Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Internet marketing Customer services Australia'

Consumer trust research has principally developed from established psychological-based research. This conception of consumer trust largely draws from research pertaining to interpersonal trust. This study combined existing theories from both sociological and psychological research in developing a consumer trust model specifically for banks. Partly because of their historical position in society and also because of their government-protected position, banks, bank branches and bank managers have traditionally held a respected, and trusted position in Australian communities. Because of this reputation and position in communities, banks were seen to display institutional attributes. These attributes were defined in this study as local community focus, local availability and visibility, relationship power symmetry and social obligation fulfilment. This study explored the notion of institution-based trust in an Australian retail banking context. Institution-based trust was a measure of the levels of consumer trust in various defined institutional attributes. It was contended that through the diminishment and divestment of its institutional attributes banks were impairing their institutional cachet. The process was termed 'deinstitutionalisation' and was postulated to have a negative impact on consumer trust. The hypothetico-deductive methodological framework was employed throughout the study, with a mail-based consumer survey used as the main means of primary data collection. 468 useable questionnaires from adult bank customers were yielded and the data analysed. These data were analysed and used to test twenty-three research hypotheses of which nineteen were supported. From the results, it was concluded that perceived local community focus, perceived social obligation fulfilment and perceived relationship power symmetry were antecedents to consumer trust in banks. Also, reasonable availability of conventional bank branch services was found to be an important component of perceived community focus of their banks, thus having an indirect relationship to institution-based consumer trust in banks. Community Banks were found to be exhibiting and promoting many of these institutional attributes. Consumers were found to be less likely to need bank branches for transactional or functional purposes, but branches were seen to be symbolically important. Also, consumers were found to be more likely to identify with intangible elements of their bank, principally bank brand, than with tangible attributes such as the bank branch. Importantly, consumers were found to be trusting of their banks, however they were more likely to believe that banks were less trustworthy now than they were in the past.

[Truncated abstract] The Australian higher education sector has changed markedly in the last two decades. The size of the sector has swelled in size as new universities have been created from former Colleges of Advanced Education and Institutes of Technology, and succeeding governments have introduced policies that have embedded increasingly corporate and commercial practices into university administration. This has caused the creation of what are becoming known as ‘enterprise universities’. This thesis examines hypotheses arising from two fundamental questions. (i) Given the increasingly market-oriented higher education environment in Australia, will a model developed from the study of services marketing (which has developed since the 1970s as a distinct sub-branch of the Marketing discipline) show itself to be applicable to universities operating in the Australian sector? (ii) If so, are there demonstrable differences in the way in which ‘student customers’ respond in terms of the antecedents of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty within different types of university? . . . The study found that the model tested was highly appropriate for indicating the major antecedents of satisfaction and loyalty in this setting. It showed that the institutional image was a relatively stronger antecedent of perceived value and customer satisfaction than were elements of service quality, and that the model was effective in accounting for a large proportion of the variance found in students’ loyalty to their institution. It also found that there was relatively little difference between students attending different types of university in these matters. It argues that there is an important imperative for Australian universities to take a strategic image management approach to their marketing initiatives, and also issues related to the nature of higher education as a positional and public good.

The Internet has provided marketing with many new tools and given old tools new or improved meanings. The Net poses tremendous challenges for scholars in many lines of research, from usability studies and consumer behaviour research to marketing and advertising research. Because the World Wide Web (the Web) presents a fundamentally different environment for marketing activities than traditional media, conventional marketing activities are being transformed, as they are often difficult to implement in their present form. This means that in many cases these marketing activities have to be reconstructed in forms more appropriate for the new medium. A lot of technological changes have affected the marketing environment of today. Companies must adapt to these changes in order to improve their marketing strategies. This has, among other things, resulted in an emphasis on relationship marketing. The purpose of this thesis is to explore what strategies are used in practice by companies in order to market and promote their products and services by using their Web sites as well as to build effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM). In order to fulfil the research purpose, interviews were conducted at a number of companies (medium and large), and questionnaires were mailed to various companies in the motor retail industry. The result shows that a company can use traditional as well as online marketing and promotion strategies when conducting business. This can also help companies to gain better relations with their customers. The different marketing and promotion strategies are useful for attracting new business as well as maintaining and stimulating existing relations. The research problem addressed in this study was to determine the factors that are effective in marketing and promoting of Web sites as well as the methods used in building CRM.

The purpose of this study is to gather information for the management of the Bank of Ayudhya to improve its internet banking service. It explored customer satisfaction, customer attitudes, and the correlation between the frequency of Internet banking usage and customer demographic data.

As banks operate in a competitive environment, it is important for managers and marketers to identify how customer satisfaction and customer retention levels can be can be improved through social media aspects. Although models of customer satisfaction and customer retention have been well researched for client products/services, the literature available on social media as a marketing tool is limited in quantity compared to other more established areas of marketing. This research study reviews existing literature on the banking industry in terms of its characteristics and challenges. Literature on customer satisfaction and customer retention as relevant to the banking industry is reviewed, as well as how social media aspects can improve customer satisfaction and customer retention. Thus the primary objective of this study is to identify the social media aspects (benefits, clients’ trust and content) that influence the intervening variable (customer satisfaction) and dependent variable (customer retention) in the banking industry. An empirical investigation was undertaken to establish whether the independent variables; namely benefits, clients’ trust and content as related to social media can possibly influence customer satisfaction and ultimately customer retention in the banking industry. A positivistic research paradigm was followed for this study. Quantitative data was gathered by distributing questionnaires to a sample of bank clients and managers. The sample size consisted of 150 bank clients and 30 bank managers in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area in South Africa. The questionnaires were statistically analysed using the computer programmes Microsoft Excel and Statistica Version 12.0. The validity of the study was measured by utilising Exploratory Factor analysis. Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the reliability and internal consistency of the measurement instrument of this study. Data was analysed in four phases. Descriptive statistics concerning the respondents and variables were calculated for this study. The validity of the measuring instrument was tested by performing EFA to consider construct validity. Thereafter, the internal reliability of the data was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were calculated. Through multiple regression calculations, the relationships predicted by the four hypotheses were analysed. Finally, t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted. The empirical investigation revealed that significant positive relationships exist between the independent variables benefits, trustworthy content and the intervening variable customer satisfaction, as well as between these two independent variables and the dependent variable customer retention. From the empirical results it was concluded that if banks offer benefits and trustworthy content to their clients through social media channels, clients are likely to be satisfied with and retained by their bank. This study established and confirmed the significant positive relationship that exists between customer satisfaction and customer retention in the banking industry. All bank managers and marketers will benefit from the empirical results as well as the recommendations of this study on how to improve customer satisfaction and customer retention through social media channels which will ultimately improve the performance of banks.

This thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the ways in which the Internet supports the consumer decision process of potential customers in an online car retail environment. The thesis is mainly focused on how this can be done in South Africa. A case study approach was adopted in investigating the case of McCarthy Call-a-Car. Interviews were carried out with McCarthy Call-a-Car employees and documents and the Call-a-Car website, were analysed. It was revealed that Call-a-Car focuses on using the Internet to support customers in the pre-purchase phase only. The purchase and post-purchase phases are carried out offline at its dealership network and Club McCarthy respectively. The findings showed that Call-a-Car views the Internet as a marketing tool that provides convenience to customers searching for product information in the pre-purchase phase. The interviews revealed that due to Call-a-Car's strategy, as well as practical problems of selling online, the customer will still have to visit a dealership to conclude a purchase and for post-purchase support. From this research it appears that there are three main issues arising out of Call-a-Car's usage of the Internet in the customer buying process: firstly, the research revealed that instead of cutting out the middle-man, the Internet has created new types of intermediaries called "cybermediaries" and that Call-a-Car is one such intermediary. Secondly, it was revealed that trust is crucial in the online environment and that Call-a-Car builds trust through branding. Thirdly, the Internet has not affected prices online, despite theoretical estimations that the Internet would induce lower prices. The main recommendations for future research are empirical studies to investigate if the cybermediary model is unique to the car industry and whether this business model could be applied to other look and feel industries such as real estate. Future studies could also investigate the mechanics of trust-building and brand-building in the online environment and finally, studies from the customer perspective considering what Internet tools the customer would like to see online to support them during their buying decision process.

Diplomová práce se zaměřuje na analýzu současné marketingové strategie společnosti Erasmus Life Lisboa. Specifikuje faktory jak vnitřního tak vnějšího okolí, které ji nejvíce ovlivňují. Na základě výsledků těchto analýz navrhuje změny v uplatnění marketingových přístupů

This research was motivated by the lack of systems and methodologies in the automotive retail business sector to adequately monitor and analyse prospective customers' behaviours as a basis for developing sales. The objective of this research was to determine if lead scoring would indeed represent a good investment of time and resources for Barloworld Motor Retail. The real value for Barloworld Motor Retail is in the proven methodology for properly managing leads and the sales process. Lead scoring should have sales teams more focused because of the qualified opportunities. The sales cycle can also be efficiently managed from introduction to closure. What is Lead Scoring? In short, lead scoring identifies or measures the value of a lead to determine to which extent a lead could result in a sale. The aim of the lead scoring process is to gather as much information as possible from the prospective customer. Once information has been acquired, it is important to hand over the hot leads to sales while the warm and cold leads remain with marketing to be nurtured. A lead is a potential customer who wants to learn more about what a company has to offer, and who has acknowledged having a requirement or need that a company could help satisfy. Where this position is coupled with elements of the ideal or desired customer profile, a meaningful lead definition emerges. When a salesperson receives a lead as depicted in Figure 1, the decision must be made as to whether to promote the lead into an opportunity or recycle it back to marketing. The crucial determination would be whether the prospect is ready to enter a buying cycle, or not. Figure 1 also illustrates the lead scoring "evaluation" process. The researcher used the Barloworld Automotive www.mywheels.co.za Webpage to obtain information for this research project. The results obtained from this measurement were compared with the results obtained from other marketing initiatives and practices in the automotive industry to describe the value of lead scoring. This research is undertaken under two main headings, namely marketing and evaluating a lead management system by introducing lead scoring. In reference to marketing, Albee (2010) says that lead scoring is based on marketing that can automate the ability to know exactly when the leads in the nurturing program are sales ready and then transition them to the sales force without delay. Chekitan and Schultz (2005), introduced the notion of SIVA which stands for Solution, Information, Value, and Access. This is basically the four p's of the marketing mix, namely product, promotion, price and placement Kotler (2000) renamed and reworded to provide a customer focus. Marketing managers use this model to generate the best possible response from the target market by blending four or more combinations in the best way. The elements of the marketing mix are all controllable variables. The marketing mix can be adjusted on a frequent basis to meet the changing needs of the target market and the other dynamics of the marketing environment. The study of internet consumer behaviour is a fundamental part of the gathering of information related to lead scoring. To an extent it is also relevant to the formulation of a leads nurturing model that will positively influence buyer perceptions and help to trigger the purchase decision. With regard to the purchasing of motor vehicles, consumers will seldom make a purchase decision without personal exposure by way of sensory explanation (look, feel and touch). Internet marketing connects the physically remote consumer with the product benefits through a process of abstract positioning, and focuses on obtaining "hits" from consumers who are competent and enabled to make a positive purchase decision. Internet marketing refers to the strategies that companies use to market their products or services online. The marketing concept remains the guiding concept for companies wishing to design and implement an effective leads scoring system. Lead scoring is the process that involves the following activities: • Lead identification; • Lead collection and consolidation; • Predictive analysis of lead scoring; • Lead nurturing; • Lead distribution.

The research addressed the factors contributing to the success or failure of an Internet-based communication web site in assisting business-to-business companies to create, establish and/or enhance sustainable customer relationships. To achieve the outcome, a web site was designed, developed, delivered and evaluated to assist a business-to-business company to create, establish and enhance a sustainable corporate image as perceived by their primary clients. The design, development and evaluation of the web site consisted of the following sub-processes:  A review of relevant literature: firstly to reflect upon communication through the wired world, and secondly to determine how the information revolution influences the way people think, work and live.  A survey of the literature dealing specifically with new strategic marketing perspectives, in order to identify the demands placed on a company's business strategy by the new strategic marketing perspectives, and to determine what these strategies are.  A survey of the literature dealing with information design and the web usability of Internet-¬based programmes with a view to designing and developing a web site for a business-to¬ business company which complied with various design specifications that influence the effectiveness and accessibility thereof.  Finally, designing and evaluating the web site to identify potential usability problems. The three evaluation methods used were paper prototyping, machine prototyping and usability testing. The rationale being to identify major usability problems and to obtain measure from intended users and a usability expert on the effectiveness, efficiency and user-interface satisfaction of the web site. The web site was used as basis for compiling a survey questionnaire to test the degree to which respondents strongly agreed or disagreed with statements on the following features of the web site:  Communication  Relationship building  Customer service  Design  Usability The questionnaire also covered aspects on computer and Internet usage experience, access and literacy of the respondents. The survey questionnaire was sent to the target population of primary clients of the participating company, the group of intended end users. The empirical results obtained indicated that employing good information architecture that is based on customers' needs, as well as the iterative development of a web site could assist a business-to-business company to create, establish and enhance a sustainable corporate image as perceived by their primary clients.
Thesis (DPhil (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006.
Information Science
unrestricted

Despite the growing importance of the use of the Internet as a marketing tool in the hotel industry, the factors that affect the adoption of Internet and Web based marketing activities (IWMA) by the hotel industry have not yet been fully investigated. There have been no comprehensive studies about the facilitating and inhibiting factors that distinguish the differences between Thai and Australian hotels in their adoption and diffusion of IWMA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to make an effort to fill this gap by investigating factors affecting the successful adoption of IWMA in Thai and Australian hotels. Furthermore, a specific aim was to develop a conceptual model for the successfull adoption and diffusion of IWMA by Thai and Australian hotels.

M.A. (Tourism and Hospitality Management)
Travel agents have been traditionally seen as the key intermediary between suppliers of travel services and the traveller. Developments in the field of information technology offer consumers an alternative to booking via a travel agent - the option to plan and arrange holidays online. Due to the ever developing nature of technology, travellers have the luxury of a multitude of choices in their everyday life - particularly so in making decisions regarding travel. Travellers will seek to optimise choices by selecting a distribution channel which will provide them with the greatest perceived value. The primary goal of the study is to explore the underlying factors that influence consumer behaviour in making travel decisions, with specific reference to choosing between booking through a travel agent or online. Research with a perspective on travel decision-making in South Africa is limited. In attempting to fill the void, this study surveyed 408 respondents residing in South Africa using a structured questionnaire, and examined preference in booking holiday flights or accommodation travel through a travel agent or Internet. A literature review was embarked upon to create a framework for this study and to recognise previous research related to travel decision-making. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify factors influencing traveller decision-making. Statistical tests, such as Chi-square and correlation tests, were further used to examine the degree of relationship and significance between items and factors. Factors that influence travel decision-making were identified, namely trust and financial risk perception, convenience and adoption of technology, price, personal contact or empathy and the role of demographic factors such as age, income and ethnicity...

Customer satisfaction is a key concern in any business strategy. It is often assumed that customer satisfaction can be enhanced using e-services. E-service is defined as interactive service received via the Internet (Jiang et al., 2013). E-service has contributed to business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce by providing on-demand solutions to customers. The relationship with the customer is enhanced by introducing self-service options, product customisation and variety. However, there may also be negative impacts, such as techno-stress and lack of online customer assistance. The primary aim of this research was to develop a conceptual framework to describe the correlation relationship between the factors that influence customers’ adoption of e-services. Organisations use the Internet to attract customers, to conduct financial services and obtain information. This research focussed specifically on online shopping. The Grounded Theory research methodology was chosen for its flexibility and iterative comparison of data. A quantitative survey was conducted to determine the relative significance of the factors uncovered by the Grounded Theory methodology and to validate the hypothesis of the conceptual model. Customer adoption is attained where customer satisfaction is high, where the customer sees value in the service, and where there is customer loyalty or trust. To date, research has focussed primarily on developed countries. Many challenges face South Africa as a Newly Industrialised Country (NIC). The negative factors facing developing countries in terms of e-service adoption include: lack of infrastructure, economic constraints and an emergent socio-political framework. The aim of this research was to build a conceptual model for explaining interrelationships between the identified factors that have an impact on customer e-service adoption. The customer’s perception of technology-driven services affects the organisation’s reputation, which in turn affects profitability. This research will be beneficial to managers in local organisations that thrive on e-services. An understanding of customer preferences will lead to improvement of customer services in South Africa.
Information Science
M. Sc. (Information Systems)

by Fu Chi Pang, Wei Hong, Wilson.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-38).
ABSTRACT --- p.ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv
Chapter
Chapter I. --- BUSINESS OBJECTIVE --- p.1
Chapter II. --- INTERNET INDUSTRY OVERVIEW --- p.2
Development of the Internet Population --- p.2
World Wide Web --- p.3
Asia-Pacific Internet Growth Opportunities --- p.4
Key Internet Business Opportunities --- p.6
Advertising --- p.6
E-commerce --- p.6
Market Potential --- p.7
Hong Kong --- p.8
Chapter III. --- PRODUCT --- p.10
Love Matching --- p.10
Love Chat Room --- p.11
Love Card --- p.11
Love Web Page --- p.11
Love Test --- p.12
Love Horoscope --- p.12
Love Weekend --- p.12
Love Flower --- p.13
Love Restaurant --- p.13
Love Travel & Hotel --- p.13
Love Wedding --- p.14
Love Doctor --- p.14
Chapter IV. --- COMPETITOR ANALYSIS --- p.15
Uniqueness of ILove.com --- p.16
Chapter V. --- MARKETING --- p.18
Target Market --- p.18
Launching Plan --- p.19
Follow-up Plan --- p.20
Chapter VI. --- "REVENUE, COST & RETURN" --- p.21
Revenue --- p.21
Short Term --- p.21
Long Term --- p.22
Cost --- p.23
Equipment and Facility Costs --- p.24
Human Resources and Office Rental Cost --- p.26
Human Resources Expenditure --- p.26
Office Rental Cost --- p.27
Total Operating Cost --- p.28
Advertising Cost --- p.28
Return --- p.29
Breakeven Analysis --- p.29
Chapter VII. --- MISCELLANEOUS --- p.32
Membership Registration --- p.32
Payment Mechanism --- p.32
APPENDIX --- p.34
BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.37
ILOVE'S WEB SITE LAYOUT --- p.39

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Technology Degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2014.
Social computing researchers are devoting efforts to understand the complex social behaviour of people using social networking platforms, such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, so as to inform the design of human-centered and socially aware systems. This research study investigates the factors of perceived trust, user satisfaction, social norm and perceived behavioural control, to develop a model for predicting the continuance intention of people to use online social networking for business transactions. In order to validate the predictive capability of the model developed, an online survey was used to collect 300 useable responses from people who have used LinkedIn and Twitter social networking platforms for business transactions at least once. The Partial Least Square (PLS) mathematical analysis tool was thereafter used to perform confirmatory factor analysis, analysis of measurement and structural models. The study results provide significant evidence in support of the factors of perceived trust, social norm and user satisfaction, as determinants of the continuance intention of people using online social networking platforms for business transactions. Perceived trust was found to exhibit a strong relationship with social norm and explains a variance of (R2=0.47). In addition, social norm explains a variance of (R2=0.44) and user satisfaction explains a variance of (R2=0.42), resulting in the model predicting (R2=0.56) continuance intention. In addition, the research model was tested for the moderating effects of usage habit, which were found to significantly moderate relationships between continuance intention and perceived trust, PBCand social norm, resulting in an improved predictive capability of (R2=0.89). The moderating result indicates that a higher level of habit increases the effect of perceived trust, Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) and social norm on continuance intention. This result confirms the theoretical argument that the strength of user satisfaction to predict continuance, is strengthened by usage habit. The results of this research study generally have practical implications for individuals who desire to offer commercial services on online social networking technologies, to seriously consider building trust and maintaining user satisfaction to sustain their businesses. They should also think of strategies embedded in peer pressure, to attract, retain and establish trustworthy relationships with customers.

Orientação : Eduardo Moraes Sarmento
O presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo teorizar sobre o marketing relacional no âmbito da hotelaria. Assim, propõe-se tentar perceber qual a importância do marketing relacional enquanto estratégia de fidelização de clientes no setor dos serviços, nomeadamente no sector hoteleiro. De fato, num mercado bastante concorrencial e tendo em conta que o cliente é cada vez mais exigente e menos fiel às marcas, importa perceber se os hotéis têm consciência destas mudanças e o que estão a fazer para fidelizar os seus clientes. Importa compreender, também, que a internet veio alterar a forma como o cliente compra e potenciar um relacionamento com o mesmo. O objeto de estudo são os hotéis da Costa do Estoril, independentemente do número de estrelas que possui, para de certa forma tentar perceber se esse indicador influencia a forma como atuam em termos de estratégias de fidelização de clientes. Desta forma, depois de um estudo aprofundado da literatura existente sobre o tema do marketing relacional, fidelização de clientes e qualidade nos serviços, é feito um estudo quantitativo para perceber em que medida os hotéis da Costa do Estoril utilizam uma adequada estratégia de fidelização dos seus clientes, o que fazem na prática e que resultados conseguem atingir com a mesma. A construção do questionário teve em atenção toda a revisão de literatura sobre os assuntos em apreço e os resultados foram tratados com recurso ao programa SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). O presente estudo permitiu concluir que os hotéis da Costa do Estoril reconhecem a importância da gestão do relacionamento com o cliente, compreendem as vantagens de manter o cliente fidelizado e estão a utilizar algumas ferramentas de marketing relacional, nomeadamente através de estudos de satisfação de clientes e utilização de redes sociais e website.
The present work’s goal is to theorize about relationship marketing where hotel management is concerned. This way, we will try to understand the importance of relationship marketing as customer retention strategy in the services industry, in this case the hotel industry. Indeed, in a very competitive market and taking into consideration that the client is each time more demanding and less loyal to brands, it is important to understand if hotels are aware of these changes and what they are doing in order to retain their clients. It is also important to understand that the internet has changed the way a client purchases and enhance a relationship with the clients. The objects of study are the Costa do Estoril hotels, regardless of the stars they have, so we can try to understand if this indicator influences the way it acts in terms of customer retention strategy. This way, after a deep study of literature about relationship marketing, customer retention and quality on services, a quantitative analysis is made in order to understand to what extent the Costa do Estoril hotels use a suitable customer retention strategy, what they do in practice and what results they can achieve. The development of the survey took the revision of literature into consideration and the results were processed through the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program. The present study allowed us to conclude that Estoril Coast hotels recognize the importance of customer relationship management, understand the advantages of maintaining a loyal customer and are using some relational marketing tools, specifically through customer satisfaction studies and use of social media and website.

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.