Citizen, customer, partner:engaging the public in public management

Book review: CITIZEN, CUSTOMER, PARTNER: ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN PUBLIC MANAGEMENT John Clayton Thomas M.E. Sharpe, 2012, 242 pp., £24.99 (hb), ISBN: 978–0765627209.

What Makes Online Grocers Work? A Case Study Analysis of Factors Contributing to Online Grocery Store Profitability

This research examined the factors contributing to the performance of online grocers prior to, and following, the 2000 dot.com collapse. The primary goals were to assess the relationship between a company’s business model(s) and its performance in the online grocery channel and to determine if there were other company and/or market related factors that could account for company performance. To assess the primary goals, a case based theory building process was utilized. A three-way cross-case analysis comprising Peapod, GroceryWorks, and Tesco examined the common profit components, the structural category (e.g., pure-play, partnership, and hybrid) profit components, and the idiosyncratic profit components related to each specific company. Based on the analysis, it was determined that online grocery store business models could be represented at three distinct, but hierarchically, related levels. The first level was termed the core model and represented the basic profit structure that all online grocers needed in order to conduct operations. The next model level was termed the structural model and represented the profit structure associated with the specific business model configuration (i.e., pure-play, partnership, hybrid). The last model level was termed the augmented model and represented the company’s business model when idiosyncratic profit components were included. In relation to the five company related factors, scalability, rate of expansion, and the automation level were potential candidates for helping to explain online grocer performance. In addition, all the market structure related factors were deemed possible candidates for helping to explain online grocer performance. The study concluded by positing an alternative hypothesis concerning the performance of online grocers. Prior to this study, the prevailing wisdom was that the business models were the primary cause of online grocer performance. However, based on the core model analysis, it was hypothesized that the customer relationship activities (i.e., advertising, promotions, and loyalty program tie-ins) were the real drivers of online grocer performance.

The Effects of Teppanyaki Restaurant Stimuli on Diners’ Emotions and Loyalty

This research examines the influence of restaurant stimuli (i.e., chefs, service staff, other customers, food quality, and atmospherics) on diners’ emotions and loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. In teppanyaki restaurants, chefs take orders from diners, prepare food in front of diners, and serve dishes to diners. Although the importance of chefs has been acknowledged by scholars, empirical research on the influence of chefs on diners has been scarce. To augment the literature on how chefs influence diners, this research incorporates “chef’s image” into an extended Mehrabian-Russell model (M-R model) to conceptualize diner loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. A total of 308 diners from Taiwan were recruited. After examining their completed questionnaires, this study found that chef’s image, service quality, and food quality can affect the positive and negative emotions of diners. Moreover, other diners and restaurant atmospherics affect only the negative emotions of diners. Both positive and negative emotions can affect diner loyalty to teppanyaki restaurants. In addition, the managerial implications of this study are discussed.

‘Never Let Me Down Again’1: Loyal customer attitudes towards ticket distribution channels for live music events: a netnographic exploration of the US leg of the Depeche Mode 2005–2006 World Tour

Ticket distribution channels for live music events have been revolutionised through the increased take-up of internet technologies, and the music supply-chain has evolved into a multi-channel value network. The assumption that this creates increased consumer autonomy and improved service quality is explored here through a case-study of the ticket pre-sale for the US leg of the Depeche Mode 2005–06 World Tour, which utilises an innovative virtual channel strategy, promoted as a service to loyal fans. A multi-method analysis, adopting Kozinets' (2002) Kozinets, R. V. 2002. The field behind the screen: using netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39: 61–72. [CrossRef], [Web of Science ®] netnography methodology, is employed to map responses of the band's serious fan base on an internet message board (IMB) throughout the tour pre-sale. The analysis focuses on concerns of pricing, ethics, scope of the offer, use of technology, service quality and perceived brand performance fit of channel partners. Findings indicate that fans behaviour is unpredictable in response to channel partners' performance, and that such offers need careful management to avoid alienation of loyal consumers.

From Customer-Oriented Strategy to Organizational Financial Performance: The Role of Human Resource Management and Customer-Linking Capability

Drawing on the organizational capabilities literature, the authors developed and tested a model of how supportive human resource management (HRM) improved firms’ financial performance perceived by marketing managers through fostering the implementation of a customer-oriented strategy. Customer-linking capability, which is the capability in managing close customer relationships, indicated the implementation of the customer-oriented strategy. Data collected from two emerging economies – China and Hungary –established that supportive HRM partially mediated the relationship between customer-oriented strategy and customer-linking capability. Customer-linking capability further explained how supportive HRM contributed to perceived financial performance. This study explicates the implication of customer-oriented strategy for HRM and reveals the
importance of HRM in strategy implementation. It also sheds some light on the ‘black box’ between HRM and performance. While making important contributions to the field of strategy, HRM and marketing, this study also offers useful practical implications.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a physical activity loyalty scheme for behaviour change maintenance: a cluster randomised controlled trial

Background
Increasing physical activity in the workplace can provide employee physical and mental health benefits, and employer economic benefits through reduced absenteeism and increased productivity. The workplace is an opportune setting to encourage habitual activity. However, there is limited evidence on effective behaviour change interventions that lead to maintained physical activity. This study aims to address this gap and help build the necessary evidence base for effective, and cost-effective, workplace interventions

Methods/design
This cluster randomised control trial will recruit 776 office-based employees from public sector organisations in Belfast and Lisburn city centres, Northern Ireland. Participants will be randomly allocated by cluster to either the Intervention Group or Control Group (waiting list control). The 6-month intervention consists of rewards (retail vouchers, based on similar principles to high street loyalty cards), feedback and other evidence-based behaviour change techniques. Sensors situated in the vicinity of participating workplaces will promote and monitor minutes of physical activity undertaken by participants. Both groups will complete all outcome measures. The primary outcome is steps per day recorded using a pedometer (Yamax Digiwalker CW-701) for 7 consecutive days at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Secondary outcomes include health, mental wellbeing, quality of life, work absenteeism and presenteeism, and use of healthcare resources. Process measures will assess intervention “dose”, website usage, and intervention fidelity. An economic evaluation will be conducted from the National Health Service, employer and retailer perspective using both a cost-utility and cost-effectiveness framework. The inclusion of a discrete choice experiment will further generate values for a cost-benefit analysis. Participant focus groups will explore who the intervention worked for and why, and interviews with retailers will elucidate their views on the sustainability of a public health focused loyalty card scheme.

Discussion
The study is designed to maximise the potential for roll-out in similar settings, by engaging the public sector and business community in designing and delivering the intervention. We have developed a sustainable business model using a ‘points’ based loyalty platform, whereby local businesses ‘sponsor’ the incentive (retail vouchers) in return for increased footfall to their business.

Den växande dagligvaruhandeln på internet : En fallstudie om MatHem i Sverige AB

Bakgrund Dagligvaruhandel på internet växer och efterfrågas från fler kunder än någonsin tidigare. De större aktörerna märker att efterfrågan finns och inser att de behöver utöka sina försäljningskanaler, samtidigt som de mindre företagen som varit med och bidragit till denna efterfrågan behöver arbeta för att hålla sina kunder lojala och inte förlora marknadsandelar när marknadssituationen förändras av de stora aktörerna. Den förändrade konkurrenssituationen innebär att företag behöver lägga större fokus på kunden genom strategi och framförallt uppbyggnaden av lojalitet. Syfte Syftet är att få en ökad kunskap om hur ett företag som var tidigt ute på en marknad håller sina kunder lojala i samband med att konkurrenssituationen förändras. Metod För att besvara syftet har en kvalitativ fallstudie om företaget MatHem gjorts, för att slutligen kunna dra en generaliserad slutsats. Där insamling av primärdata och sekundärdata har analyserats för att slutligen nå en slutsats. Slutsats Det undersökta företaget håller sina kunder lojala genom att ha en hög generell kvalitet. Vilket betyder att de har hög kvalitet på produkterna, väl fungerande kundservice, överträffar kundens förväntningar och ett brett sortiment. När konkurrenssituationen förändras har företaget inga speciella strategier för att hålla sina kunder lojala, eftersom att företaget inte ser de andra aktörerna som konkurrenter. Företaget är den dyraste aktören på marknaden, men differentierar sig med ekologiska produkter för att erhålla lojala kunder.

Utveckling av lojalitetsprogram - individanpassade erbjudanden : Marknadsföring genom CRM-strategier

Den ökade konkurrenssituationen mellan företag är ett resultat på att handeln har globaliserats. Konsumenter är idag mer medvetna om vad företag har att erbjuda, och det är lätt att välja alternativa företag om ett specifikt företag inte lever upp till konsumentens förväntningar. Detta ställer krav på att företag ständigt måste arbeta med och utveckla sina strategier för att skapa konkurrensfördelar. Idag arbetar många företag med lojalitetsprogram som är ett typexempel på en CRM-strategi. CRM-strategier och lojalitetsprogram syftar till att göra konsumenten mer lojal, för att möjliggöra att konsumenten skall välja att göra återupprepande och mer frekventa köp. Lojalitetsprogrammen måste dock uppdateras och förändras, för att ständigt kunna vara konkurrenskraftiga. Företag arbetar därmed för att skapa ett mervärde, det vill säga erbjuda en servicelösning som är utöver vad konsumenten förväntar sig att få från företag. Kundlojalitet kan utvecklas genom att företag skapar långsiktiga relationer med konsumenterna, och en relation mellan parterna kan utvecklas genom att företag lyssnar på konsumenterna, för att få reda på dess behov och önskemål. Forskning indikerar att individanpassade erbjudanden kan bidra till att konsumenterna än mer tenderar att bli lojala, detta eftersom individanpassade erbjudanden är erbjudanden som baseras på konsumentens unika köpbeteende, vilket möjliggör för träffsäkerhet och relevans. Syftet med denna studie är att mäta konsumenters efterfrågan på individanpassade erbjudanden, för att undersöka om konsumenterna faktiskt efterfrågar och kommer ta till sig dessa erbjudanden. Frågeställningarna är; på vilket sätt kan efterfrågan på individanpassade erbjudanden bidra till ett företags konkurrensfördelar samt på vilket sätt skiljer sig efterfrågan på individanpassade erbjudanden beroende på butikernas geografiska placering. Studien är baserad på en kvantitativ surveyundersökning riktad till konsumenter, med en kvalitativ semi-strukturerad intervju för att erhålla viktig information vid utformandet av frågeformuläret. Resultatet för studien visade att konsumenter värdesätter att få individanpassade erbjudanden, och att dessa erbjudanden kan bidra till ett företags konkurrensfördelar eftersom erbjudandena möjliggör att servicekvaliteten kan öka vilket innebär att dessa erbjudanden kan upplevas ha ett mervärde. I denna studie återfanns dock inte några skillnader på efterfrågan av individanpassade erbjudanden beroende på butikernas geografiska placering.

Differential Evolution: A Tool for Global Optimization

This report describes a tool for global optimization that implements the Differential Evolution optimization algorithm as a new Excel add-in. The tool takes a step beyond Excel’s Solver add-in, because Solver often returns a local minimum, that is, a minimum that is less than or equal to nearby points, while Differential Evolution solves for the global minimum, which includes all feasible points. Despite complex underlying mathematics, the tool is relatively easy to use, and can be applied to practical optimization problems, such as establishing pricing and awards in a hotel loyalty program. The report demonstrates an example of how to develop an optimum approach to that problem.

Do tratamento das reclamações à gestão da insatisfação: o comportamento de empresas hoteleiras mediante a insatisfação de seus clientes

Consumer dissatisfaction, when properly handled, is a significant information source for the manager. Studies in this area allow broadening the understanding of certain customer attitudes and behaviors, such as loyalty, repurchase intention or satisfaction and trust increase. Above and beyond supporting consumer feedback, dissatisfaction can provide significant opportunities for organizational learning. Starting from dissatisfied customer information, companies can detect service flaws and develop new products. This work presents the results of an investigation on the behavior of businesses belonging to the hotel sector in Natal, RN, through the dissatisfaction of their customers. We have sought to map the main problems presented by customers to hotels, in the perception of managers and employees, as well as to understand both the process of dissatisfactionrelated data collection, analysis, and processing, and the utilization of such information by businesses. Beyond this, we have compared the habits of organizations to the company reaction approaches described in the literature: Complaint Handling, Complaint Management, and Dissatisfaction Management. The used methodology has been based on case study. Data was collected via indepth interviews with managers and employees in six hotels, two independent ones and four belonging to national and international hotel networks. We have also made use of documents provided by the organizations, such as guest complaint registers and reports from satisfaction surveys on which content analysis was subsequently performed. The results of the investigation point to a high level of awareness in the companies concerning the importance of consumer dissatisfaction. Even though the maximum grade in the procedure scale is not achieved, it has been observed that answer to dissatisfaction is given in planned and systematic form, geared towards consumer satisfaction and improvement of products and processes. Hotel businesses still have to look into other possibilities for mapping consumer dissatisfaction, which implies, among other aspects, articulation with a range of public and private organizations in such a way as to guarantee sustainability of touristic activities in the long term

Analisi di un Sistema di Stoccaggio. L’attività di Customer Service. Il caso Due Torri S.p.A.

Si è analizzato un sistema di stoccaggio rivolgendo l'attenzione all'attività del Customer Service. Dopo il primo periodo di raccolta dati è stato popolato un database che rappresentasse al meglio la realtà osservata. Il database ci ha permesso, attraverso la manipolazione dei dati, di calcolare delle statistiche circa gli eventi più significativi in termini di tempo.

Marketing interno e a sua influência na motivação dos colaboradores

O marketing interno (MI) surge como uma ferramenta de gestão que tem como objetivo principal o desenvolvimento de uma organização focada no cliente, motivando e capacitando os seus colaboradores a alcançarem os objetivos organizacionais. Esta ferramenta pode contribuir para um maior e melhor desempenho e comprometimento organizacional, desde que usada de forma estratégica e adequada. Esta dissertação procura verificar se a existência de práticas de MI podem influenciar, de alguma forma, a motivação dos colaboradores contribuindo, igualmente, na retenção e fidelização dos mesmos, num contexto industrial, ao contrário do que é habitual nos estudos feitos até então, focados mais nos serviços pelas suas caraterísticas de maior contacto entre clientes e colaboradores. Aplicando a metodologia de estudo de caso na empresa Oliveira & Irmão, S.A., analisou-se um programa de marketing interno iniciado e desenvolvido durante o ano 2014 e que a empresa pretende manter, não esquecendo de uma forma geral de outras práticas de MI que a empresa faz questão de continuar a assinalar. Em termos globais, os resultados deste estudo mostram que a existência de práticas de marketing, aplicadas internamente, têm efeito no desenvolvimento de comportamentos e atitudes relacionadas com o trabalho por parte dos colaboradores e, que mesmo não sendo os principais fatores motivacionais, são complementares.

Management of Customer Co-development in Business-to-Business Markets

Management of customer co-development means involving customers in the development of new products and services, and coordinating the process. In business-tobusiness markets, customer co-development enables the development of innovations that better match customer needs and strengthens customer relationships. However, close collaboration with customers can hamper the innovativeness of new products and lead to overly customized solutions. Therefore, the management of co-development is crucial to its success. Yet the existing research on management of co-development has mainly focused on selecting the right collaboration partners, and the field lacks understanding on how to manage the tensions inherent in customer co-development. The purpose of this thesis is to increase understanding on the management of the codevelopment. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first comprises the literature review and conclusions for the whole study, and the second presents four publications. From the methodological perspective, the research papers follow exploratory qualitative research design. The empirical data comprise interviews with 60 persons, representing 25 different organizations, and a group of 11 end users. The study conceptualizes management of customer co-development in three dimensions 1) relational co-development processes, 2) co-development challenges and paradoxes, and 3) internal customer involvement processes. The findings contribute to the customersupplier relationship, innovation, and marketing management literatures by providing a framework on supplier-customer co-development, addressing co-development paradoxes and their management processes, and suggesting practices for customer involvement. For practitioners, the findings provide tools to manage the challenges related to codevelopment with customers.

Customer stimulation in lean software development

The process of developing software is a complex undertaking involving multiple stakeholders. While the intentions of these parties might vary to some extent, the ultimate goal can be seen as a satisfactory product. Lean and agile software development practices strive toward this and they place customer contentment as one of the highest aims of the process. An important aspect of any development process is the act of innovation. Without it, nothing progresses and the whole process is unnecessary. As a target domain expert, the customer is an important part of effective innovation. Problems arise, however, when the customer is not actively taking part in the activities. Lack of familiarity with software development can easily cause such issues. Unfortunately, the amount of research conducted on product innovation is unimpressive. This makes it difficult to formulate a recommended approach on stimulating the customer and encouraging a more active participation. Ultimately, a small set of high-level guidelines were identified from the available literary resources for inducing innovation. To conclude, this thesis presents the findings made during the development of a small web application and compares them to the aforementioned literature findings. While the guidelines seem to provide promising results, further empirical research is needed to attain more significant conclusions.