Client Attractiveness Research Articles

A strategic model for attracting and retaining environmentally conscious customers in E-retail

The study offers a thorough investigation on the strategies necessary to attract and retain environmentally conscious customers in the E-Retail market in Southeast Asia. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) have been deployed to analyze the intricate relationships among the sustainable business practices, consumer engagement strategies, technological interventions for sustainability, integration of a triple bottom line approach, and the balance between sustainability and profitability. Hypotheses testing on the empirical data have revealed that there is no significant relationship between sustainable business practices and attracting and retaining environmentally conscious customers. However, there are positive correlations between consumer engagement strategies, technological interventions for Sustainability, and the integration of triple bottom line approach with client attraction and retention. The work highlights the importance of a thorough sustainability plan, in-line with consumer expectations. Practical consequences emphasize the importance of tailoring marketing efforts, ensuring effective communication, and implementing technological advancements to improve the eco-friendly shopping experience. Difficulty in establishing a balance between sustainability and profitability have been highlighted as a prominent challenge for the e-retailers.

Features of Supervisory Reporting of Professional Securities Market Participants

The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that since 2013, the Bank of Russia which acts as a mega-regulator of the financial market, has been delegated the powers to exercise supervision and control over it, including over the activities of its professional participants. Since the work of the latter is associated with the use of not only their own funds, but also with the attraction of clients’ funds, it is important to have constant control over their activities, where the main source of information is reporting. Supervised organizations are required to submit to the Bank of Russia not only accounting (financial) statements but supervisory statements as well. It makes possible to form a more complete picture of their activities. The goal of the study is to review the current composition and procedure for submitting supervisory and statistical reporting by professional participants in the securities market. The author uses methods of comparative and system analysis of scientific publications, regulatory and legal sources. Currently, there is an improvement in the legal regulation of the supervisory reporting of professional participants in the securities market. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation is implementing a project to switch non-bank financial institutions to an electronic reporting format based on eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) specifications [1]. This allows to present more reliable and high-quality reporting data, increase the openness and transparency of the financial information provided by financial market participants. The project includes a sequential transition for all non-bank financial institutions but XBRL reporting is already mandatory for a number of institutions. As a result, the concept of “supervisory-statistical reporting” and the content of reporting forms. Also, the author identified the advantages of using the XBRL format and the complexity of its implementation in supervised organizations. The conclusion was made about the need to improve the legal regulation and expand the scope of digital technologies.

Product differentiation in the socially responsible mutual fund industry

In this study, we analyse the effect of product differentiation on prices and client attraction in the socially responsible (SR) mutual fund industry. Using three proxies for differentiation, including a text-based indicator, a return-based indicator, and a portfolio-holding indicator, we analyse a sample of US SR equity mutual funds in the period 1999–2019. Our findings show that the text differentiation measure better explains the product differentiation impact on prices and flows than the measures based on fund characteristics. Our text differentiation results indicate that younger SR funds and funds belonging to smaller families are more differentiated. In addition, differentiation allows SR funds to charge higher fees and attract more money flows. Finally, our results indicate that SR fund investors are sensitive to differentiation regarding other funds implementing the same SR strategies, but not in relation to other funds in the same Morningstar financial style category.

The role of employee communication skills on sustainable export performance

The objective of this study is to examine the role of employee communication skills in sustainable export performance. Furthermore, this study also examined the mediating role of client understanding, client satisfaction and client attraction. Therefore, the relationship between employee communication skills, client understanding, client satisfaction, attraction and sustainable export performance was examined. Population of the study is logistic companies of Thailand. The logistic company employees involved in export activities were selected as respondents. Therefore, data were collected from the export related employees of Thai logistic companies. Finally, data were analyzed and found that communication skills are playing a major role in export performance. Export performance is majorly influenced by the communication skills of employees working in logistic companies. Furthermore, communication skills have a positive role in client understanding. Client understanding has a positive effect on client satisfaction and client attraction. This whole mechanism increases the sustainable export performance.

Well, That Was Awkward: When Clients Develop Romantic Feelings for Therapists

Clients can develop feelings of romantic or sexual attraction to their therapists. From a cognitive-behavioral perspective, how should therapists handle these situations? Although the topic of client attraction is comprehensively covered in the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic literature, it is woefully neglected in our cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focused training programs and literature. This paper aims to address this gap by using CBT principles to provide explanations for why clients develop feelings of attraction to their therapists. In addition, this paper offers general guidelines for how to manage client attraction from a CBT perspective. Three case vignettes are used to illustrate those concepts. Recommendations for future research and training in this area are also provided.

Total Quality Management Practices and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kilifi Town, Kenya

Any business entity aims at attaining high level of customer satisfaction. The entity always does this by providing quality goods and services. It is crucial that within a firm, all of its internal clients are fulfilled in ensuring that effective satisfaction of external clients is attained. TQM has been presently presented as the means of management that focus in improving an organization’s financial performance by attaining customer needs and quality of product provision. The research primary focused on examining the key impacts of TQM on management and financial performance of Kenya’s banks in Kilifi Town. The study’s objectives were based on establishing the impact of staff involvement, the management commitment, regular improvements and customer focus of the bank’s performance. The entire research was based on Deming’s theory of TQM and Porter’s theory of competitive advantage. In attaining the research objectives, the research utilized descriptive research technique and a population of 195 participants from 13 commercial banks in operation within the Town of Kilifi. A 30 percent sample was considered reflections of 59 participants. In getting information from the respondents the study utilized both structures and unstructured questionnaires that consisted of both open and closed ended questions. However, respondents had varying questions and had the opportunity to answer appropriately. SPSS (Version 22) stands out as one of the key analysis tool to be used in examine the quantitative data collected, and then the information was presented by the use of means, frequencies, percentages, standard deviations an means. The research utilized multiple regressions analysis in estimating the study model. The study’s gathered and analyzed data was presented by the use of tables, charts, graphs and frequencies meant to enhance the process of interoperations, provision of conclusions and recommendations. Theoretically, the research is expected to be of importance both to firms expected to use the information in enhancing quality products provisions and academicians expected to do researches on a similar or related topic.It was established that the selected TQM practices which included customer focus, top management commitment, continuous improvement and employee involvement significantly and positively influence the performance of commercial banks in Kilifi Town. The study concluded that the banks to a great extent embrace the four TQM practices in a bid to improve service provision, client attraction and retention and also improve organizational performance. It was further concluded that the banks embrace continuous process, procedures and system improvement to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The study also concluded that the banks valued customers in a bid to enhance market share and customer base and also stay competitive in the market. The study further concluded that the top management was committed to enhancing service quality, employee participation and involvement in quality integration, stakeholder involvement, communication and collective decision making. The study recommends that the banks need to involve employees and stakeholder more in decision making and policy formulation to promote collective responsibility and performance. The study recommends that there is need for improved customer care to cater for all categories of clients and also embrace value addition to the clients. The study was conducted on only four TQM practices, there is need for further studies on other TQM practices.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR ATTRACTING FOREIGN TOURISTS TO GEORGIAN DESTINATIONS

At current stage business development cannot be imagined without social networks. The customers spend more and more time in social networks and get most part of the information from them. Therefore, for the companies, the social media is a powerful tool for attraction of clients and for competition. Usingthe social media marketing is particularly popular in tourism industry. Technological changes in mass media allow immediate distribution of information in the sphere of tourism. Reasonable using of social networks in tourism requires creative marketing approaches ensuring coverage of the target audience to maximal possible extent. Sites of social media became the primary source of information for the destination management organizations. Usually the tourists trust online information and before commencement of travel they visit the forums and online reviews, as well as specialized blogs. Hence, there is a close relationship between involvement of tourists’ social network sites and change in their behavior. Technological development and globalization of media creates new opportunities providing sharing the information between tourist consumers through blogs, web sites or destination sites. The destinations need creative and powerful social media marketing strategies to attract potential visitors. Social media helps the destinations to communicate with the visitors at relatively low costs and higher effectiveness than traditional communication methods. Social media, as an instrument for stimulation is used for the purposes of interactive marketing. Though, it is notable that there is a growing number of visitors, who use social media applications, creating new challenges in entire tourism industry. As social media plays a significant role in the activities of travel agencies, we found reasonable to find out the level of satisfaction of the foreign tourists with the activities of Georgian tourist companies in social media. Market research showed that of social media platforms, among the foreign tourists the most widespread is Facebook. 85.1% of the respondents use it. It is followed by YouTube (54.7%), Instagram (32.4%), Google+ (31.1%), Linkedin (29.9%), Twitter (27.2%) and MySpace (15.5%). 14% of the respondents use the other social networks (Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr, Reddit, Ask.fin, Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki). Study demonstrated interest of the respondents to the information provided by the sites related to tourism, their trust and satisfaction. Analysis shows that the respondents are satisfied with the social media marketing offered by Georgian travel agencies to certain extent. As a result of our market study we can conclude that Georgia is an attractive destination for the foreign tourists. Therefore, the number of repeated visits to Georgia increases from year to year. In making choice of Georgian travel agencies, the foreign tourists basically rely on the information in social networks and word-of-mouth marketing. Though, interest, trust and satisfaction of the foreign customers to social media marketing offered by Georgian travel companies are at the average level. Therefore, foreign tourists evaluate media marketing activities conducted by Georgian tourist companies as average and this underlines insufficient activity of Georgian tourist companies in social networks. With the help of marketing research obtained levels of interest, reliability and satisfaction of foreign tourists in relationto social media marketing provided by Georgian destinations.On the basis of analysis of the research results statistically significant values were obtained that show influence of the activity, interest and reliability regarding to social media marketing provided by Georgian destinations on the foreign tourists’ satisfaction.In the work statistically significant value is also received reflecting the influence of the social media activity provided by Georgian destinations on buying behavior of foreign tourists’.

Towards an integrated framework of professional partnership performance: The role of formal governance and strategic planning

Conventional wisdom identifies human capital and organizational reputation as the critical resources explaining professional partnership (PP) performance. PPs have increasingly adopted organizational practices like strategic planning and formal governance, however, which have long been alien in highly professionalized contexts. In order to test the influence of both these classic resources and the newly adopted practices on PP performance, as well as the mediating mechanisms— that is, client attraction and retention as well as organizational efficiency—through which this influence is channeled, we develop an integrated theoretical framework of PP performance. We test the resulting hypotheses using survey and objective data collected on 196 Dutch law firms. Our findings provide new insights into the drivers of PP performance and the complex interrelationships between PP resources and newly adopted practices.

Impact of technology and equipment equity on price levels of products

The dynamics of contemporary economic processes urge researchers in the marketing field to study pricing outside of its traditional role. Modern customer-oriented approaches examine price levels as an instrument which contributes to retention and attraction of clients. Retention and expansion of client base is a subject-matter of the concept of customer equity which aims at long-term enhancement of customer relationship value. This value depends directly on the price levels defined by business organizations. Therefore, excessive application of discounts and sales may be risky for the company as it may turn its clients into “discount hunters” which will have detrimental impact on customer equity. In this regard, the current study aims to discover opportunities to enhance price competitiveness through promotion of customer perceived value. In pursuance of the objective of the present study, the drivers influencing the perceived value and particularly the technology and equipment equity were examined. As a result, the content of the factor was clarified and its positive impact on the level of customer perceived value was established. Guidelines were established for building technology and equipment equity, enhancement of the perceived value of products, and price competitiveness.

СУТНІСТЬ ТА ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ПОНЯТТЯ «КЛІЄНТООРІЄНТОВАНА ДЕПОЗИТНА ПОЛІТИКА»

Автором розглянуто основні теоретичні підходи до поняття «клієнтоорієнтація», у результаті морфологічного аналізу сформульовано дефініцію поняття «клієнтоорієнтована депозитна політика» та визначено критерії клієнтоорієнтованості банку. Розглянуто сутність, ознаки та підходи до впровадження клієнтоорієнтованого підходу в банку та реалізації клієнтоорієнтованої депозитної політики.

LOJALŲ KLIENTĄ FORMUOJANTI APLINKA FITNESO ORGANIZACIJOJE

Research background. It has been estimated that today's fitness organizations urgently need to have and maintain loyal customers. An approach to have a loyal/faithful customer is very important for every organization. The organization should strive not only to attract, but also to retain the client. For client attraction and retention such personal human characteristics as emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, and awareness are mentioned as factors most affecting human loyalty. Of course, there are more important factors that shape a loyal customer: the interior, which consists of psychological, demographic and social factors as well as external stakeholders including fitness organization environment which comprises the people, the social media and institutional influence. Taking into account loyal customers forming factors a fitness organization should develop interpersonal relationships with their customers by creating "friendships" because that improves a fitness club environment where customers can directly interact with each other and with the staff, and ensure the quality of the relationship as well as build trust. Organizational aim is to develop loyal employees in their environment who are able to promote exceptional friendliness and sincerity, comfort and pleasant environment, commitment to organization and work relationships. In addition, the fitness organization must ensure the cleanness and quality of the inventory, the supply of fitness programs in accordance with customers' needs, age and education, not just for "everyone", as the most important customer satisfaction components of service which generate value, and in this way forming an inner image of the organization, and through the media and customer reviews – loyal environment that allows achieving positive results, growth and profit by increasing revenue and developing competitiveness. Research aim was to establish conditions for a loyal customer forming environment in fitness organization. Objectives: 1) Describe the concept of loyalty and expression; 2) Reveal loyal customers and influencing factors on the environment of fitness organizations. Conclusions. Loyalty is a fragile phenomenon rather than erratic. However, this phenomenon often provides real benefits to the organization: fixed income, reduced marketing expenses, recommendations to potential and existing sports customers, attracting new customers, more competitive and less sensitive to price fluctuations. Formatting loyal sports customer a sports organization has a strong focus on friendly relations and fostering the creation of a pleasant environment, focusing its efforts to provide quality services and achieve customer satisfaction through wellness programs, selection and creation of client-personnel “friendship”. Factors determining formation of loyal customers affects fitness organizations managerial decisions of the environment in the development of trust, created through customer listening and interpersonal relationships, in the development of an effective movement of the internal process, the creation of internal factors according to demographic criteria and individualization of services providing for sports customers through customer satisfaction on the “friendship” meaning basis. Fitness organization environment must be focused on the individual client's regular studies and development of proposals on the basis of the internal psychological factors, such as personal traits, which are distinguished as follows: emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, consciousness. Internal factors in connection with the interpretation of the social externalities: people, social media, and the influence of institutional identity generates relatively comfortable environment to create satisfaction, transforming to the formation of a loyal customer. Keywords: loyal customer, satisfaction, services, fitness organization.

Purchase policies to fresh fruit and vegetables in supermarkets in Campo Grande, Brazil

This study aims to analyze purchase policies to fruits and vegetables in supermarkets in Campo Grande, Brazilian Midwest. Thirteen interviews were conducted with representatives from supermarkets, small, medium and large, responsible for purchasing fresh vegetables. By analyzing the responses obtained through interviews, we can observe that producers make almost the entire supply of fruits and vegetables in large supermarkets from other states, and the small and medium establishments usually buy more with the local producer. For retailers, the fruits and vegetables represent an important factor to create internal circulation of customers in stores and a factor of attraction of clients too, in addition, this products offer high profitability. For the supermarket, the fruits and vegetables locally produced are fresher and have lower comparative cost. However, supply regularity, the volume and variety offered by local producers are considered unsatisfactory.

Motivational Influences on the Safer Sex Behavior of Agency-based Male Sex Workers

Although indoor male sex workers (MSWs) have been found to engage in lower rates of HIV risk behavior with clients than street-based MSWs, few studies have examined the motivations behind such practices. We interviewed 30 MSWs working for the same escort agency regarding their safer sex practices with clients and their reasons for these. As in other research, MSWs reported little risk behavior with clients. Five motivational themes related to safer sex on the job emerged: health concerns, emotional intimacy, client attractiveness, relationships, and structural work factors. Results suggest that participants engaged in rational decision-making relative to sex with clients, facilitated by reduced economic incentive for riskier behavior and a supportive social context. MSWs desired a safe sexual work place, personal integrity, and minimal negative consequences to personal relationships. Collaborating with sex work employers to study their role in encouraging a safer workplace may be important to future research.

Counseling dropout relative to client attractiveness, disturbance, and expected number of sessions

Participants were 12 counseling center psychologist and thir 257 college-student clients. Immediately after intake, clients indicated whether or not they would make an additional appointment, their reasons for not making another appointment, and the estimated number of sessions they would attend. Counselors rated clients' attractiveness and disturbance and estimated the number of sessions they would have with each client. Clients who did not make a second appointment were generally satisfied with the help they received in one session. Client estimates were more predictive than counselor estimates of actual number of sessions. Relative to less attractive and disturbed clients, more attractive and disturbed clients made and kept post-intake appointments.

The current state of sexual ethics training in clinical psychology: issues of quantity, quality, and effectiveness.

Given the harm caused to clients and the psychology profession by therapist sexual misconduct, sexual ethics training should be given high priority in graduate training programs. The present study surveyed sexual ethics training and student understanding of sexual ethics in clinical psychology doctoral programs from the perspectives of training directors (n=84) and students (n=451). Ninety-four percent of the students had received sexual ethics training; programs provided an average of 6 hr of training. Still, students showed significant deficits in knowledge of sexual ethics principles. Students who had discussed a client attraction with a supervisor showed the best understanding of sexual ethics. Suggestions for ensuring adequate sexual ethics training are discussed.

Client attractiveness as related to the concept of engagement in therapy

Abstract The study examined the relationship between client attractiveness and return for a second appointment using 163 clients and their 10 therapists. Clients rated as more attractive were more likely to return after intake. A further investigation showed that both therapists with a history of higher percentages of returning clients and more-attractive clients have a facilitative effect on therapeutic involvement or engagement.

Correlates of Therapist Prediction of Therapy Duration

In the study presented here I investigated therapist perceptions of client attractiveness, anxiety, and disturbance as they relate to therapist prediction of the number of sessions the client will attend and actual client attendance. Therapists were five professionals and five practicum students at a university counseling center. Their clients were 249 college students. After the initial session, therapists completed the Therapist Personal Reaction Questionnaire (Davis, Cook, Jennings, & Heck, 1977) and items to assess client anxiety and disturbance. Therapists preferred less anxious clients, but actual numbers of sessions were only related significantly and positively to client disturbance.

Marketing circles in practice development

The idea of Quality Circles has been widely written about and discussed throughout the country, and on occasion, even adopted. There is a direct outgrowth or adaptation of this idea, called Marketing Circles, that is quietly being adopted more than it is discussed. Where Quality Circles have a quality and productivitylefficiency focus, Marketing Circles focus directly on attracting and satisfying clients, and indirectly on making professional practice more enjoyable as well as successful. The basic concepts and procedures of Quality Circles apply virtually unchanged to Marketing Circles. Small groups of people meet together voluntarily but regularly to examine feedback on past performance and discuss ways to improve outcomes. In Marketing Circles, the feedback comes from systematic assessments of client satisfaction and public attitudes. The small groups focus on specific, immediate changes they can make to reinforce and increase client attraction and satisfaction, and commit themselves mutually to carrying out such changes. Subsequent feedback from patients and public is used to identify the direct effects of their efforts, while volume of clients, visits, and revenue are used to evaluate such effects. A Marketing Circles program for a typical solo or partnership professional practice might involve a single group, consisting of the professional and all employees, providing the number is rnanageable, i.e., no more than twelve. In large group practices, groups might consist of all employees in a specific job category. Intermediate-size practices, with too many employees for one group but too few to form job category groups, would set up as many mixed

Client attraction and distress: Unexpected impact on psychotherapeutic process.

Client attraction and distress: Unexpected impact on psychotherapeutic process.

Differential client attractiveness in a counseling analogue.

Differential client attractiveness in a counseling analogue.