The goal of this thesis is to investigate the effects of different hotel response strategies to negative user-generated electronic word of mouth on online travel guide sites and subsequently to identify managerial implications that would lead to an effective online review management in the hotel industry. Three basic response strategies to a negative review were identified: no-response strategy, defensive response strategy and accommodating response strategy. An experimental research method with 240 respondents proved that accommodating response to a negative review has positive impact on customer's perception of a hotel. The most negative perception was observed by the defensive response strategy. The results of this experimental research were confirmed in a Mann-Whitney U-test.

Aim: The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of the most effective factors in service recovery that companies apply when managing negative eWOM.  Method: With the help of a qualitative cross-sectional study based on a deductive research approach, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with marketing managers.  Conclusion: The results show that companies in this study use several components in the theory of service recovery to deal with negative eWOM. The most popular and advantageous methods that the majority of respondents use, to manage negative eWOM in the most optimal way, are done primarily by responding to criticism and preferably at an early stage, as well as an application of psychological recovery methods such as apologizing and showing empathy. Less popular factors in service recovery that companies in the study do not experience are as effective , but which some respondents use are concrete compensations, systems similar to web care, to maintain a continuous dialogue with their consumers and ensure that the same problems do not arise. / Syfte: Syftet med studien är att få en förståelse för de effektivaste faktorerna inom service recovery som företag tillämpar vid hantering av negativ eWOM. Metod: Med hjälp av en kvalitativ tvärsnittsstudie baserad på en deduktiv forskningsansats har fem semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med marknadsföringsansvariga. Slutsats: Resultatet visar att företag i studien använder sig av flera komponenter i teorin om service recovery för att hantera negativ eWOM. De populäraste och fördelaktigaste metoderna som majoriteten av respondenterna använder, för att hantera negativ eWOM på det mest optimala sättet, sker främst genom att bemöta kritik och helst i ett tidigt skede, samt en tillämpning av psykologiska återhämtningsmetoder såsom att be om ursäkt och visa empati. Mindre populära faktorer inom service recovery som företag i studien inte upplever är lika effektiva, men som vissa respondenter använder, är konkreta kompensationer, system som liknar webbvård, att upprätthålla en kontinuerlig dialog med sina konsumenter och se till att samma problem inte uppstår.

This study examined the impacts of service guarantees in terms of consumers' perceived risks, loyalty, and word-of-mouth intent in the casual dining restaurant segment. In addition, the study investigated what type of service guarantee consumers preferred. A total of seven research hypotheses were developed on the basis of relevant literature review. In an effort to test the research hypotheses, a scenario method was developed. A total of seven research scenarios were created based on the Virginia Tech web survey system, which allows subjects to complete the survey online. The subjects of the study were Virginia Tech Faculty. The scenarios were sent to faculty members via e-mail during the month of September. The results of the study are striking: 5 research hypotheses are supported, 1 research hypothesis is partially supported, and only 1 research hypothesis is rejected. The results of the study suggest that a well-executed service guarantee could reduce consumers' perceived risks, raise consumers' intent to complain, and increase positive word-of-mouth and loyalty. Furthermore, the results of the study indicate that a specific service guarantee is much more effective in reducing consumers' perceived risks, and increasing consumers' intent to claim initial service failures, in comparison to those of an unconditional service guarantee in the casual dining restaurant industry. On the other hand, a service guarantee which was executed poorly resulted in reducing consumers' loyalty and increasing consumers' negative word-of-mouth. In addition, the results of the study suggest that a service guarantee offered by independent restaurants could be a competitive advantage over a brand restaurant not offering a service guarantee. Overall, the results of the study suggest that a carefully designed, specific service guarantee could be a competitive advantage for independent restaurant operators in the competitive business environment. / Ph. D.

Syfte: Kundlojalitet är viktigt för företags framgång då det medför återkommande kunder. Negativ word-of-mouth (NWOM) är något som kan påverka kundlojaliteten och därför är det intressant att studera förhållandet mellan dessa. Därav är syftet med denna studie att bidra med kunskap om negativ word-of-mouths påverkan på kundlojaliteten gentemot snabbmatskedjor. Denna studies forskningsfrågor är “Hur och i vilken utsträckning påverkar negativ word-of-mouth kundlojaliteten gentemot snabbmatskedjor?” samt “Hur påverkar negativ word-of-mouth attitydbaserad- respektive beteendebaserad lojalitet gentemot snabbmatskedjor?”. Metod: Vi har i denna studie haft ett deduktivt tillvägagångssätt och genomfört en kvantitativ undersökning. Dataunderlaget till studien har samlats in genom enkäter som skickats ut via sociala plattformar. Totalt har 318 enkätsvar inkommit vilka har kodats och analyserats. Analysen har genomförts med hjälp av statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet av denna studie tyder på att NWOM har effekt på kundlojaliteten, dock i liten utsträckning. Vidare framkommer det att både den attitydbaserade- och den beteendebaserade lojaliteten har förändrats. Men att den attitydbaserade lojaliteten har minskat mer än den beteendebaserade lojaliteten till följd av NWOM. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar med kunskap om NWOM och dess påverkan på kundlojalitet inom snabbmatsbranschen. Denna studies resultat visar att kundlojalitet påverkas negativt av NWOM, dock i lite utsträckning. Detta stämmer överens med tidigare studier som har gjorts inom området. Resultatet indikerar vidare att både den attitydbaserade- och beteendebaserade lojaliteten påverkas av NWOM, samt att det finns ett samband mellan den attitydbaserade- och beteendebaserade lojaliteten. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Ett förslag till fortsatt forskning är att genomföra en liknande studie som denna studie men att den studien istället handlar om en annan form av snabbmatskedjor. Ett annat förslag till fortsatt forskning är att fokusera på attitydbaserad- och beteendebaserad lojalitet samt hur dessa påverkas av NWOM. / Aim: Customer loyalty is important for companies because it results in returning customers. Negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) can affect customer loyalty and therefore it is interesting to examine the relationship between the two. Therefore, the aim of this study is to contribute with knowledge about word-of-mouths effect on customer loyalty towards fast-food chains. This study's research questions are “How and to what extent does negative word-of-mouth affect customer loyalty towards fast-food chains?” and “How does negative word-of-mouth affect attitudinal and behavioral loyalty towards fast-food chains?”.  Method: In this study we had a deductive approach and have done a quantitative analysis. The data for the study has been collected through surveys that have been distributed via social platforms. A total of 318 survey answers have been received which have been coded and analyzed. The statistical program SPSS was used to analyze the data.  Result and Conclusions: The result of this study shows that NWOM influences customer loyalty, but to a small extent. Furthermore, the results show that both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty has changed. But the attitudinal loyalty has decreased more than the behavioral loyalty because of NWOM. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes with knowledge about NWOM and its effect on customer loyalty in the fast-food industry. The result of this study shows that customer loyalty is negatively affected by NWOM, but to a small extent. This result corresponds with previous studies that have been done within this field. The result also shows that both the attitudinal and behavioral loyalty is affected by NWOM, and that there is a relationship between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. Suggestions for future research: A proposal for future research is to do a similar study but to examine another form of fast-food chain. Another proposal for future research is to focus on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty and how they are affected by NWOM.

The contribution of this dissertation is how model measurement allows examination of the balance between what is practical in terms of consumer concerns versus what is optimal in terms of cost control. Essay 1 examines a research framework that incorporates various service recovery strategies and simultaneously evaluates their comparative influences. Essay 2 evaluates the complex interrelationships among different factors related to the post-complaint behavioral process. Essay 3 fills a research gap by examining the role of brand equity by operationalizing a reflective model using PLS in operations management (OM) research. These three essays provide insight into the quality management domain and the value that is achieved via a data driven examination of theory. Moreover, this research will provide operations management practitioners a basis to carry out future research on quality management phenomena as well as insight into how to balance cost control and service recovery strategies with the goal of achieving a competitive advantage.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Word-of-mouth is fluid and happening everywhere. Networks are invisible and sensitive to organisational behaviour. The post-modern consumer is sceptical of advertising messages. Friends' advice is trusted more. People love to be entertained and for a story to travel it needs to be sticky i.e. have simplicity, credibility and value. The product or message must be relevant and appropriate to their lives. Influencers exist in every product category and marketers could utilise them authentically to infiltrate network hubs. However, a contagious product is needed from a trusted, loved company with a solid reputation first before any buzz or referrals could commence. Communication between the company and the subject ought to be ongoing and personal. Companies must not just aim to please, but exceed expectations in an innovative way to gain attention. A clear differentiation from competitors stated in an unconventional and memorable way is a potent combination to make an impact and be remembered. Although the black middle class presents itself as an ever-growing goldmine, this buoyant part of the South African market is still underplayed and sometimes ignored by marketers. They are indeed different from the white middle class due to their frame of reference and the context of their background and should be approached differently in a marketing sense when truly gaining insight into their attitudes, values and belief systems. Coming from a tripartheid background, black middle class women are gaining economic and influential ground by the day. Word-of-mouth is an integral part of their life and network culture, especially standing with one foot in a Western world and another in their traditional African roots and culture, thus trusted advice from relevant sources is now more needed than ever. Understanding her dreams, being able to catch the fleeting moments which provide her motivation and collaborating with her is imperative for marketers to understand if their product or brand wants to be taken with her on her success journey. As she embraces technology more and gains access to the virtual world, creating and upholding digital interaction with her becomes increasingly important. In trying economic times, conspicuous consumption by the black middle class consumer is being put on the backburner, yet it would still remain a priority for this segment of the market for years to come as the quest towards self-actualisation is ongoing. Brands must be educated to follow up on their word-of-mouth campaigns, and provide support and appreciation to their pool of network influencers. Although measuring word-of-mouth is difficult it could be measured by objectives like sales-targets, with online activity being much easier to measure. In trying economic times an insightful and impactful word-of-mouth campaign could have a much greater return on investment than utilising the same old traditional media approaches. Media planning should commence from the customer‘s point of view and not from the company‘s point of view. By doing this the customer is treated like a true stakeholder of the company. When doing media planning, historic ways of making target market contact should be ignored and planning should be done on a completely clean slate thus to enable media planners and marketers to think innovatively. By incorporating these healthy media planning practices the door is opened for a possible word-of-mouth initiative to commence and thus a competitive advantage could be gained. The purpose of this literature study, which includes expert interviews, is to explore current word-of-mouth literature and tools available in light of globalisation enabling virtual communities and overlaying this with psychographical models available in South Africa, particularly focusing on the black middle class woman‘s evolvement sustaining cultural roots and traditional networks yet opening up to a changing media environment. The research question for this study thus is: How can brands and organisations utilise word-of-mouth marketing to reach and resonate with the modern emerging black middle class woman in South Africa today? / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Word-of-mouth is vloeiend en vind orals om ons plaas. Netwerke van mense is onsigbaar en sensitief vir die gedrag van enige onderneming. Die postmoderne verbruiker staan skepties teenoor advertensieboodskappe. Vriende se advies is meer betroubaar. Mense hou daarvan om vermaak te word en vir ʼn storie om te versprei is ʼn tipe volhoubaarheid nodig, dus die storie moet eenvoudig wees en kredietwaardigheid hê. Die produk of boodskap moet op hul lewens van toepassing wees en aldus relevansie hê. Die kategorie waarin elke produk geplaas word, huisves invloedryke verbruikers en sodoende kan bemarkers op 'n natuurlike wyse bestaande netwerke binnedring. ʼn Onderneming met ʼn eerbare reputasie wat geliefd en betroubaar is moet ʼn opwindende of opspraakwekkende produk kan lewer alvorens enige gonsing of reaksie in die mark kan geskied. Kommunikasie tussen die onderneming en die invloedryke persoon in eersgenoemde se teikenmarknetwerk moet deurgaans op persoonlike vlak geskied. Ondernemings moet poog om nie net aan hul verbruikers se verwagtinge te voldoen nie, maar om dit te oortref op 'n innoverende manier wat die aandag trek. ʼn Duidelike onderskeid tussen mededingers moet op ʼn onkonvensionele en indrukwekkende wyse plaasvind om sodoende ʼn volhoubare indruk te maak. Alhoewel die swart middelklas ʼn vinnig-groeiende goudmyn is, word hierdie uiters winsgewende sektor van die Suid-Afrikaanse mark steeds onderskat en somtyds deur bemarkers geïgnoreer. Die swart middelklas is immers verskillend van die wit middelklas as gevolg van hulle verwysingsraamwerk en agtergrond en moet dus anders in ʼn bemarkingskonteks benader word. Te meer gesien in die lig van hul opvattinge, waardes en geloofsoortuigings. Swart middelklas vroue, komende van ʼn drie-dubbele apartheids-agtergrond, styg in rasse skrede op ekonomiese vlak uit en raak veral invloedryk op vele gebiede. Hoorsê of oorvertellings is ʼn integrale deel van hulle lewens- en netwerkkultuur, veral as in ag geneem word dat sy met een voet in die Westerste kultuur en die ander gewortel in haar tradisionele Afrika kultuur staan. Daarom is vertrouenswaardige advies van relevante bronne nou meer nodig as ooit. Indien bemarkers daarin wil slaag dat sy hul produk of handelsmerk steeds bly gebruik soos sy meer suksesvol raak, moet hulle haar drome en die vlietende oomblikke wat haar motiveer verstaan en ook met haar bande smee. Soos sy meer vertroud raak met tegnologie en toegang verkry tot die virtuele wêreld, sal die skepping en behoud van digitale interaksie met haar al hoe belangriker word. Alhoewel duidelik waarneembare handelsmerkverbruik deur die swart middelklas tydens moeilike ekonomiese tye verflou of afplat, sal dit tog vir diesulkes nog jare 'n prioriteit bly soos wat hul konstante strewe na selfaktualisering daagliks aanhou groei. Handelsmerke moet daarna streef om gedurende word-of-mouth bemarkingsveldtogte sake konstant te bly opvolg. Hulle moet ook hul waardering toon aan diegene wat die grootste invloed het op ander in hul geïdentifiseerde netwerke van verbruikers en hulle aldus ondersteuning bied. Alhoewel die meting van word-of-mouth bemarking moeilik is, kan meting wel plaasvind deur doelwitte soos beoogde verkoopsyfers daar te stel. Aanlyn aktiwiteite is aansienlik makliker om te meet. Ondernemings kan heel moontlik ʼn groter verdienste-teenoor-investeringsmarge verkry, die resessie in ag genome, deur eerder indrukwekkende word-of-mouth veldtogte, geskoei op goeie markinsig te gebruik, as om terug te val op dieselfde ou tradisionele mediabenaderings. Die doel van hierdie literatuurstudie, wat ook onderhoude met kenners insluit, is om huidige word-of-mouth tegnieke en beskikbare literatuur te ontplooi teen ʼn agtergrond van globalisering wat skepping van virtuele gemeenskappe tot gevolg het. Hierdie inligting word dan gekorreleer met verskeie psigografiese modelle van die Suid-Afrikaanse swart middelklas mark. Hierdie studie fokus ook noukeurig op die vooruitgang van die swart middelklas vrou. Alhoewel sy nog haar tradisionele sosiale netwerke en kultuurgrondslag behou, stel sy haarself tog oop vir ʼn vinnig veranderende media-omgewing. Die navorsingsvraag van hierdie studie is dus: Hoe kan handelsmerke en ondernemings “word-of-mouth” bemarking gebruik om die ontluikende, moderne swart middelklasvrou in Suid-Afrika effektief te bereik en by haar aanklank te vind?

We live in a world where social media allows everyone to have a voice regardless of their expertise on any subject. With so many anonymous voices giving their opinions are the expert reviews of film critics no longer as useful? Some may believe there is a disconnect between what critics like and what people like. With this in mind, this research puts the usefulness of expert movie reviews and word of mouth against each other as can be seen through the need for cognition scale and social media affinity scale. / text

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka aktiva bloggares syn på yrket bloggare, sin egen blogg och bloggandet i allmänhet. Bloggen som yrke är ett område där tidigare forskning undersöker läsarnas och företagens interaktion med bloggaren. Det saknas dock ännu forskning som undersöker bloggarnas perspektiv på yrket och vad yrket kan innebära. Undersökningen fokuserar på den professionella sidan av bloggandet och utgörs av en kvalitativ intervjustudie med 13 respondenter. Resultaten diskuteras utifrån tidigare forskning samt teorier med utgångspunkt från olika marknadsföringsbegrepp. Resultaten visar att bloggarna är glada och stolta över vad de gör, men samtidigt upplever de att det finns en skepsis och oförstående från många. Bloggen ses inte som ett riktigt yrke, men i realiteten bevisar bloggarna att det kan vara allt från ens huvudsakliga yrke, till en hobby eller till ens digitala CV. Bloggen blir ett CV då det är en översikt över allt man gör samlat på ett ställe med kontinuerlig uppdatering. Enligt respondenterna ses bloggare som yrke fortfarande på med tveksamma ögon från stora delar av samhället. Det framkommer även att det ännu råder mycket okunskap, såväl bland bloggare som hos företag, kring hur man förhåller sig inom lagen när man arbetar med marknadsföring via bloggar. / The purpose of this study was to investigate and account for active bloggers view of the blogging profession, their blog and blogging in general. Previous research has been made about blogging and the interaction with the readers. This study revolves around the blogging profession and professional parts of working as a blogger and a qualitative selection of respondents led to 13 interviews. We discuss our results by applying marketing concepts as a point of departure. Looking closely into the subject makes it easy to see that the bloggers are happy with and proud of what they do, but they feel that the profession is still seen with skepticism and incomprehension from a lot of people. The blog is not considered as a real job, but in reality it can be anything from one's main occupation, just a hobby to one´s digital CV. The blog becomes a CV since it´s a place where you can store and display what you do and have done, with continual update. The study also concluded that even amongst the bloggers and the companies working alongside them, the industry is still evolving. Especially when it comes to advertising and marketing through blogs and maintaining legal working boundaries between blogger and company. According to our respondents the blogging profession still struggles when being scrutinized by bystanders.

Previous empirical research and anecdotal accounts suggest that “subclinical narcissism” or “average Joe’s narcissism” is one of the most prevalent social phenomena in many parts of the world. Research also suggests that there will be an unprecedented escalation “in average Joe narcissists” among future generations of consumers. The objective of this study is two-fold. The first objective of this study is to explore the moderating effect of the individual’s level of narcissistic personality on their word-of-mouth (WOM) communications. The second objective of this study is to explore the boundary conditions of the first objective. The data were collected from a large number of consumers through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The results support many of the hypotheses accordant with the characteristics of the subclinical narcissistic individual. Specifically, the moderating effect of an individual’s level of narcissistic personality trait on the decision to engage in different types of WOM communications varies across the tested contexts. This study is intended to respond to social scientists' recent call for studies that investigate the fundamental motives behind the individual’s propensity to engage in WOM communication as a function of individual characteristics. The results of this study provide some prescriptive guidance to help companies target appropriate consumers to increase the effectiveness of WOM communication. In addition, this study explores the effect of individual and contextual differences on consumers’ willingness to engage in different types of WOM communication.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att analysera sambandet mellan digital gerillamarknadsföring och Word-of-Mouth (WOM). Design/metod/tillvägagångssätt: Data samlades in från 105 deltagare inom Generation Y som svarade på en enkätundersökning online. Resultat: Resultatet visar att det finns ett svagt samband mellan gerillamarknadsföring och WOM. Majoriteten av svaren visar en brist på intresse, vilket vi förklarar som ett tecken för reklamtrötthet i Generation Y. Studien tyder på att det finns en skillnad mellan produkter och tjänster, även om den inte är stor. Av alla reaktioner är ett passivt beteende märkbart. Forskningens begränsningar/implikationer: På grund av storleken på undersökningen och bristen på urvalsgrupper, kan inga generaliseringar göras. Resultatet syftar till att hjälpa till att fylla kunskapsluckor inom forskningsområdet för gerillamarknadsföring och WOM, därmed ämnar vi inte dra några generella slutsatser. Praktiska implikationer: Resultaten från denna studie ger vägledning för företag. Vi föreslår att företag inte ska förlita sig enbart på digital marknadsföring eftersom kunden idag inte är redo för att göra en sådan strategi effektiv. Originalitet/värde: Denna studie är den första att granska gerillamarknadsföring och WOM när det gäller skillnaden mellan produkter och tjänster, samt de olika typer av WOM gerillamarknadsföring genererar. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between guerrilla marketing and Word-of-Mouth (WOM), through analysing the differences between guerrilla marketing of product and services and what type of WOM it generates. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered from 105 participants of the Generation Y who responded to an online survey. Findings: Results show that there is a weak connection between guerrilla marketing and WOM. The majority of the answers showed a lack of interest in the marketing examples, suggestion a advertisement-tiredness in Generation Y. However, guerrilla marketing for services gave slightly higher response than marketing for products, and out of all the reactions a passive behaviour was noticeable. Research limitations/implications: Due to the size of the survey and the shortage in certain sample groups, generalisations cannot be made. Although, the findings aim to help fill in knowledge gaps in the research area for guerrilla marketing and WOM. Practical implications: The results of this study provide guidance for businesses in terms of not relying solely on digital marketing since the customer of today is not yet ready to make such strategy efficient. Originality/value: This study is the first to examine guerrilla marketing and WOM in terms of differences between products and services, and the different types of WOM it produces.