In the literature today, there is an apparent absence of generally accepted models for how to achieve customer loyalty within the car retail sector.  Researchers have proposed that it is less expensive to serve long-term customers than newly acquired customers (Reishheld, 1994; Mittal & Lassar, 1998; Zineldin, 2006). However, the overall experience of satisfaction will play a crucial role for companies’ ability to build a long-term relationship with its customers (Gee, et al. 2008). Upon this gap, we decided to build a framework where we propose that the delivery within “sales and service” plays a crucial role for the perceived customer satisfactions associated with the retailer. In the study, we first investigated the circumstances within “sales and service” domains that leads to customer satisfaction and secondly, we examined whether fulfilled customer satisfaction in the “sales and service” domain leads to a long-term customer relationship for the car retailers. In accordance with the purpose of gaining knowledge on long-term customer relationship building within the car retail sector, we developed further knowledge that is applicable for car retailers as well as for the industrial wisdom within the automotive industry.   In the study, we applied the deductive approach. Hypotheses was generated based on existing literature, and were developed into a proposed framework, see figure 2.  We tested these hypotheses by applying a qualitative study to confirm or refute them.  The study follows a qualitative research approach, by way of reason that we wanted to gain deep insight into how all the interviewees experience and their treatments within the car retail context; the study was conducted based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews from ten participants.   Our study concludes that there is a general trend within the empirical findings that is mostly confirmed by the existing literature, that can provide a model which leads to perceived customer satisfaction within sales and service for a specific car retailer. The circumstances from “sales and service” that leads to customer satisfaction within the car retail sector are when the retailers: Work hard to achieve a personified relationship at all levels of the customer interaction, focusing on products offering and services according to the customers’ current needs, while delivering in a professional way according to their profession and always staying honest with the customer.     The results further reveal that 60 per cent of the interviewees are willing to stay in a long-term customer relationship with the retailer that can best fulfil the expectations set out above.   Although recent research shows that customer loyalty is decreasing (Laurell & Parment, 2015), our findings reveal that customers continue to believe in long-term customer relationship with the car retailers. As such, managers should put in places processes and measures that can achieve greater customer satisfaction throughout the “sales and service” period.

This research reports on the nature and preference of the relationship between researchers and practitioners, as expressed by both parties. The research methods used in this study included a critical analysis of 28 Masters and doctoral dissertations from a large university in South Africa to examine how they described the researcher–practitioner relationship. This was followed by extended interviews with both the original researchers and the participants in three studies selected from these 28 projects. In addition, two research projects conducted by experienced researchers were included, as well as a discussion on how my participants interacted with me as a researcher. The data were explained through the theoretical frame of a general model developed by Huberman in 1990, not only focusing on the relationship manifested in the research process itself, but also locating the relationship within a broader theoretical frame that seeks to explain the patterns and consequences of such engagement. The findings draw attention to the often uncovered similarities between the two communities, while also highlighting ethics as an area of concern that displays the biggest disjunction between the two communities. In addition, the findings confirm the powerful influence of organisational culture, in this case academic discourse on the behaviour of an individual researcher. On the other hand, however, the findings also point to the individualism manifested in research decisions and processes. Finally, the findings disprove the way in which power is perceived in research situations in the literature. The significance of this study also includes a revisiting of existing theories about insider/outsider positioning and research utilisation and the proposal to extend current debates. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Research into wellness literature identified the existence of various wellness models consisting of multiple dimensions, and found different relationships between these dimensions. In an attempt to expand on the theory of wellness, this study determined the wellness behaviour and health risk profile of managers at two South African higher education institutions. A sample of 89 managers from two South African universities, a traditional academic university and a technology university, was used in the study. The sample comprised 40.45% respondents from the academic university and 59.55% from the technology university. Females accounted for 31.5% of the sample, while males accounted for 68.5%. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the wellness behaviour levels and the health risk scores of managers. The results suggested that there were no significant correlations between the mean physical fitness and nutrition, medical self-care, safety, environmental wellness, social awareness, intellectual wellness, spirituality and values subdimensions and the health risk scores of managers. However, there was a significant negative relationship between sexuality and emotional awareness and the health risk scores. The negative correlation indicated that, with an increase in the sexuality and emotional awareness level, there would be a decrease in the health risk. There was a small negative relationship between emotional management and the health risk score. The low negative correlation indicated that with an increase in the emotional management level, there would be a decrease in the health risk. There was also a negative relationship between occupational wellness and the health risk score. The low negative correlation indicated that with an increase in the occupational wellness levels, there would be a decrease in the health risk. T-tests were used to determine the relationship between the mean wellness behaviour levels and mean health risk scores of managers at the academic university and technology university, heads of academic departments and directors of support services, female and male managers, post-graduate and PhD graduate managers.The results indicated that there were no significant differences in the mean wellness behaviour levels and mean health risk scores of managers at the academic university and technology university, heads of academic departments and directors of support services, female and male managers, post-graduate and PhD graduate managers. Thus, the null hypotheses postulating that there is no significant difference between the mean wellness behaviour levels and mean health risk scores of managers at the academic university and technology university, heads of academic departments and directors of support services, female and male managers, post-graduate and PhD graduate managers, could not be rejected. A one-way analysis (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the difference between the wellness behaviour levels and the mean health risk scores of the three age groups used in this study. The results indicated that the means of the three age groups did not differ significantly. A wellness prediction model could not be used to measure wellness against the eleven independent variables. The data was of such a nature that a linear regression model could not be used, as the variables were not normally distributed. Therefore, the null hypothesis postulating that it is not possible to use a wellness prediction model as a holistic dependent variable, to measure wellness against all possible variables, could not be rejected. The combined average wellness behaviour levels of managers at the academic university and technology university were 76.8% and the risk scores were 19.36%. These indicated high wellness behaviour levels and low health risk levels. The wellness behaviour and health risk model proposed in this study, may serve as a theoretical framework for future scientific wellness behaviour and health promotion surveys and data analysis to devise tailor-made interventions. The model postulates that wellness, as a dependent variable, is determined by eleven independent variables. These eleven independent variables are physical fitness and nutrition, medical self-care, safety, environmental wellness, social awareness, sexuality and emotional awareness, emotional management, intellectual wellness, occupational wellness, spirituality and values and the health risk score. This study identified the physical fitness and nutrition, and medical self-care wellness behaviour levels as weaknesses in managers at the two sample universities that necessitate interventions. / Thesis (PhD (Organizational Behaviour))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / PhD / unrestricted

This is the first known occupational therapy (OT) study to examine the emergent patterns of the client-therapist working alliance during the course of a community-based OT intervention. The experiences of both the adult client and OT in each of four dyads are explored and described as they relate to the evolution of the alliance over time and the impacting contextual factors. These experiences were considered alongside the therapy outcomes. Mixed methods, including quantitative scales and interviews, were used in this multiple-case study situated within a pragmatism paradigm. Individual case and cross case analyses were conducted leading to the identification of eleven cross case themes. These findings suggest that the interpersonal relationship between a client and OT develops with the goal of becoming a safe harbour for the clients. The strengthening interpersonal bond appears to create an impetus within the client to engage in therapeutic activities. This enticed engagement results in the client’s performance of novel activity purposefully selected by the OT as bearing personal meaning for the client. The clients’ engagement often results in enhanced insight into their abilities and meaningful functional gains. This success appears to reinforce and energize both the momentum toward the collaboratively-established therapy goals, as well as provides a positive feedback mechanism into the working alliance. The OT’s training, philosophy and skill, client’s attributes, and environmental influences (both physical and social) all appear to have potential implications upon the working alliance’s development and/or the therapeutic achievements. Further research will be needed to confirm or disconfirm these findings and may include further study with variable client populations (e.g., different ages, different conditions), the role of humour in the therapeutic process, the impact of client’s degree of social isolation on the alliance, as well therapists’ disparate levels of use-of-self and the related impacts upon the alliance.

Modernist perspectives on work and leisure rooted within the post-war period have reflected a differentiated relationship between work and leisure (Parker, 1971; 1983; Wilensky, 1960). The impacts of globalization, de-regulation of the labour market and the rise of flexible accumulation of capital have altered traditional modernist notions of work and leisure (Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2005b; Schor, 1992). Recent literature demonstrates the manner in which leisure is re-appraised in the postmodern context (Blackshaw, 2010; Rojek, 1995; 2001; 2010b), providing new ways of understanding how leisure can engage with work (Bowers, 2011; Guerrier & Adib, 2009; Ravenscroft & Gilchrist, 2009). This dissertation examines meaningful work and its relationship to leisure amongst professional and knowledge workers in a not-for-profit and public sector organization. Three areas of investigation were pursued using qualitative approaches, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Article one comparatively examined experiences of meaningful work amongst workers from both organizations, and the extent to which experiences aligned to what is understood as a ‘liquid work’ organization (Clegg & Baumeler, 2010; Poder, 2007). Through an analysis of the factors that promote and hinder satisfaction, workplace satisfaction was primarily found within the not-for-profit sector organization, which more closely reflected a ‘liquid work’ organization. Article two examines leisure’s engagement with satisfying and productive forms of work through what is understood as a form of ‘civil labour’ (Rojek, 2001). Through an analysis of workers’ feelings towards work, different levels of engagement offer the potential for leisure to engage in productive and satisfying work. This was primarily evident amongst not-for-profit workers, whose engagement in work provided opportunities for developing social and cultural capital. Finally, article three examines the extent to which a de-differentiation of work and leisure (Rojek, 1993; 1995) is taking place amongst workers in the two settings. In comparatively examining workers’ perceptions of work and leisure, it is evident that a differentiation still exists. The discussion focuses on the relevance of workers’ experiences of work in producing different ways of understanding leisure in relation to work. The concluding chapter presents an integration of three articles, limitations, alternative methods and proposals for future research.

This study applies a configuration theoretic approach to understand the interplay between business strategy and relationship strategy. It is hypothesised that business relationships make their greatest contributions to both relationship performance and firm performance when the structure of a relationship is accurately aligned with the business strategy (i.e. configuration model 1) and the relationship strategy (i.e. configuration model 2) of a focal firm. The hypotheses are tested using four seemingly complementary approaches to fit consisting of profile deviation, moderation, mediation, and covariation. This study adopts both qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey to address the research questions. First, a total of 30 interviews with CEOs and other senior marketing managers in the UK and the USA were conducted to develop a new typology for relationship strategies (termed resource acquisition strategies). The five resource acquisition strategies consist of Money Bonds, New Market Bonds, Utilisation Bonds, Intellectual Bonds, and Credibility Bonds. A further quantitative pretest, with 311 full time MBA and international executive MBA students at Manchester Business School, supported the validity and reliability of this typology. To examine the two configuration models, a sample of 658 usable responses from the US service industries was collected through a web-based survey. In the first configuration model, the results of a profile deviation analysis confirmed the existence of an ideal relational configuration for each business strategy so that the degree of adherence to this ideal profile is significantly and positively related to performance variables. Several robustness tests gave further confidence to these findings. In addition, while the two neo-classical approaches to fit, profile deviation and covariation, were strongly supported, the results only loosely supported the operationalisation of fit from the two classical approaches, fit as moderation and mediation. In the second configuration model, the results of the profile deviation analyses indicated that strategic coalignment between the business relationship characteristics and the relationship strategy is a desirable property for performance enhancement. Several robustness tests supported this finding. Moreover, the results of examining the interplay between business strategy and relationship strategy, and linking it to performance, rejected the association between the two strategy types, implying that there are several alternative, equally effective, routes to success in building relationships. This study adds to the body of knowledge via providing sufficient evidence for the appropriateness of using configuration theory in the study of relationship marketing based phenomena, thus widening the scope of this theory. It also sheds new light on our understanding of relationship strategies which is further development of the resource-based view and Industrial Marketing and Purchasing approach. It contributes to the extant literature by investigating the degree and patterns of coalignment between relationship structure and both business strategy and relationship strategy. Moreover, juxtaposing alternative forms of fit added new insight into the fit methodology literature. From a managerial perspective, this study provides specific guidelines to help managers design their relationships in ways that are aligned with their strategic intent. It also suggests that marketing managers can usefully draw on configuration theory and profile deviation approach to optimise their benchmarking decisions.

Given the increasing importance of international higher education (HE) markets from a business perspective (Chadee and Naidoo, 2009; Anonymous, 2011a, 2012a), this research responds to the review of Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka (2006) that highlighted a lack of holistic approaches and theoretical models to address the nature of the HE service; and built on scholarly work (Mazzarol and Hosie, 1996; Mazzarol, 1998; Naude and Ivy, 1999; Ivy and Naude, 2004; Ivy, 2008) relating to HE marketing strategies. The research moves from the traditional marketing approach adopted predominantly in the existing literature of HE marketing (i.e. Mazzarol et al., 2003; Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2006) and instead adopts a relational approach. This offers an alternative way of investigating the HE service, and contributes towards a broader theoretical perspective on HE strategy and a deeper understanding of the complex nature of the HE service. The theoretical background of this research was based on both the Interaction Approach (Håkansson ed., 1982) and the Relationship Life-Cycle Model (Ford, 1980; Wilkinson and Young, 1994). In response to limited existing research on the students’ perspective in HE (Trowler, 2010), this study provides a means of exploring HE marketing from the perspective of a markets-as-networks tradition (Håkansson and Snehota, 1995; Ford et al., 2002). Due to the adoption of a social constructivist epistemological stance (Gergen, 1985; Tashakkori and Teddlie, 1998), a case studies research approach (Yin, 2003, 2011) and semi-structured interviews (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994; Miles and Huberman, 1994) were utilised. Template analysis was chosen for data examination and interpretation (King, 1998, 2004), from a longitudinal contextual time-space of prospective students, current students and future alumni viewpoints (Halinen and Törnroos, 2005). The research findings suggest that the HE service is interactive and relational by nature, comprising six key relationships that are fundamentally important from the perspective of students being the focal-actor. These include relationships with alumni, other students, academic staff, administrative staff, multi-national companies (MNCs), and overseas exchange partner higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite the multiple roles of students, as clients (Mills et al., 1983; Hill, 1995), producers (Armstrong, 1995), products (Emery, et al., 2001; Modell, 2005) and customers (Kotler and Fox, 1985; Conway et al., 1994) of the HEIs, students are the users of these networks. They are also the beneficiaries of these key relationships, as they perceive and seek the added-value of the HE service, such as knowledge enrichment and employability enhancement. The synergy of these relationships and networks collectively contribute to the added-value of the HE service, enhance students’ overall positive experience and satisfaction with their institutions, and also have the potential to significantly impact on the HEIs’ competencies and business strategies. Practically, managing and influencing these relationships provide an opportunity for HE managers in resource allocation, strategic planning and policy-making, and the quality of service provision at the operational level.

Suicide is a national public health concern, and college students may be at increased risk. Symptoms of psychopathology (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression) may contribute to risk, whereas religiosity (i.e., religious attendance, surrendering to God, and feeling forgiven by God) may reduce risk. Students from a rural southeastern university (N=249) completed self-report measures. Serial mediation analyses indicate that attendance and surrender to God are inversely- predictive of suicide risk, both directly and through the indirect pathways of feeling forgiven by God (1st order mediator) and psychopathology (2nd order mediators). In all models, specific indirect effects occurred through feeling forgiven by God, suggesting the importance of relational aspects of religiosity. Our novel findings highlight mechanisms of action linking religiosity to suicide risk, and may provide direction for therapeutic intervention (e.g., psycho- education regarding religious involvement, fostering feelings of forgiveness) to reduce psychopathology and suicidality in the collegiate population.

Abstract not available.

The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that leaders of a nonprofit organization used to build long-term donor relationships through social media. Participants included a purposeful sample of 3 senior leaders of a small nonprofit organization in Southern California who demonstrated successful approaches to using social media to manage donor relations. The conceptual framework for this study was Hon and Grunig’s concept for measuring long-term organization–public relationships. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with organization leaders, review of publicly available organizational documents, and information including financial statements, strategic planning documents, organizational budgets, employee handbooks, and board manuals. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to validate the findings. Data from organizational documents and interviews were manually coded, and themes were identified using content analysis. Five themes emerged related to process strengths and opportunities including leadership succession and performance evaluation, workforce capacity, revenue diversification, performance measurements and data collection, and the expansion of relationship management via social media. The findings from this study might contribute to positive social change by providing strategies for building long-term relationships with donors through social media and the supporting processes that nonprofit leaders can use to increase financial resources through a loyal donor community and enhance organizational sustainability.