Relationship Development Process Research Articles

A Framework for Relationships in eCommerce Websites

Consumers are increasingly shifting their purchase patterns from in-store to online. Consequently, retailers have had to go online to remain competitive. Research pundits argued the success of going online lies in the website's ability to create and maintain relationships with customers. This research aimed at investigating the relationship development process from the perspective of merchants to point out independent variables that influence such relation. The study is picking on the dyadic nature of the interaction in building relationship among people and apply it to the online relationships. In particular, the role of self-disclosure and privacy for enhancing this relationship was investigated. A deductive thematic approach was used based on a predefined themes informed by the literature guided the information collection through a semi-structured interview with eCommerce website owners. The study offers useful insights in establishing the pathway to creating and maintaining a loyal customer through a framework with propositions that are useful for eCommerce website managers.

A LONGITUDINAL INQUIRY OF PATIENT-PROVIDER RELATIONSHIPS AMONG AN UNDERSTUDIED GERIATRIC POPULATION

Abstract Patient-provider relationships have a direct impact on patient outcomes. This study explored patient-provider relationships among an understudied geriatric population of color— foreign-born Latinos¬ participating in an all-inclusive specialized program aimed at controlling patients’ costs and enhancing access to care. Thirteen older adult Latinos with multimorbidities from nine Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) centers in Southern California were recruited. Researchers conducted three in-depth interviews in Spanish with each participant (39 interviews total) over 13 months. The first interviews were conducted face-to-face and lasted one hour on average. Subsequent interviews were conducted over the phone (Range: 60-90 minutes). Data were analyzed using codes, identifying categories and themes. The concepts of time and trust were used to analyze the process of relationship development and to capture changes over time. The patient-provider relationship developed on a continuum across time and trust, establishing three stages to the patient-provider relationship. In the first stage emerged the concept of el buen doctor (the good doctor). In the second stage, trust was perceived to have been established, and was only strengthened as the doctor continued to demonstrate trustworthy characteristics over time. The third stage embodied all that a person of trust was plus an additional advocacy dimension. The longitudinal and specialized geriatric program design illuminated the nature of quality of care and patients’ perceptions on relationship development over time. Controlling patient/provider costs and enhancing access to care in an all-inclusive program are beneficial in enhancing patient-provider relationships.

The Use Of Dating Application and The Relationship Development (Phenomenological Approach On Tinder)

In this study, the researcher intends to find out how the process of developing interpersonal relationships that are woven virtually but can be maintained to a serious level. Researching a relationship that started from an online meeting on the matchmaking application (Tinder), interacted, and then decided to get married. The purpose of this research is to find out how the process of developing interpersonal relationships that are carried out virtually through a matchmaking app until they both make it to the stage of marriage. In this study, the researcher used a qualitative descriptive study using a phenomenological approach that was initiated by Husserl. The results of this study found that there was social penetration or the process of exchanging information carried out by Tinder users with their partners around the layers of their respective personalities in-depth such as peeling the skins of onions (layers of an onion) during the relationship development process and the process of self-disclosure between users and their partners on Tinder. This study was written using the Van Kaam analysis technique. The results of this study found that there was a relationship development process in which there was a process of social penetration and self-disclosure between key informants and informants in this study during an online relationship on Tinder until they decided to get married.

EXPLAINING A VIRTUAL RELATIONSHIP: PROSES PENETRASI SOSIAL PADA PENDIDIKAN TINGGI SELAMA PEMBELAJARAN ONLINE

Since the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed learning models and communication models at the university level. The face-to-face learning process is shifted to an online learning process using various distance learning applications. This has implications for the communication patterns that occured between students and students. This study aims to examine how the process of interpersonal communication that emphasizes aspects of developing communication relationships that are formed between students and their colleagues during the distance learning process. The theoretical approach used in this study is Social Penetration Theory which emphasizes several stages: 1) orientation stage; 2) Exploratory Affective Exchange Stage; 3) Exploratory Exchange Stage) and 4) Stable Exchange Stage. Furthemore, the method used in this research is descriptive qualitative using online survey tools and closed interviews. The population of this research is active students at Teuku Umar University class of 2019 and 2020, with a total of 20 informants. The result showed online learning provided a different virtual communication pattern in the relationship development process. The informants prioritized the virtual images displayed and more active communication repossession with a good attitude. Relationship development is also at the stage of forming comfort and not being intimate. With a relationship cycle back and forth, especially when they met in real.

Folk Theories of Online Dating: Exploring People’s Beliefs About the Online Dating Process and Online Dating Algorithms

How do online daters come to understand and make sense of their online dating experiences and the algorithms that underlie online dating platforms? Across two mixed-method studies, we take a metaphoric approach to identify and explore people’s folk theories about traditional dating, online dating, and online dating algorithms. In Study 1, we take a quantitative approach and use an innovative wiki-survey procedure to identify individuals’ folk theories of online dating and their associated themes through content analyses. In Study 2, we take a qualitative approach, exploring participants’ folk theories through in-depth interviews, extended case method, and grounded theory. Our studies uncovered two folk theories unique to traditional dating ( movies, nurturing), one folk theory unique to online dating ( game), three folk theories related to online dating algorithms ( filter, personalized advertisements, bracket), and two folk theories that were found to overlap between traditional and online dating ( shopping, chance and randomness). Our findings provide novel insights into how daters make sense of traditional and online relationship development processes as well as the algorithms that underlie online dating platforms.

Impact of digital technology on velocity of B2B buyer-supplier relationship development

PurposeThis study aims to examine how the widespread adoption of digital technology (DT) in business-to-business (B2B) markets affects and, in particular, increases the velocity of relationship development over time.Design/methodology/approachA literature search was conducted to develop propositions concerning DT’s effect on the various stages of an existing B2B buyer-seller relationship development model. A group of 55 experienced practitioners was used to obtain reactions to the propositions.FindingsDT affects buyer-seller relationship development by reducing the time needed to initiate and advance through sequential relationship stages. Agility in the decision-making process fosters stronger inter-firm relationships and influences other important attributes of B2B relationships, such as organizational commitment, organizational embeddedness, trust and value creation.Research limitations/implicationsA broader, more diverse sample of commercial buyers and sellers is required to permit testing the generalizability of the study’s findings.Practical implicationsDT affects the speed and agility of B2B relationship formation regardless of stage. As DT evolves in the age of Industry 4.0, an understanding of the effects of DT will aid managers in assessing ways to leverage its potential and apply appropriate DT strategies throughout the B2B relationship process to capitalize on current and future business opportunities. Firms need to explore the positive and negative effects of the digital revolution on managers within their supply chain networks.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that specifically addresses DT’s impact during the specific stages of the relationship development process.

The role of fairness in multi-tier sustainable supply chains

Fairness is an important topic that forms part of an organisation’s sustainability practice and agenda, particularly from a social dimension. However, past studies have rarely considered the role of fairness as a driver of sustainability in multi-tier supply chains. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it examines the impact of fairness perceptions on the relationship between multi-tier supply chain partners. Second, it investigates the dynamics of on-going fairness formations in different stages of the vibrant multi-tier supply chain relationship development process. These gaps have been addressed by reporting the findings of qualitative research. Primary data were obtained from 18 procurement and supply practitioners of buying firms and their top tier-1 & 2 suppliers. Findings show that fairness perceptions have an impact on collaborative activities between multi-tier supply chain partners. These collaborative responses such as information sharing, joint relationship effort, and dedicated investment can also impact critical aspects of the multi-tier supply chain relationship such as trust, commitment, satisfaction, and conflict resolution. The findings show that multi-tier supply chain partners have different expectations but usually evaluate fairness at the review phase of the relationship development process. These considerations offer theoretical and practical guidance towards the advancement of sustainable multi-tier supply chain relationships.

Supervisors’ Early Perception of Newcomer Ingratiation and Relationship Development: A Dynamic View

What factors contribute to the effectiveness of ingratiation in the interpersonal relationship development process has been investigated for decades. Research has demonstrated that whether ingratiation is perceived by others is the key to success. Perceived ingratiation generally results in undesirable consequences. The current study focuses on the essential role of perceived ingratiation in the relationship development between supervisors and newcomers. Drawing from a cognitive perspective, the study proposes that supervisors are influenced by primacy effect which causes them to rely on their early perception of newcomers’ ingratiation to decide whether to keep building relationship with newcomers across time. Supervisors with a strong desire to attract admirers (e.g., supervisors with high levels of self-enhancement tendency) are expected to continue interacting with newcomers whom supervisors perceived engaging in ingratiation. By conducting a four-wave longitudinal data collection of 159 supervisors and their newcomers, we used leader-member exchange (LMX) trajectory to reflect the dynamic aspect of the relationship development process. Results showed that even though supervisors’ early perception of newcomers’ ingratiation generally had negative effect on initial LMX, this negative effect of supervisors’ perceived ingratiation on LMX trajectory could be buffered by supervisors’ self-enhancement tendency. In addition, we found that controlling for initial LMX, LMX trajectory was positively related to several socialization outcomes. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Olympic and Paralympic coach perspectives on effective skill acquisition support and coach development

ABSTRACT The role of skill acquisition specialists within sport systems has become more prominent and imbedded in daily training environments with coaches; however, literature pertaining to their role and contributions to effective coach development is very scant. The objective was to extend our understanding of the coaches’ perception of the role of, and relationship with, a skill acquisition specialist to identify key factors of effective support that shape coach behavior and ultimately enhance athlete performance. Semi-structured interviews with two National coaches with experience and podium success in multiple Olympic/Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships was conducted. Three distinct narratives were identified: representing various experiences of the coaches in their sport (‘the unplanned journey’), their relationship with the skill acquisition specialist (‘more than just a skill expert’), and how this impacted athletes’ development (‘keys to success’). As part of the relationship development process, aspects of coaches’ philosophy were challenged. In addition, the skill acquisition specialists had to display a wide range of skills in the pursuit of shaping coaching behaviors that could further enhance athletes’ performance. Required skills included, but were not limited to, bridging the gap between scientific literature and practical application, ensuring knowledge was logical and aligned with the specific needs of the coach and cultural context, demonstrating trust and accountability, displaying personal and social skills and an ability to engage athletes and obtain their approval. Crucially, while overlapping themes occurred, the skill specialists needed to be adaptable to each unique working relationship and this emerged over time.

Not Market, Hierarchy or Hybrid: Inter-Firm Relationships between Gray Marketers and Firms

A number of transactions occur not in market, hierarchy or hybrid forms, but in “gray markets”, where organizations’ resources are allocated by unauthorized intermediaries. We aim to understand how this “ungoverned” inter-organizational relationship progresses over time. To achieve this, we conduct an inductive study of multiple cases in which global firms engage in transactions with daigou. “Daigou” is a Chinese word that refers to gray marketers buying products from overseas for residents on mainland China, though the term is now more widely applied. This emerging phenomenon extends gray markets to include students and tourists as “microworkers” as well as professional gray marketers. Our analysis suggests that relationships between firms and gray marketers are initiated unilaterally. Firms recognize their unintended involvement and attempt to assess the potential outcomes. However, their awareness and assessment processes are constrained by both internal and external factors. Firms then either enter a relationship maintenance phase, which in turn precipitates the growth of gray market businesses, or they try to dissolve the relationship though their efforts may be evaded by gray marketers. We integrate our findings into a process framework that depicts the relationship development process as a loop. Once involved, firms may find it difficult to terminate their relationship with gray marketers.

A framework for understanding the evolution of relationship quality and the customer relationship development process

This paper attempts to develop and empirically test a conceptual model of relationship quality (RQ) in the financial sector from the perspective of the individual consumer (B2C). Based on a review of RQ research, the paper proposes a model of RQ from the customer perspective using the constructs most often examined in empirical RQ research (customer satisfaction, trust and commitment) and considers the relative importance of these dimensions within the stages of the relationship development process (RDP). A survey of 150 bank customers was undertaken in Egypt and the results tested using structural equation modelling. Respondents were selected on a convenience sampling basis and administered a questionnaire instrument for completion. The findings show that there is a strong relationship between the customer’s perceived relationship development phase and the perceived RQ. An important contribution of this paper lies in the alternative conceptualization of RQ as composed of three dynamic dimensions which are dependent on the RDP phase or stage. A second contribution is methodological and relates to the development of a modified scale to identify the relationship phases of customers. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, these contributions are unique and have not been made previously to the body of knowledge on service relationship management.

An integrated structural model of buyer-seller relationships in retailing markets

Buyer and seller relationships have become an integral part of business-to-business operating strategies over the past ten years. However, we have less empirical knowledge about the process of relationship development. Hence, this paper aims to propose an integrated structural model of buyer-seller relationship in retailing markets. Measurement items are adapted from existing scales found in the marketing literature. Academic colleagues reviewed the items for face validity and readability. The scales are evaluated for reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity using data collected in a survey of Heavy Equipment Production Company's customers and employees. A structural equation modelling procedure is applied to the examination of integrated structural model of buyer-seller relationship. The research model was tested empirically using a sample of 165 customers and 110 employees of Heavy Equipment Production Company. The paper found that there are positive and significant relationships between direct (cost reduction, quality, volume, and safeguard) and indirect (market, scout, innovation development, and social support) functions of retailer, and relationship quality components (trust, commitment, satisfaction, and value creation).

The moderating role of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in the customer-brand relationship in China and India

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of customer-brand relationships in the international marketplace, and empirically investigates and compares the customer-brand relationship development process between Indian and Chinese markets. In detail, four out of Hofstede’s original five national culture dimensions were adopted as moderators in the process of customer-brand relationship development between two markets.Design/methodology/approach– To test hypotheses, responses from 539 Indian and 400 Chinese mobile phone consumer samples were achieved, and the proposed model was estimated by using structural equations based on the partial least squares algorithm.Findings– The results demonstrate that utilitarian value and brand affect play a significant role in building brand loyalty for Chinese consumers, while hedonic value and perceived risk contribute more in building brand loyalty for Indian consumers.Research limitations/implications– This study indicated that the cultural difference affects both on brand trust formation and on the relationship between brand trust/affect and brand loyalty, implying that more customized brand management strategies should be adopted.Practical implications– Global brand values must be communicated for each culture appropriately. It is desirable that the identified match, utilitarian value-Chinese customers and hedonic value-Indian customers, be consistently presented to each cultural market in a more integrative manner.Originality/value– This study identified that the route from the development of value proposition to building up brand trust and brand affect is a critical step toward achieving brand loyalty in Indian and Chinese markets.

Achieving relational outcomes in casual dining restaurants through consumer commitment

The purpose of the study is to identify how we can achieve positive word-of-mouth (WOM) and share of purchases through consumer commitment in casual dining restaurants. This study proposes the theory of organizational commitment and the framework of the relationship development process as the theoretical foundation to identify the antecedents of consumer commitment (i.e. identification, switching costs, and satisfaction), and tests the role of consumer commitment between its antecedents and relational outcomes (i.e. share of purchases and positive WOM). The results of the study support that commitment plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between its antecedents and share of purchases. In addition, commitment exerts a full mediating role on the effects of identification and switching costs on positive WOM intentions, while it plays a partial mediating role between satisfaction and positive WOM intentions. Managerial implications are discussed to maximize delivering relational outcomes based on consumer commitment and its antecedents.

Client Relationship Marketing Practices: An Exploratory Study of the Legal Industry

This article aims to identify and examine the responsibilities of the marketing specialists and legal practitioners in the legal industry at different stages of the client relationship development process. A conceptual framework is proposed to analyse the single case study of this research. The relationship marketing practices of a global law firm were examined through fifteen in-depth semi-structured interviews with key personnel. Ten client relationship marketing practices were identified. Whereas organising and attending social events, managing the communications or interactions process, managing the cross-selling, service recovery, changing the impression, truly understanding clients' businesses and industries and other small little gestures are similar to the findings of Claycomb and Martin (2002), social bonds beyond the professional level, treating every job seriously regardless of the size, and utilising client relationship management software were three practices that emerged from this study. Although the ten practices presented are pivotal in contributing to a successful client relationship, further research is needed to examine the effects of each practice and the quality of the client relationship. This article demonstrates that in order to succeed in the highly competitive marketplace, law firms need to understand not only the potential outcomes of each relationship marketing practice but also how to practice it systematically. A new relationship development process model incorporating the essence of the customer relationship life cycle was developed and its practicality was confirmed by the research findings.

On the discursive contest of an international M&A relationship development process within financial services

The global liberalisation of national regulated financial services’ sectors has opened up a wave of international mergers and acquisitions processes. To succeed with such processes, a positive relationship needs to be developed between involved parties. But actors within and outside involved companies in international mergers and acquisitions may have conflicting interests, not least because of national resistance to changes in domestic financial sectors. In order to study the discourse among such actors, this paper presents a theoretical view based on business relationships, highlighting the concept of legitimacy. The aim is to analyse how different actors communicate in and through the media, in order to legitimise their own actions or to delegitimise the actions of their opponents in the relationship development process. The empirical investigation is a longitudinal study of an acquisition process between two insurance companies from Sweden and South Africa. A discourse analysis shows that the relationship development process is not only a matter of rational arguments. It is rather a struggle between actors drawing on discourses that change over time, as a means to affect perceptions of legitimate behaviours to reach the preferred outcome.

Loyalty in the Business-to-Business Service Context: A Literature Review and Proposed Framework

Loyalty has been named as one of the greatest competitive advantages for companies operating under high competition conditions. However, different authors look at this concept from different views and take different factors into account. This article consolidates academic research on loyalty in business services. The determinants of loyalty are identified and the development of loyalty as a process is investigated. These findings, together with the relationship development process and the possible influence of culture, are integrated into the resulting research framework. This framework suggests that relationship quality, comprising trust, satisfaction, and commitment, is a mediator of the loyalty development process. Furthermore, it suggests that these mediators, determining the transition from one stage to the other, are influenced by different antecedents. Finally, managerial recommendations and directions for future research are provided.

Preventive maintenance on welded connection joints in aged steel railway bridges

Structural repairing or maintenance technique has been a hot issue in recent years due to the increasing aging problems of old railway bridges. A strengthening method for welded joints in old steel railway bridges by integrating the rapid hardening concrete, rubber-latex mortar, and reinforcing bars is introduced in this paper. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the mechanical performance of the strengthened connection joints in old steel railway bridges. Depending on the locations of the concrete and possible loading conditions, the joint needs to sustain both negative and positive bending moment, therefore, two experimental plans were employed. The static loading tests on the steel joints before and after strengthening were performed to confirm the effects of the present strengthening method. Moreover, three-dimensional FE models were built to make a comparison study between the strengthened and original steel joints. Load versus deflection relationship and strain development process on the web of the joints were measured and compared between the original joints and the strengthened joints. Both experimental and numerical results indicate that the present strengthening method can greatly enhance the stiffness and reduce the stress levels of steel joints, resulting in the extension service life of aged steel railway bridges.

Interprofessional education development: A road map for getting there

Improvement of relationships among health clinicians is important for reducing adverse clinical outcomes. To improve clinician relationships, the relationship development process is best initiated during health professional education, rather than “refitting” the interrelationship model learned during the health education process. While Interprofessional Education (IPE) has been identified as an effective model to fill the gap for both education and practice, IPE requires moving to an integrative curricular approach with a strong practice component. As a developmental process, IPE implementation faces challenges at every stage. The Interprofessional Education Development: The Roadmap for Getting There article describes the five stages of IPE, discusses important components of creating an IPE culture, suggests strategies for overcoming the challenges for each stage, and describes signs related to achievement of the five developmental stages of IPE.

A three‐stage model of consumer relationship investment

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the sources of consumer‐brand relationship investment, specifically isolating the sources and outcomes of communality and exchange relationship characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes a survey‐based empirical study and subsequent structural modeling approach to test a series of hypotheses concerning how brand performance perceptions influence the development of consumer relationship connections.FindingsThe paper finds that perceptions of product performance and service quality influence the development of brand reliability and brand fidelity respectively. Similarly, brand reliability is the primary source of an exchange orientation, while brand fidelity leads to communal brand connections and, ultimately, consumer‐brand relationship investment.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited by the scope of the sample, fast food restaurants. Future research should explore consumer relationship investment in other product and service categories in order to determine the extent to which relationship development processes vary by product category.Practical implicationsBrands that wish to develop enduring relationships with their customers must understand the relative impact of both personal and functional (exchange) relationship characteristics on the development of relationship investment. Each has a specific role to play and the roles of each vary at different relationship stages.Originality/valueThis research offers at least three significant contributions to the marketing discipline and marketing practice. First, it introduces constructs and associated scales for brand fidelity, communality, exchange and relationship investment. Second, it demonstrates how brand service and product performance differentially contribute to two dimensions of consumer‐brand relationships. Finally, it describes three discrete relationship development stages that play specific roles in the evolution of consumer‐brand relationship investment.