Role Of Relationship Management Research Articles

Strengthening the role of relationship management in sustainable employee engagement at selected maritime firms in Nigeria

Relationship management in a maritime firm is essential for maintaining strong partnerships ensuring smooth operations and driving business success within the industry. Extant literature suggests that Nigerian maritime firms must still thoroughly investigate relationship management possibilities and sustainable employee engagement. As a result, this study explores how relationship management affects employee engagement at selected Nigerian maritime companies. 410 respondents were polled from the employees of the selected marine enterprises in Nigeria using a stratified and purposeful sampling technique. Smart PLS 3.0 was used to analyze the returned and valid 380 copies of the questionnaire which provided a response rate of 92.6%. The study's findings demonstrated that relationship management impacted employees' cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement. The findings also revealed that behavioural engagement encompassing dedication, enthusiasm and initiative in fulfilling job duties and advancing organizational objectives is the weakest predictor of employee engagement. This suggests a widespread belief that fostering "cultural diversity and unity" in a global workplace is crucial to inspire employees' engagement and passion for their work. This study offers valid evidence in support of its conclusion that relationship management stimulates the cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement of employees in the Nigerian maritime industry. The study recommends to maritime companies that recognizing diversity and unity in relationship management is essential for higher employee engagement and involvement levels.

Exploring the role of relationship management and relationship quality in B2B: empirical insights and future research directions

PurposeIn the past few decades, relationship management (RM) theory and RM strategies in business-to-business (B2B) contexts have evolved tremendously, driven by constant innovation. Hence, the purpose of this study is to understand the trends and evolution of RM and relationship quality (RQ) in B2B contexts and empirical insights on RM and RQ in B2B, which in turn would provide insights into trends and future research directions.Design/methodology/approachGrounded on the industrial marketing and purchasing group, this study adopts a critical systematic literature review to provide a comprehensive analysis of the past, current and future trends in empirical research insights of RM and RQ in B2B markets.FindingsThis study provides some novel insights into RM in B2B context by using a multidimensional approach to RM and RQ and analyzing prior marketing research from three perspectives: the evolution of RM and RQ in B2B context; prior empirical research; and practical business insights. Overall, these perspectives inform the development of an evolving side of RQ in B2B contexts, leading to some predictions regarding the future of RM in B2B markets.Practical implicationsThe exploratory results of this study shed light on the key factors that drive RQ and the importance of RM in B2B markets in the digital age where customers still long for human interaction regardless of the prevalence of advanced technology.Originality/valueIn the wake of advanced technologies and particularly, B2B companies had to turn to virtual platforms and embrace digital transformation to establish and manage their customer relationships. Yet, managing relationships via digital channels has its own challenges for both B2B practitioners and scholars. This indicates that there is still a huge need for attuned RM strategies that align with the changing environments – mainly driven by technological advancement – in B2B markets.

Managing relationships in the Tourism Supply Chain to overcome epidemic outbreaks: The case of COVID-19 and the hospitality industry in Spain.

The rapid spatial diffusion of the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak has resulted in the total economic disruption of the Tourism Supply Chain (TSC) causing a significant reduction in revenue and creating liquidity issues for all operators. Firms in TSC are linked to each other in complex patterns, leading one risk to another. The purpose of this article is to understand the role of relationship management between hotel chains and their key TSC agents in order to overcome economic disruptions caused by epidemic outbreaks. Among the main contributions of this article are the identification of governments, tour operators, and competitors as the key relationships to be managed by hospitality firms. In addition, key areas for coordination with these actors are explored. Finally, the objectives of relationship management according to the partner are also addressed.

Service Providers’ Decision to Use Ethics Committees and Consultation in Complex Services

Ethics has long been, and continues to be, a central topic among marketing scholars and practitioners. When providing complex services—multiple interactions over time that are predicated on the evolving needs of customers—service providers face ethical dilemmas, which are often resolved by engaging an ethics committee (EC). Despite the prevalence of ECs, research on service providers’ preference to engage with an EC is sparse. This study examines whether the role that health care providers play, as either task manager or relationship manager, makes a difference in their preference for engaging with and utilizing an EC for resolving ethical dilemmas. Results based on 1,440 observations collected from health care service providers show that service providers’ task or relationship management role, as well as prior experience with an ethics consultation, influences their preference both for engaging an EC and for having the EC prescribe a specific outcome to resolve an ethical dilemma. This study extends prior work on conceptual models examining ethical decision-making processes in marketing.

Understanding the Role of Conscious and Automatic Mechanisms in Social Networking Services: A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACTGiven the proliferation of social networking sites (SNSs), it has become important to understand users’ continued attraction and usage of them. Previous works on information systems (IS) and marketing have paid little attention to the role of automatic mechanisms in frequently used IS such as mobile applications and SNSs. We develop an integrated framework to examine the effects of conscious and automatic mechanisms on SNS users’ postadoption behaviors. Considering the unique characteristics of SNSs, we posit user satisfaction, trust in an SNS provider, and prior SNS use as key drivers accelerating the development of SNS habitual use. Longitudinal data collected from 250 Facebook users were tested against the research model using partial least squares. The findings showed that SNS continuance usage is shaped by automatic factor as well as by reasoned conscious factor. In particular, SNS continuance usage is largely explained by SNS habit. User satisfaction, trust in an SNS provider, and prior SNS use were found to be the key enablers of developing SNS habit. Moreover, the analysis results clarify the exact role of relationship management, self-presentation, perceived enjoyment, and trust in an SNS provider in users’ decision-making processes. Implications for research and practice are described.

Managing Complex-Negative Services: Service Providerss Use of Ethics Committees and Consultation in Healthcare Institutions

In complex-negative services such as healthcare, service providers often confront ethical dilemmas, which are often resolved through the use of an ethics committee (EC). These dilemmas commonly surround difficult issues such as end-of-life care and conflict among caregivers of a disabled patient. Despite the meteoric rise of ECs, there is very little research on how service providers engage with an ethics committee (EC). This study shows that healthcare-service providers with a task- or relationship-management role in hospitals differ in their likelihood to use an EC and/or request formal ethics consultation. Results based on 1,440 observations support the theoretically hypothesized relationships. Service providers’ role — task- or relationship-management — influences their likelihood to engage the EC for initial consultation. Their further expectation for the EC to prescribe a specific outcome is jointly moderated by their managerial role and prior experience in ethical dilemmas. Our results offer theoretical insights into the use of ECs in complex-negative services. Managerially, our results show how organizations delivering complex-negative services can enhance the use of ECs to help address ethical dilemmas.

Study Of The Role Of Relationship Management With Electronic Customers On Customer Orientation (Case Study Of City Bank Branches Across Region 1 Of Tehran City)

Abstract. Since success of relationship management with electronic customers is only achievable through regular programming commensurate with environment therefore, the purpose of this study is to study the role of relationship management with electronic customers on customer orientation in different branches of City Bank across region 1 of Tehran city. Research statistics population consists of all of the personnel of City Bank across region 1 of Tehran city from whom 250 of the customers were selected incidentally and by means of coverage method and questionnaire instruments were tested. The findings were analyzed and examined by the use of SPSS software and coefficient test tools. Research findings show that there is a positive and meaningful relation between E-CRM and customer-orientation. There is also meaningful and positive relation in between E-CRM and customer-orientation indicators such as provided services, cost of the provided services, understanding customer feelings according to the level of meaningfulness obtained from Pearson Test.

Governance Mechanisms and New Venture Performance in China

Despite increasing attention have been paid to the role of external relationship management, some studies have been concerned about established firms’ relationship management; however, only few studies have explicitly discussed the role of relationship management for new venture performance in a transition economy. Trust and contracts are two kinds of governance mechanisms to manage external relationship. This research focuses on trust and contracts and examines their impacts on new ventures’ performance. Moreover, we argue that resource acquisition mediates the relationship between governance mechanisms and new venture performance. By using survey data from 188 questionnaires, this study finds that trust and contracts are positively associated with relationship performance and economic performance. New ventures also obtain more relationship and economic performance through resource acquisition. In addition, trust and contracts are substitutable that affect economic performance, but the interaction is not associated with relationship performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relationship management: A sales role, or a state of mind?: An investigation of functions and attitudes across a business-to-business sales force

Commentators suggest that the business-to-business sales role is changing and evolving into relationship management. Previous research indicates that a relationship management role is very different from ‘traditional’ sales, and that it may require a different attitude on the part of the relationship manager. This research explores attitudes towards various aspects of relationship management across an entire international business-to-business sales force in a service industry context. We find that attitudes towards relationship management do not in fact align with job role. A cluster analysis reveals three attitudinal types of sales persons: Self-Directed; Team Leaders; and Strategic Sellers. Our findings suggest that some individuals may have attitudes that are inappropriate to their roles, and that attitudes should be taken into account when selecting relationship managers.

Role of Relationship Management and Value Co-Creation in Social Marketing

This article addresses deep-seated problems in applying traditional relationship marketing and customer relationship management concepts in the context of social marketing. Further, it points out the recent changes in interactive technologies, culture, lifestyle, and the marketing logic and discusses the “makeover” of the concept and practices of the customer relationship management. It describes how the revised logic of marketing is more accommodative of social marketing and how the new avatar of customer relationship management 2.0 is more relevant for social marketers. It explains how the concepts and practices of customer relationship management 2.0, which are rooted in service logic, can be applied in the context of social marketing to co-create value. It explores the role of social marketers and their customers as active relationship partners and describes their interactions as a locus of value co-creations. Through these interactions, customers engage with social marketers to co-create different aspects of the market offerings, and social marketers engage in customers' value-generating processes to co-create better value-in-use. The key building blocks described in the article enable the value co-creations. The article concludes with implications in terms of how social marketers can use these insights to make the world a better place.

Building winning relationships in business process outsourcing services

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss business processes as building blocks of organizational capabilities and outsourcing of business processes as a viable management approach in building winning relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a conceptual model to successfully implement “global sourcing” of organizational capabilities for the service provider and validates this framework using questionnaire survey methodology.FindingsThe paper identifies business process management and relationship management value propositions as the key dimensions for business process outsourcing (BPO) success. However, these value propositions fall short of building winning relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on questionnaire survey of Indian BPO service providers. A survey of BPO clients may further strengthen the proposed framework and make the findings more conclusive.Practical implicationsThe proposed framework helps both the BPO client and the service‐provider organizations in understanding the critical role of relationship management in realizing the intended BPO service outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper establishes the importance of capability service provision by the service provider as value proposition.

Building Constructive Innovation Networks: Role of Relationship Management

In response to the growing demands for innovation, networked arrangements that draw together and synthesize the knowledge resources of multiple organizations and sectors have come to the fore-front within the construction arena. Because they are based on a relational governance principal, these new arrangements require management strategies and techniques that may not be synonymous with conventional approaches. Drawing on the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation as an example of an interorganizational innovation network, this case study examines its formation and operation to determine the role that relational governance plays in these new arrangements and to provide insights into the relationship-based management strategies employed. The case study indicates that although a mix of governance modes supplements the relational approach, network management remains a critical, if often overlooked, function. Based on the findings, a preliminary relationship management framework is presented as well as some key lessons for those responsible for the architecture, operation, and administration of these innovation networks.

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF PROCUREMENT TRENDS AND PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT IN FM SERVICES ‐ A FINNISH SURVEY

The aim of this paper is to review procurement trends of facilities management (FM) services and to describe the partnership control mechanisms that contribute to the success of FM partnerships. The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey, which was carried out in Finland. It was found that a transition ‐ similar to those in other industries ‐ towards closer relationships and bigger purchase entities is taking place also in the FM context. In most cases, the choice of the partnering approach is related to developing wider service packages. When implementing partnering relationships, the task of top management is to provide the shared values and visions. Having established these in the organisation, top management does not seem to have any significant role in relationship management. During the ongoing partnership, the operational level runs the daily initiative, development and problem solving based on ad hoc procedures.

Relationships are the core value for organisations

PurposeTo examine how relations with social groups, including shareholders, customers, employees and vendors among other stakeholders are pivotal to generating wealth and optimising long‐term shareholder value.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores the values intrinsic in stakeholder relations and examines why it should be included in the core of evaluation, auditing and management of organisations to create wealth, value and corporate profit.FindingsThe concept of organisations with values that extend from physical assets, intellectual property, process, know‐how, knowledge brand and reputation attributes is understood as being part of the value of companies. Stakeholder relationships are intangible assets and there is a significant body of opinion that identifies intangible assets as a major driver in the global economy, corporate survival and success. There is a pivotal management role in relationship management which is the lever by which value from intangibles is optimised.Originality/valueDescribes how, for companies in the twenty‐first century, the creation of value increasingly depends on intangible assets such as knowledge, systems, data, intellectual property, brands and market relationships. This opens up a new area of public relations practice whereby public relations managers take responsibility for the creation of value through relationships throughout organisations.

Relationship Management

Total quality management (TQM) is an organizational culture that emphasizes internal integration at the same time that it demands innovation in the marketplace. TQM effectively integrates the internal and external activities of an organization. In business to business marketing, the role of relationship management is to bridge internal quality management with external quality management. In a hotel, the convention services manager must be sure that the promises made by external marketing activities can be fulfilled through interactive marketing activities. Internal marketing processes which enable employees to fulfill marketing promises are an equally important part of the service quality equation.