Loyalty Programme Applications in Indian Service Industry

Retaining all customers would not be a good idea for any business. In contrast, allowing the profitable customers to leave would be an even worse idea. Consequently the real solution rests in knowing the value of each customer and then focusing loyalty efforts on those customers. Customers are more likely to be loyal to a group of brands than to a single brand. This is particularly true if the chosen brand is the category leader and costs more. In contrast to the one – brand- for – life mentality of the past, today’s consumers are blatant in their divided loyalties, for their own safety and pleasure. The conceptual framework presented helps to understand the evolving logic of loyalty programs and process of implementing the same. Applications in different service industry for building and sustaining loyalty provide an overview of the status of such programmes.

INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN USERS AND SYSTEM FLEXIBILITIES WITH PERCEIVED USABILITY OF ONLINE AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEMS

It is very critical for the organizations to design flexible systems that are easy to use and can accomplish all the requirements by way of offering customizability. Philosophers argue that users are good in adapting the systems; however, research shows users dissatisfaction with existing Online Airline Reservation Systems in terms of task completion. Therefore, researchers are eager to find out ways for improving online usability of the systems, how users' Perceived Usability of the system is formulated by its flexibility functions. This research therefore examines travelers' expectations, preferences and online behavior (Users' Flexibility) and aligns that with designing of flexible online airline reservation systems (System's Flexibility) and users' as evaluators of the online systems to determine its Perceived Usability through users' effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction (Perceived Usability). In this dissertation, both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data collected in the context of SF, lJF and PU of the systems. A redesign solution for enhanced usability was developed based on HCI guidelines and the flexibility tactics used in online travel agencies, which led to a proposed interface with the integration of opaque mechanism. The two interfaces were used in the experiment. Participants were requested to complete the evaluation of the existing and proposed interfaces. The findings suggested that users can be classified on the basis of their Flexible Traveling Behavior which led to the development of a Users' Flexibility measuring scale. It is further investigated that integration of opaque fares concept would increase the usability of the system. Since flexibility is referred to its ability to respond to internal or external changes, systems incorporated with opaque fares would serve the role of external change agent by way of providing flexibility in users' decision making and will also serve the role of internal change agent by way of providing the capability of accepting changed decisions

Up in the Air Over Taxing Frequent Flyer Benefits: The American, Canadian, and Australian Experiences

Vessel segmentation is an important prerequisite for many medical applications. While automatic vessel segmentation is an active field of research, interaction and visualization techniques for semi-automatic solutions have gotten far less attention. Nevertheless, since automatic techniques do not generally achieve perfect results, interaction is necessary. Especially for tasks that require an in-detail inspection or analysis of the shape of vascular structures precise segmentations are essential. However, in many cases these can only be generated by incorporating expert knowledge. In this paper we propose a visual vessel segmentation system that allows the user to interactively generate vessel segmentations. Therefore, we employ multiple linked views which allow to assess different aspects of the segmentation and depict its different quality metrics. Based on these quality metrics, the user is guided, can assess the segmentation quality in detail and modify the segmentation accordingly. One common modification is the editing of branches, for which we propose a semi-automatic sketch-based interaction metaphor. Additionally, the user can also influence the shape of the vessel wall or the centerline through sketching. To assess the value of our system we discuss feedback from medical experts and have performed a thorough evaluation

Questioning the Use of Opaque Web Practices Among Low-Cost Airline Carriers

Modest attention has been given to the subtle ethical issues of ¿best practice¿ on the Internet, such as the exploitation of Web technologies to inhibit or avoid customer service. Increasingly, some firms are using Websites to create distance between themselves and their consumers in specific areas of their operations, while simultaneously developing excellence in sales transaction completion via selfservice. This paper examines findings from a study on the self-service Websites of low-cost airline carriers (LCCs) in Ireland. The LCCs¿ adoption of technology has meant more efficient flight options and enhanced price transparency within the industry. Yet despite advances, a number of LCCs use their information systems in a conflicting manner when managing customer interactions. The ¿opaque¿ Web practices many LCCs employ appear to be intentional in design and are contrary to the ethos of designing a ¿good system¿. Accordingly, the LCC sector has come under greater scrutiny for engaging in ¿unfair practices¿ and violating consumer protection law. The paper notes the teaching of information systems development (ISD) and marketing assumes ethicality in their practice. While these business disciplines are central to the success of self-service Websites, there is a gap between the disciplines¿ theoretical ideals and their practice.peer-reviewe

Understanding Air Transportation Market Dynamics Using a Search Algorithm for Calibrating Travel Demand and Price

This paper presents a search algorithm based framework to calibrate origin-destination (O-D) market specific airline ticket demands and prices for the Air Transportation System (ATS). This framework is used for calibrating an agent based model of the air ticket buy-sell process - Airline Evolutionary Simulation (Airline EVOS) -that has fidelity of detail that accounts for airline and consumer behaviors and the interdependencies they share between themselves and the NAS. More specificially, this algorithm simultaneous calibrates demand and airfares for each O-D market, to within specified threshold of a pre-specified target value. The proposed algorithm is illustrated with market data targets provided by the Transportation System Analysis Model (TSAM) and Airline Origin and Destination Survey (DB1B). Although we specify these models and datasources for this calibration exercise, the methods described in this paper are applicable to calibrating any low-level model of the ATS to some other demand forecast model-based data. We argue that using a calibration algorithm such as the one we present here to synchronize ATS models with specialized forecast demand models, is a powerful tool for establishing credible baseline conditions in experiments analyzing the effects of proposed policy changes to the ATS

Overcoming Managerial Challenges to Realize Growth Spurts: Insights from Cases of Three Enterprises

Organizations face several managerial challenges during their growth period. Growth spurts are realized when organizations overcome these challenges. Though the literature is full of studies on the enterprise growth, the knowledge about how these challenges facilitate or hinder growth is limited. We conceptualize and explain five challenges faced by an enterprise along its growth trajectory. For evidence, we then look at history of three organizations from different sectors and trace their strategies to overcome the challenges faced by them. The firm and the environment interact and make certain strategic choices, which in turn results in growth spurts in the organization. We draw insights from their growth stories and discuss the different strategies and interactions between the firm and the environment.

Sarkar, Butler & Steinfield (1995) “Intermediaries and Cybermediaries” Revisited: A Review and Identification of Future Research Directions for Intermediaries in Electronic Markets

Intermediation in markets is a phenomenon that has been studied by many researchers from a variety of different theoretical angles. With the introduction and diffusion of the Internet in everyday life, broad predictions were made that called for disintermediation enabled by direct Internet linkages between suppliers and buyers and lower transaction costs. The often-cited paper by Sarkar, Butler and Steinfield (1995) challenges this prediction. By comparing Internet effects on transaction costs with the cost situation ex ante, the paper explains that both direct sales or cybermediated sales are possible outcomes. In this paper we confront key assumptions of the Sarkar et al. paper with recent developments in the tourism market. We find that in the tourism market a multitude of direct and indirect distribution channels exist next to each other. Multi-level distribution channels often including several cybermediaries have been built, resulting in a complex market topology. We also see a large variety of intermediary roles, resulting from highly specialized and highly integrated cybermediary business models. Furthermore the model of Sarkar et al. fails to deliver an explanation for the on-going dynamics in the tourism market in terms of shifts towards more or less intermediaries and the emergence of new intermediary-like business models. By taking these trends into account we are able to identify relevant future research directions in order to extend our understanding of the phenomenon of electronic intermediaries in markets

Localisation of passenger experience through digital channels

International air transport is growing rapidly, with 2 million international passengers flying every day. Airlines must provide innovative and differentiated services, which are based on local culture and behaviours, and tailored to passengers’ needs and desires. However, behavioural studies in the airline industry are still absent from both academia and the field. Hence, this case study investigates the following research question: What are the opportunity areas to localise airline services in the Korean market, while maintaining the cultural identity of the airline as a crucial part of the travel experience? The main focus of this master’s thesis is a case study of a Finnish airline company targeting the Korean market. The study derives insights through the application of service design methods and tools based on a passenger-centric approach. In total, 21 insights were obtained from Korean travellers and the diverse internal stakeholders of the company in South Korea and Finland. The research reveals that understanding local behaviours should play a role in the design of international airline services, since travellers experience contrasts between Finnish and Korean culture. While the airline exhibits Finnish cultural elements, the targeted passengers have different mindsets and behaviours. The research findings suggest three potential themes: Nordic experience, communication and learning, and accessibility and visibility. Under those themes, the study creates 16 job stories highlighting strategic areas for Korean passengers as customers and 15 job stories for the cabin crew as the ‘enablers’. These strategic areas are prioritised and evaluated by managerial employees in the company through the jobs-to-be-done prioritisation matrix. As the outcome of the project, this study proposes strategic areas for localising passenger experiences in addition to business goals. The conclusion recommends that behavioural studies of various regional markets should be conducted individually because behaviours of passengers from different markets appear to be distinctive. However, the approach to crew training should be scaled and implemented nationally or regionally, depending on the market size. By further investigating the suggested strategic areas, the passenger experience of the target country could be improved, and consequently, more international customers onboarding could be acquired.Son, Jiyoun

Business model innovation: Creating value in times of change

We highlight business model innovation as a way for general managers and entrepreneurs to create and appropriate value, especially in times of economic change. Business model innovation, which involves designing a modified or new activity system, relies on recombining the existing resources of a firm and its partners, and it does not require significant investments in R&D. We offer managers and researchers a conceptual primer on business model innovation emphasizing the importance of system-level thinking.Business model; innovation; activity system; design; value creation;