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AbstractMost research on Airbnb focuses on the guests’ perspective or the effects of host-guest interaction. This paper explores the way professional and nonprofessional hosts develop relationship marketing with their guests. The results of 30 semi-structured interviews with Portuguese Airbnb hosts show the conscious importance of interactions with guests and customization to generate trust and increase guest satisfaction. The paper shows that the interactivity and functionalities of the Airbnb platform deepens the relationships between hosts and guests. Nonprofessional hosts are those who develop a closer relationship with guests, requiring guidance toward possible advanced electronic relationship marketing tools in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis inquiry investigated the association between relationship marketing practices-(RMP) and firm performance-(FP) proxy by export performance-(EP) of SMEs in Ghana, utilizing innovation-(INN) and opportunity exploration-(OPE) as mediators. The inquiry espoused a cross-sectional research design, employing SmartPLS-3.3.3 to perform descriptive statistics, principal component analyses-(PCA), exploratory factor analyses-(EFA), reliability/validity analyses, partial least square-structural equation modeling-(PLS-SEM) path analyses via first-order confirmatory factor analysis-(CFA) for testing the hypotheses. Primary data was gathered employing closed-end-(standardized) questionnaires, implementing self-administered, researcher guided face-to-face real-time (immediate) data collection methodology. Secondary data-(financial information) was extracted from annual reports of the SMEs. Complete enumeration was utilized to select all 360 registered SMEs in good standing with the Ghana Enterprise Agency-(GEA) and Association of Ghana Industries-(AGI) forming the sampling frame and sample size. Findings revealed that all seven RMP explanatory variables namely, communication-(COM), adaptation-(ADP), corporation-(COP), trust-(TST), social connections-(SOC), reciprocity-(RCP), relationship quality-(REQ) significantly exerted positive impacts on FP/EP, with REQ exhibiting the most potent predictor, followed by COM, ADP, COP, TST, SOC, and RCP. Again, findings depict that innovation-(INN) and opportunity exploration-(OPE) partially mediated the relationship between RMP and FP/EP. The paper contributes to literature by incorporating the unexplored mediators of INN and OPE, within SMEs in an emerging economy. By establishing connections and suggesting further avenues for research, the paper strengthens its argument both methodologically and conceptually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship marketing together with perceived switching costs are seen as a distinguished strategic approach to customer loyalty. Relationship marketing practices enable the firms to comprehend and satisfy the customer needs, while the perceived switching costs raise the bar for rivals to grab the gullible customers and helps the firms to ensure the loyalty of low satisfied customers. In view of this, present study aims to investigate the impact of relationship marketing practices on customer loyalty with a mediating role of perceived switching costs. The study utilized 736 complete questionnaires collected from the bank customers, by using one-stage cluster sampling, to validate the measurement and structural models through partial least-square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results revealed that there is significant positive effect of relationship marketing practices on customer loyalty. Furthermore, perceived switching costs have significant positive effect on customer loyalty. Bootstrapping approach to mediation analysis revealed that perceived switching costs, in unison, partially mediate the relationship between relationship marketing practices and customer loyalty. The study suggests that banks should invest more in relationship marketing practices to strengthen the perceived switching costs to keep the customers loyal to the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractEnhancing customer loyalty is the ultimate goal of relationship marketing. While prior studies have highlighted the significance of hedonic and utilitarian attitudes as key drivers of consumer behavioral loyalty, literature, especially in the service context has left ambiguities regarding: (1) integrative exploration of mechanisms mediating attitudes’ impact on behavioral loyalty; and (2) the specific components and connections between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, along with their origins. This study introduces a novel integrative model that delves into the distinct effects of hedonic and utilitarian attitudes on components of attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, shedding more light on understanding the interplay between these components, their relationships, and their functional connections with trust and attitudes. Structural Equation Modeling was applied to the survey results from 1,028 participants, with the results demonstrating how hedonic and utilitarian attitudes differently impact various components of behavioral loyalty through mediation of trust and attitudinal loyalty components. Furthermore, results show that relationships varied across different services. The findings will help service firms to identify important predicting factors and channels of service behavioral loyalty, thus enabling them to optimize the costs of customer-service relationship management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractSuccessful businesses use a variety of tactics to accomplish their objectives, one of which is relationship management with investors and shareholders. Their best application in today’s business world is a long-term competitive advantage. One of the ways to create and retain this relationship is to use relationship marketing (RM). Various dimensions shape RM, which can be different in industries and markets. This paper aims to identify the effective RM dimensions in the capital market and examine the impact of these dimensions on the financial indicators of the capital market, which are important from both the perspectives of companies and investors, including stock liquidity, stock return, and capital cost. To identify the key dimensions, ranking based on their importance has been done using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. A multivariable linear regression model has been employed to test the research hypotheses. Stock companies have been selected based on the screening method from the companies admitted to the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2019 to 2022. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the coordinated management of various aspects of RM has the potential to enhance liquidity and stock returns while simultaneously reducing the cost of capital. Given the significance of these indicators, particularly in developing economies like the Iranian capital market, companies can leverage RM strategies in their interactions with shareholders to improve market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe intensifying competition among higher education institutions has prompted the adoption of relationship marketing as a strategy to attract and retain students. In this approach, students are viewed as customers, and their satisfaction and loyalty are key factors in a university’s success and profitability. Therefore, creating value for students is essential in this competitive environment. Relationship marketing emphasizes building long-term relationships and interactions with students through effective communication. To identify the essential factors of creating value for students and their loyalty, a questionnaire was distributed among 230 students of Kharazmi and Shahid Beheshti Universities. Further, the antecedents of loyalty were estimated further by using structural equation modeling and AMOS software. This study offers a novel approach by examining two dimensions of student loyalty-recommended and patronage-to provide a more comprehensive understanding of loyalty toward higher education institutions. According to hypotheses, results indicate that the students’ perception of the reputation of the higher education institution has a positive and meaningful relationship with dimensions of loyalty, and students’ perception of the reputation were only affected by the facility variable, and there is no significant relationship with service quality and social activities. The findings provide insights into effective relationship-marketing strategies that higher education institutions can adopt to enhance their reputation and foster greater student loyalty, encouraging both dimensions of loyalty. Universities can promote positive perceptions of institutional reputation and cultivate loyal attitudinal and behavioral tendencies among students by following this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, multiple regressions using the stepwise method were utilized to analyze the effect of Big Five personality traits on the work of business-to-business (B2B) salespeople. To achieve this objective, the relationship between the five personality traits and different aspects of B2B salespeople’s work was analyzed. The sample consisted of 274 salespeople from different Spanish organizations and from different business sectors. Specifically, the effects of Big Five personality traits on sales performance, role conflict and ambiguity, ethical behavior, adaptive behavior, and job performance were analyzed. Our results show that Big Five is useful for predicting sales jobs. The traits that most affect the work of B2B salespeople are extraversion and conscientiousness. Neuroticism was the least influential and most negative trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the moderating role of consumers' attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, on the relationship between recovery satisfaction and their behavior after service recovery. This study analyzes the moderating effect of consumers' attachment styles to explain the differences in their behavior after service recovery efforts, which has not been explored previously. Primary data was collected from hand-phone users, and the effect of consumers' attachment styles was examined in the context of the telecommunication sector. Findings indicate that consumers high in attachment anxiety were more likely to repurchase but not to engage in positive word-of-mouth after recovery satisfaction. Attachment avoidance did not impact consumers' behavioral intentions. In addition, the interaction of anxiety and avoidance positively influenced word-of-mouth intentions upon satisfaction with recovery efforts. However, the interaction did not affect repurchase intentions. This study provides insight into how consumer's attachment style influences their positive behavioral intentions after recovery satisfaction. We present segment-specific relationship marketing strategies that can aid service providers in managing service recoveries and minimizing the adverse effects of service failures on customer retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, research has been conducted on what causes clients to remain with a bank in the global banking business. Relationship marketing is predicated on customer retention; hence, these findings encourage authors of scholarly marketing literature to include these aspects. This study looks at how bonding, responsiveness, and communication directly affect customer retention and customer satisfaction, as well as how bonding, responsiveness, and communication indirectly affect customer retention via customer satisfaction. Through the use of the convenience sampling method, a total of 384 customers were chosen. An investigation of banking customers was carried out in the form of a cross-sectional survey, making use of a structured questionnaire. The results showed that bonding and communication had a direct and significant effect on keeping customers, but responsiveness did not. Also, bonding, communication, and responsiveness have a direct and significant effect on customer satisfaction. In a similar vein, customer satisfaction has a direct effect on customer retention. On the other hand, bonding and responsiveness were seen to have an indirect but significant effect on customer retention via customer satisfaction, whereas communication did not. The study suggests that managers retain consumers by promptly reacting to customer needs and communicating effectively. This will assist them in satisfying and retaining customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ASMR has attracted considerable attention in social media and advertising practices, but it lacks empirical investigation within marketing science. This study suggests applying ASMR in the design of interactions in relationships between organizations and customers in order to shorten spatial distance evoked by digitization. This experimental study comprises the first empirical investigation of ASMR in the context of relationship marketing with a focus on perceived customer intimacy. The findings demonstrate that the level of perceived customer intimacy depends on individuals' extraversion and agreeableness, and ASMR may entail the ability to positively influence this intimacy, but is influenced by further variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on Perceived brand relationship orientation cannot be easily integrated due to the non-consensual designation of this concept. Moreover, managerial implications can hardly be deduced with the global unidimensional operationalizations of this concept. Then, the present research aims at (1) deepening the conceptual understanding of Perceived brand relationship orientation and associating it with a consensual and integrative definition, and (2) identifying its different dimensions through a qualitative study which used 23 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. As result, Perceived brand relationship orientation declines into six reflexive dimensions: (1) Endeavor in relational communication, (2) Endeavor in physical and psychological proximity, (3) Endeavor to create a warm atmosphere, (4) Endeavor directed toward the mutuality of benefits, (5) Endeavor in continuous innovation, and (6) Endeavor in personalization. Therefore, it is recommended to move away from conceptualizing Perceived brand relationship orientation as a one-dimensional global perception and to exploit its multiple dimensions to adjust brand's strategy to consumers' expectations in term of brand relationship orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journal of Relationship Marketing (JRM) is a Journal of high repute. The journal invites high-quality publications that are original and peer-reviewed in relationship marketing (RM) theory and practice. JRM is an interdisciplinary and international journal. The research topics frequently appearing in the journal include the evolution of RM in the new economy and changing paradigms; theoretical and methodological issues in RM; internal communication, quality, trust, commitment, satisfaction, loyalty, and dissolution in RM; applications of RM in different domains and industries; international perspectives in RM; and RM strategies in services economy. The journal completed 20 years of publishing in 2021. The current paper analyzes the journal's impact using bibliometric analysis from 2002 to 2019 on 289 publications. Network analysis is performed using VOSviewer software. The findings are reported in citations, coauthorship and bibliographic coupling, and other network analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article's focus is on the widow(er)hood effect—a phenomenon that has been found among individuals across the world and throughout decades—which refers to an increased risk of morbidity as well as mortality of a surviving spouse following his or her partner's death. By transferring the essence of the phenomenon to the relationship marketing domain, it is discussed how its theoretical frame can contribute to further advance the understanding and management of stakeholder relationships. Concretely, a conceptual framework, as well as possible practical scenarios of stakeholder widow(er)hood effects, are discussed and associated impacts for companies are elicited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop a multi-item scale to measure the online consumption emotion (OCE) to facilitate understanding of relationship marketing. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed, and psychometric procedures were followed for the scale development. The initial pool of scale items was tested using EFA with SPSS (v. 21.0), and CFA with AMOS (v. 18.0) to confirm the dimensionality of OCE scale. The EFA results revealed that OCE is a five-dimensional construct which consisted of 39 items. The scale includes excitement, comfort, ecstasy, annoyance and romance. The adequacy of employing a categorical approach to assess online shoppers' emotional experiences in terms of positive/negative responses is required for online relationship marketing orientation. The online consumption emotion scale can be used to understand individual's online shopping behavior. The findings can help online marketers to envisage relationship marketing strategies to increase their retail customer base, retain customers, improve positive word-of-mouth, and to improve relationship marketing for long-term profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust has been referred to as the single most powerful relationship marketing tool available to marketers with robust empirical support for the trust—loyalty relationship. However, are there contexts where consumers discount trustworthy providers in their loyalty decisions? Informed by institutional theory, the current study examines consumer evaluations of institutional context as a moderator for the trust—loyalty relationship. Structural equation modeling is used to test a sample of 775 auto parts retail shoppers. Results show that the received wisdom of the trust—loyalty mechanism in the relationship marketing theory is supported only when the institutional context is evaluated as ambivalent where trust/distrust evaluations co-exist. However, institutional context evaluations dominated by trust as well as distrust support retailer value as a mechanism for retailer loyalty. Implications for relationship marketing research and practice from the institutional theory lens conclude the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of Relationship Marketing (RM) has led to improved understanding and management of customer relationships. However, it has suffered recent criticism for firm-centricity, and for failing to address the impact of the technological revolution and resulting customer empowerment in firm-customer relationships. This paper addresses these limitations by reconceptualizing RM as consumer led, with firm interactions enabling consumers to create their own unique experiences and value through the increasing accessibility of innovative technologies. This, in turn, benefits the firm through reciprocated value and beneficial relationship outcomes. We critically review extant knowledge and derive five propositions about firm-customer relationships. These propositions form the basis of managerial implications and a research agenda to better understand the impact of technologies and customer experience on RM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the uniqueness of Chinese culture, relationship marketing cannot be interpreted directly from the extant theories developed in Western society. Using qualitative research, the study constructed an integrated model of B2B gaunxi and proposed seven observations through the interviews with Taiwanese small and medium enterprises. The proposed model describes a complete process of building guanxi with five levels: evaluation of the target firm, channels for building guanxi, exchange of B2B guanxi, evaluation of guanxi quality, and evaluation of guanxi performance, which can be applied for developing business relationships in China. The use of interviewees' real dialogs provides a "hands on/real world" view of the role of guanxi for building and maintaining business relationships, which have here-to-fore been treated in comparatively esoteric ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the interrelationships among value co-creation, switching costs (SC), and customer share (CS) in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships. In spite of increasing attention to value co-creation in the Service Dominant Logic, there are only a limited number of empirical studies on this concept. Furthermore, few researchers have investigated the inter-relationship among value co-creation, SC, and CS in a single framework for both B2B and B2C relationships, although many enterprises serve both types of customers. The conceptual framework is developed primarily based on relationship marketing and services marketing. This study evaluates six hypotheses, analyzing survey data from 209 enterprises and 337 individuals by structural equation modeling (SEM). Further, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is conducted to confirm the convergent validity and discriminant validity. In conclusion, the positive impact of execution of value co-creation (EVC) activities on SC and CS is supported with appropriate statistical evidence in both B2B and B2C relationships. Also, the causal relationship between values in relational exchanges (VRE) and CS is confirmed with adequate empirical findings for both relationships. These results suggest to marketing managers that service firms may achieve larger CS by executing value co-creation activities and providing VRE for customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to analyze the forms of engagement generated from the endorsement of products by digital influencers on Instagram, considering the characteristics of their online posts. A qualitative approach was used to investigate digital influencers' posts based on semiotic image analysis and the critical incidents technique. The results reinforced that digital platforms enable distinct forms of engagement by establishing new configurations that affect relationship marketing and promotion strategies. In particular, on Instagram, the development of engagement can involve four participants who play different social roles, expanding the process of value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an empirical study aimed at investigating the effect of marketing innovativeness, market sensing capabilities and customer relationship management on marketing performance. The researchers tried to develop and solve the problem of the gap between marketing innovativeness and marketing performance. The respondents of this study were 318. Some of them are leaders or owners of SMEs Muslim fashion in Central Java, Indonesia. Data was analyzed by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the study show that marketing innovativeness (MI) has no significant effect on marketing performance (MP), while market sensing capabilities (MSC) and Customer Relationship Management Capabilities (CRMC) have a significant effect on marketing performance. Likewise, marketing innovativeness, market sensing capabilities, and CRM capabilities have a significant effect on the religio-centric relational marketing strategy. Furthermore, religio-centric relational marketing strategy (RRMS) is able to mediate the relationship between marketing innovativeness and marketing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the idea of the life event cycle, relationships between organizations and customers are characterized by recurring gaps in interaction. This article provides an overview of theories on maintenance strategies, particularly in the context of long-distance relationships in social sciences, and transfers existing theories to relationship marketing. A relationship maintenance management model is proposed that can serve as a framework for future research and management approaches. Many unanswered questions demonstrate the great potential and need for studies on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how customer value mediates the relationship between relationship marketing and firm value, and how brand equity mediates the relationship between relationship marketing and firm value in the telecommunications industry in Ghana. A quantitative research design was adopted. Data were collected from 1,000 customers from four main telecommunications companies in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the relationship among the variables. The findings demonstrate that all five dimensions of RM—trust, empathy, shared value, communication, and bonding—have a significant positive influence on brand equity. The test further revealed that brand equity significantly leads to firm value and customer value. The research findings indicate that the relationship marketing concept and brand equity can be used to improve customer value and firm value issues in the telecommunications industry in Ghana. Moreover, the study revealed the usefulness of brand equity scales adopted in evaluating context-specific issues as exist in the telephony industry. The findings also indicate that customer value partially mediates firm value and brand equity. The study shows that brand equity components have varying mediating effects on firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to investigate: (1) perceived service quality, relationship marketing, and customer loyalty at Dewarna Hotel in Malang; (2) direct effects of service quality on relationship marketing; and (3) direct and indirect effects of service quality on customer loyalty via relationship marketing. The research design was descriptive and explanatory. Samples were 98 respondents who had stayed at least three times in a year at Dewarna Hotel. Samples were determined using simple random sampling. Instruments utilized were questionnaires, which subsequently were analyzed using path analysis. The findings indicate that (1) customers perceived service quality, customer loyalty, and relationship marketing at Dewarna Hotel in Malang as favorable; (2) service quality positively and significantly affects relationship marketing; and (3) service quality directly and indirectly has positive and significant effects on customer loyalty via relationship marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Structural Equation Modeling was utilized in an exploratory manner to answer the following questions: (1) Can relationship marketing practices be predicted by Big Five personality traits? (2) If yes, which type of personality trait has an effect on which type of relationship marketing practice? The findings show that all relationship marketing (RM) preferences can be predicted by personality traits of customers. Agreeableness and extroversion personality traits are the only predictors that explained all RM practices significantly. Conscientiousness had a great impact on financial and structural RM practice preferences, while higher degree of openness to experiences explained financial and social RM. Customers with higher scores in emotional stability who displayed higher levels of trust and calmness only explained financial RM preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the hospitality industry ranks as one of the most competitive business sectors, with competing organizations relying on a cocktail of strategies such as relationship marketing to stay relevant, and attract and retain customers. This article examines how relationship marketing impacts trust, commitment, and repurchase intension of customers in the Ghanaian hospitality industry. The data collection questionnaire was administered to 167 randomly selected customers at a four-star hotel in the Accra metropolis. The data analysis used structural equation modeling to ascertain the significance of the relationship that exists between trust, commitment, and customer repurchase intension regarding the relationship marketing practices of hoteliers in Ghana. The findings show a positive and significant relationship between trust, commitment, and repurchase intension. The study also revealed that commitment partially mediates the association between trust and repurchase intension. This implies that both trust and commitment are necessary to attain repurchase and, eventually, loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to investigate the impactful effect of relationship quality dimensions (i.e., trust, satisfaction, and commitment) on aspects of loyalty represented by attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. A quantitative survey method was employed to achieve the objectives of the study. Furthermore, a convenience sampling technique was adopted to select a representative sample from physicians working in the public healthcare sector in Jordan. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, and 408 questionnaires were used in the statistical analyses. The data were analyzed by applying structural equation modeling to test the study model, and hypotheses were constructed and tested quantitatively and discussed qualitatively. The results revealed that both aspects of customer loyalty (i.e., behavioral and attitudinal) were affected positively by the overall dimensions of relationship quality (i.e., trust, satisfaction, and commitment), providing a recommendation for pharmaceutical companies in Jordan to focus on improving the relationship quality between their medical representatives and physicians due to the importance of such a factor in improving customer loyalty, which will reflect positively in managing their customers effectively and enhancing future business opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the subjects of "relationship quality" and "service quality" are well-researched and understood, a clear explanation of the exact relationship that exists between these two important themes is lacking. In a departure from previous service quality studies, this article uses a conservative measure of SERVQUAL to explore the diagnostic structure of service quality. Next, it investigates the structural behavior of service quality dimensions on the relationship quality construct within an emerging telecom market through a dual-lens theoretical viewpoint. The findings show that, in an emerging telecom market, the dimensional structure of SERVQUAL does not completely match with the result previously generated by the originators. It also demonstrates that by improving some quality indicators, a service provider is better positioned to improve relationship quality. In addition, this article challenges the existing tenet of the S-O-R framework by demonstrating that stimulus factors can directly predict the response factor and that the response variable can play a dual role in the S-O-R arena. Finally, implications and contributions are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship marketing has become an important part of today's economic research and practice that complements the traditional marketing approach. With regard to building a reliable theoretical foundation for this branch of science, the transference of established psychological and sociological theories is of particular significance. As an attempt to further frame the underlying theoretical basis, the present article focuses on discussing sociology's convoy model theory in view of business-to-customer relationships. On the one hand, this contributes to the progression of relationship marketing's fundamental conception. On the other hand, it provides management implications specific to a novel subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have investigated drivers of customer retention in the mobile telecommunications industry worldwide. These studies call on scholars pay to attention to these factors in the scholarly marketing literature, since customer retention is the basic tenet of relationship marketing. Drawing on relationship marketing theory, this study analyzes the direct and indirect relationships amongst trust, commitment, and conflict handling on customer retention. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was employed to gather data from customers of mobile telecommunication operators. The findings revealed that only conflict handling had a direct significant effect on customer retention. Also, trust and conflict handling had a direct and significant effect on customer satisfaction. However, trust and conflict handling were seen to have an indirect significant effect on customer retention via customer satisfaction. The study recommends that managers should effectively resolve customer complaints as well as build their trustworthiness in order to satisfy and retain their customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on customer relationship management (CRM) to analyze the trends in CRM approaches, activities, tools, and implementation from 2007 to 2016. The objective is also to provide a classification of the literature with a comprehensive bibliography. The top 10 marketing journals, on the basis of SCImago rankings, were chosen for the study. A total of 56 research papers with 4633 citations emerged out of these top 10 journals for classification and analysis of different parameters. This research explores how CRM research has evolved over a period of 10 years in terms of key areas, research types, tools used, and most researched areas. It shows that the loyalty program is the most researched and published area with regard to CRM studies, whereas topics like privacy concerns and social CRM are underresearched areas. This article analyzes the CRM published research studies over a period of 10 years to provide topical classification, which can be useful for researchers, academicians, and practitioners to understand how CRM has progressed over the years. Since this article consists of the latest classification and analysis of CRM studies, it can be very meaningful for use in further teaching, research, and application by the industry. Also, none of the published research has reviewed the top 10 marketing journals to review and classify CRM articles. This article presents the first such review and therefore provides the latest classification and analysis of CRM literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Relationship Investment Model, this study examines the effects of satisfaction, relationship investment dimensions, and alternative attractiveness on student commitment and, consequently, on student engagement towards higher education institutions (HEIs). This research adopts the positivism, quantitative, and deductive approaches. Data were gathered from a sample of 250 students through the street-intercept systematic sampling and were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that satisfaction and student direct investment significantly affect student commitment, which in turn influences student engagement towards HEIs. While the findings provide guidance to HEIs in designing an effective engagement program that will ensure their relevance in the competitive educational world, this research is limited by several factors, which will require refinement and replication in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of approaches to customer relationship management (CRM) brings about the need for systematic reviews. The objective of this article is to identify and categorize the most used publications in the CRM field. We conducted a bibliometric analysis using the Web of Science database. To identify and categorize the subfields, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis. The most used publications were categorized into: (1) methodology in the CRM research field; (2) relationship marketing; (3) service quality and customer loyalty; (4) implications of market-oriented strategy; (5) CRM theory and its practical implications; (6) strategic management; and (7) customer value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing, maintaining, and enhancing relationships over the Internet have progressively gained global attention. Nevertheless, the dawn of this modernization draws many theoretical debates and practical concerns, some of which have received little research attention, especially within the Sub-Saharan region of Africa. On this premise, we explored the contemporary practice, challenges, and benefits of Internet-based relationship marketing (RM) within the Ghanaian telecommunication industry. Expert interviews with 12 employees from four telecommunication firms elicited a wealth of experiential data analyzed thematically to understand the practice, challenges, and emerging benefits of Internet-based RM. Our findings suggest that issues of privacy concerns, erosion of face-to-face communication, and the tendency of unsolicited communication do not necessarily militate Internet-based RM within the Ghanaian telecommunication industry. We also identified emerging benefits, including online “virality,” a discovery environment, and improved firm reputation. We suggest enhancing online personalization through empathy, creating value with analytic information and managerial openness, and supporting enhanced knowledge development within the area. Directions for future studies include the possibility of comparative studies across service industries and examining the role of content marketing in Internet-based relationships. The challenge of exploring Internet-based RM was similar to hitting a moving target, as the use of the Internet for relationship marketing activities is constantly evolving. Additionally, our findings and conclusion are confined to the knowledge contribution of the experts interviewed. As one of the few studies within the Sub-Saharan region, we expand contributions from the Sub-Saharan domain. The findings of this study also bring to light new insights for establishing, maintaining, and enhancing Internet-based relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article aims to analyze the influence of the “Portuguese Pharmacies card” (PP card) on the pharmacies' customers' behavior. It also intends to examine whether marketing stimuli influence consumers' buying behavior with regard to non-prescription medicines/health and wellness products/pharmaceutical services (NP/HW/PS) and to understand if the consumer social-demographic characteristics influence purchase decisions and customers' loyalty. The investigation is based on the results obtained through an online survey. Exploratory descriptive analysis, based on a sample of 385 customers, is used to empirically verify the hypothesis under study. The marketing stimuli considered in this research include four communication tools: advertising, sales promotions, word of mouth, and the sales force. We conclude that all marketing stimuli can influence impulse buying behavior referred to NP/HW/PS. However, the older the respondents, the lower the influence of these stimuli, except for the relationship with the pharmacist, which will only tend to diminish its importance with increasing income or academic qualifications. Also, men appear to be more permeable to the influence of advertising and sales promotions. The influence of satisfaction on purchases volume of NP/HW/PS stands out, while trust shows no relevant relationship with impulse buying. We conclude that the Portuguese Pharmacies card indeed contributes to customer loyalty in the establishments where it is present. In order to meet customer expectations, a loyalty program should be adjusted over time, seeking to stimulate satisfaction with and reliance on this program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study's main objective was to assess value co-creation and new product success among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia by incorporating cultural orientations and relationship marketing perspectives. The samples were purposely selected in two sectors: handcraft and food and drink. They were approached through a door-to-door distribution of the questionnaires. The findings indicated that relationship quality can enhance value co-creation and new product success when SMEs have a favorable combination of learning, market, and entrepreneurial orientations. However, this study suggests that SMEs do not utilize their relationships as arenas for learning and learning orientation can affect relationship quality only when it is supported by the other orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines online relationship quality as a multidimensional, integrative construct comprising trust, commitment, and satisfaction. Important antecedents of the construct identified in traditional relationship marketing and e-commerce literature (classified respectively under “relationship characteristics” and “website characteristics”) are also investigated. A Web-based questionnaire is administered to 476 online banking users who are members of a large consumer panel. Findings demonstrate that website characteristics (in order of importance: ease of use, website design, information quality, and security/privacy) are especially important for fostering online relationship quality in the banking sector. The moderating effect of gender and age are also examined while highlighting telling differences (greater impact of perceived relationship benefits for men and Generation Y, communication for women, ease of use for women and security/privacy for Baby Boomer). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Spiritual tourism, a relatively new and difficult domain, has been explored only as research on destination management and satisfaction, but not for the possibility and business sense of “unrealistic dream of spiritual customization” through an integration of CRM imperatives into spiritual tourism. Increasing volatility in economies, prolonged recession, and consequent dissatisfaction with consumerism has put a question mark over the “meaning of life.” As technology continues to fulfill CRM promises in several industries, leading to increased expectations about “unrealistic dreams,” this article proposes a conceptual model through an innovative concept of technology-enabled “synaptic gap” via synaptic scaling joined by “mirror mapping” that aims at depolarization of data for a customized “spiritual fulfillment” experience for a profitable relational model. The specific focus is on a measurable process of creating an executable blueprint for each spiritual tourist for customized solutions. The conceptual model is based on consistent application of logical congruence and concrete abstraction through a systematic review of preexisting selective theories in relevant concepts. The suggested model has significant implications for marketing strategy formulators, CRM heads, tourism strategy formulators, and brand equity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated the relationships between fans' engagement with their favorite teams'  Facebook pages, relationship quality with their favorite team, and purchase and referral intentions using relationship marketing as a framework. Results indicated that individuals who engaged more on Facebook also had greater relationship quality. Additionally, a higher level of engagement with teams' Facebook pages had a significant, positive impact on purchase intentions. The indirect effects of Facebook engagement on purchase and referral intentions as mediated by relationship quality were significant and positive. In summary, Facebook engagement had a positive impact on fans' relationship quality and purchase and referral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the effect of customer–brand relationship investments' dimensions on customer engagement. To test the proposed framework, this research adopted the positivist, deductive, and quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was performed to analyze the data, which gathered from a quota sample of 600 Malaysian mobile phone customers using the drop-off survey method. The findings reveal that customer intrinsic investment (CII), customer extrinsic investments (CEI), and brand social investment (BSI) significantly induce customer engagement (CE). This study is one of the first to explicitly examine the effects of the customer–brand relationship investments' dimensions and provide empirical evidence on the effect on customer engagement. This study concentrates on customers' perceptions of their relationship with mobile phone brands in the Malaysian context. Accordingly, this study provides useful insight for companies in emerging countries on how to enhance customer engagement towards a brand and consequently establish a strong customer–brand relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology trapis a term coined by Indian IT professionals to indicate when both client and IT service providers are lured into an enormous scope creep in the client's requirements. As a consequence, the mood of the business is subjected to disabling stress, and service delivery problems become difficult to avoid and not uncommon in the Indian scenario. There are instances where it can be disproportionately large and critical. These circumstances and growing uncertainty in the business scenario anticipate the relationship manager to be armed with a sense of preparedness by reading and deciphering therelationship signals—a new term coined and defined in this study. This article examines the signals or messages of clients emerging out of the relationship temperament matrix. The signals are interpreted in terms of different combinations of stress and conflict with respect to proactive and reactive service providers. Signals are mapped with matrix components and their corresponding outcome, as well as the actions to be taken to offset the negative effects. Attempts have been made to corroborate appropriate deductions using literature dealing with business relationship conflicts and issues in the IT sector. Eliciting academic potential of this study is not this study's only objective, but it is important to be aware of the ordeals and chaos faced by the relationship managers. Includingrelationship signalsin the literature of relationship marketing is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to explore the impact of commitment and trust on internal marketing effectiveness within the hospital industry. The study was exploratory in nature and was conducted using the case study methodology. It involved 10 cases in the hospital industry, and a total of 20 interviews were conducted. Results revealed that both commitment and trust played a moderating role in five of the key tasks (i.e., training, motivation, company vision/goals, co-optation, and communication) of effective internal marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Colleges and universities have increasingly looked toward social media as a means of engaging with stakeholders. Using the relationship marketing framework as a lens, this study explores how institutions are employing the social media platform Pinterest. Content analysis of the types of college and university pins being used and their relationship to the number of user repins suggests that the tool is not being employed in a manner consistent with user expectations. Our findings suggest that some colleges and universities need to reevaluate their social media plan to acknowledge the different audiences, uses, and functionality of specific social media platforms. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]