Relationship Building in Services Marketing

• Other Authors: Futrell, Gary Daniel (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Marketing
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-4849

Firms have come to believe that the means to inculcate loyalty and to retain customers is to establish a relationship with them through relationship marketing. Global spending on relationship marketing topped $11 billion in 2010, yet only about half of the firms surveyed in a recent Forrester Research study indicated any level of success with relationship marketing. In addition, academic research regarding relationship marketing is fragmented and has yielded mixed results. A review of the literature suggests that the inconsistencies in relationship marketing are due to an overall lack of understanding of what a relationship is in the marketplace. Specifically, researchers have failed to define the relationship construct; the field lacks a model of the relationship process; relationship marketing is applied uniformly across all service types; and managers have not taken the consumers' view into account. Significant comparisons have been made between relationships in the marketplace and social relationships. Ironically, little attention has been given to the literatures most pertinent to social relationships. The goal of the present research is to provide insight on the nature of marketplace relationships by first proposing a definition of "relationship"--the fundamental element of relationship marketing. Second, a relationship process model adapted from the communication and social psychology literature is then offered, as well as a typology of service types. Lastly, a qualitative study is conducted to gain specific insight into consumer perspective regarding marketplace relationships and a quantitative study empirically tests whether relationship development differs according to service type. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Marketing in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester, 2012. === April 25, 2012. === Relationship Marketing, Services Marketing, Turning Point Analysis === Includes bibliographical references. === Ron Goldsmith, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gerald Ferris, University Representative; Charlie Hofacker, Committee Member; Ruby (Pui Wan) Lee, Committee Member.