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Establishing trust is a critical issue for customers and for new or unknown online retailers. As it is impossible for customers to check products before making online purchases, retailers have more scope for engaging in opportunistic behaviours than they do in the traditional physical retail settings. Customer reviews serve as decision-making aids for customers, potentially building trust towards online retailers. However, for customer reviews to be effective in building trust, customers first need to trust the reviewers. The e-commerce literature has examined the influence of various attributes of customer reviews on customer beliefs, including trust and credibility. However, the attributes of the reviewer profile have todate received limited attention in the literature. This study, therefore, focuses on the influence of reviewer profiles on customer beliefs. Building on similarity-attraction, homophily, and social identity theories, the study examines the influence of the match and mismatch of the demographic characteristics between customers and reviewers on perceived social presence, affective trust, and review credibility. The results indicate that contra the theoretical case for age and gender match between customers and reviewers, no significant positive affect for these match conditions exist. These results, however, follow other offline research that test match based on gender and age and suggest a gap exists between the widely accepted theoretical case and the empirical reality. Although the results here do not follow the apparent theoretical case, they are not exceptional as they follow previous empirical findings. The only exceptional case was found is that when the reviewer is a female and the participant is a male, perceived social presence increased. Additional findings showed that the valence of customer reviews had no significant influence on perceived social presence, affective trust, or review credibility. Affective trust is also found to mediate the relationship between perceived social presence and perceived review credibility.

The research examined employees and stakeholders' perceptions of a significant educational reform conducted at the A. Youth-Village. The reform aimed at transforming an out-dated agriculture school into a technological-scientific education centre that would be able to train its pupils to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This study investigated the employees and stakeholders' perceptions of the appropriateness of methods used during the organisational change of A. Youth-Village. The studied perceptions related, amongst other issues, to the extent of the respondents’ knowledge about the latest changes introduced, their respective present and future positions in the A. Youth-Village, the impact of the changes on their professional careers, and the necessity for change (Samuel, 2005). The research employed mixed qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate different variables relating to the management of the A. Youth-Village, derived from background conversations with stakeholders' and a review of the relevant literature on traditional management theory. Data analysis was adapted to the different research methods, including statistics and content analysis. Five main categories emerged from the data analysis as important considerations for the management of the A. Youth-Village: (1) Personal Attitude (2) Quality Professional Development (3) Quality Management Approach (4) Quality Consumer Satisfaction and (5) Personal Improvement. These five categories used to form an innovative managerial theory (Ed.QMS), which can serve as an operative management model that would be appropriate to the needs of the A. Youth-Village during and after the implementation of change. The new theory and model embodies an addition to traditional management theory and despite the difficulties involved in generalisation due to the unique nature of the studied institution, it may be relevant and helpful for other boarding technological and agricultural schools.

The relationships between service quality, consumer satisfaction, and loyalty have been widely discussed in the service marketing literature, but there is still an ongoing debate about these relationships because they have not been well studied in spectator sport industry (Theodorakis & Alexandris, 2008). Schmitt (2011) claimed that consumer experiential could be a new perspective for evaluating the nature of these relationships. However, experience marketing has some special and unique attributes requiring specific definitions in specific research contexts. Thus, the current research attempts to (1) identify what kinds of experiences are found in Taiwanese professional baseball games; (2) test models of relationships between consumer experience, service quality, satisfaction and loyalty taking into account the unique aspects of the specific context of Taiwanese professional baseball games; and (3) test the role of consumer experience on the relationships between perceived service quality, satisfaction and loyalty. In order to achieve the research aims, the current research adopted a mixed method approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Four focus groups, representing the qualitative stage, were conducted to acquire a better understanding of consumer experience types and characteristics in Taiwanese professional baseball games. The main findings of the focus groups are that (1) ordinary experiences include the game itself while additional events and activities characterise extraordinary experiences. However, (2) when games involve a special performance and record or modifies a ranking position, they can be seen as extraordinary experiences as well. Moreover, ordinary experience and extraordinary experiences also depend on clubs, game days, and stadiums. A questionnaire survey, representing the quantitative stage, was used to investigate the relationships between consume experience, service quality, consumer satisfaction and loyalty. The sampling strategy was designed based on the specific research context features (i.e., different clubs, dates and stadia), and 1,229 questionnaires were collected. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in order to test the measurement model and compare theoretical models according to specific research context features. The main findings were that: (1) the degree of association between consumer experience and service quality is significant, (2) both direct and indirect relationships of consumer experience on consumer satisfaction and loyalty are significant, (3) only an indirect influence, via consumer satisfaction, of service quality on consumer loyalty is significant, (4) the differences of relationships are significant between clubs, but not significant between dates and stadia. The current research concluded that (1) consumer experience is an important dimension to take into consideration to better understand the formation of consumer loyalty, (2) there is a two-way relationship between service quality and consumer experience, (3) Intangible experience elements are captured by consumer experience while tangible experience elements are captured by service quality, (4) Extraordinary experiences in sport spectating events are highly dependent on situational factors, (5) specific research contexts features are important to take into consideration when conducting consumer experience research.

The fundamental purpose of this thesis was to determine how effective is the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict and explain shopping for embarrassing products in single and multi-channel. This is important because multi-channel consumers buy more, the question is why (Neslin, Grewal et al. 2006). The question was answered by comparing consumer behaviour in three different channels: drugstore, internet and multi-channel. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been successful to predict intentions for a wide variety of products and behaviours. However, little is known about how effective it is when the behaviour under study is influenced by the emotion of embarrassment. Similarly, the TPB is parsimonious and has a good predictive power; nevertheless, this thesis identified that the TPB could be more effective if it considered: (1) the role of positive and negative emotions (2) other determinants of choice like personality and demographics (3) variables that are useful to make marketing decisions like the synergistic effect of brands, retailers and channels (4) variables that explain consumer response like approach and avoidance. To provide a comprehensive theoretical framework that is able to understand single and multi-channel, this thesis integrated the TPB within the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. To evaluate the proposed model, the study used a context and target product that resonated with the theory: the purchase of Regaine (a hair loss product that is embarrassing to buy) in Boots (a well-known UK. multi-channel drugstore). The embarrassing nature of Regaine created differences in the importance that variables play in each channel. The results were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and the three shopping environments were compared using multi-group analysis (MGA). The effectiveness of the TPB was improved. The variance explained (R² to intention) was 73 percent for the drugstore, 67 percent for the internet and 54 percent for multi-channel. However, subjective norm (SN) was the only factor that achieved significance for the three shopping environments. Personality and demographic factors had a low but significant moderating effect on intention. This thesis built on a series of contributions in different areas, such as the TPB, attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, embarrassing products, multi-channel, marketing, emotions, personality and demographics. Future research should expand this thesis to other embarrassing products, industries and social media settings.

This study is an in-depth investigation of the factors that affect store brand purchases. It aims to help both retailers and manufacturers predict store brand purchases through an improved understanding of the effects of three latent variables: customer satisfaction and loyalty with the store; which is expressed through word-of-mouth; and trust in store brands. An additional aim is to explore variations in the level of store brand adoption and the inter-relationships between the selected constructs. Data was collected through a telephone survey of those responsible for household grocery shopping, and who shop at the nine leading grocery retailers in Greece. A total of 904 respondents completed the questionnaire based upon a quota of 100 respondents for each of the nine retailers. Data were analyzed through chi-square, analysis of variance and partial least square. The proposed model was tested by partial least square path modeling, which related the latent variables to the dependent manifest variable: store brand purchases. The findings provide empirical support that store brand purchases are positively influenced by the consumers’ perceived level of trust in store brands. The consumer decision-making process for store brands is complex and establishing customer satisfaction and loyalty with the store does not appear to influence store brand purchases or the level of trust in the retailer’s store brands in the specific context under study. Consequently the most appropriate way to influence store brand purchases in the Greek market is through increasing in the level of trust in the retailer’s store brands. It is suggested that retailers should therefore invest in trust building strategies for their own store brands and try to capitalize on their brand equity by using a family brand policy. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed and opportunities for further research are suggested.

Using consumer satisfaction as an example of complex communication and a virtual world as a mediating platform, a novel framework for eliciting consumer satisfaction has been developed. Consumer satisfaction is a key element for business success, while the elicitation of satisfaction perceptions from consumers can help vendors to assess and to improve their business performance. The objectives here are: how consumer satisfaction is defined, understood and measured; how virtual worlds function, both as a platform and a product; how users typically perceive their experiences in virtual worlds; and how consumer satisfaction metrics can be translated into a virtual environment. Second Life is used as an enabling technology for gathering requirements as well as for the construction, refinement and validation of the framework. Second Life is a virtual world, a multi-user, 3D, immersive environment, which has its own internal economy. The choice of using this social virtual world was due to Second Life being a resilient and widely used platform. The main contribution of this thesis is a framework that can be used to identify and categorise the complex and inter-related factors that affect the use of Second Life in terms of consumer satisfaction perceptions. Another contribution here is a novel approach to Search Engine trend analysis, which focuses on the number or search results returned as opposed to the number of queries for a given search phrase. Based on the research conducted by the author and knowledge gained from the literature, a framework has been developed which identifies interrelated components that provide a wider context to perceive the user experience of Second Life. The approach taken by the framework enables it to be used as a means to comprehend Second Life both as a product and as a platform. A Straussian Grounded Theory approach was taken to data gathering, analysis and interpretation in the context of the framework; further refinements are made to the framework as a consequence of emergent themes revealed through the process of analysing the gathered data. Guidance is given in brief as to how the framework can be adapted to reveal consumer satisfaction perceptions from other internet based services.

In spite of the rapid growth and internalization of banking services in particular, managers first need to correctly identify the antecedents of what the local consumer perceives as service quality and its link to service climate, thus the strengths of this relationship would be beneficial as a global competitive tool. Although significant studies had been done regarding issues and factors contributing to service quality and service climate in the banking industry, very little has been published regarding the connection between perceptions of these dimensions. The purpose of this study is to describe an accomplished research to determine whether Malaysian local bank customers’ perceptions of service quality and its dimensions relate to employees’ perceptions of service climate and its dimensions; and to ascertain whether various background elements’ reported differences influence the relationships between the dimensions of service quality and service climate. This study encapsulated two phases of survey with open-ended and close-ended questionnaires consecutively. The researcher employed the Profile Accumulation Technique in the first phase and from the respondents’ results, close-ended questionnaires were constructed with responses from four local banks in Malaysia, corroborated together with previous scholars’ findings. Several analyses were carried out such as demographic, reliability, validity, performance, non-parametric and parametric tests and elaboration analysis. The main findings produced nine dimensions of service quality (Automated Teller Machine; corporate image; customer interaction and customer service; online and phone banking; physical feature and facilities; products and services; rates and charges; management and staff) and eleven dimensions of service climate (benefit, bonus, reward and salary; corporate image; customer service; facilities; organization; department and branch; management; organization output; products and services; workforce; myself). There were significant relationships between service quality and service climate dimensions. Respondents’ characteristics influenced the strength of the relationships between dimensions, service quality and service climate. Consequently, the results offered significant implications for participating banks to improve quality in their environment concerning their employees and customers; using customer-oriented processes and training programs within an increasingly diverse marketplace. Economic development, the political situation, socio-cultural system and the level of sector maturity do need to be considered by managers and policy makers so as to investigate their influence on service quality and service climate.

It is proposed by scholars of consumer complaining behaviour that dissatisfaction occurs at two levels: (1) the primary level resulting from product or service failure; and (2) the secondary level resulting from an unsuccessful attempt at complaint resolution with the company held responsible. This thesis provides an integrated analysis of the triggers of voiced and non-voiced consumer responses to the level of primary dissatisfaction. A deductively derived two-factor taxonomy of consumer responses to dissatisfaction was developed out of the extant literature, to identify those responses to dissatisfaction analogous with both primary and secondary dissatisfaction. Based on this taxonomy, a deductively derived typology of consumer responses to primary dissatisfaction, together with two truncated alternatives, was also proposed. The proposed typologies facilitated two levels of analysis: (1) the unidimensional level relating to whether or not the dissatisfaction was voiced to the company held responsible; and (2) the multi-dimensional level of response style engaged in. At each level of analysis, the contribution to total explained variance of six trigger sets was assessed: pre-dissatisfaction situation, post-dissatisfaction situation, company/consumer relationship, marketplace/consumer relationship, psychographics and demographics. The validity of both the proposed two-factor taxonomy and the three typologies was examined through a cross-sectional survey of 1000 dissatisfied consumers across eight product and service categories. Findings supported the deductive basis of the taxonomy, where it was found that whilst exit behaviours and private negative word-of-mouth are analogous with the level of primary dissatisfaction, the incidence of public negative word-of-mouth, third party action and grudge holding was significantly greater among consumers experiencing secondary dissatisfaction. These findings also supported the deductive basis of the proposed typologies of responses to primary dissatisfaction, by empirically identifying those responses analogous with this level of dissatisfaction. At the unidimensional level of analysis, the trigger sets explained 54% ofthe variance between a voiced and a non-voiced instance of primary dissatisfaction. At the multidimensional level of the response style, 63% of variance was explained between response styles in the truncated typology with the most practical use for suppliers. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are made to practitioners on how to encourage supplier-friendly consumer response styles following primary dissatisfaction, and to discourage less friendly styles. The empirically supported truncated typology -distinguishing between passive, private responses, telling, and telling + private responses -represents an important strategic tool for suppliers to monitor and benchmark responses to primary dissatisfaction among their customer base.

The purpose of this thesis was to provide insights into the consumer's perception of the risk of Riba (the Islamic prohibition of baking interest) and its influence on consumer's bank patronage. In Bahrain, the Conventional and the Interest-free banks operate side by side representing different philosophies of business and operation. Selecting a conventional bank requires Muslim customers to negotiate the risk of jeopardizing religious convictions, and selecting an Interest-free bank requires customers to adjust to possibilities of losing some of their convenience, time, services quality, and perhaps their money. Specifically, this study explored the interaction of risk perception (ethical and performance) with the banking patronage and a host of attitudinal and behavioural correlates in banking among the Bahraini customers. The study surveyed a random sample of customers from the population of Muslim teachers by means of Questionnaires. Risks of ethical, ideological and religious nature were identified These were new risks that extended the perceived risk research. Findings were reported about the public reaction to Riba as a threat and customers' concerns about it. The analysis also used attitudes, beliefs and world views, worrying, sin perception, religious orientation, Riba charactenstics, banking knowledge, social relations and contexts, as well as the risk handling activities to explore their influences on the perceived risks and banking patronage.

Consumer satisfaction and customer experience are key predictors of an organization’s future market growth, long-term customer loyalty, and profitability but are hard to maintain in marketplaces with abundance of choice. Building on self-determination theory, we experimentally test a novel intervention that leverages consumer need for autonomy. The intervention is a message called a “freedom cue” (FC) which makes it salient that consumers can “choose as much as they wish.” A 4-week field experiment in a sporting gear store establishes that FCs lead to greater consumer satisfaction compared to when the store displays no FC. A large (N = 669) preregistered process-tracing experiment run with a consumer panel and a global e-commerce company shows that FCs at point-of-sale improve consumer satisfaction and customer experience compared to an equivalent message that does not make freedom to choose any amount salient. Perceived freedom mediates the effect. FCs do not change the time spent or clicks on the website overall but do change the focus of the choice process. FCs lead to greater focus on what is chosen than on what is not chosen. We discuss practical implications for organizations and future research in consumer choice.

An unfortunate reality of consumer behavior is that it has a negative side: Consumers can experience negative emotions (Harrison-Walker, 2019); firm-consumer relationships can grow sour (Do, 2019); and so on. Already quite prevalent, negative forces in consumption have only increased lately because of the COVID-19 pandemic (Gaydos, 2020). Given the pervasiveness of negative forces in consumer behavior, it is very important for consumer psychologists to study them. To that end, the three essays in this dissertation explore wide-ranging facets of negative forces in consumer behavior and, collectively, greatly augment the field’s understanding of the behaviors, processes, and outcomes comprising the less pleasant side of consumption. Essay One studies consumer behaviors in the face of a negative marketing mix action—when a firm cuts loyalty programs benefits. This essay investigates changes in consumers’ loyalty program satisfaction when the benefits granted to their own tier remain constant over two periods but the benefits granted to another tier are reduced (vs. also remain constant). The research demonstrates that consumers become more satisfied with a loyalty program when another tier loses (vs. does not lose) benefits, because of counterfactual thinking and relative value considerations. Essay Two explores a psychological mechanism that relates to negative forces in consumption. This essay studies an unexplored facet of gift-giving—the importance of selecting a good gift—and finds that it is more important to givers than recipients that a good gift be given. This giver-recipient asymmetry can manifest as givers making choices that do not align with recipients’ preferences. In addition, drawing on contextualized self-enhancement theory, this research shows that the asymmetry is driven primarily by givers overestimating the negative implications of giving a bad gift rather than the positive implications of giving a good one. Essay Three investigates consumer reactions to peers’ negative experiences. This essay studies the impact of peers’ repeated misfortunes on the schadenfreude that observing consumers feel and explores the mediating roles that three mechanisms play in the process: perceptions of how severe a misfortune is for the consumer experiencing it, perceptions of the degree to which the consumer feels upset, and perceptions of how deserving the consumer is of the misfortune. In addition, this work examines whether misfortune magnitude moderates the relationship between repeated misfortunes and schadenfreude. In sum, this dissertation explores several aspects of negative forces in consumer behavior, ranging from negative firm behaviors to psychological mechanisms tied to negativity to consumer reactions to peers’ negative experiences. Collectively, the findings provide a deeper understanding of the less pleasant, but important, side of consumption. Moreover, given the array of topics covered across the three essays, the research comprising this dissertation should appeal to a wide community of researchers, including those interested in negative consumption experiences, self-other decision making, loyalty programs, gift giving, counterfactual thinking, schadenfreude, and social psychology.

This study investigates the influence of service quality and personality factors on customer satisfaction and reuse intentions in the hotel industry. It aims to develop and empirically test a theoretical model that measures the effects of the various dimensions of service quality and personality on customer satisfaction. To this end, a quantitative survey approach was employed to collect primary data from the respondents (hotel guests/customers) by administering a structured questionnaire through an online survey. More precisely, this research evaluates how service quality and personality factors influence customer satisfaction and reuse intentions in the hotel industry in Sydney. The target population included individuals older than 18 years old and stayed in Sydney hotels. Six dimensions of service quality (i.e., tangibility, location, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy) and the Big Five personality factors (i.e., openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) were identified as having the potential to influence customer satisfaction and reuse intentions. This study further investigates the association between customer satisfaction and reuse intentions in the hotel sector in Sydney using a structural equation model (SEM) approach. Moreover, this study also examines the difference between international and domestic visitors in terms of the effects of service quality and personality factors on their satisfaction, and extends the analysis conducted by previous studies. The study's findings confirm that the five constructs of service quality and three constructs of personality factors influence customer satisfaction. Finally, the results reveal that customer satisfaction is a significant predictor of reuse intention. The implications of the study are explained, and some suggestions for further research are provided to generalize these relationships to other sectors/contexts.

Abstract: This study illustrates a model for the implementation of a “Business-To-Consumer Electronic Commerce Transaction (B2C ECT)” system in a university course following the ISO 10008:2013 standard. Furthermore, this model includes four subsystems based on ISO 10001:2007 for a code of conduct, ISO 10002:2014 for complaints handling system, ISO 10004:2013 for monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for information security. The scope of the B2C ECT system in the course considered products delivered by a course website and email. The methodology considered the creation of flowcharts, forms and examples of the processes required for ISO 10008 B2C ECT system and its subsystems in the course to facilitate its implementation. The created model can be self-implemented by a professor or implemented with the help of consultants or researchers. A professor can choose to implement the entire model with its subsystems or only some of them. Another option is that professors can adapt the model according to their needs. For example, they can cover products delivered only through a course website. Moreover, this research presents the first case study in the implementation of ISO 10008. It considers the application of the developed model for the course material delivered through the course site using the Moodle platform in an undergraduate engineering course in a university in western Canada. The implementation of the B2C ECT system in this undergraduate engineering course seems to have contributed to increase student satisfaction with the course website. Before the implementation of the B2C ECT system, on a 1 to 5 scale, student satisfaction with the course website had a median of 3.87, while after the implementation, it was 4.19. Furthermore, around 65% of students expressed that the course quality and satisfaction improved with actions taken because of the implementation of surveys and redesign of the course website.

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networking sites and is attracting the interest of retailers as an effective way to interact with consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) determinants and impacts of Pinterest consumer experiences. Specifically, this study examined the impacts of retailer reputation, trust, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness on Pinterest consumer experiences on retailer SNS. 2) To identify the impacts of Pinterest consumer experiences on consumer satisfaction, behavioral intention, and online retailer relationship. The instrument used existing scales drawn from the literature. A consumer panel (n = 300) of Pinterest users that connect to apparel retailers was used to collect data through an online consumer panel. Reputation is positively related to trust and to perceived ease of use. Perceived ease of use and usefulness significantly affected retailer Pinterest consumer experiences. The impact of Pinterest consumer experiences on satisfaction and behavior intention was positive and significant. Satisfaction and behavior intention also are significantly related to online retailer relationship. Results and business implications are discussed, as well are limitations and future research.

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a five-star rating system of nursing homes in the United States. These star ratings have been widely publicized both by CMS and in the national and state media. Although the components of the star rating system take into account various dimensions of quality, the satisfaction of nursing home residents and their families are not taken into consideration. The current study compares the CMS star rating system to the satisfaction ratings of nursing homes provided by residents and their families throughout the state of Ohio. Findings indicate that the star rating system does not adequately reflect consumer satisfaction and recommend that the star rating system be refined to include a consumer component.

Prior empirical research has decomposed customer satisfaction into two related but independent dimensions—magnitude and uncertainty—and demonstrated the important moderating role of satisfaction uncertainty on the fuzzy satisfaction-loyalty link. In turn, research has focused on the psychological basis of satisfaction uncertainty by examining a few cognitive and situational antecedents of in consumer contexts. This study focuses on the role of important individual difference variables in the formation of satisfaction uncertainty. The empirical work seeks to explore the interplay of individual difference variables, cognition and affect in shaping satisfaction uncertainty. The proposed model maintains that need for closure and regulatory focus shape satisfaction uncertainty through their influence on affective and cognitive processes. The model was tested among 196 participants in a manipulated restaurant encounter. The empirical work unveils a rich network of relationships that illuminates how satisfaction uncertainty is formed.

Driven by recent breaches of trust by corporations, religious institutions, government entities and nonprofit organizations and their leaders, stakeholders are increasingly distrustful of the motivations and behaviors of these institutions. We asked two overarching questions in response to this degradation of trust and proliferation of distrust in firms, organizational leaders, and entire sectors of the economy: a) How do organizations repair stakeholder trust once they have broken it? and b) How do organizations navigate distrust- and/or trust-dominated institutional environments, whether or not they have been transgressors? In our conceptual paper, we developed a framework for repairing stakeholder trust by investigating the impact of perceived organizational justice on trust repair. Using the research agenda presented in the conceptual paper, we used our second paper to further examine the trust repair process from the stakeholder perspective. We employed a semi-structured interview research process and found that informational justice, evidence of change, the perceived character and values of organizational leaders and the mode of communication utilized to regain trust were most salient in trust repair. As U.S. economic woes drove deeper and more broad-reaching distrust, we looked outside of the firm to understand how to build trust and loyalty in various industry environments using two competing theoretical lenses. We found that consumer distrust in a firm is a grave threat to loyalty across industries; however, distrust-dominated environments present unique opportunities for some firms with high consumer trust to gain loyalty, while trust-dominated environments present fewer opportunities.

This study created a model using factor analysis and structural equation modeling to investigate the relationship of service quality, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity of individuals who experienced a timeshare mini vacation at a branded timeshare resort. The constructs of service quality were developed by creating a survey tool. A total of 4,797 surveys were electronically sent resulting in a total of 1,275 of the individuals surveyed who met the criteria of staying at a branded hotel or resort during their mini vacation. Six different variables were created from the ordinal level questions on the survey: Resort Accommodations, Sales Gallery, Sales Presentation, Resort Activities, Resort Staff and Brand Value. These were then used in an exploratory factor analysis to identify latent factors after which structural equation modeling was used to define the relationship between the factors and the independent variables. A total of 44 models were explored and evaluated based on goodnessof-fit metrics. The model that had the best level of fit was a first-order two-factor model. This model was created with an 80% subset and confirmed with a 20% subset of the sample. The factors found represent the Vacation Experience Promise (VEP) and the Vacation Experience Delivery (VED). There was a positive correlation for both VEP and VED with word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity. The research also posited 24 hypotheses of the relationship between the service quality constructs, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity with the demographic characteristics of guest type, gender, stay type, age, marital status, gross income, timeshare ownership and the number of presentations attended. There was not enough information to support a relationship between the service quality constructs, word-ofmouth recommendation and price sensitivity with regards to gender, gross income and marital iv status. There was a difference in the scores for the service quality constructs and the varying categories within the age, stay type, and timeshare ownership demographic variables. There was a difference only in the VED scores and the varying categories within the guest type and presentations attended demographic variables. There was also a difference in the scores for the word-of-mouth recommendation construct and the varying categories within the age, guest type, timeshare ownership and number of presentations attended demographic variables. Lastly, there was also a difference in the scores for the price sensitivity construct and the varying categories within the guest type, timeshare ownership and presentation attended demographic variables. The research discusses the business implications associated with these findings and proposes next steps for future research.

This capstone project was conducted to evaluate trainer trainee satisfaction and acceptability from social validation questionnaires for SafeCare provider training s conducted by the National SafeCare Training and Research Center. Data were collected from 82 training participants from 2007 to 2009. SafeCare is an evidence-based parenting skills program created for at-risk and maltreating parents. The National SafeCare Training and Research Center utilizes a trainer-training model to teach professionals at the community-level. Trainees are instructed in four SafeCare modules: health, home safety, parent-child and parent-infant interactions. Social validation questionnaires are administered to evaluate process and procedures, outcome measures, staff performance, and training methods. Overall, SafeCare provider training was reported as valuable across all three social validation questionnaires. Trainees also reported a strong agreement for utilizing the skills learned during training in their future field work. Training staff performance received high satisfaction ratings as well.

New Zealand agriculture has evolved for many years to levels where the industry now embraces the most modern means of producing food and fibre products and services to meet customer needs. It is one of the key industries that generate income for many families and the country at large. The importance of managing agribusinesses effectively therefore, should be highly endorsed. In order to manage effectively, agricultural entrepreneurs first need to understand that the continued operation and success of their businesses is determined by their ability to recognise, create and manage customer value. An assertion has been stated in this dissertation that an organisation should only pronounce value after it has confirmed that its customers have derived benefit(s) from consuming the firm's product. The findings of this dissertation suggest that this assertion is incorrect. Literature defines customer value in many ways, some of which are commonly shared by New Zealand agribusinesses interviewed for this dissertation. The subjective nature of what customer value is as reported by many authors is also markedly understood. The shared understanding among agri-based entrepreneurs of what customer value is has driven them to effectively harness their ingenuity of creativity and adopt modern technology and information sharing to successfully meet their customer requirements and compete in the agri-based global market. Although businesses have shown an understanding that value is defined from the customer's point of view, the disparities in objectives, backgrounds, resources and capabilities among them have significantly influenced the strategies and tactics adopted by individual firms in their quest to create customer value. It is well acknowledged that the industry produces perishable products that are subject to the ever-increasing requirements of health, safety and quality management if they are to win shelf space in retail outlets. Such requirements are also accepted as major drivers of superior customer value. The use of fragmented methods which do not aid intensified agri-businesses to generate customer value are encouragingly diminishing in New Zealand agribusiness. The understanding of the crucial relationship between customer value creation, profitability and sustainability of a business is significantly reflected. It is mainly supermarket groups that provide a conduit between producers of agricultural products and the final consumers. Relationships between these chains and producers have been, and continue to be, a major driver of customer value creation. The supermarket groups wield chain captaincy which is viewed by some producers as unsupportive of their sustainable profitability and this is an ongoing challenge yet to be overcome by growers. A practical alternative has been suggested in this dissertation. Some organisations creating customer value beyond New Zealand borders have considered adopting inter-organisational relationships; a strategy that has become widely accepted beyond the agribusiness industry against the backdrop of highly competitive global markets. Most agribusinesses have encouragingly embraced the marketing concept; an approach which in part emphasises putting customers first. In doing so, they have selectively adopted the tools of marketing to suit their type of business, products, resources and capabilities. The route to the creation of customer value has been described by firms as interesting, especially those that have experienced encouraging performance and growth. The same businesses however, have also highlighted that the quest has been, and still is, not without challenges.

Since the early 1980s there has been a growing interest globally in service quality, driven by the supposition that high service quality will lead to more satisfied customers. Satisfied customers will remain loyal and spread positive word-of-mouth advertising, and therefore improving service quality is linked to competitive advantage. In Australia the recognition that the service industry is a significant economic driver has resulted in an increasing interest in service quality. Sydney, as the most popular tourist destination in Australia, has a large number of hotels that represent a critical component of the local service industry. To respond to the rising attention to impacts of service quality on the hospitality industry this thesis explores service quality within the hotel sector of Sydney, Australia. The research presents and discusses a comprehensive analysis of the expectations and perceptions of key actors, the customers, managers and employees of hotels, along with a service performance analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data collection. Despite the fact that the concept of service quality in tourism and hospitality has been researched for over two decades, limited understanding exists of the hotel sector of Sydney, Australia. Thus the primary focus of this research is to analyse the needs, expectations and perceptions of three-, four- and five-star hotel customers in Sydney, Australia. This research, which seeks to address the gaps within the tourism and hospitality literature surrounding service quality in Sydney hotels, is guided by two main research questions: First, what are the main factors that customers consider to be important in the evaluation of service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels? To answer this question it was necessary to: 1) examine what attributes customers use in choosing between three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney; 2) determine management’s perceptions of the attributes they believe are important in patrons’ choice process when deciding between alternative three-, four- and five-star accommodation providers in Sydney; 3) use the SERVQUAL framework to develop measures of service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels in Sydney; 4) evaluate the validity of the SERVQUAL framework in the context of three-, four and five-star hotels; 5) identify which of the dimensions is the most important in delivering customer satisfaction in three-, four- and five-star hotels. Second, how well are these hotels delivering the required levels of satisfaction to their customers? To answer this question it was necessary to: 1) ascertain from the perspective of both management and staff what impediments exist within the hotel sector to delivery of quality service; 2) compare the perception of performance with customer expectations to identify discrepancies; 3) identify those aspects of hotel service that require attention and modification in terms of teaching and learning; 4) identify the perceptions of performance by customers of Sydney hotels; 5) compare managers’ perceptions of performance with those of customer perception in this area. In order to address the research questions outlined above, a mixed methodology grounded in the pragmatic paradigm was adopted. The pragmatic paradigm allows for mixed methods research and was chosen because it reflects the exploratory nature of the research to be undertaken through multiple methods. The methodological approach in this thesis was undertaken in four phases: Phase 1, the qualitative phase, where individual interviews and fieldwork provided the groundwork for questionnaire development; Phase 2, the quantitative phase, where the questionnaire was developed and extensively tested; Phase 3, the continuation of the quantitative phase, which included employment of the highly structured questionnaire; and Phase 4, the final phase, using the triangulation technique to combine and explain the data collected. The results of this research revealed that respondents hold numerous and differing views about the notion of service quality. In general, respondents provided an overview of the attributes customers use in choosing between three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney, which both confirmed and added to previous research. Managers demonstrated understanding of customers’ expectations, but showed high levels of frustration with the multiple impediments to delivering quality services to customers within the hotel sector. The SERVQUAL framework proved to be useful in measuring service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotels in Sydney; measures needed, however, considerable refinement in terms of context to be useful to hotel managers in Sydney. A number of relationships were established, including correlations between: customer expectations and service quality; customer satisfaction and service quality; customer loyalty/retention and service quality; price/value and service quality. These findings will allow managers of hotels to make better decisions in terms of resources. Additionally, a number of areas were identified as needing modification to improve service quality in three-, four- and five-star hotel accommodation in Sydney. These include paying greater attention to employee and customer contact, and making modifications in the broad area of human resources. Overall this thesis adds to the body of literature concerning service quality, with a specific emphasis on Sydney, Australia. This thesis provides a better understanding of those aspects of service that are considered by customers to be important in their overall experience, and makes suggestions about the changes that can be made to improve customer experience. Further, the identification of impediments to service quality delivery highlights the problems for staff and managers in delivering what the hotel promises. This information can then be used to inform management of the changes that can be made to achieve better performance.

Convenience - the ability to reduce consumers' time and energy costs in purchasing or using goods and services - has become an important attribute for time poor consumers. Berry, Seiders and Grewal (2002) proposed that there are five types of service convenience comprising decision, access, transaction, benefit, and post-benefit convenience. However, little research exists, other than that conducted by Colwell, Aung, Kanetkar and Holden (2008), and Seiders, Voss, Godfrey and Grewal (2007) exploring Berry et al.' s five components. The focus of this thesis is to empirically examine consumer perceptions of multiple types of service convenience as proposed by Berry et al. (2002) and to explore the effect of those components on overall consumer satisfaction and two consumer behavioural intentions (repurchase intention and word-of-mouth communication) in a leisure setting in Taiwan. In examining this issue, the thesis has three main aims: 1) To investigate the impact of consumer perceptions of each type of service convenience on overall consumer satisfaction; 2) To investigate the impact of consumer perceptions of each type of service convenience on consumer behavioural intentions toward their health clubs; and 3) To investigate whether overall consumer satisfaction mediates the relat~onship between consumer perceptions of each type of service convenience and consumer behavioural intentions towards the health clubs.

It is now well recognised that an effective service recovery program is an essential part of firms service quality programs and critical to generating customer satisfaction and loyalty. A number of studies have investigated the impact of service recovery efforts (compensation, speed of response, etc.) on post-recovery satisfaction, mostly in Western countries. However, despite the importance of global markets, very few have examined how Eastern consumers react to service recovery efforts. Furthermore, none have examined the impact of cultural value orientation (cultural values measured at the individual level) in implementing effective service recovery programs. This is one of the few studies that have attempted to avoid the ecological fallacy, i.e., assume all consumers within a country are culturally homogeneous. Based on Justice Theory, this research conducted in Thailand, employed an experimental design to investigate how customer evaluations of service recovery efforts are influenced by interplay of the consumer s cultural value orientation and service recovery attributes (apology, compensation, cognitive control, recovery initiation, and formality). The results reveal that cultural values of power distance, uncertainty avoidance and collectivism do indeed interact with a firm s recovery tactics to influence perceptions of justice. In other words, the impact of a firm s tactics is culturally dependent, and consumer expectations and perceptions of service recovery efforts vary, depending on customers cultural value orientation. Finally, all three forms of justice (distributive, procedural, interactional) along with disconfirmation of expectations, positively impact on overall service recovery satisfaction. Unlike previous studies, we found evidence to indicate that there is a temporal sequence associated with the three justice dimensions i.e., interactional and procedural justice precede and thus impact perception of distributive (outcome) justice. The results have implication for marketing theory as well as managerial action.

In today s highly competitive business environment, client perceived value has become increasingly important to practitioners and business researchers as it is believed to be central to client decision-making, satisfaction and client retention. However, there are few insights as to what constitutes client perceived value and what are its antecedents, especially in the context of international, professional business-to-business (B2B) services. This study thus addressed two key questions: (i) what are the antecedents of client perceived value in an international, professional B2B service setting?; and (ii) how do these determinants influence client perceived performance and value under different contingency conditions (e.g., perceptions of country-of-origin (COO) and client experience)? The research was undertaken in two phases: Phase 1 included a literature review covering services marketing, international marketing, resource-based theory, contingency theory as well as an exploratory research amongst eight dyadic case studies. The objectives were to identify the key variables that contribute to client perceived performance and value; to fine tune the key constructs adopted from the literature; and to verify the linkage between the resource-based view (RBV) of a firm and client perceived value. By drawing on the theories mentioned above, and the results from the exploratory research, a conceptual model and a series of hypotheses were developed. The data used to test the model in Phase 2 was collected from 218 client firms in both Malaysia and Thailand. The data was collected through a mail survey with a net response rate of 32.9%, and was analysed via structural equation modelling, regression analysis and subgroup analysis. The results show that the key antecedents of perceived performance which in turn drives client value, included technical skills, customer orientation, innovation and firm reputation. The findings also suggest that COO moderates the relationships between these antecedents and perceived performance, while client experience moderates the association between perceived performance and value. The results provide a better understanding of value perceived by the B2B clients in an international setting. The academic contributions of this thesis are: the linkage of RBV and the services paradigm in an international context; the understanding of client perceived value and its antecedents; and the establishment of metric equivalence of measures employed across two countries (Malaysia and Thailand). Finally, the managerial contributions include guidance for exporting firms in terms of resource allocation to achieve competitive advantage; utilising the COO effect in promotion; and managing client value perceptions in international markets.

It is widely achnowledged that special events serve a number of functions in contemporary societies. These include developing the social cohesion within, and between communities; improving public infrastructure; bringing 'new' money into hose economies; and showcasing host destinations... This study was aimed at exploring the nexus between attendees of special events, special events themselves and special event host destinations.

Online auctions are growing in popularity. While tangible differences exist between posted-price buying environments and auctions, there has been little research about how these differences impact the evaluation of the buying experience. This study proposes that buyer satisfaction with a purchasing experience can be influenced by subtle social influences in the buying experience. Differences in buying mechanisms result from perceived social interaction (the perception that the buyer is interacting with other people) of the buying experience. Perceived interaction with others can impact buyer satisfaction in two key ways. These are 1) the perception of control in the price-setting and 2) the perception of scarcity in the buying process. Increased perceived social interaction changes the psychological experience of consumers. Drawing on theory in the social psychology field, this research develops hypotheses about how these differences impact consumer evaluation of satisfaction with the buying experience. Increased perceived control in price-setting was hypothesized to increase buyer satisfaction with the buying experience. An increase in the scarcity of the item relative to the number of interested buyers in the market was expected to impact satisfaction positively as well. An online buying environment was constructed to test these hypotheses experimentally. Using an online experimental market with both posted-prices and an auction, this research compared the satisfaction of consumers using each buying mechanism under different levels of scarcity. Experimental results demonstrated an interaction effect between control and scarcity. Satisfaction was significantly higher in conditions that perceived more control when scarcity was high than in conditions of low scarcity. Conditions in which the demand for items exceeded the supply reported greater satisfaction with the buying experience than those conditions where there were enough items for every interested buyer. The highest satisfaction was found under the combined conditions of high control and high scarcity. The Internet presents new choices in buying mechanisms. This research emphasizes that subtle differences in buying environments can change the evaluation of consumers. It contributes to an increased understanding of the impact that differences in buying mechanisms can have on buyer evaluation of the purchase process.

This thesis proposes a theoretical model that aims to explain the relationship between staff selection and training based on the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) and guest satisfaction in 4-5 star hotels in the USA and Australia and Thailand. This exploratory research aims to generate emphical evidence concerning the relationship between TQM, guest satisfaction and human resource performance.

In the retail environment, the salesperson is a strong factor of influence in consumer ´s decision process because a store image and ability to build loyalty can heavily depend on the ability and characteristics of the salesperson (Engel, Blackwell, & Miniard, 1995). A consumer may fully anticipate buying, but this intention may change if the salesperson´s performance is not satisfactory. Engel et al. (1995) indicated that appearance is an important characteristic of the salesperson. Clothing is an essential part of the salesperson´s appearance and it can transmit many meanings, such as identity, mood, and attitude (Stone, 1962). Hawkins, Best, and Coney (1998) indicated that consumers in different age groups have different attitudes, values, and behaviors. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of consumer age and the clothing type of the salesperson in the apparel consumer satisfaction process. Based on the previous literatures, a conceptual model was developed as a framework of the study. This model suggests that consumer age and the clothing type of the salesperson influence consumer attitude toward the salesperson, which in turn influences consumer expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance. Consumer expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance, and expectancy disconfirmation (i.e., the confirmation/ disconfirmation between consumer expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance) are three factors that influence consumer satisfaction with the salesperson´s performance. Six hypotheses were generated to test this model. A 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial design was used with two age groups (adolescents and the elderly) and two clothing types of the salesperson (formal and informal). Two questionnaires with the same scenario, but two pictures of the salesperson with the different clothing types, were developed as the measurement of instrument. The participants were 120 adolescent males 16 to 19 years old and 120 elderly males 65 years and older. Results indicated that a significant interaction existed between consumer age and the clothing type of the salesperson in consumer attitude toward the salesperson. Adolescent participants had a more positive attitude toward the salesperson with an informal clothing type. On the other hand, elderly participants had a significantly more positive attitude toward the salesperson with a formal clothing type. Significantly positive relationships were found between consumer attitude toward the salesperson and consumer expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance. These results indicated that a more positive attitude toward the salesperson was related to a higher expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance. Significantly positive relationships were also found between consumer expectation and consumer satisfaction, and consumer evaluation and consumer satisfaction. A higher expectation and evaluation of the salesperson´s performance was related to a higher satisfaction with the salesperson´s performance. When the relationship between expectancy confirmation/disconfirmation and consumer satisfaction was examined, results indicated that participants were more satisfied with the salesperson´s performance when their evaluations of the salesperson´s performance were equal or better than their expectations, than when their evaluations were worse than their expectations. The results of this study suggest that consumer age and the clothing type of the salesperson influences consumer satisfaction with the salesperson. Several marketing applications were discussed and recommendation was given for the future study.

The purpose of this research was to test a conceptual model which examines consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction (CS/D) with apparel retail stores and to investigate the moderating effects of shopping orientations and store type on confirmation/disconfirmation (C/DC) about quick response technologies (QRT) based attributes and CS/D with a retail store. Shopping orientation included fashion, economic, and time orientations. Store type included specialty chain, department, discount, and small independent stores. The conceptual framework for this study was based on retail strategic planning (Berman & Evans, 1992; Cory, 1988) and consumer satisfaction theory (Oliver, 1980). A convenience sample of 200 female apparel consumers was selected from a southeast city in the United States. The survey design employed a structured questionnaire with some open-ended questions. A questionnaire was pilot tested for content validity and instrument reliability. Descriptive statistics (Le., frequencies, percentages), multiple regressions, ANOVAs, and ANCOVA were used for data analysis to test the hypotheses. The response rate was 86.2 % for 200 usable responses. C/DC (i.e., QRT based, non-QRT based attributes) had significant effects on CS/D with apparel retail stores. The results supported the disconfirmation of expectation model (Oliver, 1980). C/DC of QRT based attributes (e.g. reduced stockout, fast turnaround of goods) have more influence on CS/D than C/DC of non-QRT based attributes (e.g., location of store, store hours). Results from a preliminary test indicated that QRT based attributes are improved by implementing QRT. The orientation of consumers is related to the level of C/DC of QRT based attributes, which determines CS/D. Fashion orientation, economic orientation, and store type were significant moderators between C/DC of QRT based attributes and CS/D with apparel retail stores. The retail QRT information assembled in the review of literature and the results of the study could help industry trade associations adjust their strategy for potential QRT adopters and promote QR implementation efficiently, and help retailers do strategic planning when they implement QRT.

This paper presents the results of a retrospective study of consumer satisfaction surveys in a group of severe and persistent mentally ill (SPMI) hospitalized patients. The hypothesis proposed is that managed care is associated with a decrease in global consumer satisfaction. This study includes a before and after sampling of two populations of SPMI patients. The study examines whether or not managed care impacts consumer satisfaction. The Medicaid population is the experimental group as they are now under managed care. A dually insured Medicare-Medicaid group is used as the control group because they are not currently under the managed care initiative. As a Medicaid group and Medicare-Medicaid group will be compared, a nonequivalent group control design is necessary. The subjects are matched on several demographic variables including: age, gender, race, diagnosis, years of service (at a local Community Mental Health facility), and agency status (currently open or closed to services at the community treatment facility) to control for potential confounding factors. This demographic information is also be used for reporting and trending of information on SPMI consumer satisfaction. Eighty-eight total subjects were selected. The results of this study adds to the limited body of knowledge on consumer satisfaction in the SPMI. It contributes to our understanding of whether managed care, based on an acute care medical model, can adequately meet the needs of a vulnerable and chronic population. The results will also hopefully further the cause of giving voice to a traditionally nonvocal population.

This study investigated the clothing preferences of large-size women who shopped in selected large-size specialty stores in North Dallas. Questions were asked regarding the respondents' age, employment, income, dress size and degree of fashion-consciousness. Also investigated were preferences regarding apparel and shopping sources. A questionnaire was used to obtain the desired information. Based on the data obtained, it was found that large-size women have certain preferences concerning the clothing they purchase and the sources they shop.