Investigating the deployment of electronic customer relationship management readiness and maturity models in the Iranian banking industry

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the main priorities for almost all organisations, particularly in the banking world. However, Information technology (IT) has changed ways of interacting with customers, resulting in the appearance of the concept of Electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM), which has caused a shift from offline CRM to eCRM. ECRM aims to attract and retain customers (especially valuable ones), to improve customer service by creating a strong relationship with them, and to provide the required financial product at the right time. Thus, it is vital to identify readiness factors in any organisation to prevent eCRM failure. Due to the current gap in the eCRM readiness and maturity assessment area in banks, this research attempts to fill this gap by developing a conceptual framework for eCRM readiness/maturity and accordingly create a tool for banks to assess their eCRM readiness and maturity. This tool helps banks to prevent any eCRM failure before and after implementation which is an essential concern for any organisation in order to gain competitive advantages. In addition to practical implications, the present study contributed to existing literature. This study contributed to the current understanding of eCRM readiness and maturity in banks and helps decision makers to assess their eCRM. This study explores the social and technical aspects of eCRM in the Iranian banking industry. Hence, a pragmatic research approach using mixed methods with a range of stakeholders, such as employees, and managers, was employed in this research. As the purpose of this research is to identify the main eCRM readiness dimensions in Iranian banks and to assess eCRM readiness and maturity, an eCRM readiness/maturity framework was developed. The proposed framework was tested by devising and distributing a structured questionnaire and conducting a semi-structured interview in an attempt to survey a large number of bank employees, and decision makers at five different and well-known private and state banks in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. This survey provides an excellent penetrating study of the Iranian banking industry. Regarding eCRM readiness, data collected from a quantitative approach was analysed statistically using the Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The qualitative data was interpreted using NVivo, which is a qualitative data analysis computer software package. Findings from the triangulation of data of qualitative and quantitative approaches were evaluated in order to determine the main eCRM readiness dimensions in Iranian banks. Furthermore, from these findings, a case study bank was assessed in regarding eCRM readiness using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Regarding assessing eCRM maturity, an eCRM maturity model was developed, and a case study bank was selected. Based on the proposed eCRM maturity model, the maturity level of the selected bank was assessed using RADAR logic approach. In addition, this model was based on critical success factors (CSFs) and adapting the CRM3 maturity model. The findings of the empirical research were evaluated against the initial framework, which was generated by integrating the proposed models for eCRM readiness and maturity. This framework consists of three dimensions for eCRM readiness (Organisational culture, corporate strategy, technology) and five level of maturity. Dimensions, factors, and levels in this framework were derived from a literature review. Finally, a revised framework was generated and based on stakeholder’s perceptions, a conclusion was derived, and a recommendation to Iranian banks was made. An eCRM readiness/maturity assessment tool was created to help banks to determine whether they are ready or mature enough for the use of eCRM. The result from this assessment tool can be easily communicated amongst key members, which would help the Iranian banks to improve and promote their eCRM. In addition, this study attempts to fill the current gap in assessing banks eCRM readiness and maturity

The Use of ICT to support Regional Developments: Contributions from the Bled eConference

The Bled eConference quite often gets connected to the notion of eRegion. Therefore in this paper we will have a closer look at how the idea of an eRegion has been addressed by the conference over the past. After briefly looking at the emergence of the term eRegion, we summarize the contribution of the Bled eConference to the field of eRegion in the Research Track as well as in the Business Track. Whereas in the Research Track contributions have focussed mostly on developing existing regions through ICT means, the Business Track activities tackle especially cross-border challenges between regions

Service Undone: A Grounded Theory of Strategically Constructed Silos and Their Impact on Customer-Company Interactions from the Perspective of Retail Employees

This work elaborates the impacts of strategically constructed silos that are not byproducts of flagging cross-departmental cooperation or the cumulative effect of decades of decentralized command and control. Rather, these silos are strategically intended structures within organizations. Most significantly, the substantive theory of strategically constructed silos and their impact on customer service contributes to the field by illustrating the presence and consequence of silos occurring in suboptimal conditions. The existence of silos has implications that extend far beyond the retail area. A key take-away from this research is that contrary to how most customer service processes are designed, not all customer-company interactions are alike. As shown in the data, interaction types vary both in regard to the degree of knowledge needed by retail employees to fully serve customers, and the routine or nonroutine nature of the interaction. This is an important finding since it directly relates to whether the existence of a silo is appropriate (or optimal) for a specific interaction or task. Additionally, the findings suggest the role that a task\u27s routine-ness plays is secondary to the degree of specialized knowledge needed by retail employees to meet customer expectations. Understanding the various customer-company interaction types and how each interaction type may be affected by silos is crucial for designing customer experiences that will sustain over time. Likewise, identifying customer-company interaction types correctly and then subsequently developing strategies to support these interaction types is critical for both customer experience management (CEM) initiatives and customer relationship management (CRM) system design within the company. This work provides an overview of the implications of strategically constructed silos occurring in suboptimal conditions and provides recommendations for diagnosing customer-company interactions based on interaction type. By identifying strategically constructed silos as an intended structure of the company, the model elaborated here works to deliver prescriptive and specific strategies for managers and employees\u27 use as they attempt to improve their firm\u27s customer-company interaction outcomes

E-commerce in the travel and tourism industry in Sub-Saharan Africa

The e-commerce revolution in business can help African countries expand their tourism industry. Africa, with its great wealth in wildlife and unique resorts, can benefit from the ever increasing user population of the Internet, particularly in the USA and Western Europe where most of the tourists to Africa come from (Internet World Stats, 2004). E-commerce which runs on the backbone of the Internet can help the African tourism industry break into international tourism, thus increasing the flows of the much needed foreign currency. As there was little empirical data on the e-commerce activities in the African tourism industry the researcher first and foremost examined a large number of websites in order to paint a picture of the nature and extent of the e-commerce activities in four -African countries. For comparison, websites of tourism organisations from USA and Western Europe were also examined. The surveys revealed that few of the African organisations are embracing e-commerce and that although some websites were comparable to those of their western counterparts the majority had room for considerable improvement. After examining the websites another survey was carried out to find the current progress of e-commerce adoption and usage from the perspective of the African tourism organisations. Analysis of the data collected showed that e-commerce adoption among the tourism organisations was slow. This led to more surveys being carried out to find the barriers to e-commerce among tourism organisations with information-only websites and those whose websites had limited interactive facilities. These surveys revealed that tourism organisations with information-only websites faced more barriers than those with websites which had limited interactive features. They also revealed that the most common barriers were technological and security and legal barriers. The ultimate survey involved finding out from tourism organisations with fully-fledged e-commerce websites how they overcame the e-commerce barriers. The methods used by these organisations to overcome e-commerce barriers together with recommendations made in the surveys carried out earlier were used to formulate recommendations and guidelines for those organisations intending to adopt and e-commerce. The recommendations and guidelines were tested and results showed that they are helpful and easy to follow

Exploring sources of competitive advantage in e-business applications: A cross-industries case study in mainland China

A review of existing literature revealed that little theoretical framework exists to capture e-business-enabled value creation through an integrated approach that includes the environmental view and resource-based view (RBV). Furthermore, little empirical research has been conducted to test these theoretical frameworks, in particular in the Chinese business context. The aim of this research is to extend the theoretical and practical understanding of e-business-enabled sources of competitive advantage (SCA) in China. The value chain (VC) concept, virtual value chain (VVC) framework and RBV were identified from the literature as the key constructs to underpin the theoretical basis. The research design used a qualitative research methodology consisting of indepth case studies of nine leading Chinese companies in three industries - housing development, manufacturing, and B2C. The principle finding is the formulation of a theoretical framework for investigating ebusiness value creations which integrates the key constructs of the VVC, online information capabilities (OIC), value system and RVB. This research also proposes a typology of five generic types of key e-business applications which states clearly the relationships between key e-business applications and SCA. Finally, this research demonstrates that e-business value creation features differently between two groups: Internet pragmatist and Internet pioneers. The research offers a number of contributions to the field of e-business value creation. Firstly, it introduces the concepts of OIC and value system to the VVC. It also provides empirical test of the analytical framework. In addition, this research provides an indepth understanding of the relationships between types of e-business applications and key SCA. Finally, this research identifies and explains the key differences and similarities between the three industries, within each industry, and between the two key groups

Annual Report Of Research and Creative Productions by Faculty and Staff from January to December, 2002.

Annual Report Of Research and Creative Productions by Faculty and Staff from January to December, 2002

Benefits of the application of web-mining methods and techniques for the field of analytical customer relationship management of the marketing function in a knowledge management perspective

Le Web Mining (WM) reste une technologie relativement méconnue. Toutefois, si elle est utilisée adéquatement, elle s'avère être d'une grande utilité pour l'identification des profils et des comportements des clients prospects et existants, dans un contexte internet. Les avancées techniques du WM améliorent grandement le volet analytique de la Gestion de la Relation Client (GRC). Cette étude suit une approche exploratoire afin de déterminer si le WM atteint, à lui seul, tous les objectifs fondamentaux de la GRC, ou le cas échéant, devrait être utilisé de manière conjointe avec la recherche marketing traditionnelle et les méthodes classiques de la GRC analytique (GRCa) pour optimiser la GRC, et de fait le marketing, dans un contexte internet. La connaissance obtenue par le WM peut ensuite être administrée au sein de l'organisation dans un cadre de Gestion de la Connaissance (GC), afin d'optimiser les relations avec les clients nouveaux et/ou existants, améliorer leur expérience client et ultimement, leur fournir de la meilleure valeur. Dans un cadre de recherche exploratoire, des entrevues semi-structurés et en profondeur furent menées afin d'obtenir le point de vue de plusieurs experts en (web) data rnining. L'étude révéla que le WM est bien approprié pour segmenter les clients prospects et existants, pour comprendre les comportements transactionnels en ligne des clients existants et prospects, ainsi que pour déterminer le statut de loyauté (ou de défection) des clients existants. Il constitue, à ce titre, un outil d'une redoutable efficacité prédictive par le biais de la classification et de l'estimation, mais aussi descriptive par le biais de la segmentation et de l'association. En revanche, le WM est moins performant dans la compréhension des dimensions sous-jacentes, moins évidentes du comportement client. L'utilisation du WM est moins appropriée pour remplir des objectifs liés à la description de la manière dont les clients existants ou prospects développent loyauté, satisfaction, défection ou attachement envers une enseigne sur internet. Cet exercice est d'autant plus difficile que la communication multicanale dans laquelle évoluent les consommateurs a une forte influence sur les relations qu'ils développent avec une marque. Ainsi le comportement en ligne ne serait qu'une transposition ou tout du moins une extension du comportement du consommateur lorsqu'il n'est pas en ligne. Le WM est également un outil relativement incomplet pour identifier le développement de la défection vers et depuis les concurrents ainsi que le développement de la loyauté envers ces derniers. Le WM nécessite toujours d'être complété par la recherche marketing traditionnelle afin d'atteindre ces objectives plus difficiles mais essentiels de la GRCa. Finalement, les conclusions de cette recherche sont principalement dirigées à l'encontre des firmes et des gestionnaires plus que du côté des clients-internautes, car ces premiers plus que ces derniers possèdent les ressources et les processus pour mettre en œuvre les projets de recherche en WM décrits.\ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Web mining, Gestion de la connaissance, Gestion de la relation client, Données internet, Comportement du consommateur, Forage de données, Connaissance du consommateu

Considering a Voice of the Body for Adult Transformative Learning Theory

Unknowingly, much of the population of the Western World are thinking machines who live and learn isolated from somatic experiences. They distrust their bodies in the learning process and are stuck living out unquestioned realities of embodied socioculturalism and rationalism which guide decision making, learning and ways of being. Considering a voice of the body involved delving into the physical dimension of somatic transformative learning from the bodily-lived experiences of seven women who were in a first-level experiential Nia® dancing and movement training program. Together, these women offered a voice of the body offering that phases of transformative learning was moving through processes of being stuck, self-allowing, coming to awareness and being connected within the context of learning by experience. Transformative learning processes were (re)living and trying-on felt-meanings of the lifeworld mirrored within personal experiencing spaces and the social experiencing space of the training. Engaging the human body in transformative learning was learning by experiencing the body as a site of knowing and learning, capable of generating dilemmas, breakthroughs, and shifting perspectives. Accessing somatic knowledge were other ways of knowing about unconscious habits and meaning-making, offering a somatic perspective for a more inclusive theory of adult transformative learning

Somewhere over the rainbow

Schools should offer a safe and secure environment for all young people to develop, to learn, and to thrive. Sadly, for many, they fall short. Homophobic and transphobic behaviour is still painfully common in schools across Europe. A significant number of LGBT pupils experience homophobic and transphobic bullying, and they are more likely to experience violence than heterosexual peers. This publication explores the underlying attitudes towards homosexuality in eight European countries: Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Turkey. It is the product of a strategic partnership (KA2) between fifteen European secondary and higher education institutions, launched in 2016 under the auspices of the European Commisson’s ERASMUS+ programme. The project supported by this partnership, Homo’poly, promotes greater understanding and acceptance of homosexuality with the explicit aim of improving the school life of LGB pupils