Client Relationship Research Articles

Cloud-based client accounting and small and medium accounting practices: Adoption and impact

Cloud accounting represents a major disruptive technology for the accounting industry. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to collect data from eight small and medium accounting practices (SMPs) to test a preliminary model of the determinants and impact of cloud-based client accounting adoption by SMPs. Accordingly, the SMP was the unit of analysis. The complex triadic relationship between SMPs, their clients and cloud accounting provider necessitated an interorganisational perspective. Four factors contributed to SMPs’ adoption decisions: perceived benefits of cloud-based client accounting, perceived benefits of partner programs, organisational readiness (IT sophistication and client readiness), and external pressure (client and competitive pressures). Subsequent to adoption, SMPs experienced a decline in the levels of traditional (statutory) services provided. However, most noted increases in income from business advisory. All firms were at least as well off after adoption. Improvements in client relationships and the perceived value of accountants’ services were also noted. An adoption/impact typology predicted and found positive impacts for cloud initiators, in particular. The findings have implications for owners of SMPs, their SME clients, and for accounting professional bodies.

Physical therapy processes-interactions between a physical therapist and an older client with dementia

ABSTRACT Background In Japan, the population aging rate highlights the need to examine various care provisions for older adults with dementia, including physical therapy. However, despite its positive effects, there are also many challenges associated with providing physical therapy for older adults with dementia. Objective This qualitative case study examined the interactions between a physical therapist and a patient with dementia and the process by which physical therapy was provided to her. Methods This study utilized a modified grounded theory approach to analyze the interview of one physical therapist, a woman with four years of clinical experience who specializes in physical therapy for older adults who provided a 20-minute physical therapy session to her client, a woman in her 80s with dementia who sought to maintain her ability to perform activities of daily living and preserve her independence. Data were collected in January 2017. Results Fifteen concepts that represent aspects of the services that the therapist provided to her client were identified. Five distinct categories were derived: 1) foundations of the relationship; 2) understanding individual factors; 3) supporting execution of functional activities; 4) assessing cognitive function; and 5) support to ensure safety in daily living. Conclusion Physical therapists help older adults with dementia execute functional activities, which helps ensure their safety and independence, and fosters strong therapist–client relationships. Future studies should interview multiple physical therapists to generate additional concepts. Further, quantifying these concepts and developing tools to assess clients will improve care provision and inform physical therapists with limited experience in treating patients with dementia.

Frequency, Stressfulness and Type of Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Ethically challenging situations (ECS) are common in veterinary settings and can lead to moral stress. However, there is no published information about how a global pandemic affects the frequency and types of ECS encountered by veterinary team members. An online mixed methods survey was developed to determine the frequency, stressfulness and types of ECS experienced by veterinarians, animal health technicians and veterinary nurses since the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Responses from 540 veterinary team members from 22 countries were analyzed. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the median frequency of ECS encountered by respondents increased from several times per month to several times per week (Spearman Rank Correlation 0.619, P < 0.0001). The most common ECS (encountered at least several times per week) were: challenging decisions about how to proceed when clients have limited finances (64.4%), conflict between personal well-being and professional role (64.3%), conflict between the interests of clients and the interests of their animals (59.6%). These were followed by challenging decisions about what counts as an essential veterinary service (48.1%); conflict between well-being of family/household members and professional role (46.3%); and challenging decisions about whether to perform non-contact veterinary visits (46.3%). The most stressful ECS (reported to be very or maximally stressful) were: conflicts between the interests of clients and the interests of their animals (50.2%), other (42.9%), conflicts between the interests of my employer and my own interests (42.5%), challenging decisions about how to proceed when clients have limited finances (39.4%), conflict between personal well-being and professional role (38.0%), and conflict between well-being of family/household members and professional role (33.6%). Thematic analysis of free-text responses revealed biosecurity, client financial limitations, animal welfare, working conditions, and client relations as prominent themes. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study to describe the impacts of the pandemic on ECS experienced by veterinary teams globally. It identifies an increase in the frequency of ECS associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and a number of stressors unique to the pandemic. We identified a number of resources and strategies that may help veterinary team members navigate ethical challenges that may emerge in their daily work, as well as in the context of global crises.

Client Relationship Management in IT Services Using CRM Systems

In the evolving landscape of IT services, effective client relationship management (CRM) has become a critical factor for sustaining competitive advantage and fostering long-term partnerships. Client Relationship Management (CRM) systems, leveraging advanced technologies and data-driven insights, play a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of managing client interactions. This research paper explores the integration of CRM systems in IT services, emphasizing their impact on client relationship management. The study begins by examining the fundamental principles and functionalities of CRM systems. It highlights how these systems enable IT service providers to streamline client interactions, centralize client data, and automate various aspects of client management. By integrating CRM systems, IT service firms can achieve a comprehensive view of client interactions, which facilitates personalized communication, efficient problem resolution, and strategic decision-making.

Conflict by design and why institutions matter in service design: A case of a German Creative Agency in China

This paper set out to advance our understanding of how to improve service design and service provider–customer relationships in business-to-business (B2B) environments. Drawing on the theoretical lenses of service-dominant logic, service design and institutional theory, we investigate how and why the dark side manifests itself in B2B relationships between service co-creating actors in professional service settings. Additionally, we propose how these problems can be avoided. The study takes place in an international environment. It employs an in-depth single embedded case study of the relationship between a German creative agency and a German industrial client operating in China. Our work chronicles how their relationship developed over time, eventually resulting in a breakdown. The findings captured in the framework highlight an array of contributing factors. Propositions are made on how a more stable and robust agency–client relationship can be built and the dark side of B2B relationships defeated.

Tripartite efficacy and behavior of clients working with a personal trainer

Personal trainers are a common social agent in the exercise workforce. However, little is known about their impact on the psychosocial or behavioral outcomes of their clients. This two-study project used the tripartite efficacy framework to elucidate the client outcomes of working with a personal trainer. The first study examined the multivariate relationship of clients’ tripartite efficacy beliefs with their perceptions of their interpersonal relationship with their trainer. Overall, there was a strong positive multivariate relationship between the tripartite efficacy beliefs and perceptions of interpersonal closeness, complementarity, and commitment. The second study examined client tripartite efficacy beliefs as predictors of their self-reported behavioral outcomes of in-session effort and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Path analysis showed relation-inferred self-efficacy and other-efficacy to be significant and strong positive predictors of self-efficacy. Other-efficacy and self-efficacy were significant positive predictors of in-session effort. These findings highlight that personal trainers can influence the amount of effort clients put forth when the client is confident in the trainer’s ability. Lay summary: We examined clients’ relationships to their personal trainer and exercise behaviors. When clients felt confident in the relationship with their trainer, they felt closer and more connected to their trainer. Relationship confidence beliefs also influenced how hard clients worked during sessions with their trainer. Implications for practice Personal trainers should model behaviors that increase clients’ confidence in the personal trainer–client working relationship. When the client is confident in their trainer, the client reports working harder during sessions. Clients’ self-confidence beliefs are influenced by their perceptions of how the personal trainer feels about their ability during sessions.

Agile Cooperation between Communication Agencies and Companies

ABSTRACT Communications agencies and communications departments of companies are mutually dependent. The agencies need companies as clients, while the companies need agencies primarily for their expertise and resources. However, cooperation between communications agencies and client companies is often fraught with fundamental problems, in particular due to cost issues and differing expectations on each side. This study shows that implementing agility is an effective approach for meeting these challenges and those of the rapidly changing, volatile environment in which both operate, for a successful client-agency cooperation. Due to their experience with many different companies as clients, based experts from public relations and advertising agencies were interviewed on the subject of agility. From the interview results, it becomes clear that a consistently implemented agility, with characteristics such as a flat working structure, iterative processes with many evaluations, and innovative collaboration tools, is beneficial for an effective client-agency relationship in an uncertain and volatile environment, especially in the field of online communication. In addition, agility may help to counter the typical client-agency problems of hidden information, hidden action and hidden intention. The results lead us to a model for the ideal-typical agile cooperation between agencies and communications departments of companies.

A Novel Application of Photovoice in a Statewide Home Visiting Evaluation

Photovoice is an empowering, qualitative, community-based participatory research method that engages participants to take photographs and reflect on their meanings. We employed a novel application of a Photovoice-inspired methodology to evaluate perinatal home visiting services. This article describes the feasibility and utility of remote implementation of a Photovoice-inspired project in one state’s federally funded Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Initiative. The initial project aimed to identify aspects of parenting roles/identities, goals, and home visitor–client relationship that can be leveraged to improve program engagement and retention. Training materials were sent to home visitors who acted as liaisons with parents. Reflective interviews about this photo-elicitation method conducted with parents, home visitors, and the evaluators following the project revealed that informational materials were beneficial to understanding the process. Home visitors were noted as gatekeepers and key motivators. Trainings, flexibility, timely communication, and logistics should be considered when remotely implementing Photovoice.

Corporate social impact and auditor changes

AbstractCorporate social impact has great influence on companies’ financial and litigation risk. Especially, corporate social irresponsibility raises auditors’ concerns about audit risk. Prior research finds that auditors charge higher audit fees to companies engaging in social irresponsible activities. In this study, we investigate the potential effects of corporate social impact on auditor–client relationship. Our results suggest that the likelihood of auditor changes is greater for the socially irresponsible companies and increases with severity. Additional tests suggest that socially irresponsible companies are more likely to have disagreements with their departing auditors and change to smaller auditors. Our findings are robust under different measures and specifications. Our study contributes to the literature by providing incremental evidence that auditors integrate clients’ social impact into their risk management and client selection. Our findings suggest that corporate social impact has become another determinant of auditor–client relationship and has profound effect on audit market competition.

Innovations in the Micro - Small to Medium Enterprises Sector Towards Economic Development in Zimbabwe

Innovation has many enablers that are related to both internal and external environments. The internal environment covers the company’s operations, market strategy and vision, skills, creativity, and quest for innovation, among others. This paper investigated opportunities and challenges for Micro-Small to Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe to successfully emerge as agents of economic development through innovation. The analysis includes the personal characteristics that make up MSMEs as well as the contemporary environments in which MSMEs operate. This paper is grounded on Schumpeter’s notion that entrepreneurship contributes to economic development through the interplay of new firm creation, innovation and competition. The study adopted a case study research design as Bulawayo was utilized as the case in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was utilized in identifying study participants for focus group discussions and random sampling was utilized in identifying 142 respondents for questionnaires. The study's findings revealed that the MSME's sector is motivated to innovate so as to improve the way and speed in products formation. Interactions and multiple social networks are also established in the MSMEs sector in the process of innovation based on kinship, friendship ties and manufacturer- client relationship. The MSMEs studied focused on adapting, imitating and modifying existing innovations rather than pursuing genuine Schumpeterian innovation. The study notes that innovation is happening but it is not a priority for the MSME sector and therefore policies aimed at catching up with modern technology should be the central focus in providing assistance for entrepreneurs and these are suggested in this paper. The results also revealed that while economic profit is a priority for most entrepreneurs, MSMEs exists mainly to alleviate poverty through income generating activities and contribute to economic development by providing employment and income for the poor. The study concludes that innovation is a results of demand driven synergies which are prevalent in the society and the MSMEs' sector skills and knowledge, which therefore means that there are many opportunities to be tapped but however there is lack of investment and robust policy which need to be unlocked. The study recommends that innovations in the MSMES' sector need a holistic attention from stakeholders of the country's industrialization plans not to be merely seen as rhetoric and politicking. Modernization and technology upgrading along with innovative methods of capacity building and marketing of products are necessary. A holistic innovation policy for the MSME sector can also be made to promote innovation. The policy, institutions, and supporting framework have to be improved to remove MSMEs’ perception that government is limiting their success. Over time, this can be done with the proactive participation of experts and policy makers to benefit Zimbabwe's MSMEs.

“The Struggle is Real”: Punitive assessment in community services

Assessment tools are pivotal for the work of frontline community services providers, shaping client relationships, access to supports and producing evidence for agencies that need to allocate resources, demonstrate outcomes and secure funding. These tools are combined and used cumulatively, as marginalized individuals are cared for – but also controlled and punished - within these systems (e.g. in shelters, street outreach, mental health or re entry supports). Punishment literature has clarified that risk tools are impactful but also contested and resisted. Still, we know little about how the process is experienced and negotiated by frontline by practitioners working with people pushed through the ‘revolving doors'. Drawing from two years of ethnographic fieldwork and 105 interviews with community practitioners, I examine tools and practices used to ‘assess’ criminalized and marginalized individuals. I show that practitioners are producing evidence about problems occurring outside legal institutions while relying on criminal justice logics and engaging with criminal justice spaces and paces. I highlight the challenges service providers face and negotiate, focusing on three themes: the composition of tools, the process of using them, and the service context in which they are used. I argue that despite discretionary efforts and adaptations, community practitioners remain frustrated by assessment tools and practices, and particularly by their inability to meet the needs they are assessing.

Financial Innovation with Endogenous Experimentation

We present a model in which a long-lived bank endogenously learns about the environment for financial innovation through experimentation on its clients. When the bank has superior knowledge of the state of the world facing its clients, it may engage in inefficient or reckless experimentation because it cannot commit to do otherwise. We show that strong client relationships can mitigate the incentive to pitch innovative products to clients for whom they are not appropriate. We also explore the limits of internal monitoring systems intended to prevent such behavior. Finally, we show that greater banker mobility can complement monitoring systems because bankers will have incentive to visibly seek out weak monitoring environments only when the expected collective benefits from financial innovation are especially large.

Compulsive Buying Behaviour of Credit Card Users and Affecting Factors Such as Financial Knowledge, Prestige and Retention Time: A Cross-sectional Research

A leading concern in client and vender relations is that the rising new situation of influence deploying of the credit card market. This situation is accountable for compulsive buying, which has disapprovingly exaggerated consumers, leading to impossible debt levels. Financial counsellors search for why and how individuals get themselves into financial debt. Compulsive buying behaviour and credit card could have a powerful effect on consumers’ financial stability. Further, in place of comprehending credit card usage and compulsive buying, this study correlates them with wealth attitudes such as power-prestige, financial knowledge and retention time. A cross-sectional descriptive research design using convenience sampling and non-probability sampling with quota samples of 313 credit cardholders was surveyed. The outcome showed that those with power-prestige money attitudes are likely to have free usage of credit cards through compulsive spending. Results also showed that those with a higher financial understanding have lower compulsive spending off the credit card.

Marketer Perceptions of Client–Agency Co-Creation: Exploring the Levels of Partnership Collaboration

Collaborative co-creation of advertising campaigns by agencies and clients is widely perceived to result in greater creativity and higher-quality advertising outcomes. This research examines three levels of collaboration in client–agency relationships. Environmental-level effects were found in that clients often had difficulty ceding control and trusting an outside agency. Yet when agencies are viewed as experts, clients come to trust them and better creative work results. At the dyadic level, the depth of information sharing between the agency and client was helpful. In stable client–agency relationships, client involvement need not be as extensive because the agency already understands the strategy. Interorganizational effects were also explored, but a surprise finding was an unexpected inverted U-shaped relationship between agency competency and effectiveness. Only at a moderate level of agency competency is the most effective advertising observed, which is indicative of a “dark side” of client–agency relationships. This study was based on qualitative interviews with 20 marketing clients and agency professionals from Australia and New Zealand. Quantitative results were based on 162 campaigns from the same region reported on by 60 brand managers.

Medieval Historical Writing: Britain and Ireland, 500–1500. Edited by Jennifer Jahner, Emily Steiner, and Elizabeth M. Tyler. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xvi+581.

<i>Medieval Historical Writing: Britain and Ireland, 500–1500</i>. Edited by Jennifer Jahner, Emily Steiner, and Elizabeth M. Tyler. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xvi+581.

Pax Regis

The people of Ceuta see their town as an exemplary model of coexistence between Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Hindus. This “convivencia” is described as the brainchild of their mayor-president, who funds clients to enact his charismatic vision. Anthropology is sensitive to the moral ambiguities of patron–client relations but has overlooked the role of charisma in the reproduction of patronage reproduction. This article explores the theoretical and political implications of a process by which convivencia-patronage becomes seen as the extension of the patron’s charisma. Obscuring the historical dimensions of power, charisma blocks nuanced discussion toward the colonial legacy of convivencia as a way of controlling suspect minorities. It prevents change by channeling resistance toward the removal of the mayor-president, not the structures that enabled his rise.

Examine the Customer Relationship Management [Crm] in the Selected Public Sector Banks

In today's cutthroat business climate, customer service must be personable if it is to succeed. To successfully attract and keep customers in the long term, service industries need to have a wide range of cutting-edge offerings. Banks in the public sector exist to serve the populace as a whole, regardless of factors such as demographics, sexual orientation, political affiliation, educational attainment, or employment status. Everyone, even the elderly, pays the same interest rate. As a result, maintaining cordial and cooperative ties with all clientele is essential. Although public sector banks in rural regions stick to tried-and-true methods of customer relationship management, those in urban centers use a wide range of novel approaches. The rise of discerning consumers has been facilitated by liberalization, privatization, and globalization, giving rise to customer-focused marketing. Both acquiring new consumers and keeping the ones you already have may be difficult for marketers. Experts in marketing are always thinking of new ways to identify customers' evolving wants and requirements and meet them. Marketers and academics are increasingly interested in customer relationship management as a means to actively involve consumers in products and services. Client relationship management in the banking industry requires constant focus in order to reduce customer churn, foster the acquisition of new clients, and increase transaction volumes.

Cuckoos in the nest: the co-option of state-owned enterprises in Putin’s Russia

ABSTRACT Over recent years, Russia’s government has been expanding its presence in domestic state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and instituting numerous regulatory revisions. However, research is inconclusive over the government’s underlying economic intentions, and intervention outcomes, vis-à-vis SOEs. Likewise, it remains imprecise in relation to various characteristics of government–SOE interaction. To mitigate these issues, this paper develops a new state predation model relevant to large Russian SOEs. It argues, using the NOC (national oil company) mid-management recruitment and selection case, that SOEs are being re-oriented into centers of active regime support. Accordingly, the Russian government is prioritizing the placement of loyal clients, into NOC structures, who advance the SOEs’ growing political obligations. It is also rewarding them, in a performance-curbing manner, through tolerating their inadequate economic competence and heightened engagement in corporate corruption. At the same time, non-clients, including top international talent, are experiencing diminishing recruitment numbers and opportunities. This status quo, then, is being maintained via informal (closed and procedure-less) practices, though certain formal rules support it too. Consequently, the above-outlined state predation insights are important to understanding SOE political over-embeddedness and patron–client relations in emerging market SOEs.

Client–Agency Briefing: Using Paradox Theory to Overcome Challenges Associated with Client Resource Deployment

Agencies depend on client resources to fulfill their value proposition. An inadequate quantity or quality of client resources can negatively influence agency output. Advertising literature reports that agencies are frequently frustrated with deficiencies of information, expertise, and time. However, only a limited number of studies represent the client perspective on resourcing issues. Adopting a paradox perspective, this study explores the competing demands that confront clients when deploying resources during the briefing process. It advances strategies that simultaneously satisfy the requirements of agency and client, often with synergistic effect. Furthermore, the study proposes that these strategies trigger a complementary resource, increasing collaboration and trust, and positively influencing the quality of the client–agency relationship. In addition to contributing to theoretical understanding of resource allocation, the study recommends practical steps for improving the briefing process.

Identifying the attributes of a profession in the practice and regulation of fire safety engineering

Fire Safety Engineering is often implemented within a framework that requires a recognized and recognizable profession. This article reviews the current state of various attributes that define Fire Safety Engineering as a profession. It is argued that: 1) reliance on prescriptive solutions opens the domain to practitioners that do not possess the required specialist knowledge; 2) the fire safety engineering process is often triggered through non-compliances to individual prescriptive provisions, negatively impacting on the discipline's professional authority; 3) the discipline operates in a manner that exposes it to challenges of its ethical code; and 4), the lack of a well-defined accreditation framework challenges the professional culture. The resulting environment favours a customer relationship between those commissioning the work and the Fire Safety Engineer, rather than the client relationship necessary for professional practise.Most engineering disciplines respond to failures by formalisation of the profession around its duty of care to society. Conversely, in Fire Safety Engineering such responses have focused on regulation. Recent incidents are a significant impetus and opportunity for the fire safety profession to better formalize itself.