O Valor dos Relacionamentos B2B em Mercados Internacionais - Estudo da Empresa Têxtil Nortenha

Dissertação de Mestrado em Gestão e Internacionalização de EmpresasÉ amplamente reconhecida na literatura a importância dos relacionamentos no mercado B2C e mais recentemente no mercado B2B. Num mundo cada vez mais global, onde a comunicação é generalizada através de plataformas online e atendimentos mais ou menos standardizados, os relacionamentos assumem uma importância crescente na criação de lealdade às marcas. Com o objetivo de estudar as caraterísticas dos relacionamentos B2B num contexto internacional, faz-se uma revisão da literatura sobre o valor dos relacionamentos e as suas dimensões caracterizadoras. Após a seleção de um modelo caracterizador dos relacionamentos, previamente testado na literatura num contexto B2B entre vários clientes e o seu principal fornecedor (todos operadores no mesmo mercado doméstico) procura-se averiguar se as variáveis identificadas nesse modelo e as relações que foram entre as mesmas, se mantêm num contexto de relacionamentos B2B mas agora entre um fornecedor e vários clientes internacionais. Para tal selecionou-se a seguinte questão de investigação: “Como é que os clientes internacionais percecionam os relacionamentos no mercado B2B?” a qual procurou ser respondida através do desenvolvimento de seis proposições as quais guiaram um estudo qualitativo, designadamente um estudo de caso, realizado através de entrevistas feitas aos clientes da Empresa Têxtil Nortenha. As conclusões deste estudo apontam para o facto de os relacionamentos internacionais no mercado B2B serem valorizados quando incluem a confiança, o compromisso, a satisfação e a lealdade entre comprador-fornecedor. Assim sendo, existem pistas que mostram que as conclusões apontadas para o mercado doméstico (entre um cliente e vários fornecedores) tenham aplicação no mercado internacional na relação entre um fornecedor e vários clientes internacionais. Deste modo, o modelo previamente utilizado para o estudo no mercado doméstico, usando os relacionamentos entre uma vasta amostra de fornecedores com um cliente, pode agora servir como inspiração para a aplicação ao mercado internacional, usando os relacionamentos entre um fornecedor nacional e uma amostra de clientes internacionais.It is globally recognized in the literature the importance of relationships in the B2C and more recently in the B2B market. In a global world where communication is generalized through online platforms and standardized operationalizations relationships are taking on responsibility and assume great importance in the development of brand loyalty. In order to study the characteristics of the B2B relationships under international context, a literature review is developed regarding the relationship value and its dimentions. After selecting, in the literature, a previously tested model studied under a B2B context between several clients and their main supliers operating in the same market, the author decided to look for cues of the variables identified in that model as being part of the relationship value and the relations between them. Although this research is developed also in a B2B approach, it is applied to the international market but now the relationships are analysed between one supplier and several clients. To this end, the following research question was selected: “How do customers perceive B2B relationships in international markets?”, which will be answered by the development of five propositions that have guided a qualitative study, namely a case study, developed through interviews with international customers of Têxtil Nortenha S.A. This research concludes that the constructs trust, commitment, satisfaction and loyalty are percepted as being part of the value of the international B2B relationships` between the supplier and the international clients. After developing this qualitative research, it can be stated that the model previously tested in a large sample in the domestical market (between a client and several suppliers) can now be used as an inspiration to be aplied in the international market because there are cues that suggest that the model can be replicated

Customer Service Retention – A Behavioural Perspective of the UK Mobile Market

Abstract Customer retention is essential for firms in the service sector and will subsequently receive a great deal of attention in the coming years. A large majority of firms are losing their current customers at a significant rate. UK operators lose over a third of their subscribers every year in spite of incurring large customer acquisition and retention expenditures. A study of customer retention from a variety of angles, including economic, behavioural and psychological perspectives, was rigorously carried out. It has been found that a majority of scholars explain customer retention from a behavioural perspective by using unrelated or indirect factors such as trust and commitment, price terms, and loyalty terms. It has also been noted that previous studies lack a clear theoretical background and a solid empirical proof to support their findings of customer operant retention behaviour. This study approaches the customer retention problem in the mobile phone sector from a behavioural perspective, applying the Behavioural Perspective Model as the main analytical framework. The model includes a set of pre-behaviour and post-behaviour factors to study consumer choice and explains its relevant drivers in a viable and comprehensive way, grounded in radical behaviourism. Many data collection methods were used to collect data from the study sample, including mobile contracts content analysis techniques, customer focus groups, and, principally, a customer survey supported by interviews with a number of managers. The data were analysed using different regression measurements to test the study model, and the propositions were constructed and tested quantitatively and discussed qualitatively. Analysis revealed that a customer will buy a mobile telecommunication package and engage in a long-term relationship with a supplier whom he or she believes will honour the relationship’s functional and emotional benefits; the consumer will be expecting to obtain such benefits when he/she buys, consumes, and has a positive experience of both the purchased object and the seller

An investigation of client loyalty in the construction professional services sector

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Construction professional services (CPS) suppliers perform several vital roles in the construction industry. Arguably, their success (and, in hard times, their survival) is determined by the loyalty of their clients. Loyal clients provide a reliable stream of revenue and help generate new business for CPS suppliers by providing recommendations and referrals. However, prior to this research, there were no known empirical studies which investigated CPS client loyalty. Using evidence obtained from a literature review, a conceptual model was developed that identified the key-candidate service-related antecedents of client loyalty. A phase of qualitative research was carried out using purposeful and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were arranged with 20 respondents, with these being a mix of CPS clients and suppliers. The resulting data were subject to thematic analysis, and the conceptual model of CPS-client loyalty was refined based on the findings. A phase of quantitative research was carried out to test the degree to which the qualitative research findings could be generalised to the wider CPS-client population. This involved a survey, and analysis of the data using factor analysis and hypothesis testing using multiple regression. This was itself followed up using a phase of member checking with a group of experts to validate and help explain some discrepant findings. This research has made several contributions to knowledge. It provides empirical support for the existence of a multidimensional form of commitment in a CPS supplier-client context. It is the first known research to identify what CPS suppliers should focus on to be able to build and benefit from client loyalty. The results showed that service quality was the antecedent most strongly associated with loyalty. Affective commitment was found to be next in importance. A weak-but-significant relationship with locked-in commitment was also identified. It should be noted that sampling during both qualitative and quantitative phase of research was restricted to respondents from the UK Midlands. Therefore, there are limits to which the findings can be generalised beyond this geographical region. In summary, CPS suppliers are advised to focus first and foremost on fulfilling their clients’ rational desire for a high level of service quality. However, to achieve optimum levels of client loyalty, they should be mindful of the power of personal relationships between their employees and their clients. In this respect, they are advised to avoid rotating their account representatives where healthy relations and rapport are evident