basic reporting system is designed. The result of a system analysis of METU-Online, methods used in this analysis, and the CRM model and the recommended design are presented.

ABSTRACT Hispanic parents face several barriers that impede their involvement in their children’s education. This lack of parental involvement negatively affects the academic outcome of students, graduation rates, and college attendance. This study uses the situational theory of publics to determine what kind of public Mexican parents are, and makes recommendations on what is the best way to engage them and motivate them to participate in schools. Seventeen Mexican mothers were interviewed about their views on education and relationships with their children’s teachers and schools. Findings revealed that the main barriers to parental involvement among Mexican parents are work, language and lack of childcare. The study discusses some strategies that schools can use to help parents overcome barriers to involvement. This research is important because for the first time it uses communications, and more specifically public relations theories, to further the research on Hispanic parental involvement.

The Lugnetgymnasium in Falun has a graphic education that supplies a color printer, which is availablefor the students in their hall. The printer is a Ricoh AFC 6513 and it is a model that can handlevariable data. It was bought in the autumn of 2002. The teachers of the graphic education want to makeuse of the variable data function and procure a variable data software. The purpose of this project is toevaluate variable data software’s, so that the most suitable choice of software can be made for the graphiceducation. To be able to make this choice, criterions has been made what the variable data softwarewill fulfil. Different software’s of variable data has been examined and a summary was made whichtells what software that fulfils all the criterions. The software’s that seemed appropriate for the graphiceducation were PrintShop Mail and Personalizer-X. Adecision which one of these software’s thatwill be purchase was made by the teachers on the graphic education. Tests and a more detailed studyon the software’s have been done. The information has later been presented for the teachers. They madea decision, which were Personalizer-X. After this decision, an easier manual for Personalizer-X wasmade. The purpose with the manual is that the students on the graphic education, quickly and easy canget started with the use of variable data.

The purpose of this research paper is to provide an understanding for organizational factors effect on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the hotel business and then investigate CRM activities effect on loyalty among business travelers. An analysis of 163 questionnaires gathered from hotels in Sweden resulted in two main findings. (1) Organizational factors such as: size, strategy, and maturity of information system affect CRM activities where the development of a customer loyalty strategy affects CRM activities the most. (2) CRM activities as: bonus cards, service customization, free-gifts, and convenient check in/check outs affect loyalty where service customization affects loyalty the most. Hence, different organizational preferences and certain CRM activities are preferable as hotels strive to create loyalty among business travelers.

Network communication technology has developed for decades. As a result, nowadays, marketers can communicate clients more effectively through the use of social network media to develop a powerful relationship marketing strategy. This dissertation compares relationship marketing strategy with existing marketing theories. Based on the comparison, the dissertation uses qualitative approaches to analyze the cooperation between Newman Co. (It is a social media service firm that helps companies with relationship marketing strategy.) and PetroChina, so as to propose a successful way to integrate the social network media into a relationship marketing strategy. Some materials are gathered from email interview with Mr. Zhao, the Manager of the Service Department from Newman Co. Moreover, the dissertation conducts a case study (It is based on interview with Mr. Peik Hua, the General Manager of Southwest Branch of PetroChina) about what benefit that PetroChina has got through using Newman's social media system (Remote video conferencing system). The purpose of this dissertation is, by analyzing those materials, to identify what social media can do for relationship marketing strategy, and how it works, so as to find out and highlight the benefits of social media networking. Meanwhile, this dissertation attempts to definite how SMEs form large clients relationship, such as Newman co., to approach large clients and gain their trust to incorporate social networking media into their relationship marketing strategy.

In the new media society, social media has become an important part of many organizations' daily lives. Organizations, whether public or private, must be where their audience is and many times, these can be found on social media channels like Facebook. Leading researchers in the fields of crisis communication and relationship management believe that social media is a great tool for managing relationships between an organization and its' public, whether it's before, during or after a crisis. The purpose of this study is to examine how the Karlstad municipality use Facebook to manage civic relations before, during and after a crisis. The municipality's approach will be compared to the citizens' experiences of the municipality's communication in different stages of a crisis. The theoretical framework used in this essay is the research on crisis communication and relationship management. How these two frameworks can be integrated with social media like Facebook, is an important part of understanding how the Karlstad municipality make use of Facebook to manage civic relations and communicate before, during and after a crisis. The empirical study consists of a qualitative interview, two qualitative content analysis and an online survey. This triangulation of methods is done to answer how the municipality are supposed to communicate using Facebook in theory, how it looks like in practice and to get an idea of how the citizens are experiencing the Karlstad municipality's communicative efforts. The results show that the municipality has found a way to communicate through Facebook, which contributes to the citizens expectations of civil service fulfillment. The citizens get a better impression of the municipality and also find the municipality more trustworthy. The communication is of mutual benefit. Through the use of Facebook.. the municipality finds it easier to have a dialogue with the citizens, come in contact with new groups of citizens and easier reach its citizens. / I det nya mediesamhället har sociala medier blivit en viktig del i många organisationers vardag. Organisationer, oavsett om det är offentliga eller privata, måste finnas där deras målgrupp finns och många gånger finns dessa på sociala medier som Facebook. Ledande forskare inom områdena kriskommunikation och relationship management menar att sociala medier är ett bra verktyg för att hantera relationer mellan organisation och dess intressenter före, under och efter en kris. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur Karlstads kommun använder sig av Facebook för att hantera medborgarrelationer före, under och efter en kris. Detta ska jämföras med hur kommunens tillvägagångssätt förhåller sig till de upplevelser som användarna har av kommunens kommunikation i olika krisskeden. De teoretiska ramverken som har använts i uppsatsen är forskningen om kriskommunikation och relationship management. Hur dessa två ramverk kan integreras med sociala medier som Facebook, är en viktig del för att förstå hur Karlstads kommun använder Facebook för att hantera medborgarrelationer och kommunicera före, under och efter en kris. Den empiriska undersökningen består av en kvalitativ samtalsintervju, två kvalitativa innehållsanalyser och en webbenkätundersökning. Denna triangulering av metoder görs för att besvara hur kommunen har resonerat kring kommunikation på Facebook, hur den ser ut i praktiken och för att få en bild av hur medborgarna upplever den. Resultatet visar att kommunen har hittat ett sätt att kommunicera via Facebook, som bidrar till att medborgarnas förväntningar på medborgarservice uppfylls. Medborgarna får ett bättre intryck av kommunen och får ett ökat förtroende för den. Kommunikation är till ömsesidig fördel. Genom att använda Facebook får kommunen det lättare att föra medborgardialog, komma i kontakt med nya grupper av medborgare och enklare nå medborgarna.

Purpose: The analytical purpose of this thesis is to link theory on how business processes should be designed to strenghten customer relationships, with empirical data on what these processes presently look like. The empirical purpose is to formulate a CRM strategy for Volvo Penta. This will be done by analyzing how the current processes of the company are designed and what limitations and possibilities the market characteristics offer. Method: A triangulated research method with focus on qualitative interviews is used in the form of in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Thirteen such interviews have been conducted with representatives of different departments within Volvo Penta. Findings: The empirical data has brought several findings on what needs to be done and thought through in order to optimize a CRM-strategy. One such finding is that Volvo Penta does not have thorough directions on how their processes and customers should be approached. Another important finding is that the level of cross-functionality within the processes is too low.

Bakgrund: Intresset för studien och ämnesområdet väcktes genom en verklig händelse när vi tog kontakt med en optiker för en önskad synundersökning. Företaget, vilket för några år tillbaka implementerat ett CRM-system ansåg sig erbjuda stor kundfokus genom det införda systemet. Dock visade resultatet på motsatsen när vi vid ett flertal tillfällen försökte nå företaget utan framgång och även genom ett mindre trevligt bemötande när vi tog kontakt med företaget genom att besöka deras butik. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) har under det senaste årtiondet blivit ett allt mer omtalat och diskuterat ämne samt en allt mer populär och prioriterad investering för att förbättra sina kundrelationer och på så sätt öka sina inkomster och förbättra sina resultat. Dock visar tidigare forskning på en stor problematik angående implementeringsprocessen av systemet, att näst intill fyra av fem företag upplever ett stort missnöje och utebliva resultat. Syfte: Studien är inriktad mot att undersöka implementeringsprocessen av ett CRM- system i syfte att identifiera vilka delar i processen som är kritiska för att nå ett lyckat resultat. Vidare skall studien även ge svar på frågan om vilka faktorer som kan ses påverka utfallet och som därmed kan anses vara kritiska för att uppnå en lyckad implementering och ett lyckat resultat. Inom ramen för syftet kommer vi besvara följande frågor: Vilka aspekter i implementeringsprocessen kan ur ett teoretiskt samt empiriskt perspektiv beskrivas som kritiska? Om, och i så fall, på vilket sätt det föreligger likheter eller skillnader mellan de teoretiskt kritiska aspekterna och det empiriska resultatet? Om, och i så fall, hur kan gemensamma samband mellan aspekter och faktorer mellan i de i studien ingående företagens implementeringsprocesser urskiljas och beskrivas? Genomförande: Studien har en induktiv, hermeneutisk samt explorativ ansats där interna aspekter samt faktorer studeras inom ramen av små och medelstora svenska företag inom Linköpings kommun. Vidare har referensramen skapats genom litteraturstudier och empiriska data är erhållen genom kvalitativa intervjuer på fem olika företag. Resultat: Genom studiens resultat har vi, ur ett teoretiska samt ur ett empiriskt perspektiv, identifierat tre kritiska aspekter (människan, processen samt teknologin) samt tre kritiska faktorer (ledarskap, strategi och integration) inom implementeringsprocessen. Vidare har den empiriska undersökningen utöver dessa urskilt en ytterligare faktor, vilken är företagskulturen där tyngden ligger i medarbetarnas attityder, anpassning, samarbete samt viljan till förändring. Den mänskliga aspekten har även visat sig vara mycket kritisk, där den ur båda perspektiven beskrivs som avgörande för ett lyckat resultat. Studiens genomförande har även resulterat i iakttagelser av företagens olika definitioner och synen på användandet av systemet, alltså skiljer sig syftet vilket leder oss till ett utvärderingsdilemma när det gäller förväntade och lyckade resultat. Den varierande bilden av systemet gör en generell jämförelse missvisande och svårtolkad genom att företagen inte har klara syften med införandet och i många fall förväntar sig ett resultat vilket ej motsvarar deras egna insatser och arbete. Förväntar företagen sig ett visst resultat utan att tillföra de rätta resurserna kommer de säkerligen anse att resultatet inte blev det som förväntades och att införandet därmed blev ett misslyckande. Det handlar alltså om att företagen måste veta vad de vill uppnå och utforma ett klart syfte med sitt CRM-införande. Detta för att tillföra rätt resurser och uppnå ett lyckat resultat, vilket bör anses lyckat i jämförelse med ett realistiskt syfte samt i förhållande till de resurser som tillförts. Systemets komplexitet fordrar planering och insikt om en krävande implementeringsprocess. Den splittrade bilden av systemets användning samt syfte leder till en rad olika problem där den mänskliga aspekten spelar en avgörande roll. Dock kan en tydlig strategi som förmedlar syftet samt kraven på anpassning och förändring minska dessa mänskliga symptom och leda till ett lyckat resultat. / Tillägg på ämne/kurs: Även Magisteruppsats från internationella ekonomprogrammet

Background:China could be seemed as a highly developing country. There are many opportunities and challenges inChina. Its preferential policies and huge potential market attract a lot of foreign companies to come toChina. Meanwhile, Chinese government encourages the development of domestic enterprises. Therefore, at present there mainly coexist three forms of enterprises inChina: foreign-funded companies, private companies and state-controlling companies. In order to enhance competitiveness, almost every company in china has its own supply chain network. Supply Chain management plays an important role in Chinese companies. Research question: 1.     What is the current situation of purchasing process and purchasing process integration for some manufacturers of different ownerships in China?   2.     How can purchasing process be integrated for some manufacturers of different ownerships in China from manufacture’s perspectives?   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study the current situation in purchasing process integration in Chinese manufacturing industry of three kinds of ownership and evaluate the purchasing process of three kinds of companies in China. In addition, it gives some suggestions to remove potential obstacles and optimize the purchasing process; and aims to help the companies to gain competitive advantage in the long term.   Method: The empirical foundation for this thesis is intended to be on multiple case study method. It studies of the three types of manufacturing enterprises in China. To represent these three types of companies, three companies are chosen from each as selected research objects. Data is collected through semi-structure interviews, so the questionnaire would be open-ended. Long-distance telephone interview with purchasing managers and material managers separately for each company would be adopted.   Conclusion: The purchasing process of three companies who represent three different types of ownership is studied. It studies the current situation in purchasing process integration in Chinese manufacturing industry of three kinds of ownership and evaluates the purchasing process of three kinds of companies in China. Then the obstacles in purchasing process are found out. Then suggestions on purchasing process integration are used to tackle these obstacles.   Future Work: This thesis focuses on three manufacturing companies in China. The result of this thesis cannot represent all the obstacles in purchasing process in manufacturing industry in China. But the purchasing process, characteristics, strength and weakness are similar in the same type of ownership. Meanwhile, the recommendation on purchasing process integration also cannot solve all the obstacles found, due to the companies’ own condition. In future research, it recommends to add more research companies. Furthermore, more studies could be included to identify common obstacles and dig out solutions related to purchasing process integration in Chinese manufacturing industry.

Since recent financial crisis triggered world economy recession, most of the corporations are facing financial downturn. To survive in the recession, some measurements are taken to increase revenue and reduce expense. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of those measurements which are used by corporation managers to enhance business operations and retain old customers. In Lee¡¦s research, 70% corporations adopting CRM failed. Introducing a system into business operation is not the only key point; customer-centered corporation culture and structure are some other key points. Successful CRM operation coordinates CRM strategy, organization, process, tool and final evaluation to support services continuously. This study focuses on constructing an acceptable CRM model to minimize the investments of time, money and man power when adopting CRM, and reduce the possibility of failure. In this study, we follow Enterprise Architecture (EA) theory and use the Structure-Behavior Coalescence Architecture Description Language (SBC-ADL) as a tool to create the architecture-oriented CRM model (AOCRMM). SBC-ADL integrates the views of structure, behavior and others, so that it integrates organizational structures and organizational behaviors into a single model. Comparing to traditional CRM models which organizational structures and organizational behaviors are separated, the AOCRMM provides a more holistic way, than traditional CRM models, to describe how the CRM operates.