| 1. |
- Awuah, Gabriel Baffour, et al.
(författare)
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Interactive (networked) internationalization : the case of Swedish firms
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Marketing. - UK : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 0309-0566 .- 1758-7123. ; 45:7-8, s. 1112-1129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose - The purpose of this study is to provide deeper insights into the extent to which an independent actor(s) actively collaborates with the internationalizing firm so as to jointly determine the choice of market, the mode of entry and the level of investment committed in the market to be entered and even after the entry (i.e. the ongoing activities). Design/methodology/approach - Against the previous purpose section, a qualitative research approach is selected to guide the exploratory nature of this study. Thus qualitative data are used to build the two case studies because case studies are generally a more appropriate approach when "how" and "why" questions are being posed and when the investigator has little control over events. Findings - Based on two multiple case studies, one major finding of the study shows that independent actors, with their interconnected networks, have played and are still playing a major role in influencing the internationalization processes of each of the two firms in this study. Originality/value - This is an original paper developed based on two case studies which have not been published in any journal before. The paper highlights the role of external independent actors in internationalization, which is not mentioned at all or stressed in the extant literature.
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| 2. |
- Hinson, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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Determinants of Bank Selection : A Study of Undergraduate Students in the University of Ghana
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Service Science and Management. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1940-9893 .- 1940-9907. ; 6:3, s. 197--205
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is twofold: first, to investigate bank selection criteria among undergraduate students in the Uni- versity of Ghana, and second, to relate this study with previous findings on the same phenomenon. Extant studies have adopted mainly quantitative approach. In order to bridge this gap and contribute to existing knowledge, qualitatively inspired research design was adopted, thus facilitating in-depth understanding of the determinants of bank selection. Findings show that convenience, bank staff-customer relations and banking services/financial benefits are the first three most important determining factors. Furthermore, happiness, joyfulness, cheerfulness and delight are feelings derived after a banking service; whiles sadness, anger and deceit are avoided. Studies on the bank selection criteria employed by undergraduates are scanty in West Africa, and this study makes a contribution in that direction. Future studies will con- tinue from this one
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| 3. |
- Komunda, Mabel, et al.
(författare)
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Remedy or Cure for Service Failure? : Effects of Service Recovery on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
- 2012
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Ingår i: Business Process Management Journal. - : Emerald. - 1463-7154 .- 1758-4116. ; 18:1, s. 82-103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to a growing body of service recovery knowledge by examining the relationship between service recovery, consumer satisfaction and loyalty in a commercial banking environment.Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual framework encompassing the concepts of service recovery, communication, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the commercial bank setting is developed. A questionnaire is designed to focus on issues related to efforts made to investigate causes of service failure and to develop recovery strategies that meet customer expectations of how their banks should handle such problems.Findings: Results show that communication had a significant relationship with service recovery and that higher levels of redress independently increase positive consumer responses. The findings also show that the interaction of employee responsiveness and courtesy can also have a positive impact on consumer evaluations. Satisfaction was highest and negative word-of-mouth intentions lowest only under conditions of high responsiveness and courtesy.Research limitations/implications: Service recovery is process-oriented, and does not assess whether the reported problem that led to the actual complaint has actually been resolved. This aspect of the study opens a number of directions for future research with the goal of increasing the still limited understanding of Service Recovery issues in commercial banks. To achieve an indepth view, a more comprehensive qualitative study that pursues the same research questions may be appropriate.Practical implications & Originality: An implication is that, when managing complaints related to customer dissatisfaction, the approaches undertaken by service quality leaders should aim to provide just resolutions/fairness in service recovery. This study also provides insight into a company’s customer relationship management practices. However, in order to encourage customers to complain directly, a company needs to enhance the perception of a possible outcome if complained to. A conceptual framework is developed and used to investigate the relationship between service recovery, consumer satisfaction and loyalty
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| 4. |
- Okoe, Abednego F., et al.
(författare)
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Online Corporate Social Responsibility Reportage of an Indigenous Ghanaian Bank : A Case of Cal Bank Ltd
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Development and Sustainability of African Business. - : International Academy of African Business Development (IAABD). - 9780620610957 ; , s. 141-152
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The management literature in recent years has been paying attention to the concept of corporate social responsibility. This could be attributed to stakeholder concerns of ethical practices of companies globally. This study focuses on how an indigenous Ghanaian bank reports its CSR activities online. A conceptual framework was adopted from the extant literature and was used as the basis of content analysis of CAL Bank’s online CSR reportage. “Elite interviews” were conducted with senior management of the bank to ascertain whether or not there was an over or under reportage of the bank’s online CSR activities. This study adopted a qualitative research approach drawing on information from CAL Bank’s website and conducting “elite interviews” with senior managers of the bank. It was noted there was under reportage of the bank’s online CSR activities as their CSR online reportage focuses mainly on external disclosures. It also came to light that the bank’s CSR reportage is fragmented and is not integrated into a marketing communication plan. These findings demonstrate the challenges the bank faces in coordinating and integrating its marketing communication plan.
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| 5. |
- Okoe, Abednego Feehi, et al.
(författare)
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Service Quality in the Banking Sector in Ghana
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Journal of Marketing Studies. - : Canadian Center of Science and Education. - 1918-719X .- 1918-7203. ; 5:2, s. 81-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the contemporary business milieu and “era of customer”, delivering quality service is a sine qua non in ongoing strategy of most business firms and constitutes integral ingredient for success and survival in present day´s competitive environment. This study investigates the role that service quality plays in the Ghanaian banking sector and its impact on service delivery. A sample of 400 customers encompasses four major indigenous and foreign banks. SERVQUAL dimensions of service quality were used to structure the questionnaire. William L. Boyd, Myron Leonard, and Charles White’s Standard Instrument for weighting of rating of service quality attributes was the sampling procedure adopted. Data collected was analyzed using one sample T- test of the mean weighted differences between perception and expectation of customers. This, in an attempt to determine whether there is a significant gap between expectation and perception at 5% level of significance. Empirical findings from this study show that gaps exist between customers’ expectations and perceptions of service delivery in all the banks even though the banks performed better on the tangibility dimension. Despite this observation, the banks retained their customers. This study, therefore, concludes that where a gap exists between customer expectation and perception of service delivery, service quality is perceived as low and customer dissatisfaction results. However, dissatisfied customers did not necessarily defect. The study therefore confirms the theory that service quality is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for maintaining strong relationship with customers.
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| 6. |
- Okoe, Abednego Feehi, et al.
(författare)
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Service Quality in the Banking Sector in Ghana
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Service quality in the delivery of banking services is considered as giving firms’ a competitive edge and increasingly it is becoming a critical success factor. This research investigates the role that service quality plays in the Ghanaian banking sector and its impact on service delivery. A sample of 400 customers was taken from a combination of four leading indigenous and foreign banks and questionnaires administered to them based on the SERVQUAL dimensions. Using the William L. Boyd, Myron Leonard, and Charles White’s Standard Instrument for weighting of rating of service quality, results indicated that gaps exist between customers’ expectations and perceptions of service delivery in all the banks even though the banks performed better on the tangibility dimension. Despite this observation, the banks retained their customers. The study concluded that service quality is necessary but not a sufficient condition to maintain customers.
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| 7. |
- Okoe, Abednego Feehi, et al.
(författare)
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Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process Framework to Study Bank Selection Criteria of Students in Institute of Professional Studies in Ghana
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Strategy and Management.. - : Sciedu Press. - 1755-425X .- 1755-4268. ; 4:3, s. 27-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study is to investigate bank selection criteria among students at the Institute of Professional Studies, Ghana. Extant literature has employed mainly quantitative approach. In order to contribute to existing knowledge, qualitative research design was adopted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process which demands that the decision problem is structured into a three level hierarchy, thus ensuring in-depth appreciation of the factors determining bank selection. The findings indicate that undergraduates in IPS place high emphasis on the convenience, customer service, and speed dimensions of bank services. Studies focusing on undergraduates’ bank selection in developing countries context are limited. This study will make important contribution in helping bridge the gap but more importantly provide information on the importance of the selection criteria.
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| 8. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-
(författare)
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A Coopetition Strategy : A study of inter-firm dynamics between competition and cooperation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Business Strategy Series. - Bingley, England : Emerald Group Publishing. - 1751-5637. ; 11:6, s. 343-362
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper contributes to extant knowledge by highlighting the complementarity‐based nature of coopetition strategy and its impact on collective strategies for value generation among actors.Design/methodology/approachData collection draws on three cases encompassing three empirical contexts. A theoretical lens that enables a focus on contemporary inter‐organisational markets as organised behaviour systems manifesting network structures is adopted. Business strategy is operationalised as an exchange strategy with an emphasis on the exchange effectiveness achieved when some value is produced in cooperation with significant others.FindingsThe results show that managerial leadership and development of trust are the key success factors. Furthermore, this hybrid level of inter‐organisational relationship encompassing both competition and cooperation – coopetition – fosters collective intelligence through information and knowledge sharing.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper concludes that, due to contemporary inter‐organisational exchange often being governed by the “visible hand” of the process of networking, today's environment is different from the environment firms used to encounter in the past. From a managerial perspective, the findings demonstrate the multifaceted nature of coopetition. Additional work on the impact of the concept of coopetition strategy on business practice is needed to add to this valuable endeavour.Originality/valueThe existing studies are primarily concerned with arm's‐length exchange (competition), a dynamic situation in which several actors are vying for scarce resources and/or producing and marketing similar products or services. Comparatively little research has focused on inter‐organisational dynamics, which entails both cooperation and competition. This paper demonstrates that participating in inter‐firm networks has become increasingly popular to enhance corporate entrepreneurship.
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| 9. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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A Study of Customer Complaint Behaviour and its Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty : The case of supermarkets in Kampala, Uganda
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Presented at 12<sup>th</sup> International Academy of Business Development conference hosted by Athabasca University, Edmonton, Canada, 17-20 May, 2011. - Edmonton, Canada : University of Athabasca, Edmonton, Canada/International Academy of Business Development. ; , s. 114-121
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- When customer expectations are not met, some customers may complain about bottlenecks in the service delivery system, others may walk away without saying anything, and still others may complain but regret the time spent complaining. This study aims to explore the concept of customer complaint behaviour with a view to establishing the relationship between handling customer complaints and customer satisfaction and loyalty. The empirical study investigated the state of customer complaint behaviour among retailers in four supermarkets located in Kampala, Uganda. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and used a quantitative approach. The findings show that 47% of customers were satisfied with the services of the supermarkets; According to the respondents, 34% of staff willing to handle complaints but 52% of staff not willing to handle complaints. It is further revealed that there is a need for customer complaints to be handled by competent staff with good knowledge about the products. Moreover, service managers should handle service failure as a critical task. Furthermore, issues such as lack of courtesy, incompetent staff and a lack of authority and professionalism characterize the retail sector in Uganda. It is concluded that complaints should be handled quickly by all supermarket staff, and feedback on the complaint handling process should be encouraged by supermarket management in order to use the feedback as a starting point for improving future complaint management. A major managerial implication is that organizations should pay particular attention to failure attribution, and that providing customers a detailed explanation may be the most effective organizational response that will have an impact on the behavioural aspects of customers.
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| 10. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
-
Determinants of Bank selection : A study of undergraduate students in the University of Ghana
- 2011
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this study is twofold: first, to investigate bank selection criteria among undergraduate students in the University of Ghana, and second, to relate this study with previous findings on the same phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach: Extant studies have adopted mainly quantitative approach. In order to bridge this gap and contribute to existing knowledge, qualitatively inspired research design was adopted, thus facilitating in-depth understanding of the determinants of bank selection. Findings: findings show that convenience, bank staff-customer relations and banking services/financial benefits are the first three most important determining factors. Furthermore, happiness, joyfulness, cheerfulness and delight are feelings derived after a banking service; whiles sadness, anger and deceit are avoided. Originality/value: studies on the bank selection criteria employed by undergraduates are scanty in West Africa, and this study makes a contribution in that direction. Future studies will continue from this one.
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| 11. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
-
Online Brand Dispositions of Banks in Ghana
- 2013
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The phenomenon of the dialogic potential of online branding from the perspective of banks operating in Africa has not received scholarly attention and this could be attributable to the fact that brand management is relatively new for several local banks in Africa and the similarity of product offerings makes differentiation more difficult. In an increasingly globalised era however and with global competition for bank fund and clients, the issue of how banks operating in Africa portray themselves online becomes a hot research issue. The purpose of this paper therefore is to investigate online brand dispositions of banks in Ghana from a dialogic perspective. A conceptual framework was adopted from the extant literature and employed as the basis of comparative content analysis of online branding data by using the classification method employed by Kent and Taylor (1998) to analyze the five (5) dialogic principles in organisations web sites namely: ease of interface, usefulness of the site, dialogic loop, and conservation of visitors and return visit. At the end of the study, the findings drawn indicated that while Ghanaian banks performed superlatively well on the online brand elements, they are extremely poor when it comes to the interactive nature of their web sites especially on the relationship and dialogic loop features. Banks therefore need to improve upon their Web design to increase interactivity with their stakeholders.
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| 12. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Redress For Customer Dissatisfaction and its Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness. - 2155-2843. ; 7:2, s. 102-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to explore the concept of customer complaint behaviour with a view to establishing relationship between handling customer complaints, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed to investigate customer complaint behaviour among retailers in four supermarkets in Kampala, Uganda. Findings show that there is a need for customer complaints to be handled by competent and service-minded staff. Issues such as lack of courtesy and professionalism characterize the retail sector in Uganda. Concluded that complaints should be handled quickly, and feedback on complaint handling process should be encouraged by management in order to use the feedback as starting point for improving future complaint management. A major managerial implication is that organizations should pay attention to failure attribution, and that providing detailed explanation may be an effective organizational response that will have an impact on behavioural aspects of brand loyalty.
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| 13. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
-
Scandic Hotel Chain in the Baltic : A case of strategic marketing
- 2011
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Ingår i: Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies (EEMCS). - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. ; , s. 1-25
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Subject Area: Strategic marketing/Marketing Management Study Level and Applicability: Undergraduate and Post graduate courses in Principles of Marketing, Strategic Management/Strategic Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Management, Services Marketing Relationship Marketing, and Hospitability Management. Case Overview: This case focuses on the critical success factors of Scandic hotel chain by highlighting its road to becoming the leading hotel chain in the Baltic region. This case covers a wide range of situations in which strategic marketing decisions were made. E.g Scandic Sustainability Fund supports initiatives to promote sustainable social development. “Scandic is Scandic – wherever you stay”. To achieve this, Scandic carry out regular quality assurance activities. Mornings at Scandic hotel chain revolve around organic buffet breakfast which includes organic and Fairtrade foodstuffs as well as gluten- and lactose-free items. Special attention is devoted to how the case company´s business philosophy is implemented and used to identify and differentiate its customers in order to sustain a customer centric strategy and develop long lasting relationships with its customers and other stakeholders. Expected Learning Outcomes: How a company can devise marketing strategies to differentiate itself effectively from its competitors by capitalising on its distinctive strengths to deliver better value to its stakeholders; A company operates within a given environment and its marketing strategy deals with the interplay of “the strategic 3 Cs” (customer, competition and corporation); and marketing strategy is an endeavour of the firm to differentiate itself from the competitors using its corporate strengths to better satisfy customer needs, in a given environmental settings.Supplementary Materials: A teaching note for the first 15 and concluding 15 minutes lecture, discussion questions and suggested answers to discussion questions and some photographs of Scandic Hotel chain´s operations in some Baltic nations incorporated in the case.
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| 14. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Service Quality Perceptions : A Case of Ugandan Telephony Users
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Relationship Marketing. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1533-2667 .- 1533-2675. ; 11:3, s. 149-171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The potential disparity between expected and actual service quality (Gap 5) among telephony users was investigated. A sample of 262 mobile telephone users from 4 networks in Uganda were investigated. Pilot tests indicated that the instrument had good internal consistency, with all Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients greater than .8 for both expected and actual service perceptions. Three focus group interviews were conducted. Structural equation modelling was used to test the theory through confirmatory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit tests. Goodness-of-fit tests established that the model did not fit the subsample data. The paired samples t test indicated that Gap 5 was nonexistent among telephony users in Uganda. Qualitative findings showed that Gap 5 existed among users of telephony services. Similar findings are not available for underdeveloped countries. This study should be replicated in countries that mirror the socioeconomic characteristics of Uganda. A methodological contribution through adoption of triangulation approach.
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| 15. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Service Quality Perceptions of Foreign Direct Investment
- 2013
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this paper is to investigate a potential disparity between actual service experience and clients’ service quality expectations (Gap 5) among FDI clients in Uganda and how this impacts FDI inflows to the Ugandan economy. A double-column research instrument was used to source 215 FDI clients’ perceptions of investment service quality in this study. The pilot tests indicated that the instrument had good internal consistency with all Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients greater than 0.8 for both expected and actual service perceptions. For the phenomenological part, two focus groups each comprising between six and ten participants was assembled for FDI clients. Structural equations modelling (SEM) was used to test the theory through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and goodness-of-fit tests. The CFA established that the hypothetical model used did not meet the required minimum specifications. The goodness-of-fit tests established that the researchers’ model did not fit its sub-sample data. The paired samples t-test indicated that Gap 5 existed among FDI clients in Uganda. Qualitative findings too indicated that gap 5 existed among the DFI clients. The paper provided Government of Uganda´s investment officials with knowledge on service quality perceptions of their FDI clients and the strategies to close clients’ Gap 5
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| 16. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Technology-based Service Encounter : An empirical study of the propensity to use e-mail as a booking tool in hotel industry
- 2013
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Ingår i: 5th Annual EuroMed Conference of the EuroMed Academy of Business. - Marseille : Euromed Management. - 9789963711079 ; , s. 1230-1240
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to review relevant literature on interpersonal and technology-based buyer-seller interactions in hospitality sector. Also highlighted is the extent to which technological interface that enables customers to produce a service outcome, independent of a direct service employee involvement, is used by hotels of various categories in France. An e-mailing action that encompasses sending a typical room-booking request to 240 hotels spread out in 120 cities located in France constituted the empirical setting. One-way ANOVA testing differences between means was used to assess the impact of the hotel category (independent variable) on response time (dependent variable) among hotels. Findings show that there is significant variation in responsiveness across hotels categories. A major implication of the findings for management is the fact that the speed of response to enquiries from current and potential customers is most likely a prelude to providing good quality technology-based buyer-seller interactions. The main contributions of this study are the review of relevant literature and it builds on interpersonal and technological interface literature.
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| 17. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Technology-based Service Encounter : A study of the use of e-mail as a booking tool in hotels
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Service Science and Management. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1940-9893 .- 1940-9907. ; 7:6, s. 419-429
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highlighted in this paper, is the extent to which a technological interface that enables customers to produce a service outcome, independent of direct service-employee involvement, is used by hotels of various categories in France. Extant literature has, to date, devoted more attention to the use of interpersonal buyer-seller interactions in the process of creating service outcomes. This paper aims to fill this void by contributing to existing knowledge on customer interactions with technology-based self-service delivery options.An exhaustive sample of 240 hotels located across 120 cities in France constituted the empirical setting. A one-way ANOVA that tested differences between means was used to assess the impact of hotel category (independent variable) on response time (dependent variable) among hotels in France. The findings show that there is significant dissimilarity in responsiveness across the hotel categories. A major implication of these findings for management is that the speed with which enquiries from current and potential customers are responded to is most likely a prelude to providing good quality technology-based buyer-seller interactions to create positive service outcomes using the Internet/e-mail. Major concepts in customer relationship management include the response speed of firms to questions and problems during the service encounter. The main contribution of this study is that it builds on existing literature on interpersonal and technological interfaces.
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| 18. |
- Osarenkhoe, Aihie, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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The Creation of Nordea Bank : Toward an integrative analytical framework for managing the post-merger Tasks and Knowledge integration process
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is currently known about how the realisation of operating synergies and dissemination of available knowhow in the merged firm are managed in post-merger phase. We provide insights on the process of integrating operating synergies by focusing on the critical success factors facilitating integration of the skills of the merged banks. We draw on three perspectives and reconcile them with three dimensions of integration. In-depth interviews were conducted with Nordea bank´s managers from four Nordic countries. Review of extant literatures shows that most mergers fail during the integration process. Having learned from the mistakes of previous mergers, Nordea´s “leading star” for managing its post-merger integration process were expressed as Focus, Speed and Performance from top management. Therefore, a hands-on leadership styles, vision-led thinking, a bias for action, involvement of the entire staff, continuous focus on customers, open and honest communication with employees are critical to success. We conclude that the motive for a merger have an important impact on the degree of interaction and degree of integration; This study deepens previous findings by, among others, synthesising three theoretical lenses into an integrative model and addresses post-merger issues with a sharp eye towards clear managerial relevance.
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