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Obtaining customer knowledge represents a key task across all firms given its importance for potential competitive advantage, improving service quality and achieving long-term relationships with agents. However, despite the fact that the interaction between customers and frontline employees during service encounters is considered a valuable source of customer knowledge, our understanding of the role of frontline employees as brokers in this respect remains embryonic. The purpose and motivation of this research are to explore the factors-namely, enablers and barriers-that influence frontline employees' motivation to serve as knowledge brokers. The process through which knowledge brokers transfer customer knowledge during service encounters is also considered important. This study further contributes to the theory of knowledge management by formulating a valid conceptual framework that illustrates the process of knowledge-brokering during these service encounters. This thesis adopted a qualitative research approach using an in-depth multiple case study analysis. In total, 30 semi-structured interviews with different informants (i.e. managers and employees) from three top commercial banks in Jordan were undertaken. In addition, other data sources, including documents and observations, were also informed the primary data collection. Contextually, Jordan's service-oriented economy combined with its developing nature provided a rich research environment for exploring these issues. The study reveals that frontline employees engage in knowledge-brokering during service encounters transfer through three types of customer knowledge, namely, knowledge about customers, knowledge for customers, and knowledge from customers. Furthermore, the main findings demonstrate four critical sets of factors facilitating or impeding knowledge-brokering during these events, i.e.; organisational-level factors (e.g. organisational culture, organisational structure, and organisational support), individual-level factors (e.g. job experience, prior customer knowledge, ability to understand customer knowledge, self-efficacy, and workload), technological-level factors (e.g. bank information system and a lack of a customer-relationship management system) and knowledge-level factors (e.g. tacit or explicit). It was also found that the process of knowledge-brokering during service encounters is accomplished in two ways: knowledge-brokering for the customer and knowledge-brokering for the organisation. This study also reports a set of managerial implications that provide a better understanding of the influential factors inherent in establishing and seeking to succeed in knowledge-brokering during the course of frontline bank employees' interactions during service encounters. Keywords: knowledge-brokering, frontline employees, customer knowledge, service encounters.

Banking leaders face the loss of profitability because of low employee retention in their organizations. Retention issues negatively affect business operations and market performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that investment-banking leaders use to retain frontline employees. Herzberg's 2-factor theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 5 banking leaders in New York and through a review of company documents on retention strategies. The data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding data. The 3 themes that emerged from data analysis were career growth strategy, compensation strategy, and training and development strategy. The study findings indicated that banking leaders used career advancement, compensation, and training and development strategies to retain frontline employees. The implications of the study for positive social change include banking leaders' potential to reduce retention issues in organizations, lower unemployment rates, and improve the standard living in the communities they serve.

This study develops and tests a model where work-family conflict is posited as a mediator between work overload and burnout (exhaustion and disengagement), and positive affectivity as a moderator of the relationships between work overload, and work-family conflict and burnout. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 620 full-time frontline hotel employees in Turkey. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed in analyzing the data. The results show that work-family conflict fully mediates the impacts of work overload on exhaustion and disengagement. Also positive affectivity reduces the effect of work-family conflict on disengagement. Implications of the empirical results and directions for future research are delineated in the study. In this study we develop a model and test eight hypotheses that are based on the precepts of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory [16]. We contend that work overload is a predictor of work-family conflict which influences the two dimensions of burnout (exhaustion and disengagement). In other words, our model proposes that work-family conflict acts as a full mediator between work overload and the burnout dimensions. In the remainder of the paper, we present our hypotheses. This is followed by discussions of the method and findings of our empirical study. We conclude with implications of the results and directions for future research.

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Abstract In this research, we aim to look at the inner workings of Lead Generation and Add-on Sales through the eye of the people working directly with it. We do that with the objective of understanding what contributes positively to its success and what can cause problems or hinders it throughout all its stages from generating innovative ideas to implementing and selling them. We have chosen a qualitative method to conduct this study using an interpretive paradigm in performing our analysis of the findings. The data was collected by organizing interviews with participants that we selected in collaboration with Telco’s researchers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded to form our primary data. In addition to that, we have used vast secondary data that was deemed to be relevant to the subject we were researching. After analyzing the results and findings, we look to answer the research questions, which concern the difficulties accompanying the innovative process between initiating an idea and implementing it as well as identifying the enablers and hindrances that arise during the operations of these innovative initiatives called Lead Generation and Add-on Sales. Once factors were identified, further analysis is performed to discuss if these factors are hindrances or enablers to the innovative initiatives at Telco. The frontline employees’ new business ideas (leads) or add-on sales are added as inputs to the ICT systems of this initiative and follow to subsequent phases until reach the commercialization phase in case they succeed, all the phases and processes occur through the ICT systems. In the context of this research, technology plays a key role and not only make the Lead Generation and Add-on sales processes viable but is also a factor that can either facilitate or impede potential leads or add-on sales to succeed. We put forward a model to better illustrate our findings and clarify the reasoning behind them. Despite the delimitations in terms of scope of this research, we believe that our findings and analysis can play a role in contributing to the understanding of factors that can be a barrier in the pursuit for innovation.

The basic purpose of the research is to understand the significance of internal marketing in influencing frontline employees'job-related attitudes and service quality. Since rewards are considered to be an important compqnent of internal marketing, this research investigates relationships among frontline employee perceptions of rewards (extrinsic and intrinsic), attitudes (three components of organisational commitment viz. affective, normative and continuance, and job satisfaction), and service quality, in banking call centres. In this context, a conceptual model is presented comprising rewards as the antecedentsa, ttitudes as the mediating variables, and service quality of the frontline employees as the outcome variable. The model is empirically tested through a large sample study that is conducted among 4 call centres of a major retail bank in the UK. Following certain qualitative in-depth interviews at the exploratory stage, structural equation modelling (using AMOS) is carried out on 342 useable questionnaires (response rate of more than 50%), to empirically test the proposed framework for the study. The measurement and structural models, after validation and purification, provided satisfactory fit estimates across absolute, incremental and parsimonious measures. The results highlight the importance of rewards, as part of internal marketing, in maintaining employee attitudes, and improving service quality. Intrinsic rewards (like role clarity, training and skill variety) emerged as the most significant of all, as they were found to impact on service quality directly. Extrinsic social rewards (like supervision and team support) were not found to be significant, while the finding regarding extrinsic organisational rewards-service quality relationship was surprising. Although assumed important for perfon-nance, some had no direct effect (pay, and benefits satisfaction, extrinsic exchange), while others (working conditions and promotional opportunities) exerted a negative direct effect on service quality, although the indirect effect of most of these rewards was found to be positive. However, these rewards were considered important for influencing employee attitudes, which in turn influence service quality. In this context, the importance of employee attitudes like affective commitment and job satisfaction is emphasisedfor service quality. The empirical results of the study also reveal that it is the nature of commitment that matters in commitment-service quality relationship. Affective commitment emerged as the only attitude variable to bear a significant positive relationship with service quality. Job satisfaction was not found to impact on service quality directly, although the indirect effect was found to be positive. Normative commitment impacted on service quality indirectly, while continuance commitment was not found to be effective at all. Besides theoretical and methodological contributions, the thesis also provides strong managerial implications and directions for future research in applying internal marketing for improving service quality of frontline employees in call centres. Keywords: internal marketing, rewards, service quality, commitment, job satisfaction, UK banks, call centres, frontline employees.

Darbo tikslas: identifikuoti apgyvendinimo sektoriaus kontaktinių darbuotojų stresorius, bei streso valdymo priemonių veiksmingumą. Darbo uţdaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti streso darbe atsiradimą ir valdymą. 2. Atskleisti apgyvendinimo sektoriaus kontaktinių darbuotojų stresinės veiklos aplinką. 3. Identifikuoti apgyvendinimo sektoriaus kontaktinių darbuotojų stresorius. 4. Išsiaiškinti apgyvendinimo sektoriuje naudojamų streso valdymo priemonių veiksmingumą kontaktiniams darbuotojams. Tiriamasis klausimas: Kokie stresoriai kelia stresą Kauno miesto viešbučių kontaktiniams darbuotojams ir kokios streso darbe valdymo priemonės vertinamos veiksmingiausiomis? Svarbiausi rezultatai ir išvados: Apgyvendinimo sektoriaus kontaktinių darbuotojų veikla pasiţymi didele streso susidarymo tikimybe, nes atliekamas stipraus emocinio pasiruošimo reikalaujantis darbas, atsakoma už labiausiai nenusakomą verslo elementą – klientą ir neretai keli darbai atliekami vienu metu. Empirinio tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, jog apgyvendinimo sektoriaus kontaktiniams darbuotojams labiausiai stresą sukelia darbo kontrolė, atsakomybė už kitus darbuotojus, vaidmens neapibrėžtumas, darbo sąlygos bei darbo krūvis. Veiksmingiausiomis streso valdymo priemonėmis vertinta socialinė vadovų ir kolegų parama, tinkama komunikacija, darbuotojo žinių, įgūdžių atitikimas darbo vietos reikalavimams, įtraukimas į sprendimų priėmimą ir karjeros valdymas. / Purpose: to identify stressors of frontline employees in hospitality industry and effectiveness of stress management interventions. Objectives: 1. To analyse the occurence of work-related stress and its management 2. To reveal how stressful the frontline employees„ activities in hospitality industry are 3. To identify the stressors of frontline employees in hospitality industry 4. To find out the effectiveness of organisational stress management interventions. The research issues: Which stressors cause stress for hotel front-line employees in Kaunas and which stress management interventions are valuated as the most effective? Findings: The environment of frontline employees in hospitality industry characterizes with a high probability of the formation of stress, as the work requires strong emotional preparedness, responsibility for the most indescribable element of business - the client, and ability to carry out few works at once. Empirical results of the study revealed that the stress of frontine hotel employees is caused by job control, responsibility for other workers, the uncertainty of role, working conditions and workload. The most effective stress management interventions were rated as social support from colleagues and managers, adequate communication, employee knowledge, skills, matching job requirements, participation in decision-making and career management.

With an ongoing development in technology, retailers faces new challenges in terms of higher customer expectations. To meet these expectations, retail companies can use in-store technology to enhance the shopping experience and to create more value. This study aims to provide an understanding of in-store technology and how retailers can work with these tools in order to create customer value and improve the customer experience. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the Swedish market and see how Swedish retail companies work with in-store technology.   In this context, the following research questions were formed: (1) How do retail managers use in-store technology to create value for the customers? and (2) How do in-store technology affect frontline employees within retail? In order to answer these questions, a qualitative method was used, where five different retail companies were interviewed, which all have implemented in-store technology. Before the empirical gathering, we chose to keep the companies and the respondents anonymous in order for us to reduce the risk for complications later on in the thesis. This study aims to provide theory and to get an understanding of in-store technology and how companies can use it to develop their business. A conceptual framework was made to clarify which concepts that was used in order to answer these questions. These concepts were in-store technology, customer value creation, convenience, frontline employees, customer engagement and improved customer experience.   The empirical findings generated theory in which the authors developed two models: (1) The value dynamics, which describe how in-store technology and the interplay between managers, frontline employees, and customers generate value to each other. (2) A three step model where the authors have several suggestions of what retail companies should think of when they implement new technology.  The results of this study conclude how retail companies can use in-store technology in order to create customer value to improve the customer experience. In-store technology has created more value for the customer in terms of a more convenient shopping experience, and in-store technology provides the customer with more information which makes the shopping experience more independent as well. In-store technology has also contributed, in some extent, to a better working environment for frontline employees.

The physical store frontline employees are the link between the organization and the customers. During 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has had different effect on different retail sectors, some have had their worst results while ICA Maxi stores have increased their sales. This dissertation aimed to explore challenges the frontline employees and their store managers perceive they face during the COVID-19 pandemic in the retail store context. In order to explore these challenges semi structured interviews were conducted at an ICA Maxi store in the south of Sweden. The study found that the frontline employees are not involved in the decision-making process, that the leaders support is important for initiatives to be successful, and that there was no additional training for the frontline employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw the conclusion that while frontline employees are not included in the formal decision-making, they are still able to raise their concerns with their managers. We also draw the conclusion that managerial support is important when implementing initiatives for the frontline employees. Finally, we draw the conclusion that none of the frontline employees felt the need for any additional training. This study contributes to the scarce amount of research from the frontline employee perspective in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Practically, this study could be of value for store managers in order to enhance the customer interaction from a frontline employee point of view.