China and India enjoy the most robust economic growth in the world. They are also two important players in the international arena that cannot be underestimated because of their population, nature resources, and regional influence. The fact that China and India are forging a strategic partnership will not only reshape Asia's geopolitics, but also have a significant global impact. The current relationship between China and India is still very fragile due to different political systems, international visions, and geopolitical benefits between the two countries. Their bilateral relationship is mixed with Realism and Idealism. Since 1990s, India has adopted a new forward-looking foreign policy with East Asian countries; known as ¡§Look East Policy¡¨, and this policy help establishing the relationship between Taiwan and India and reaching a new stage. This policy has made some progress since then, and this India new foreign policy obviously has strategic politics in mind, on being security and strategic alliance, and intention to compete with China. To sum up, the two countries still see each other as an important rival. For example, on some international issues in Asia, India's foreign policy has dual characters. On one hand, India wants to improve its relations with China; on the other hand, India takes precautions against and antagonizes China. Adding the influence factors from other countries with global influence such as the United States, Japan, Russia, etc., the India-China relationship is becoming more complicated. The Post-Cold War Era provides less comfort than questions for the future of Sino-Indian relationship. This is bound to be influenced by many imponderables in their respective domestic and external environments. Whether both countries can lay their disputes aside in the future, and construct an economic alliance, or they cannot get along well, there will have important consequences. Moreover, how to reassess the Indian government policy toward China? What are the potential impacts between the India-Taiwan relationships? How the Indian government solidifies its own national interests between China and Taiwan? These are the major subjects addressed in this dissertation. This doctoral dissertation is mainly divided into three parts: First, the India-China border problem has been there for a long time and the contradictions presented by different perspectives from both sides are discussed. The second part, through such historical-oriented topic such as the Tibet status and its democratic movement, and the latest outlook of India's internal political development shows the different arguments and national interests to formulate internal and international policies, and derives into a new analogy and theorem as a starting point to analyze the current India political transformation and international policy. The third part is to discuss the Indian government's policy, the self-esteem and attitude, current development of India-China cooperation in economy and trade, India's role in the Cross-straits relations, and then assesses the future development of the India-China strategic partnership, and the potential influence on the international affairs.

Due to the more and more fierce competition in today’s business, many companies are required to build long-term profitable relationship with customers and to achieve customer loyalty. Therefore, relationship marketing has become more and more important since last decade of 20th century, especially in service industry. There are many different relationship marketing tactics implemented for retaining customer. However, some of those tactics did not affect customer loyalty effectively, and switching behaviors frequently occur among most of targeted customers. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the impact of relationship marketing tactics on customer satisfaction and trust, which in turn increase customer loyalty, by focusing on Swedish mobile telecommunication sector. A analytical model is developed as a guildline to test the relationships between relationship marketing tactics, relationship quality (trust and satisfaction) and customer loyalty. a quantitative method with deductive approach are chosen in this research. In order to collect primary data, a self-completed questionnaire is designed and randomly sent out by email to the students in Halmstad University. The SPSS for windows is used to process the primary data. The findings shows that Service Quality, Price Perception, and Value Offers have impact on customer loyalty indirectly via the customer satisfaction and trust. Brand image is positively and directly related to customer loyalty. However, switching costs is found to be less correlation with customer loyalty, as well as satisfaction and trust in Sweden telecommunication industry.

Aim of the Thesis: To investigate the practice of using a CRM strategy in football clubs by comparing earlier successful and unsuccessful CRM implementations by football clubs and study fan relationship theories in a large Swedish football club, thereby presenting guidelines on how to further develop a CRM strategy in a Swedish football club.   Methodology: A quantitative approach and a qualitative approach have been used, first collecting empirical data on supporter views through a questionnaire further strengthened by gathering empirical data through an interview. The quantitative data has been presented with descriptive statistics and the qualitative data has been analyzed using a realist approach.   Theoretical Perspectives: A literature review has been conducted and resulted in a theoretical framework illustrating the concepts of benefits and risks with CRM, fan relationship marketing, CRM implementation process, CRM systems in football clubs, and supporter loyalty. A research model, “FRM implementation process” has been developed from the theoretical findings.    Empirical Data: The quantitative empirical data has been collected by distributing a questionnaire to supporters of AIK Fotboll. The qualitative empirical data has been collected through interviews with the head of sales and marketing within AIK Fotboll AB.   Conclusion: A CRM strategy can benefit Swedish football clubs in areas such as to better capture customer data, better communication between the club and its supporters and provide customized offers as long as the supporters are informed about the changes in strategy. In order for Swedish football clubs to successfully implement a CRM strategy they need to ensure adequate financing and management commitment since an unsuccessful implementation can be devastating to a Swedish football club’s finances.

Despite the vast research within the fields of buyer-supplier relationships and the fashion industry, a lack of comprehensive understanding concerning the connection between the two seems to be found. Research regarding long-term relations and key concepts in form of trust and commitment, are stated to be crucial in order to create a long-term relationship. However, the importance of these concepts application regarding small-sized fashion retailers was identified to be an unexplored area; thus, a research gap was detected. This highlights a need for further research of the characteristics of the buyer- supplier relationships within small-sized fashion retailers. The purpose of this study was consequently to investigate buyer-supplier relationships within small-sized fashion retailers. Furthermore, based on the literature review of the theoretical framework, three research questions were formulated. To gather empirical data, a multiple-case study was conducted and semi-structured interviews with four purchasing managers working in the fashion industry were performed.   This study discloses that the concepts of trust and commitment were identified as being of great importance, in order to maintain a long-term relationship between the parties. Further, several factors, e.g. communication, conflict resolution and identification were distinguished to have a significant impact on the character of a close relationship. Finally this study concluded that the relation between the buyer and supplier is highly valued; with especially trust as a key factor. Both affective and calculative commitment was identified to exist, often depending on the size and dependence of the supplier. However, the prosperity of the business was ultimately argued to be the main reason for maintaining a partnership. Hence, the retailers preferred a close relationship, but sometimes accepted a transactional one due to their own customer demand.

Problem: The developing business market and the pressure it puts on business gives rise to new fields of business within SCM and logistics. Third party logistics (TPL) services have grown rapidly in importance as an alternative to vertical business integration. The emergence of TPL has brought about interest in the topic by academia, but recent literature reviews express a need for research on TPL relationships where both buyer and provider perspectives are viewed simultaneously, since a majority of previous research has been conducted more from a single organisational viewpoint. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how providers and buyers in TPL relationships adapt and cooperate to develop mutually beneficial and long-term relationships, as well as investigating their willingness and attitudes in this concern. Method: The thesis combines an explanatory and exploratory classification, and performs a qualitative, mono method study of viewpoints on TPL relationships from Swedish and Norwegian providers and buyers that currently are in a TPL relationship. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with four providers and three buyers. The findings are analysed and interpreted in light of a theoretical framework developed from the literature review, which in the analysis is applied in a TPL context to extend the understanding of TPL relationships. Conclusions: Willingness to adapt and cooperate in TPL relationships is connected with the parties’ perceived potential for economic gain and also with being able to trust the other party. Buyers emphasise the need for providers to have knowledge about the buyers’ business. Providers emphasise the need for buyers to be knowledgeable about their own business and for the buyer to fits their solutions. Attitudes: Both parties emphasise communication as crucial for the development of mutual benefits. Buyers adapt to providers’ standards as far as possible. Providers seem to want buyers to adapt to their solutions to gain economies of scale, and therefore appear reluctant to make relationship-specific investments. The use of contracts in the TPL context appears to contradict literature in that contracts work as a foundation for building trust, as well as for reducing opportunistic and operational risk. In practice, both providers and buyers highlight the use of integrated IT-solutions as a means of adapting to each other. Regular operational meetings are emphasised as part of the practical cooperation to develop the relationship’s future and to discuss day-to-day issues.

This study investigates whether the parent-adolescent relationship is related to the academic, social, and personal-emotional expectations of adjustment and actual adjustment to college during the transition to college. The mother-adolescent relationship was more consistently linked to college adjustment than the father-adolescent relationship both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, and students identified their parents and especially their mother amongst the first people who they go to for support. More African Americans than students from other ethnic backgrounds and more dormitory residents than commuters identified their mother as their first supportive figure, suggesting that the students’ living arrangements and their cultural backgrounds need to be taken under consideration when studying this transitional period.

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.

Titel: Facebook - en plattform i relationsmarknadsföring? – Hur resesamordnare använder Facebook som hjälpmedel i sin relationsmarknadsföring. Nivå: C- uppsats i Företagsekonomi Författare: Linnea Granberg, Erika Illerbrand Handledare: Per-Arne Wikström Datum: 2012 maj Syfte: Syftet med undersökningen är att kartlägga hur resesamordnare använder Facebook i sin relationsmarknadsföring. Vi vill undersöka varför företagen har valt det arbetssätt de har idag? Hur ser det ut i praktiken? Hur tror företagen att deras arbetssätt påverkar relationerna med kunderna? Anledningen till val av ämne var att Facebook är ett relativt nytt verktyg inom marknadsföringen. Vi vill undersöka hur företag i dagsläget kan använda sin Facebooksida i sin relationsmarknadsföring. Metod: Vi har använt en deduktiv metod då vi har utgått från tidigare forskning och sedan applicerat denna på empirin. De primära empiriska data som insamlades var av kvalitativ karaktär.  Resultat och slutsats: Resesamordnarna använder Facebook kundtjänst samt plattform för att föra en dialog med kunderna. Resesamordnarna lär känna sina kunder bättre genom deras arbete med Facebook. Genom den interaktion som uppstår mellan kund och företag blir kunden del i en värdeskapande process tillsammans med företaget. Om företaget bemöter offentlig negativ kritik på ett bra sätt kan negativ ryktesspridning lindras och förtroende för företaget byggas. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: En undersökning som ger inblick ur konsumentens perspektiv. Uppsatsens bidrag: Att kartlägga hur företag i dagsläget kan använda Facebook som ett verktyg i sin relationsmarknadsföring. Nyckelord: Facebook, relationsmarknadsföring, kunddialog, word- of- mouth, relation. / Title: Facebook -  a platform for relationship marketing?  - How travel coordinators use Facebook as a mean in their relationship marketing. Level: C Business Author: Linnea Granberg, Erika Illerbrand Supervisor: Per-Arne Wikström Date: 2012 May Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate how travel coordinators use Facebook as a part of their relationship marketing. We wanted to study why the companies work with Facebook the way they do? How do they work practically? How do the companies believe that their way of working with Facebook influences the relationships with the costumers? The reason behind the choice of topic was that Facebook is a relatively new tool within marketing. We wanted to investigate how companies can use their Facebook page as a part of their marketing. Method: We have used a deductive method as we have used established theories and applied them to reality. The primary empirical data that was collected was of a qualitative character. Result & Conclusions: The travel coordinators in our study use Facebook as a helpdesk and as platform for conducting dialogs with their customers. The companies gain knowledge about their customers through their way of working with Facebook. Through the integration between company and customer, can the customer become a part of a value adding process. If the company deals with public criticism in a respectable manner, can negative gossip about the company be salved and faith be build.  Suggestions for future research: A study where you see everything from a customer’s point of view. Contribution of the thesis: We hope that this study can contribute to an overview of how companies use Facebook as an aim in their relationship marketing today. Key words: Facebook. Relationship marketing. Customer dialog. Word – of- mouth. Relationship.

Executive summary Purpose: Current research [1] compared the differences in terms of perception of trustworthiness and emotional appeal of traditional and consumer generated marketing media and [2] evaluated the correlation between factors of the recently developed relationship communication framework (Finne & Grönroos, 2009) with the perception of a marketing action by actual customers of a firm, to see whether these factors should be considered in firm’s marketing communication strategy. Additionally, the researchers compared the correlations between traditional and consumer generated media types to the relationship communication factors, effectively combining the two researched subjects.        Design and execution: The research utilized quantitative research approach relying on simple random sampling technique within fitness and recreational settings.   Findings/Implications: Data analysis confirmed that there is a consistent difference between traditional and consumer generated media in terms of perception of trustworthiness and partial and not consistent difference in terms of emotional appeal. Mild correlation between consumer unique factors of relationship communication framework (Finne & Grönroos, 2009) and perception of the marketing action have been confirmed, with these correlations remaining consistent between traditional and consumer generated media. The findings suggest that traditional and consumer generated media have varying impacts on consumer’s perception of marketing action and that incorporating consumer unique factors of relationship communication framework (Finne & Grönroos, 2009) in marketing communication strategy may benefit the firm in relationship building and integrated marketing communication.

Frågeställning: På vilket sätt används CRM av Handelsbanken och hur påverkar det bankens lönsamhet? Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete är att kunna öka kunskapen om hur Handelsbanken tillämpar CRM och för att undersöka om användandet av CRM i bankens verksamhet är lönsamt eller inte. Metod: För att svara på studiens syfte blev en intervju utförd med Handelsbanken. Ännu en anledning till varför en intervju gjordes var på grund av att det var nödvändigt för att få det primärdata som behövdes och för att förstå hur banken använder sig utav CRM. Information blev även hämtat från olika källor såsom litteratur, internet och databaser. Slutsats: Slutsatsen med detta arbete är att Handelsbanken har gynnats av att använda sig utav CRM och att fördelarna är fler än nackdelarna då det inte finns några nackdelar med Handelsbankens användande av CRM. CRM skapar alltså lönsamhet och är något som banken bör fortsätta använda sig utav i framtiden då det gynnar företaget positivt. / Research question: In which way does Handelsbanken use CRM and how does it affect their profitability? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of how Handelsbanken implements CRM and to examine if the implementation of CRM is profitable or not. Method: An interview with Handelsbanken was performed in order to answer the purpose of the study. Another reason why an interview was performed was because it was necessary to obtain primary data and to understand how the bank uses CRM. Information was also obtained by searching through different sources such as literature, internet, and databases. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that the use of CRM has been in favor for Handelsbanken. The bank has obtained more advantages than disadvantages using CRM because the bank has not experienced any disadvantages at all. The conclusion is therefore that CRM creates profitability and it is something that Handelsbanken should continue to use because it affects the company in a positive way.