Client Relationship Research Articles

Relationship between Social Exchanges and Financial Performance: Examining a Virtual Community Sponsored by a Cloud Provider

ABSTRACT To attract a stream of potential clients and transform them into competent cloud adopters for sustained growth, cloud providers (CPs) sponsor YouTube virtual communities to build an interactive knowledge base and manage client relationships. This study investigates both the long- term equilibrium and the short-term dynamics of the relationships between social exchanges in CP sponsored virtual community and its financial performance. Social exchanges are measured with the number of unique posters (UP) and CP-posted quality content (QC), and financial performance is measured with quarterly CP revenue. With the advancement of CP-sponsored virtual community structure and dynamics laying the foundation, hypotheses are developed from multiple theoretical perspectives and time series data from Amazon Web Service sponsored YouTube community are analyzed. It is found that the long-run equilibrium and the short-run dynamics (of the relationships between social exchanges and financial performance) sharply contrast with each other, reminding community sponsors that they need to balance the long-run survival with the short-run success of their communities. Empirical results also reveal the steepness of the learning curve in the cloud computing industry as an entry barrier with implications for CPs and their clients. Further, based on empirical findings, both a stage model (about the impact of increase in CP revenue on increase in UP) and feedback loops (among participation, content, and value) are developed to help social media management visualize how their communities may dynamically evolve over time. This paper contributes not only to the cloud computing literature on the role social media plays in developing a competent client base, but also to the social media literature regarding the relationships between social exchanges and financial performance in knowledge intensive industries.

Abstract SY19-02: A convergence of myeloid cells and T cells controls cancer immunity

Abstract Although the advent of checkpoint inhibitors has completely transformed both oncology practice and the way we think about the immune system in cancer, their underlying mechanisms of action are only now starting to become clear. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the combination of antibodies blocking two co-inhibitory receptors on T cells, PD-1 and TIGIT, with randomized phase II results in non-small cell lung cancer having yielded significant overall survival benefit. We have investigated the mechanistic rationale for this combination and found that the inhibition of both co-inhibitory receptors is required to most effectively re-activate the two co-stimulatory receptors controlled by PD-1 (CD28) and TIGIT (CD226). Indeed, both co-stimulatory receptors serve as clients of PD-1 which recruits cytosolic phosphatases (eg SHP2) to inactivate the ITAM motifs in both CD28 and CD226. TIGIT acts to inhibit CD226 function in T cells solely by outcompeting it for ligand (CD155/PVR) binding. Unexpectedly, preclinical studies have demonstrated that ligand blocking antibodies to TIGIT are most effective when they contain a functional Fc domain. This observation suggests that at some level, Fc receptor-bearing cells play a role in mediating the function of anti-TIGIT blockade. Although this may reflect a modulation of T regulatory cell or NK cell function, both of which are TIGIT-positive, there are several observations that implicate the involvement of myeloid cells, namely macrophages and dendritic cells. One such observation is the fact that in the case of PD-1 blockade, the most relevant pool of PD-L1 turns out to be expressed by dendritic cells: in mice, genetic elimination of PD-L1 expression by tumor cells or macrophages exerts little effect on tumor growth, whilst PD-L1 elimination from dendritic cells greatly enhances endogenous anti-tumor immunity (Oh et al., 2020, Nature Cancer). This result further suggests, as is now becoming more widely accepted, that PD-L1/PD-1 blockade primarily acts by enhancing the activation of tumor-specific T cells during antigen presentation by dendritic cells, rather than by the rejuvenation of exhausted intratumoral T cells. Given the client relationship between PD-1 and CD28/CD226, it seems reasonable that TIGIT blockade similarly works at the level of antigen-presenting myeloid cells, either dendritic cells or macrophages. In the case of TIGIT, the requirement for an intact Fc domain further implies that T cell-bound anti-TIGIT may work as an opsonin that concomitantly triggers Fcγ receptor signaling to alter the functional status of the myeloid compartment. Thus, not only is there a convergence between the PD-1 and TIGIT pathways, but also a convergence between T cells and myeloid cells that may be essential for the function of these regulatory pathways and for the therapeutic effect associated with their blockade. Citation Format: Ira Mellman. A convergence of myeloid cells and T cells controls cancer immunity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr SY19-02.

Prevention of Fraud with the Values of Suport Approach

The Sufism value approach emphasizes the importance of honesty, integrity, responsibility and cooperation in business. These values ??teach that everyone is responsible for their actions and respects the interests of others. In this case, Sufism values ??can help prevent fraud by encouraging people to behave honestly and responsibly in all situations. In fraud prevention, Sufism values ??can be implemented in various ways. For example, a company can develop a code of ethics based on Islamic moral principles and teach it to its employees. Companies can also implement training programs emphasizing honesty, integrity and responsibility in business. In addition, the value approach of Sufism can help build better relationships between companies and clients because these values ??encourage companies to act fairly and responsibly towards the interests of their clients. This can help prevent fraud committed by parties in a business relationship. In conclusion, the tasawuf value approach can effectively prevent fraud in the business and financial world. By implementing Islamic moral and ethical values, companies can build a work culture of integrity, honesty and responsibility and improve client relationships.

The dark side of the media agency industry: value destruction and co-destruction in a B2B context

ABSTRACT Given the growing interest in value destruction and co-destruction research, this study explores media agency-client relationships, identifying their industry-specific value-damaging behaviours and business conditions. It adapts the concept of service logic value spheres to differentiate between provider and client value destruction as well as joint co-destruction spheres. Through 25 interviews with media agencies, advertisers, and media consultants, the study analyses whether one actor (provider or client) or both (joint) are responsible for value destruction. It determines value destruction/co-destruction activities occur in several contextually embedded business environments (media advertising markets). Additionally, organisational structures (marketing departments), management decisions (leadership), and relationship stages (pitch situations) are framed by actors’ industry-specific service activities (campaign planning). The authors highlight management implications and suggest strategies to improve media agency provider-client relationships.

Diversity and inclusion in the bioanalytical industry: an interview with Anahita Keyhani.

Anahita Keyhani speaks to Sankeetha Nadarajah, Commissioning Editor.

Searching for wholeness as a Jewish art therapist

ABSTRACT This opinion piece combines scholarly sources and personal experiences to address Jewish art therapists’ presence in the profession. When working with clients, Jewish art therapists may negotiate self-disclosure with addressing stereotypes. Collegial matters reflect societal ways that Jews are misunderstood: negating Jewish suffering, blurring anti-Israel and antisemitism, and conflating Jewish and White. Art therapists can create a more secure place for Jews through reflection, education, and advocacy. Plain-language summary Jewish art therapists have not been offered resources for how their identity impacts client relationships and collegial interactions. This opinion piece reviews the ways that unexamined Jewish misunderstanding and discrimination influence the profession. These include: negotiating client perceptions, underestimating Jewish suffering, confusing criticisms of Israel, and merging Jewishness with Whiteness. Art therapists can counter these influences through reflection, education, and advocacy.

Information and communications technology use in rural child welfare work

AbstractThis study explores the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) use on rural child welfare practice using a technology‐in‐practice framework to derive the social structures that are instantiated by rural child welfare workers (CWWs) and to examine their agency as actors. ICT use was tracked, and interviews were conducted with rural CWWs who work with children and families to gain an understanding of and describe their day‐to‐day ICT use at the practice level. Findings demonstrate that CWWs enact social structures along four frames: bureaucratic structure, family centricity, ICT context and information–documentation culture. In terms of agency, CWWs not only are constrained by but also exert some influence on the social structures they enact through facilities (material resources), norms and interpretive schemes. These findings have implications for how ICT can be used to facilitate the CWW–client relationship and the need in rural areas for increased infrastructure to support CWWs.

Impact of Pandemic Financial Crisis to the Going Concern Audit Opinion Factors

This study aims to further analyze the relationship between the characteristics, client relationship characteristics and environmental factors of auditors in issuing going concern audit opinions during pandemic financial crisis. By analyzing the effect of audit client tenure, litigation risk, and audit firm size on going-concern audit opinion and financial crisis due to COVID-19 as moderation. This study uses secondary data, financial statements and independent auditor reports of mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in period 2017-2020. The analytical method used is logistic regression. The results showed that the audit client tenure of public accountants and audit firm size had a significant negative effect on the issuance of going-concern audit opinions, while litigation risk had a significant positive effect on the issuance of going-concern audit opinions. Then the financial crisis due to Covid-19 had a significant positive effect on going-concern audit opinion but did not moderate the effect of audit client tenure, litigation risk, and audit firm size on going-concern audit opinion.

From transactional client relations to transformational integrated partnerships to deliver maximum value to the patient: A discussion on key success factors and outcomes

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.

The Role Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) In Building Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Brand Image in Ghana

This study investigates the need for SMEs to practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) in building their brand image in Ghana. The study aims at exploring the role impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in building small and medium enterprises (SMEs) brand image in Ghana. Evaluating the role of CSR in building the brand image of SMEs adopted research designs/methods and approached to solicit both secondary and primary data. To identify the perceptions held by SMEs, motives for CSR practices, benefits associated with CSR practices, and the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on SMEs’ Brand Image, questionnaires and interviews were conducted with SMEs operators and Environmental Protection Agency officials in the Kumasi metropolis. The findings show that SMEs perceived CSR as a means of paying back to society what has been received as profit and also as a means of protecting and improving the quality of the natural environment as well as spending revenue to the state. It was noted that organizations practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to project the right corporate image, used as a marketing strategy, and to make employees happy and satisfied Benefits from CSR regarding customer loyalty, gaining goodwill from the community, enhanced government relations, and building client relations was also ascertained. Despite the numerous benefits associated with CSR activities, other challenges were also identified as free giveaway products and the high cost of CSR programs. Some suggestions such as the honest provision of accurate information about the SMEs products, organizing programs to suit students, a regular donation to the societies, and total collaboration between SMEs and their communities were made to promote firms’ image through CSR practices.

Factors affecting airline brand love, passengers’ loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth. A case study of Royal Air Maroc

In today's highly competitive airline market, maintaining long-lasting client relationships becomes the key factor to business success. Hence, the focus of this study is to identify the factors influencing brand love, passengers' loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth (+WOM). Convenience sampling was used to collect data using an online survey among Royal Air Maroc passengers. The findings from the structural equation modeling imply that airline and terminal tangible, empathy, and airline image have a significant influence on perceived service quality. In addition, price and perceived service quality positively affect passengers’ satisfaction. Satisfied passengers are more likely to feel love for the brand and also tend to be more loyal. Further, brand-loving passengers are potential to become loyal and more engaged in + WOM. These results provide valuable implications to develop an airline service quality-based action plan to enhance passengers’ satisfaction, airline brand love, passengers’ loyalty, and + WOM.

Combining rules and dialogue: exploring stakeholder perspectives on preventing sexual boundary violations in mental health and disability care organizations

BackgroundSexual boundary violations (SBV) in healthcare are harmful and exploitative sexual transgressions in the professional–client relationship. Persons with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities, especially those living in residential settings, are especially vulnerable to SBV because they often receive long-term intimate care. Promoting good sexual health and preventing SBV in these care contexts is a moral and practical challenge for healthcare organizations.MethodsWe carried out a qualitative interview study with 16 Dutch policy advisors, regulators, healthcare professionals and other relevant experts to explore their perspectives on preventing SBV in mental health and disability care organizations. We used inductive thematic analysis to interpret our data.ResultsWe found three main themes on how healthcare organizations can prevent SBV in mental health and disability care: (1) setting rules and regulations, (2) engaging in dialogue about sexuality, and (3) addressing systemic and organizational dimensions.ConclusionOur findings suggest that preventing SBV in mental health and disability care organizations necessitates setting suitable rules and regulations and facilitating dialogue about positive aspects of sexuality and intimacy, as well as about boundaries, and inappropriate behaviors or feelings. Combining both further requires organizational policies and practices that promote transparency and reflection, and focus on creating a safe environment. Our findings will help prevent SBV and promote sexual health in mental health and disability care organizations.

Patron-client state relations and the geopolitics of authoritarian survival and breakdown: evidence from the MENA countries

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explain how the international relations of authoritarian regimes shape their reaction to nonviolent popular mobilisation. We identify four main strategies of authoritarian survival and argue that – from the incumbents’ perspective – repression and democratic opening are riskier than informal and formal co-optation. Thus, we ask why some nondemocratic rulers select riskier rather than safer strategies. Although recent studies have devoted much attention to the relevance of international factors in shaping domestic politics, this proposition has not been thoroughly theorised nor scrutinised empirically. We focus on authoritarian regimes that have established patron–client relations with foreign powers and argue that patrons’ regimes influence the selection of specific survival strategies by threatened clients. We hypothesise that dictators with democratic patrons are induced to adopt riskier strategies of survival, whereas clients of autocracies are more likely to select safer strategies. We test our hypothesis on MENA countries.

"The More We Know, the More We're Able to Help": Participatory Development of an Evaluation Framework for Community Health Worker Programs.

It is critical to evaluate community health worker (CHW) programs to maximize effectiveness. However, there is little consensus, and structure, for how to evaluate such programs. The purpose of this study was to develop a flexible framework for evaluating components of CHW programs in community and clinical settings. Semistructured interviews were conducted with CHWs and their supervisors to determine evaluation categories for the framework. A survey was then administered to pilot the framework at federally qualified health centers and community-based organizations with existing CHW programs. Eighteen federally qualified health centers and community-based organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Participants consisted of 23 CHWs and 19 CHW supervisors. Interview participants directly informed the development of an evaluation framework for CHW programs. The framework consists of 7 evaluation categories: client relations, intraorganizational relations, interorganizational relations, capacity development, program effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and sustainability. Survey respondents specified best practices for program implementation for each evaluation category. Recommendations for CHW program evaluation include tailoring evaluation efforts and data collection methods to program context, using mixed-methods approaches for collecting evaluation data, and streamlining evaluation efforts with an organization's existing evaluation systems. The evaluation framework is a flexible and practical model for collecting information needed for monitoring and evaluating CHW programs. By relying on practitioners' perspectives, this study contributes to an evidence base for implementing and evaluating CHW programs.

Medicine sales management system with user-friendly dashboard and long term client relationship support

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standard modeling notation used for modeling systems for which computer applications are to be developed. The objective of this system is to design models for a Medicine Sales Management System using the UML. Modeling and implementation are done with the goal of improving the user-friendliness of the Dashboard and supporting long term customer relationship by using different modules like Deals, Contacts and others. In this system, the people interested to buy medicines and surgical equipments are considered as leads and they become contacts of the system. A profile is created and provided to them. Then the system let them know the product details and the deals available for the medicines. Once they purchase a product, the contacts become customers. The customer can easily manage their profile and view their activities through their dashboard. The medicines are sold using the system and tracked similar to scheduling the calls. The tracked data are stored and maintained. Users can view the purchase details of the customer like the type of medicine and quantity purchased.

Relationship-undermining statements by psychotherapists with clients who present with marital or couple problems.

This study examined the prevalence of relationship undermining statements by psychotherapists as reported by clients in individual therapy who presented with relationship problems, and whether these statements were associated with worse outcomes for client relationships. Participants (n = 101) reported on recollections of whether their therapist had suggested that their partner would never change, had a diagnosable personality/mental health disorder, had negative motives, that the relationship was doomed from the start or beyond repair now, or that divorce/breakup was their best option. Findings showed high prevalence of these undermining statements and associations with poorer relationship outcomes and shorter duration of therapy. We discuss potential explanations for this phenomenon and offer implications for the training of therapists who treat individual clients with relationship problems.

Imaginative Reflexivity in Decolonizing Expert–Client Relationships. A Response to J. Vink: Designing for Plurality in Democracy by Building Reflexivity

Imaginative Reflexivity in Decolonizing Expert–Client Relationships. A Response to J. Vink: Designing for Plurality in Democracy by Building Reflexivity

A Move in the Right Direction: Client Relationships in Financial Advice

The Australian financial advice industry continues to be the subject of ongoing regulatory reform largely driven by persistent failures of advice and products. Despite these concerns, many Australian consumers continue to have productive, effective, and high-quality relationships with their financial adviser. This article seeks to understand the determinants of quality in these relationships both contemporaneously and how this has changed over time. Deploying a research instrument used in a study in 2009, we compare and contrast the views of practitioners and clients both with updated data and over time. We find once again that systematic differences in the perceptions of professional-client relationship quality exist. We find that these perceptions have changed over time, with high-wealth clients’ perceptions differing from those of other clients, just as the perceptions of more highly educated financial advisers differ from those of advisers with less education. Overall, relationship quality has increased over a number of dimensions.

The Nexus between Bank Foreign Expansion and Efficiency: The Moderating Effects of Host Country Regulation and Competition

ABSTRACT Does Chinese bank efficiency benefit or suffer from foreign expansion? To investigate the causal relationship between banks foreign expansion and efficiency, we analyze 431 overseas branches of Chinese banks from 2007 to 2020. After decomposing the efficiency, we find strong, consistent evidence that such foreign expansion reduces cost efficiency due to the agency problem, while improving profit efficiency to retain the long-term bank–client relationship. Furthermore, to examine moderating effects, we consider regulations and competition among host countries. Ultimately, stringent regulations and less competition are found to be key factors impacting the loss and gain of cost and profit efficiency.

The Client and Service Provider Relationship in IT Outsourcing Project Success

The role of organizational attitude for an effective knowledge sharing (KS) in IT outsourcing (ITO) relationships has not been adequately addressed. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between KS and ITO success as well as the potential moderating effect of organizational attitude on the relationship between KS and partnership quality in ITO. By leveraging structural equation modeling (SEM) on survey data from 153 ITO projects, results show that organizational attitudes significantly influence knowledge sharing and partnership quality, which in turn, results in successful ITO project. Moreover, the relationship between knowledge sharing and partnership quality is more pronounced when the partner firms have positive attitudes to KS. We further showed that partnership quality mediates the relationship between knowledge sharing and the success of an ITO project. Finally, the results of this study indicate that positive organizational attitude improves knowledge sharing between the client and service providers (i.e vendors), and creates stronger outsourcing partnerships.