REPOSITIONING STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION | My Assignment Tutor

1EXAMPLESPLEASE USE THESE SAMPLES FOR REFERENCE AND ILLUSTRATIONPURPOSE OLYPLEASE EMPLOY YOUR CRITICAL MIND AND FOLLOW GUIDELINES ONWEBLEARN RATHER THAN THIS DOCUMENT2SAMPLE 1 – Sample of Project Timetable ………………………………………………………………………….3SAMPLE 2 – Sample of Title Page ……………………………………………………………………………………..4SAMPLE 3 – Sample of Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………….7SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page……………………………………………………………………………..12SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review ……………………………………………………………..20SAMPLE … Continue reading “REPOSITIONING STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION | My Assignment Tutor”

1EXAMPLESPLEASE USE THESE SAMPLES FOR REFERENCE AND ILLUSTRATIONPURPOSE OLYPLEASE EMPLOY YOUR CRITICAL MIND AND FOLLOW GUIDELINES ONWEBLEARN RATHER THAN THIS DOCUMENT2SAMPLE 1 – Sample of Project Timetable ………………………………………………………………………….3SAMPLE 2 – Sample of Title Page ……………………………………………………………………………………..4SAMPLE 3 – Sample of Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………….7SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page……………………………………………………………………………..12SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review ……………………………………………………………..20SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Interview Sheet …………………………………………………………………………..30SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Questionnaire……………………………………………………………………………..33SAMPLE 7 – Sample of Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………49SAMPLE 8 – Research Proposal – FRAMEWORK ………………………………………………………………..63SAMPLE 9 – Sample of References – ……………………………………………………………………………….66SAMPLE 10 – Bloom’s Taxonomy – short guide ………………………………………………………………..673SAMPLE 1 – Sample of Project TimetableProject Deadlines WeekItemFrom week 1Start thinking about area of interest and potential topic, readText books and journal articles, explore topicBy week 3Have supervisor assigned and arrange meeting her/himCheck literature sources and ask about the complexity of fieldwork8 hrs in the library/weekBy week 5Have decided on topic and discussed it with supervisorCheck the reading list with supervisorHow do I like the literature review with the hypothesis? Research question?By week 9Submit proposal and literature review via Weblearn and TurnitinThroughout termStay in touch with your supervisor; keep him/her up-to-date on yourresearch and progress.Attend all sessionsBy week 13Receive feedback on proposal and literature reviewUpdate literature review accord to feedback and prepare for the datacollection.By week 16Submit CV, application form and cover letter via WeblearnBy week 20Have gathered all data, analysed and started write upBy week 24Submit final draft to supervisor for feedbackBy week 28Submit final masterpiece via the HUB 4SAMPLE 2 – Sample of Title PageSAINSBURY’SREPOSITIONING STRATEGY:AN EVALUATIONSusi SmithStudent Number: 9935578Project submitted in fulfilment of the requirementsfor the degree of BA (Hons) BusinessManagementLONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITYMAY 20105A STUDY OF THE CORPORATEREPUTATION OF THE BBC ANDITS DIGITAL SERVICEFREEVIEWAnna BarkStudent Number: 0045673Project submitted in fulfilment of therequirements for the degree ofBA (Hons) MarketingLondon Metropolitan UniversityMay 20116A CASE STUDY ON CONSUMERPERCEPTIONS OF THERELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ABRAND AND ITS SPOKESPERSON:ADIDAS AND WALKERS CRISPSMartin SmithStudent Number: 003477Project Submitted in fulfilment of therequirements for the degree of BA (Hons)MarketingLondon Metropolitan UniversityMay 20077SAMPLE 3 – Sample of Abstract – A –The aims of this project are: to investigate what mechanisms Norwich Union uses to buildrelationships with their customers, and how this affects cross-selling and customer retentionlevels. Relationship Marketing is a highly controversial Marketing domain. It has received muchattention over the past decade, therefore the author aimed to bring an original contribution toboth theory and practice of Relationship Marketing. In order to highlight the impact ofrelationship marketing strategies on customer retention levels in organisations, a case study ofNorwich Union, the fourth largest insurer in the UK, was chosen. The case study appliesRelationship Marketing theory in the Financial Services Industry.The data was collected using both primary and secondary research methods. The secondarydata served to highlight a number of different theories and definitions that have been putforward. Primary data was collected through the use of questionnaires addressed to theMarketing department of Norwich Union and an in-depth interview which was conducted withthe Customer Relationship Manager of Norwich Union. These tools served the purpose toascertain the views and opinions of the employees with regards to their relationship with thecustomer and the relationship mechanisms employed.The main findings revealed that Relationship Marketing techniques have considerablyimproved Norwich Union’s retention levels and cross-sales, subsequently increasing profits.Recommendations were made in order to improve Norwich Union’s success and parallels withother similar companies within the Financial sector were brought forward.SAMPLE 3 – Sample of Abstract – B –‘The pricing and promotion of the Norwich Union Classic, an international athletics event inSheffield on 30th June 2002, was investigated. An on-site user survey allowed spectatorperceptions of this component to be ascertained. An interview with the event organisers, FastTrack, identified the implementation methods and rationality of these important elements. Thisinformation was assessed against literature and the results used to complement the findingsfrom the questionnaire.The primary findings were that price was important to spectators, but the current pricing levelswere also accepted, with certain price increases not having a substantial adverse effect ondemand. Accordingly it was recommended that prices could be increased up to the identifiedthresholds.’ (direct quote)8SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract – CThis project aims to investigate consumer perceptions of relationships between a brand and itsspokesperson. This topic was raised by Martin’s article ‘Is the athlete’s sport important whenpicking an athlete to endorse a non-sport product?’ in the Journal of Consumer Marketing(1996). In order to investigate this relationship, a case study on Adidas and Walkers Crisps wasconducted. Both secondary and primary data collection methods were used. Secondary datacollection involved a review of the literature looking at brands and their spokespersons. Primarydata was collected by means of one focus group consisting of eight individuals, seven of whomwere students and one of whom was a recent graduate. The main findings showed that users ofthe brands perceived the personalities of the brand, the spokesperson and themselves asconsistent. This was not the case among those who did not use the brands.SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –DThere is much research suggesting that the image consumers hold about a product’s country oforigin can influence their purchase decision, but little empirical work has focused on theunderlying cognitive processing. A flexible model is devised and tested to represent countryimage processing, using data from large samples of US and Japanese consumers. In addition tostrongly supporting the validity of the model, results suggest that country image cognitiveprocessing is significantly more complex than previously thought, and that culture appears toplay an important role in purchase decisions. The flexible model represents a substantiveimprovement in the depiction of cognitive processing regarding country-of-origin image.SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –EThe purpose of the research is to investigate the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s repositioningstrategy- also known as the ‘Reinvigoration’ strategy, through the eyes of the supermarket’s loyalcustomers. The study measures the impact the changes in physical evidence, people andprocess implemented throughout the Chislehurst store have had on their ‘overall shoppingexperience’, more precisely from the second they enter the car park to the minute they leave thestore upon completion of their shopping. The study explores the rationale behind implementingsuch a strategy and offers recommendations as to whether it is an appropriate tool forSainsbury’s to develop and continue to implement in its other stores around the country, in orderto achieve its wider corporate goals.Data were gathered through self-administered questionnaires. The results from thequestionnaires were triangulated with an interview with a Sainsbury’s manager and participantobservation of the Chislehurst store where the researcher spent a considerable time workingduring the work placement.9The outcomes of this consumer-based research highlight the fact that the Reinvigoration strategywas a success at the Chislehurst store. Sainsbury’s loyal customers have appreciated thechanges and among the occasional shoppers there is evidence of brand switching. TheReinvigoration has had a positive impact on the overall shopping experience of Sainsbury’s loyalcustomers. Moreover, the results reveal that those loyal customers are satisfied with the overallshopping experience since 2001 when the changes have been implemented.This present study investigates the effectiveness of Sainsbury’s repositioning strategy in oneparticular store and argues that before such a repositioning strategy is implemented somewhereelse within the group, it needs to be adapted to meet the specific business and environmentalconditions.SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –FThe aim of this research study is to prove Kapferer’s (1992) argument of ‘global’ brandsoperating in Europe by testing the following hypothesis:H1: International marketing strategies are neither global nor local but ‘glocal’.Based on a case study on Marie Claire, the women’s lifestyle magazine, the primary research ofthis study tests the hypothesis on a corporate as well as on a consumer perspective.Its objectives include:  To show the correlation between globalisation, brands and lifestyles;  To compare the global brand, Marie Claire between the UK and Germany;  To investigate the degree of convergence or divergence of consumer lifestyles.  The findings of this research study are of interest to all international marketing strategists, in atime in which globalisation is desired by all large corporations, world-wide consumer groups andan increase of cross-cultural mergers emerge. The competition within the market of women’slifestyle magazines, also known as glamour magazines, has increased. This is not only illustratedby a few publishing houses dominating the industry, but also more and new magazines beingintroduced. Additionally, newspapers such as the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard(Thursdays) and most recently the Guardian on a Saturday entering the market with theirsupplements fashion and style magazines. Furthermore, direct competitors such as themagazine Vogue have realised the importance of customer-specific information in thiscompetitive environment, having already carried out an extensive research on their readership in2001. In the light of this, the brand in the centre of the investigation benefits immensely fromcustomer-specific findings across two countries provided by the study.10SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –G –The aim of this project is to investigate the corporate reputation of the British BroadcastingCorporation, the BBC and its new digital service Freeview. The topic was chosen for itsexceedingly high contemporary significance, as BBC is the only public broadcaster to be backedby the government for the pan-European changeover from analogous to digital broadcasting.The concept of corporate reputation is ever evolving and has become of more and moreimportance over the last decade or so. This project thus tries to investigate the different notionsof corporate reputation to finally end with a synthesis of the concept for the purpose of thisproject, an operational definition.The research was undertaken using both secondary and primary data collection methods.Secondary data served to highlight a number of different theories, definitions and concepts thathave been conducted by some major writers on the subject of corporate reputation, corporateimage, business identity and more. A number of these definitions are presented and eventuallyan evaluation of them defined to be applied to the BBC. Primary data was collected through theuse of a questionnaire, which served the purpose to ascertain views and opinions by consumerswith regards to their perception of the BBC, Freeview, and the funding thereof.The main findings showed that funding is not a main issue for people with an unfavourableperception of Freeview, but that the BBC in general has a very favourable corporate reputationacross various demographic groups.Recommendations were made in order to further improve the reputation and performance of theBBC and Freeview, as well as suggestions for further research.SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –H –In contrast to the extensive investigation of the characteristics of students who fail or performbadly in ‘new’ universities, research into the factors associated with academic excellence withinpost-1992 institutions has been sparse. This empirical study examined the profile of a sample of81 high-flying business studies undergraduates in a new university in Greater London. Theprofile was then compared with that of 193 business undergraduates who were ‘ordinary’ inacademic terms. A model intended to explain a student’s categorisation as ‘good’ or ‘ordinary’was constructed on the basis of prior academic literature relating to student performance as awhole. Tests of the model revealed that students belonging to the academically excellent grouptended to have high internal locus of control and high intrinsic (rather than extrinsic) motivation tostudy. They worked hard and conscientiously, and devoted substantially more hours to privatestudent than their ‘ordinary’ counterparts. Good students did not select the easiest options, andgreatly preferred examinations to group work assessment. Overall the results imply thatacademic excellence was more the consequence of an individual’s effort and ability than theperson’s socio-economic background. There were no significant connections between a studentfalling into the academically excellent category and that individual’s financial status. The levels ofa person’s (i) academic self-concept, and (ii) social integration into life at university, failed toexplain the student’s categorisation as ‘good’ or ‘ordinary’.Key words. Academic excellence, business studies, new universities, student performance.11SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –I –Although relationship marketing has been adopted extensively and enthusiastically by UKcharitable fundraising organisations, the operational assessment of what actually constitutes‘good quality’ relationship marketing by charities has been overlooked. This paper presents theresults of an investigation into the perceptions of the quality of charities’ relationship marketingactivities reported by a sample of 141 known regular supporters of charities. Three forms ofrelationship marketing were considered: relationship advertising, direct marketing, and ‘two-waymarketing contacts’ (public relations events, open days, and other two-way marketingcommunications). The calibres of each of these genres of relationship marketing wereevaluated in terms of five criteria: message relevance, interactive engagement, and the arousalof feelings of commitment, benevolence, and trust. A donor’s overall perception of the quality ofan organisation’s relationship marketing was conceptualised as a latent variable formed (ratherthan reflected) by the individual’s opinions of the attributes of the three abovementionedmethods of relationship marketing. Connections between the latent relationship marketingquality variable and (i) the levels and frequencies of supporters’ donations, and (ii) donors’future intentions to continue giving to the charity, were then examined. The model wasestimated using the technique of partial least squares.Key words. Relationship marketing, direct marketing, relationship advertising, charityfundraising.The authors – Samples H and I –Dr Roger Bennett and Ms Anna Barkensjo are respectively Professor and Research Assistantin the Centre for Research in Marketing at London Metropolitan University.SAMPLE 3: Sample of Abstract –J –‘The main objective of this project was to investigate the importance of the integration ofmarketing communications (IMC), its practical application and its impact on the advertisingindustry. It also aimed to investigate the role of an integrated agency in this environment. Theauthor intended to make an original contribution to the existing theory of IMC by introducingindustry expert insight into the subject area.The study draws on a case study of Skoda (a Czech car manufacturer) to illustrate the use ofIMC in a brand revitalisation campaign in the UK. The research is undertaken as an exploratoryqualitative inquiry, using both secondary and primary sources of data. The former serve thepurpose of outlining various theories and definitions on the subject of IMC and other relatedconcepts. Primary data was collected via an in-depth interview with the managing partner of aprominent London-based integrated agency, which enabled a comparison of the theoreticalgrounds put forward by the literature, with the perspective of a practitioner.The main findings after the analysis of the in-depth interview revealed a more comprehensiveview of the nature and use of IMC, whilst also highlighting other concepts and issues related toIMC not mentioned in the reviewed literature. The project is concluded with recommendations ofareas for further investigation’.12SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page – A CONTENTSIndex of Figures6CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1Background71.2Adidas91.3Walkers Crisps10 1.4 Adidas and Walkers Snack Foods – Two Brand Oriented Companies111.5Brands and Endorsers13CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND THEORY2.1Consumer and Buyer Behaviour182.2Culture182.3Motivation192.4Perception202.5Memory202.6Advertising Effects202.7Personality212.8Brand Personality22CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY3.1Hypothesis, Objectives and Approach253.2Form of Research263.2.1Inductive Research263.2.2Phenomenological Approach263.2.3Sampling Technique273.3Strategy273.3.1Focus Group283.3.2Questionnaire293.3.3Focus Group Structure293.4Data Analysis313.5Limitations31CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS4.1Adidas334.1.1Initial Attitudes Towards Adidas334.1.2Adidas’ Perceived Personality344.1.3Initial Attitudes Towards David Beckham374.1.4David Beckham’s Perceived Personality384.1.5Adidas V David Beckham394.1.6Recall and Recognition of Advertising424.1.7Possible Strategies444.2Walkers Crisps454.2.1Initial Attitudes Towards Walkers454.2.2Walkers’ Perceived Personality474.2.3Initial Attitudes Towards Gary Lineker494.2.4Gary Lineker’s Perceived Personality504.2.5Walkers Crisps V Gary Lineker534.2.6Personalities of Participants Related to Walkers and Lineker554.2.7Recall and Recognition of Advertising554.2.8Possible Strategies58CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS60CHAPTER 6: SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH65 13SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page – B TABLE OF CONTENTSPAGEAbstractIIAcknowledgementsIVList of Figures and TablesVCHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1Project Aims11.2Project Background21.3Defining Tourism41.4Tourism in Blackpool61.5Project Layout11CHAPTER 2: THE CONTEXT2.1The Background of Tourism……… 2.2 Tourism Motivations2.3 Beach Resort Evolution2.4 Defining the Visitor2.5 SummaryCHAPTER 3: BLACKPOOL AS A RESORT3.1 The Rise of Blackpool as a Tourism Destination3.2 The Visitor to Blackpool3.4 The Importance of Tourism3.5 SummaryCHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.14.1.14.1.2Secondary ResearchAdvantages of Secondary ResearchDisadvantages of Secondary Research 14 4.24.2.14.2.24.2.34.2.4Primary ResearchWhy the Informal Structured Interview was ChosenAdvantages of Informal Structured InterviewsDisadvantages of Informal Structured InterviewsParticipants Involved4.2.5Interview Setting 4.3 SummaryCHAPTER 5: RESEARCH FINDINGS 5.15.1.1Biggest and most Popular Seaside Resort in EuropeFindings5.1.2Analysis 5.2Meeting Visitor Needs5.2.1Findings5.2.2Analysis 5.3Visitor Motivation5.3.1Findings5.3.2Analysis 5.4The Motivation Process5.4.1Findings5.4.2Analysis 5.5 SummaryCHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS6.1 Conclusions6.2 Validity of ConclusionsCHAPTER 7: RECOMMENDATIONS7.1 Recommendations7.2 Improvements to StudyAPPENDICES1 Map of England indicating the location of Blackpool2 Interview Questions3 Sample Interview TranscriptREFERENCES15SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page – CAcknowledgementAbstractList of Figures and Tables 1.0Introduction11.1The origins of the sport and the early days11.1.1The British Amateur Athletic Board 1937-199121.1.2The Structure of British Athletics 1991-199721.1.3UK Athletics ’9851.2Rationale/Context61.3Aims81.4Objectives82.0Literature Review92.1Athletics Attendance and target groups92.2Attitudes102.3Pricing113.0Research Methodology143.1Justification of research methods used143.2Questionnaire design153.2.1Rationale for questions163.3Questionnaire administration and sampling173.3.1Stratification183.3.2Sample size193.4Critical analysis of methods193.5Data Analysis methods204.0Results224.1fast Track’s Pricing methods224.1.1Pricing224.1.2Target markets244.2Spectator pricing attitudes254.2.1Spectator attitudes to price increases254.2.2Price importance274.2.3Pricing attitudes amongst market segments324.2.3.1 Athletics Fan334.2.3.2 Age334.2.3.3 Gender344.2.3.4 Socio-economic groups354.2.4Spectator attitudes of pricing: Summary375.0Conclusions386.0Recommendations40 ReferencesAppendix16LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURESTable 1.1 Attendance, and associated event capacities at British Athletics events in2000 and 2001Table 2.1 Factors affecting demand for a good or serviceTable 2.2 Effects on demand and revenue with price changes inelastic and elasticstatesTable 2.3 Important factors in price determinationFigure 2.2 Methods for Market segmentation Table2.5 Characteristics of market segmentsTable 3.1 The information required to fulfil the stated objectives and how thisinformation will be obtainedTable 3.3 Final desired stratification between pricing zonesTable 3.4 Criteria for sample sizeTable 3.5 Questionnaires returned in each pricing zoneTable 4.1 Pricing structure for the Norwich Union ClassicFigure 4.1 Stadium Layout and ticket pricing zonesTable 4.2 frequencies of ticket type purchased by spectators with price detailTable 4.3 Average likelihood of purchase of tickets with price increases for eachticket typeTable 4.4 ANOVA results of price increase effects on demand as affected by type ofticket purchasedTable 4.5 Mean values for the highest hypothetical price paid and associated priceincreases for each ticket typeFigure 4.4 Importance of various factors when purchasing a certain type of ticket Table4.6 Spectator importance of various factors when deciding to attend the event Table4.7 The mean importance of various factors in attending the eventFigure 4.5 Distribution across the sample across the age rangeTable 4.8 Mean values of different pricing variables for adult and concession ticketsTable 4.9 Mean values of different pricing variables by gender (… etc. etc…)17SAMPLE 4 – Sample of Contents Page – DAbstract IAcknowledgements II 1.1Project Objectives2CHAPTER 2: INDUSTRY OVERVIEW42.1Key Features of UK Grocery Market42.2The Supermarket Industry42.3Why Was a Repositioning Strategy Necessary?52.4Aim of Reinvigoration Programme62.5Changes Implemented To Stores Through Reinvigoration8 3.1What is Positioning?123.2When May a Repositioning Strategy be Appropriate?123.2.1Limitations of Repositioning133.3Characteristics of Successful Positioning143.4Services Marketing Mix183.4.1Physical Evidence183.4.2People223.4.3Process233.5Summary of Literature Review24 4.1Research Approach254.2Research Strategy254.3Data Collection254.4Questionnaire Design294.5Sample Selection314.6Review of Methodology Used33 18 5.1Discussion of Results465.1.1Physical Evidence46 19 5.1.2People475.1.3Processes47 1. Sainsbury’s Mission Statement2. Newspaper Article3. Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Store Layout4. Research Questionnaire5. Questionnaire Analysis For All Respondents6. Correlation Analysis, Physical Evidence7. Correlation Analysis, People8. Correlation Analysis, Processes9. Correlation Analysis, Sainsbury’s Benchmarks10. Crosstab Analysis, Overall Satisfaction11. Interview with Sainsbury’s Manager LIST OF FIGURESFigure 1- Market Share of UK Supermarkets4Figure 2- Repositioning Strategies13Figure 3- Key’s To Successful Positioning15Figure 4- Sampling Method32Figure 5- Changes in Frequency of Shopping Visits to Sainsbury’s34Figure 6- Most Noticed Changes at Sainsbury’s Chislehurst36Figure 7-Overall Customer Satisfaction37 Figure 8-Customer Description of Sainsbury’s Chislehurst Since the Reinvigoration3740404141 Table 1- Frequency of Shopping Visits to Sainsbury’s35Table 2- Physical Evidence Results42Table 3- People Results43Table 4- Processes Results44Table 5- Sainsbury’s Benchmarks Results45 Figure 9-Sainsbury’s as ‘First for Food’Figure 10- Does Sainsbury’s enhance customers ‘Passion for Food’?Figure 11- Value for money at Sainsbury’sFigure 12 – Is Sainsbury’s Differentiated from its Competitors?20SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –A….As mentioned previously in Chapter 4, the earliest visitors arrived in Blackpool at thebeginning of the 18th century, when the resort was in Phase B of the Tentative BeachResort Model described by Smith (1992). The visitors who arrived in Blackpool during thistime were explorative tourists with independent itineraries.However, it was only at the beginning of the 19th century that Blackpool really began to gainpopularity as a seaside tourist resort in its own right. At this time Blackpool began toresemble Phase D of the Tentative Beach Resort Model by Smith (1992), with a stripdevelopment pattern being created by the emerging hotels and with a concentration ofvisitors in the area.It is from this time at the start of the 19th century to the present day that this dissertation willconcentrate on, as it is during this period that the resort radically changed to become asuitable resort to accommodate the visitor. Also, it is this period of time which most intereststhe writer.Seaton & Bennett (1996) argue that tourism is a highly intrusive activity, as do many otherwriters, and as a consequence the resort learns to adapt to the visitors who make theirpresence known, and who make demands on the inhabitants. It is this temporary presenceof large numbers of people arriving in Blackpool – from the early 19th century onwards – thatserved to change the image of Blackpool from that of a quiet settlement, an image identifiedfrom the use of the Tentative Beach Resort Model mentioned above.Eyre (1975, pg. 25) describes the type of visitor that came to Blackpool at the turn of the19th century as being, “richer, prouder and more elegant than in previous years,” thereforeindicating that they were of a high social class. Turner & Palmer (1975) complement theabove image given by Eyre, when they state that by the early 20th century part of the NorthPromenade was exclusively devoted to the gentry and the more select residents of thetown. To maintain its exclusiveness, and in order to discourage excursionists, toll gateswere erected – thus only allowing the finer classes who could afford the toll charges accessto this stretch of promenade.The above indicates that a change in demographic profile was occurring in the nature ofthe visitor. As previously mentioned in Chapter 4, it was when the rail networks opened upin the 1840’s that Blackpool became accessible to the masses, and the lower socialclasses came to view Blackpool, even if their journey was endured in the discomfort ofcattle trucks. (Turner & Palmer, 1976)The introduction of the railway opened up the catchment area of the town, and even thoughBlackpool changed slowly at the beginning of the 19th century, it did receive large numbersof visitors during the summer seasons. Many of these visitors were brought in by cart andcoach from across Lancashire and Yorkshire (Eyre, 1975), or by rail from Bolton andManchester a couple of decades later (Turner & Palmer, 1976), thus indicating thatBlackpool enjoyed a growing catchment area, reaching well into the surrounding counties.The motivations and demands of the visitors and excursionists were growing as the resortgrew larger and more industrial with its tourism industry. Middleton (1994, pg. 51) suggeststhat motivations can be characterised as, “the internal psychological influences affectingindividuals choices.” Dobson (1991) identifies that the early 19th century motivations of thevisitors to Blackpool still resemble the same motivations to those identified at the beginningof the 18th century, as noted in Chapter 4.Dobson (1991, pg. 8) writes, “men and women who are pent up for the greater part of the yearin the busy and crowded hives of industry, which are to be found in the great cities and towns ofthe country are only too pleased when they can for a time get away to the shores of the IrishSea and drink in the health giving breezes which come from across the ocean.”21Dobson is therefore suggesting that the motivations to visit Blackpool have hardly changedfrom those of the century before…SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –B…Within research and theory development in marketing and management, two areas inparticular have caught the interest of scholars in northern Europe over the past 20 years. Thefirst is services marketing and its extension into service management and service quality(Edvardsson et al., 1994; Grönroos, 1990; Grönroos and Gummesson, 1985). In the history ofservices marketing, as reported in two articles in the USA, the Nordic School is recognised as asignificant contributor (Berry and Parasuraman, 1993; Fisk et al., 1993).The second is the network approach to industrial marketing and the contributions from theIndustrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP). IMP has its roots in Sweden with contributionsfrom Finland and many other European countries but in recent years also from Australia and theUSA. For an overview of the network approach, see anthologies edited by Håkansson (1982),Ford (1990) and Axelsson and Easton (1992), and applications in major studies (e.g. Kock,1991).These two traditions are likely to continue to develop. Together with certain concepts andframeworks from traditional marketing management and influences from quality management,however, it is possible to discern a trend towards a merger into relationship marketing (RM). It istoo early to call RM a tradition, although its period of incubation covers at least two decades. RMlays out a blueprint for future directions in marketing; its impact in the years to come is likely tobe substantial.Services marketing and the network approach have their roots in the 1970s. The author’s idea tomerge the two goes back to 1982 and has since been pursued and broadened(Gummesson, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1995). The term “RM” was not used in a generalsense until about 1990. Instead, terms like long-term interactive relationships, marketing throughnetworks, interactive marketing, and a new concept of marketing were used[1]. Recent researchin organisation theory, focused on the notion of the imaginary organisation, provides anothersource which contributes to the understanding of RM. Research on imaginary organisations hasa stronghold at Stockholm University, Sweden…SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –C…Over the last few years, many companies have increasingly used sporting celebrities topromote their brands. Baker (1987, p. 365) defines brands as ‘a name, symbol, design or somecombination which identifies the “product” of a particular organisation as having a sustainabledifferential advantage’. Kapferer (1997) and Nilson (1998) support this definition and alsosuggest that it indicates a product’s origin. Betts (1994, p. 1) suggests that the purpose of abrand name is to ‘communicate a single or range of positive attributes, usually tangible about aproduct or service’. Milewicz and Herbig (1994, p. 1) describe a brand’s purpose as ‘to providethe user a symbolic meaning which assists the user in the recognition and decision makingprocess’. These differing definitions illustrate the number of uses of a brand name. It cancommunicate tangible benefits, but can also be used to communicate specific feelings toconsumers (Bhat & Reddy, 1998). There are a number of benefits that a strong brand can bringto a company. Berry et al (1988) state that strong branding can accelerate market awareness,and through family branding, can speed the acceptance of new products entering the market.Moorthy (1985) suggests that perceived high quality on one product can often be transferred toanother product via the brand name. Nilson (1998) points out that a strong brand that employeescan be proud of, and feel that they belong to, can have a positive effect on the morale within acompany. A strong brand can also create22barriers to entry through reputation, customer loyalty, brand familiarity and economies of scale(Aaker, 1996).Sportspersons are aspirational personalities that many feel an emotional connection to (Boyle &Haynes, 2000) and the benefits of using them to promote brands have become recognised byboth sport and non-sport related companies. Examples include sports related brands such asNike, which has used Michael Jordan (Nike, 2001) and Reebok which has used Ryan Giggs(Reebok, 2001), and non-sport related brands such as Pepsi which has used the Manchester Utdfootball team and L’Oreal which has used David Ginola. There are a number of benefits of usingsportspersons to endorse brands, including increased awareness among consumers andenhanced brand value (Solomon et al, 1999; Shank, 1999). Martin (1996) suggests that when anathlete endorses a brand, they bring their own personality to that of the brand. Urde (1994) statesthat all parts of the brand message must be in harmony, therefore the personality of the endorsermust be consistent with the personality of the brand. Brand personality can be defined as ‘a setof human characteristics associated with a brand. This can include characteristics such asgender, age, socio-economic class, and also human personality traits such as warmth, concernand sentimentality’ (Aaker, 1996, p. 141). Individuals may attach a set of feelings to a brand, justas they do to a person. The use of such a brand may bring out certain feelings or emotions. It ismore likely that this will happen when the personality of the brand is consistent with thepersonality of the consumer (Aaker, 1996). This relates to self-concept as discussed inparagraph 2.3.This study focuses on Adidas’ use of David Beckham and Walkers Crisps’ use of Gary Lineker…SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –D…Customer Retention has long been viewed as important by businesses although it wastraditionally viewed as an outcome of successful marketing. Rosenberg and Czepiel (1984)observed that some companies were hooked on steady doses of fresh customers to cover up theregular loses of existing ones. It was not until the 1990’s that the loss of existing customers wasrecognised to be a serious marketing flaw for businesses. Although RobertsPhelps (2001) points out that not all businesses suffer this ‘leaky bucket effect’, he proposes thatmost businesses loose customers at a rate of 15 to 50% per annum. In citing a study by Bain andCo., Clutterbuck (1993) suggested that through retaining 5% of existing customers companiescould increase their profit from 25% to 125%. Additional benefits of customer retention areproductivity in that replacing lost customers costs approximately 5 times the cost of retainingcustomers, and sales volumes in that loyal customers take less marketing effort and tend to buymore (Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996).Roberts-Phelps (2001) proposes that whilst the retention of customers is vital to business theremust be a process of de-selection by which businesses determine which of their existingcustomers are most profitable. In doing this businesses can then concentrate their marketingeffort on retaining the profitable customers whilst loosing those less profitable……2.2.1 The Definition of LoyaltyResearchers agree loyalty is a complex construct (Javalgi and Moberg 1997) and there is littleagreement over the measurements of loyalty. Additionally there is no authoritative definition ofloyalty. Two approaches have been adopted to measure and define loyalty: one considers loyaltyin behavioural terms whilst the other considers loyalty in attitudinal terms (Mellens et al, 1996and Bloemer and Ruyter, 1998). The Oxford English dictionary supports this view as it proposesthat the term loyalty has two dimensions, one dimension considers loyalty as a behaviouralconcept whilst the other dimension describes loyalty in an emotionalcontext. It is this behavioural aspect with which this project will be concerned, as loyalty schemesare a means of re-enforcing behavioural loyalty.23Within strategic marketing, loyalty is measured and defined in terms of consumer behaviour. Inthat, consumers who are considered loyal tend to make purchase decisions based on theirloyalty and as such they do not engage in extended information searches, therefore theirdecisions regarding which supermarket to shop at becomes simplified and habitual. Solomon(1992) and Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) propose that the process of becoming store loyal involveshigh information processing and high involvement in the early stages, but once loyalty to a storehas been established purchase decisions become simplified and habitual therefore, involvementreduces to a lower level. Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) consider this behavioural approach in theirdefinition of store loyalty, which defines store loyalty as:The biased behavioural response, expressed over time, by some decision-making unitwith respect to one store out of a set of stores, which is a function of psychologicalprocesses resulting in brand commitment.Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) point out that the critical part of their definition is store commitment,as they state that store commitment is a necessary condition for store loyalty to occur. Rayner(1996) suggests that a customer commitment should be measured not only in relation to thecustom they provide to one business but also through an analysis of how much custom theyprovide to competitors.Stone, Woodcock and Machtynger (2000) propose an alternative definition of loyalty as theysuggest loyalty is a state of mind, a set of beliefs, attitudes and desires, although they point outthat there is no necessary mind state for loyalty to exist. If this state of mind definition of loyalty isadopted the aim of businesses should be to gain a place in the mind of the consumer and makethe consumer feel their loyalty is rewarded by a better relationship, than other consumers have,with the business. If a behavioural definition of loyalty is adopted the emphasis of businessesshould be on providing incentives that reinforce positive behaviour patterns towards thebusiness.Stone, Woodcock and Machtynger (2000) state that the best approach to achieving loyalty is tocombine the two definitions. They propose that loyalty should be managed by more than apromotional scheme, which reinforces behaviour and a state of mind; rather loyalty should bemanaged by adding value to the business in order to make long-term loyalty. An effectivemanagement of loyalty will result in consumers wanting to increase the custom or at least sustainthe current level of custom they do with a business.Academics such as Dick and Basu (1994) have referred to loyalty as existing in a number oftypes that are formed according to the consumers’ attitude and repeat patronage (seeAppendix II). Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) propose that a continuum exists with true loyalty at oneend and spurious loyalty at the other. Wilson and Gilligan (1997) also suggest that loyalty existson a number of levels with those who are highly loyal termed ‘hard core loyal’ and those withminimal loyalty termed ‘ switchers’ (Wilson and Gilligan, 1997).Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) suggest that a consumer who is not truly loyal and committed to onesupermarket will select a supermarket on the basis of store attributes and will therefore be easilylured by competitors. Stone, Woodcock and Machtynger (2000) propose that in markets wherebuyers and sellers benefit from having some form of relationship there are rarely relationships inwhich customers are 100% loyal to one company. In fact many customers remain ‘switchers’. Asa result of this Stone, Woodcock and Machtynger (2000) point out that the aim of businessesshould not be to make all consumers loyal but to improve the loyalty of consumers who are mostresponsive to the business.Academics such as Stewart (1996) reject the whole notion of customer loyalty; Stewart suggeststhat loyalty is a “misnomer” as it assumes “customers develop emotional attachments toorganisations.” Instead Stewart sees loyalty as a set of promotional “hooks”providing short-term benefits and insists that consumers will not have a faithful allegiance to anyone organisation over a sustained period of time…24SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –E…The concept of Relationship Marketing (RM) evolved in the 1980s and instantaneouslybecame one of the ‘buzzwords’ of the early 1990s. Since then it has been re-branded underdifferent names, such as ‘interactive marketing’, ‘interactive relationships’, ‘relationshipexchange’, ‘one-to-one marketing’ and ‘network marketing’. RM focuses on relationship buildingwith customers, where customer retention is the primary focus, as opposed to market share intraditional transactional marketing. With this new paradigm, interacting with customers andsatisfying customer needs are more important to marketers than ever before (Wang, Head,Archer, 2000). The two major streams of RM theory were the Nordic school, focusing on servicemarketing and the network approach to industrial marketing developed by the InternationalMarketing and Purchasing Group (IMP).Gronroos, one of the main writers of the Nordic school of RM defined the concept as amechanism ‘to establish, maintain, and enhance relationships with customers and other parties,at a profit, so that objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by a mutualexchange and fulfilment of promises’ (Gronroos, 1990). The network approach toRM examines the nature and type of relationship networks that exist both internally andexternally. Thus, relationships are equally valuable between customer and supplier (externalmarketing) and within the firm (internal marketing) (Gummesson, 1997).The work of Jackson (1985), Gronroos (1991) and Matthyssens and Van den Bulte (1994) hasidentified the differences between traditional transactional marketing and RM. It underpins RMfactors, such as interactivity, long term profitability, service and quality of the whole marketingsystem and customer analysis and classification, as opposed to stimulus responsiveness, shortterm profitability, service and quality of the product and market analysis and segmentation intraditional transactional marketing. The body of literature around this widely acknowledged andaccepted marketing method has not produced a common identity or an agreed definition,illustrating the difference of perception of RM between various authors. The reasons for thesedifferences are believed to be twofold (Harker, 1999). First, RM has had only a relatively shortlifetime in which to develop into a fully formed paradigm and still is in a developing state. Second,contributors to the development of RM theory are extremely varied, both in terms of sociopolitical heritage and academic background. However, it is suggested that some of these variousdefinitions are‘similar if not synonymous’ and tend to revolve around the same main themes (Blois, 1996).Furthermore, Blois (1996) argued that most definitions of RM offered to date ‘are couched interms of desired outputs, and do not indicate the required inputs or features which would enablean observer to determine if a RM policy was being followed’. A much referenced definition of RMstates that ‘Relationship Marketing refers to all marketing activities directed towards establishing,developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges’ (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). Too,Souchon and Thirkell (2000) suggest that this definition sets out the ultimate goal of RM, ratherthan what RM actually entails and little has so far been recommended as to how to implementthe RM concept or what its implementation entails. To establish common ground between thevarious definitions and schools of RM and to address some of the problems of the concept’simplementation, Harker (1999) has conducted qualitative content analysis of 26 definitions of RMby the leading authors in the field. He concluded his research with a definition, whichincorporates highly correlated content…SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –F2.3 Social Learning TheoryAdolescents are often influenced by a variety of outside interests while adopting their own set of25self-image, lifestyle, and consumption patterns. Two models of human learning, the cognitivepsychological model and the social learning model, have been utilised extensively to explain andpredict how consumers make consumption related decisions (Moschis and Churchill, 1978).Bandura (1977) states that social learning theory approaches the explanation of humanbehaviour in terms of a continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioural, andenvironmental determinants. The social learning model has often been a popular choice forexplaining consumer behaviour (Moschis and Smith, 1985).Within social learning theory, it is proposed that individuals develop general behaviours andattitudes by modelling the behaviour of others (Bandura, 1977). The theory emphasises thatdirect observation and imitation of a particular behaviour of significant others are essentialprocesses for adolescents to acquire that behaviour (Flay et al 1994). Proponents of sociallearning theory suggest that individual consumers develop consumption-related attitudes andbehaviours through learning experiences. These experiences can occur in a variety of contextsas consumers are exposed to a multitude of different influences and adventures, and areextremely important in shaping the consumer behaviour of young adults and adolescents (Kingand Multon; 1996). Aaker et al. (1993) also emphasises that “ social behaviour is acquiredthrough direct conditioning and through imitation of modelling of others’ behaviour. These modelsoften become ‘role’ models for the individual, influencing career aspirations, educationalobjectives, and self-views of young people (Mitchell ET al., 1979)2.4 Consumer SocialisationWard (1974) defined consumer socialisation as ‘ processes by which young people acquire skills,knowledge, and attitudes relevant to their functioning as consumers in the marketplace’. In aretrospective look at twenty-five years of research into consumer socialisation of children carriedout by Roedder John (1999) it was affirmed that consumer socialisation occurs in the context ofdramatic cognitive and social developments, which are often viewed as taking place in a series ofstages as children mature throughout childhood. A clear picture emerges of the changes thattake place as children become socialised into their role as consumers.Within Roedder John’s (1999) research three stages of consumers socialisation were discussed.In the Reflective Stage, which is specifically relevant to this study, as it is the stage that attemptsto characterise 11-16 year olds who are the target age group of my research. This age groupwas characterised by further development in several dimensions of cognitive and socialdevelopment. Knowledge about market place concepts such as branding and pricing becomeseven more nuanced and more complex as children develop more sophisticated informationprocessing and social skills. As children move into adolescence [they] become more focused onthe social meanings and underpinnings of the consumer marketplace. The report acknowledgedthat important developments in consumer socialisation do not emerge in a vacuum, but takeplace in a social context including the family, peers, mass media, and marketing institutions.Pechmann and Knight’s (2001) research indicated that children learn about consumptionstereotypes from four major socialisation agents: peers, media, family and schools. Page andRidgway (2001) added that the theory emphasises the influence of socialising agents (e.g.people or organisations) in conveying consumer norms, attitudes, and behaviours to the child.Research employing this model typically investigates the influence of family, mass media,schools, and peers on the child’s consumer socialisation process…SAMPLE 5 – Sample of Critical Literature Review –GAlthough the specific issue of why certain students in pre-1992 universities obtain outstandinglygood results has not of itself been researched, a number of studies have examined in generalterms the relationships between student grades and possible causal variables (see Entwistle and26Wilson, 1977; Van Overwalle, 1989; Saenz et al., 1999; Boyle et al., 2002 for details of recentliterature). The main factors that empirical investigations in the field have found to influencestudent performance are outlined below.(a) Study skillsStoynoff (1996) concluded that students who attained good grades were more likely to employ‘effective study habits’ (in terms of taking and reviewing notes, redrafting essays, highlightingpassages of text, revising for examinations, etc.) than their low-scoring counterparts. Griffin(1991), Johnson (1994) and Mahenthiran and Rouse (2000) argued that effective study skillsextended to (i) the use of other students for peer support and as sources of information, and (ii)frequently asking lecturers for advice. Students with access to external courses or privatetutoring might also possess an advantage (Richardson, 1994). Salter (2003) cited a number ofstudies which suggested that students who made extensive use of electronic and on-lineteaching materials and facilities tended to score higher marks than others. However, thegeneralisability of these investigations was limited, Salter (2003) continued, due to their smallsample sizes, experimental (rather than survey) methodologies and their context-specific nature.Often, particular study habits are formed at school or further education (FE) college and,according to Cook and Leckey (1999), persist well into a student’s undergraduate career.Arguably, moreover, students who attended a school or FE college that emphasised teamworkand independent learning are better equipped for university (Lowe and Cook, 2003). Roberts andHiggins (1992) reported that students whose schools or colleges operated regimes similar tothose at a university often found the transition to university to be relatively easy, with subsequentbenefits for academic performance. Sound competence at both oral and written English (typicallyacquired at school) allegedly represents a strong source of advantage among undergraduates(Robertson et al., 1998).(b) Socio-economic backgroundStudents from financially deprived backgrounds are known to spend more hours in paidemployment (see Bennett, 2003), and hence to have less time available for study. According toresearch completed on behalf of a House of Commons Select Committee on Higher Education,the amount of paid work undertaken by students from the lowest social classes IV and V rose bynearly a fifth between 1996 and 2002, whereas it decreased by ten per cent within social classesI and II (House of Commons, 2001). Watts (2002) found that the number of hours a student spentin paid employment exerted a significant direct effect on performance. More generally, Silins andMurray-Harvey (2000) identified discernible linkages between grades achieved and social class:students in higher socio-economic categories tended to obtain better marks and vice-versa. Onthe other hand, White’s (1982) meta-analysis of 101 studies of the connection betweensocioeconomic status and academic achievement revealed at best a weak relationship, whichnormally disappeared altogether at the higher university level.Possibly a student’s social and cultural milieu influences his or her personal goals and thebehaviours the person adopts in order to achieve these objectives (Ethington, 1990). Anindividual’s parents are likely to have played a key role in the determination of a student’s goalsand approaches to study (Siann, 1996; Fazey and Fazey, 2001). Arguably, parents who arethemselves well-educated might ‘use the right kind of child-rearing style’ (Mahenthiran andRouse, 2000 p.257) with consequent benefits for the child’s subsequent academic performance.(c) Internal locus of controlThere is some evidence to suggest that individuals with a high internal locus of control (i.e.,people who feel personally responsible for the things that happen to them) attain higher27academic scores than students who believe that their lives are determined by external forces(see Van Overwalle, 1989). A person’s perception that the grades he or she obtains are due inlarge part to circumstances beyond his or her control may be less inclined to work hard in orderto improve performance and ‘make things happen’ (Fazey and Fazey, 2001).(d) Academic self-conceptVan Overwalle (1989) reported a substantial number of studies claiming the existence of positivecorrelations (usually around R=0.4) between academic self-concept and performance. Academicself-concept has been conceptualised as students’ ‘generalised evaluation of their academiccapabilities and worth’ (Van Overwalle, 1989 p.290), and seems to be heavily connected with anindividual’s expectations of future academic success. A person with high academic self-conceptinwardly feels that he or she is the ‘undergraduate type’ (Michie et al., 2001), possesses realisticexpectations about the amount and nature of the work required to gain high marks (Abouserie,1994) and is not intimidated by work overload, rigorous examination systems, or problemscreated by lack of time for family and friends (see Michie et al., 2001 for details of the academicliterature supporting these propositions).(e) MotivationHoule (1961) proposed the existence of two quite distinct ‘motivational orientations’ amongundergraduates: ‘goal’ and ‘learning’. Goal orientation involved the desire to achieve specificoutcomes such as better job prospects and career development. Learning orientation concernedthe desire to learn for the sheer enjoyment of learning. Alternative taxonomies have distinguishedbetween ‘extrinsic’ and ‘intrinsic’ motivations. The former emphasise the economic incentive toobtain a university qualification. Examples of extrinsic motives include earnings prospects(Oosterbeek et al., 1992; Souter and Turner, 2002), and the fact that ever-growing participationin HE generates a wider gap between those with and those without qualifications, creatingthereby increasingly acute problems for persons in the latter category (Archer, 2002). Intrinsicmotivations can derive from cognitive interest in a particular subject, or from innate desires tostudy.(f) Social integrationThis refers to the quality of a person’s relationships with fellow students and with lecturing staff,especially informal interactions (Tinto, 1993). Low levels of social integration are known to causepoor academic performance, though whether the converse is true is not clear. However, studentswho interact socially with other students who are of high ability have been found to improve theirown academic performances (Mahenthiran and Rouse, 200). Students who are well-integratedsocially at university will have regular contacts with faculty members. They will access theirteachers frequently and will ask many questions (Saenz et al., 1999).(g) Natural abilityA-priori it seems reasonable to suppose that students who can concentrate, grasp material without agreat deal of difficulty, follow and comprehend lectures; who possess good examination techniqueand generally find it easy to study, will perform better than others (cf. Wood and Napthali, 1975);although the question of whether these qualities are fixed or malleable has been disputed (for detailssee Dweck, 1999: Spineth et al., 2003). Nevertheless, individuals who experience problems with themechanics of academic study have been found to obtain lower28grades (McInnes et al., 1995). Presumably, the reverse situation also applies. Wood andNapthali (1975) suggested that ability in a specific subject area could be as important aninfluence on a student’s academic performance as ‘natural’ academic ability of a generalnature, as different disciplines sometimes required disparate sorts of intellectual skills.Thus for instance a person who had done badly at science subjects while at schoolmight be highly successful on a university degree programme in the arts or humanities.(h) Miscellaneous factorsTomlinson and Macfarlane (1994) noted a ‘typical’ difference of between three and fourper cent in favour of males in the percentage of first-class honours degrees awarded tograduates, and this gender gap was seemingly constant over time (p.95). The authorsreported a range of theories that had been advanced to explain the differential, includingassessment bias, medical conditions affecting women, and social pressures on womento underachieve. Tomlinson and Macfarlane argued however that much of the differencewas simply due to the fact that twice as many men undertake mathematically orientatedscience and technology subjects (where high marks are routinely awarded) as dowomen. Evidence concerning the influence of a student’s age on his or her academicperformance has been mixed, with specific outcomes seemingly dependent on the othercharacteristics of the particular sample under investigation (see Eaton, 1980;Richardson, 1994 for details).Further miscellaneous factors noted by relevant academic literature as having thepotential to affect student performance are as follows: (i)Whether a student resides at home with parents or lives with other students. Inthe former case the student might have better study facilities (Lowe and Cook, 2003),but equally may find it more difficult to integrate into campus life (Woodward andBradshaw, 1989).(ii)(iii)Whether the student has significant personal or family problems (Johnson, 1994).Whether the student is satisfied with and committed to a course. It is known that dis-satisfaction with and low commitment to a degree programme are significantlyassociated with poor performance and withdrawal (see Martinez, 2001; Bennett, 2003).However it is not clear from the empirical literature as to whether students who exhibithigh levels of satisfaction and commitment tend to be high-performers.A suggested modelFigure 1 presents a model that reflects the implications of the above mentionedliterature. In line with the findings of previous studies in the field, higher levels of socioeconomic status (defined in terms of financial security in the present study) are assumedto be associated with greater academic self-concept, and concomitantly with a betterchance of integrating socially into life at university. All these variables are posited toexert direct effects on performance. Other variables hypothesised to contribute tostudent success include the nature of the individual’s motivation(extrinsic or intrinsic); personal characteristics vis-à-vis study habits and skills, aptitudeand personality and so on (see Figure 1); and a variety of miscellaneous factors.Although the investigation did collect information on each students’ age, gender andethnicity, these are not shown in Figure 1 as there are no a-priori grounds for presupposing that such considerations should influence performance in any particularmanners.29The authorsDr Roger Bennett and Ms Anna Barkensjo are respectively Professor of Marketing andResearch Assistant in the Department of Business and Service Sector Management atLondon Metropolitan University.All the work quoted has been reproduced with permission!30SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Interview SheetNorwich Union: Relationship Marketing InterviewInterviewer: A SmithInterviewee: S G, Customer Relationship ManagerInterview Duration: 60 – 90 minutes – focus: why NU customers defect?1. What is your marketing budget for 1999?2. What are your key business drivers?3. Why is relationship building so important to Norwich Union?4. In your opinion, does Norwich Union have a good relationship with its customers?5. Do you profile or hold any data about your customers?6. Who are your customers?7. Why is customer retention important to Norwich Union?8. Why do you think customers defect?9. How many of your customers defect?10. How have you attempted to improve customer retention levels?11. Do you measure customer satisfaction levels? If so, how?12. What is Norwich Union’s procedure for handling complaints?13. Why do you use Direct Marketing as a part of your marketing strategy?14. What is your budget for Direct Marketing?15. How has customer retention improved as a result of Direct Marketing?16. How successful has Direct Marketing been as a relationship building tool?17. How have you used Database Marketing to build relationships with your customers?18. How do you analyse the data held on your database?19.How has Norwich Union’s profitability improved as a result of your relationshipbuilding strategies?20. Do you measure customers in terms of profitability?21. How do you use your brand to maintain your relationship with your customers?3122. In your opinion, are staff at branch level aware of your relationship strategies?23. How do you communicate your relationship strategies to branch level?24.In your view, how will your customers measure the returned businessvalue of your relationship marketing projects?25. Do you attempt to differentiate your relationship strategies?26.What future campaigns are you planning to improve your relationshipwith your customers?27. What are the possible threats to your relationship marketing strategies?28. What are the main threats for Norwich Union in the future?29. What measures have you taken to prevent the Y2K bug?Interview ClosesSAMPLE 6 – Sample of Interview Sheet(EMAIL) Dear Colleague,Please let me introduce myself. My name is Anna Barkensjo and I am a researchassistant at the Department of Business and Service Sector Management at LondonMetropolitan University where my department is currently working on a research paperrelating to charities and the manner in which they communicate with their beneficiaries.As I am sure you will agree, this topic of research is of critical importance and will lead toa much deeper understanding of how charities communicate with potential donors andbeneficiaries. It is also a topic on which very little previous research has been done.I am writing to you to ask if you will please be kind enough to assist with our research byputting me in contact with someone in your organisation that I could possibly comealong and briefly talk to about the way in which you communicate and reach out to yourpotential and existing beneficiaries.Best regards, looking forward to hearing from you.Yours,Anna32Interview – Friday 17 October 2003Charities’ Communication with their beneficiariesInterviewee: Ken Walker1. Please tell me a little bit about yourself, about your role in a charity and about thecharity you“represent”, the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society.2. What type of relationship does the charity have with its beneficiaries? Is it a longterm one where the charity corresponds and communicates with the individual aftertheir initial meeting, or is it slightly a more short term relationship where you see the‘patient’ or ‘client’ once and then lose contact?3. How do you as a charity make yourself known to the people who may be in need ofyour service, i.e to potential beneficiaries?What kind of communication do you have with your beneficiaries?4. Where does this communication take place and who do you do it to? Do youcommunicate directly with potential beneficiaries or do you go through intermediariessuch as GPs? Where can they find out about you?And how is it ACTUALLY done? What type of medium do you use?5. What are the main reasons for this type of communication? Is it to enhancerelationships or is it make sure that potential beneficiaries benefit from your charity’sservice in particular?6. Do you think that your charity is familiar with ‘the marketing concept’ and do theyadopt it? I.eDoes the charity find out, through long term relationships and research, what thepotential beneficiaries need and want then adapt its services?If not, how does the charity know what service to provide?7. What measures are taken to make sure the charity is fulfilling its mission to provide aservice which is over and above the clients’ expectations?Do the clients already have any expectations of service when they come to you33SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Questionnaire on Women’s LifestyleMagazineThis questionnaire is part of an academic final year project (BA Business Studies/Marketing). I would be grateful if you could help me with my research by spending a fewminutes on answering the question below. Thank you.Q1) Age? 18-2451+ 25-3031-3536-4041-4546-50Q2) Occupation?___________________________________________Q3) Which of the following magazines have you bought? VogueMarie ClaireNone(Please do not continue)Q3a)If you have bought both of the above magazines in the past, please indicate whichyou have bought or buy more frequently?VogueMarie ClaireQ3b)Which of the following magazines have you read?VogueMarie ClaireTatlerElle Q4) Which part of the magazine are you most interested in? Editorial articlesFashion & BeautyLiving/Travel/ FoodAdvertisingQ5)How would you describe the magazine?Glamorous Fun Fashionable Young InnovativeClean Inspirational Feminine Stylish Up-to-date Broadminded IndependentIntellectual Sophisticated Ambitious Informative CheerfulModernQ6)Which values are important to you? (Please tick up to 5 options)Self-fulfilmentExcitementSense of accomplishmentSelf-respectSense of belonging Being well respected Security Fun and enjoyment in lifeWarm Relationship with others 34Q7) Please state how much you agree with the following statements byticking the relevant boxes.Strongly agree – Agree – Neither agree nor disagree – Disagree – Strongly disagree QuestionStronglyNeitherStronglyagreeagreeagree nordisagreedisagreedisagree7a) I eat out on a regular basis.7b) I am creative in my job and at home.7c) I spend most of my money on fashion& beauty products.7d) I like to spend most of my times withfriends.7e) I participate on sports activities on aregular basis.7f) I am ambitious and strive for asuccessful career.7g) I prefer my friends to lead a similarlifestyle to mine.7h) My family is most important to me.7i) I prefer to spend my holidays in anexotic place.7j) I am interested in art and design.7k) Europeans have similar tastes andlead similar lives.7l) I am an outgoing and open-mindedperson.7m) Education is extremely important.7n) Every person should speak morethan one language.7o) Women nowadays are independentand strong. Thank you for completing this questionnaire.35SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Questionnaire on Attitudes Towards CRMQUESTIONNAIREThis survey is part of a research project to better understand people’s attitudes towardscause-related marketing (CRM). CRM is defined as “a commercial activity by whichbusinesses and charities (or causes) form a partnership with each other to market animage, product or service for mutual benefit”. For example, Walkers Crisps donating‘Free Books for Schools’ when people collect tokens from crisp packets.Your replies will remain anonymous and confidential. Many thanks for your help.PART 1Please answer the following questions by placing a tickin the box.1. Have you heard of ‘cause-related marketing’ before?Yes NoPlease indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement with each of the followingstatements by placing a tick  in the box. SA = Strongly agree, A = Agree, N = Neitheragree nor disagree, D = Disagree, SD = Strongly disagree. SA ANDSD Profit-making businesses should not use charities orcauses to promote their business.Charities and causes should not use marketing topromote themselvesIt is acceptable for profit-making businesses to makemoney by linking themselves with charities and causes.Cause-related marketing is a good way for charitiesand causes to raise fundsCause-related marketing provides an easy way for businessesand consumers to support charities and causes.Cause-related marketing is primarily a way of makingmore money for businessesCharities and causes get the most benefit from causerelated marketingCause-related marketing is deliberately crafted to makepeople feel bad if they do not contribute to the charityor cause.Overall, cause-related marketing is a good thing 36CONTINUEPART 21. How old are you? (Please tickthe box) Under 1818 – 2425 – 3435 – 5051 – 70Over 71 2. Are you male or female?MaleFemalePlease indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements byplacing a tickin the box. SA = Strongly agree, A = Agree, N = Neither agree nor disagree, D =Disagree, SD = Strongly disagree. SAANDSD I frequently give money to charityI will make an extra effort if I know that my actions arehelping peopleI feel guilty if I don’t give money to a charity or causeI care about other people, even if I don’t know themI am quite selfishI always try to get what I want even if it affects othersI usually like to spend money on myselfMaterial possessions are important to meThe pursuit of fun and enjoyment is a large part of my lifeI would rather spend my weekend having fun, than dovoluntary workI find it very easy to see things from the other person’s pointof viewI feel deeply moved by bad things that I see happening toothers THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME37SAMPLE 6 – Sample of Questionnaire given to Focus Group ParticipantsThe following questions relate to aspects of your own personality the way you are now.Please indicate how much the following statements correspond to your personality. I am Usually Honest12345I am Not UsuallyHonestI am Ethical12345I am UnethicalI am a Caring Person12345I am an UncaringPersonI am Health Conscious12345I am Not HealthConsciousI am Outgoing12345I am Not OutgoingI Keep up With Fashion12345I Don’t Keep upWith FashionI am Up to Date12345I am Behind theTimesI Value Traditions12345I Don’t ValueTraditionsI am Usually Friendly12345I am UsuallyUnfriendlyI have a Good Sense of Humour 12345I do not have aGood Sense of HumourI am Trustworthy12345I am NotTrustworthyI am a Fun Person12345I am a SeriousPersonI am Generally Well Liked12345I am Not WellLikedI am Sometimes Offensive12345I am NeverOffensive 38 I Consider Myself to be Influential1 234 5I am notInfluentialI am a Charming Person12345I am Not aCharming PersonI am Aggressive12345I am UnaggressiveI am a Leader12345I am a FollowerI Prefer New Things12345I Prefer Old ThingsI Like Excitement12345I Don’t Really LikeExcitementI Like Surprises12345I Don’t Really LikeSurprises SAMPLE 6 – Sample of QuestionnaireHello. My name is S.S. and I am student at London Metropolitan University. I amcollecting information for my final year project on customers’ opinions regarding therefurbishment at Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store. I would very much appreciate it if youcould spare 10 minutes of your time to fill out this questionnaire.1. How often would you say you used to visit Sainsbury’s Chislehurst before the storerefurbishment?Everyday4-5 days a week2-3 days a weekOnce a week2-3 times a monthOnce a monthOccasionally2. How often would you say you visit Sainsbury’s Chislehurst since the storerefurbishment?Everyday4-5 days a week2-3 days a weekOnce a week2-3 times a monthOnce a monthOccasionally393. Below is list of general changes that have taken place at the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store.(Please tick as many changes as you have noticed):a) New delicatessen counter:b) New in store bakery:c) New salad kitchen:d) New meat counter:e) New fish counter:f) New checkouts:g) Improved floral area:h) More beers, wines and spirits:i) Improved lighting in the store:j) Improved customer toilets:k) More products on shelvesl) The aisles are more spacious:m) New ‘market style produce’ area:n) New customer brand wall:o) Welcome boards outside the store404. The following questions aim to show me how you felt about the specific changes thathave taken place within the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store and its surroundingenvironment since the refurbishment.Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement with each of thefollowing statements by placing a tick in the appropriate box.Key: SA=Strongly agree; A=Agree; N=Neither agree nor disagree; D=Disagree;SD=Strongly disagree SAANDSD(a)I like the welcome board at the front of the store because ithighlights the main facilities offered in store at a glance (b)I like the layout of the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store becauseshopping has become a more convenient experience for me(c)I like the layout of the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store becauseshopping has become a more enjoyable experience for me(d)I like the layout of the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store because itprovides a more pleasant environment for me to do my shopping(e)I like the layout of the Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store because accessto the store has improved(f)Since the refurbishment of the store, I believe Sainsbury’s has amore modern look:(g)Since the refurbishment of the store, I believe Sainsbury’s has amore refreshed appearance(h)Since the refurbishment of the store, I believe Sainsbury’s has abright appearance(i)I am pleased that there are signs above the aisles because these arein determining where products are located(j)I like the images used to illustrate the meat and fish counters(k)I like the fact the fresh produce is positioned at the front of the store(l)I like the fact that the ‘market style produce area’ recreates anauthentic market atmosphere 41 (m)I like the fact I have space to browse in the Beers, Wines andSpirits, produce, health and beauty departments(n)I like the different levels of lighting in store, because its helps breakup the store into its different product areas(o)The new lighting makes shopping more appealing(p)The new lighting makes shopping more interesting(q)I believe that the messages on the customer brand wall are easy tounderstand 5. Sainsbury’s are committed to offering an outstanding service experience to theircustomers during every shopping visit. Their employees are trained to providecustomers with as much dedicated customer service as is necessary.I am now going to read out some statements. For each one please could you tell mewhether you agree more or less since the changes to the store. Agree Amore legree Aboss theutsame(a)The Sainsbury’s uniform is smart (b)The appearance of the Sainsbury’s staff is always neat andtidy(c)The staff at Sainsbury’s are welcoming(d)The staff at Sainsbury’s are friendly(e)The staff at Sainsbury’s are helpful(f)The staff at Sainsbury’s pay high attention to detail at all timeswhen serving me(g)The staff at Sainsbury’s go out of their way to deliver greatservice to me throughout my shopping visit(h)The staff at Sainsbury’s have knowledge on all aspects of thestore(i)It is easy to find a member of staff on the shop floor when Ineed assistance(j)When I need help, it is easy to locate a manager at Sainsbury’s(k)Managers at Sainsbury’s try their utmost to accommodate myneeds 426. An important aspect of the refurbishment at Sainsbury’s Chislehurst is to makeshopping as straightforward and convenient as possible for the customer.With regards to this, please could you indicate the strength of your agreement ordisagreement with each of following statements since the refurbishment has taken place,by placing a tick in the appropriate box.Key: SA=Strongly agree; A=Agree; N=Neither agree nor disagree; D=Disagree;SD=Strongly disagree SAANDSD(a)I am very pleased that Sainsbury’s Chislehurst hascash machines on site (b)Whenever a queue forms at Sainsbury’s, more checkoutsare opened(c)I like that the ‘Basket only checkouts’ and the ’10 items orless checkouts’ are always open(d)Products are always in stock(e)I like the fact that it is easy to order products that are out ofstock(f)I like the fact that there are two entrances to the Chislehurststore(g)I am pleased that the trolleys are located directly outside thestore(h)I like that Sainsbury’s accepts all major credit cards(i)I am very pleased with the design of the new car park(j)I like the fact that music is played in store(k)The music played in store encourages me to shop(l)I am very pleased that the speed of the checkouts haveimproved 7. Taking everything into account, how satisfied are you with the overall shoppingexperience you have encountered at Sainsbury’s Chislehurst store- (on a scale of 1-5where 1 means ‘Not at all Satisfied’ and 5 means ‘Extremely Satisfied’? Not at all1234ExtremelySatisfiedSatisfied 438. Which ONE of these statements best describes the store since the changes?Much better than before  A little better than beforeNeither better or worse/about the same as before A little worse than before Much worse than before 9. I would like to thank you very much for your time.Before you go, please could you read the following statements and indicate whetheryou agree more or agree less with the statement since the changes to the store. Agree Amore legree Aboss theutsame(a)Sainsbury’s is the first supermarket I think of when I thinkabout food shopping (b)Sainsbury’s enhances my ‘passion for food’(c)Sainsbury’s provides outstanding value for money to me(d)The Nectar card gives me an incentive to shop at Sainsbury’s(e)I have noticed that there are more own-brand productsavailable in store(f)The own brand range of products provides me with morechoice(g)The own brand range of products provides me with moreinspiration(h)Sainsbury’s is clearly very different from other supermarkets sucAnd Tesco. 10. Finally, please feel free to add any additional comments regarding the refurbishmentof the store.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATIONSAMPLE 6 – Sample of Questionnaire44Dear student,You have been chosen at random to participate in our current research study hereat the Centre for Research in Marketing (CERMARK).We would kindly ask you to fill in this questionnaire that will only take a fewminutes to complete, and return it to me in the envelope provided, alternativelyyou can leave the questionnaire in my pigeonhole in room 215 in the Moorgatebuilding.Your answers will obviously be strictly anonymous and will be used for theseresearch purposes only.Your help is very much appreciated and will help greatly in our study.Again, please take just the few minutes it takes to fill in this questionnaire andthank you very much indeed for your help in this very important matter.Anna Barkensjo,Research Assistant at the Centre for Research in Marketing (CERMARK)1. ABOUT YOURSELF1. I am (please insert) _________ years old.I (please circle) do / do not live at home with my family.I would describe my ethnicity as (please circle):Afro-Caribbean, White, Indian Sub-continent, Chinese, Other.2. On average I spend the following number of hours in paid employmenteach week (please circle): Less than 6 hours / 7-10 hrs / 11-14 hrs / 15-18hrs/19-22hrs/23-27 hrs / more than 28 hours. 3. Did your parents go to university? Please circle one of the following:neither parent went to university; one parent went to university; bothparents went to university.4. Each week I spend the following average amount of time on privatestudy, i.e., private study OUTSIDE of lectures and classes (pleasecircle):Less than 4 hours / 5-8 hrs / 9-12 hrs / 12-16 hrs / 17-20 hrs / 21-2445hrs / 25-28 hrs/ 29-32 hrs / 33-36 hrs / more than 37 hours.5. Are you an international student (please circle): Yes / No.6. Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement witheach of the following statements by placing a tick in the appropriatebox. Key: SA = Strongly agree; A = Agree; N = Neither agreenordisagree;D = Disagree; SD = Strongly disagree.SANDSAD(a)At secondary school or Further Education (FE) college I had lecturesand tutorials that were quite similar to the ones that I have experiencedhere at university.(b)When I started my degree I had already covered atschool or FE college quite a lot of the subjectmatter included in the units on my degree.(c)I learned excellent study skills (e.g., note taking,preparing drafts of essays, identifying relevantpassages of text in books) when I was at school orFE college.(d)The teaching and assessment styles adopted bymy school or FE college were similar to those Ihave experienced at university (e.g., teamprojects, requirements for private reading).2.STUDYING AT UNIVERSITYSANDSAD(a)I have excellent study skills.(b)I have very good examination technique.(c)I take extensive notes in lectures.(d)Relative to other students I spend a lot of timepreparing for exams.(e)I attend nearly all the lectures and classes on myunits.(f)I do additional reading about the topics covered by 46 SANDSADmy units over and above the books and othersources specified in the reading lists.(g)I ask a lot of questions in class.(h)I frequently approach my lecturers to ask for helpwith my academic work.(i)I frequently interact with my friends at universityto discuss and solve problems related to ouracademic work.(j)I have obtained quite a lot of outside help with mystudies, e.g., by doing supplementary courses,having private lessons, etc.(k)I prefer written examinations to other forms ofassessment.(l)I prefer groupwork projects to other forms ofassessment.(m)I believe that there is a direct connection betweenhow hard I study and the grades I achieve.(n)I believe that how well I do on my degree isentirely my own responsibility, not due to externalcircumstances.(o)My interest in the subjects of my degree is moreimportant to me than the job opportunities that mydegree programme offers.(p)My primary motive for doing a degree is toimprove my career prospects and obtain a highpaying job.(q)I prefer learning through face-to-face contacts(e.g., in lectures and classes) than throughlearning using electronic and on-line materials.(r)I work extremely hard at my studies.(s)Given a choice of unit options I will always select aunit that I know is easier than others in terms ofobtaining a high final grade.(t)I am heavily involved in university social clubs,societies or other extra-curricular activities.(u)I think very highly of the quality of the lecturing 47 staff. 3. RELATIONS WITH THE UNIVERSITY SANDSAD(a)I never doubted my ability to succeed at university.(b)I feel within myself that I am a ‘natural’ student.(c)My degree programme has been one of the bestthat I could possibly have undertaken.(d)I feel a strong sense of belonging to my degreeprogramme.(e)I feel emotionally attached to my degree course.(f)I have very good relationships with my lecturers.(g)Most of the other students that I regard as myclose friends tend to obtain high marks on theirunits.(h)I have very good relationships with my fellowstudents. 4. GENERAL SANDSAD(a)Relative to most other people that I know, I would describe my familyas being reasonably well-off in financial terms.(b)I have severe financial problems.(c)My parents are exerting a lot of pressure on me toobtain a high class of degree.(d)I have a place where I can study in privacy and incomfort whenever I want to.(e)I would describe myself as being more of anintroverted (i.e., inward looking) person than as anextroverted (outward looking) person.(f)I am good at written English.(g)I am articulate and good at expressing myself inoral (spoken) English.(h)I usually obtain high grades on the units Icomplete.(i)I have found university level work to be very hard. 48 SANDSAD(j)I enjoy studying business subjects much morethan I enjoy studying other subjects.(k)In general, studying comes easily to me.(l)My grades tend to be higher than those of otherstudents.(m)I find it easy to understand the material presentedin lecturers and classes.(n)I find it easy to concentrate when completingacademic tasks.(o)I am a very imaginative and creative person.(p)I am a diligent and conscientious person.(q)My family has always expected me to do wellacademically. NOTES49SAMPLE 7 – Sample of Analysis12.1 Data analysis and validity checksTo process the data gathered, that is the nominal variables1, numerical values were associated witheach answer of respondents. The answers were coded with positive values i.e 1 = Strongly agree,2 = Agree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Disagree, 5 = Strongly disagree.The statistical analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 10.0 data editor to interpret andanalyse quantitative data. Although this program has numerous functions, for the purpose ofthis project it was used for the creation of frequency tables, cross tabulations, and correlation,all of which are explained below: Frequency tables (Table I, II etc) were used to reveal the number of responses that eachquestion received and thus helped to determine the empirical distribution of the variables.Table I – IV exhibits, for example, the respondents’ profile. Descriptive and Basic Statistics such as Means, Percentages and Standard Deviation   (Tables I, II, III, IV etc) were also applied to extract and summarise information on thefrequency tables and cross-tabulations. Their main advantage was to be accurate and simple,and to provide meaningful figures to summarise and compare information. For example,percentages were used to visualise the proportions of respondents to a question against thetotal number of respondents. The mean helped to measure the central tendency, as it is simply an average number ofresponses to a question. The standard deviation was used to measure dispersion, as it is thesquare root of the variance, which evaluates the degree to which the strength of agreement ofthe respondents differs from one another in terms of their perception. To study the relationships among and between nominal variables the author used Crosstabulations2 It proved the most practical analysis technique to examine and identifyrelations between cross tabulated variables, such as gender versus Freeview usage, and thus tested hypothesis H2 – H5.  Finally, the author used Correlations (See Appendix: Correlation matrix + “Specific”) toestimate the relationships and get an understanding of the relationship of a dependentvariable (Q23: Would you consider purchasing one in the future) and one or moreindependent variables, such as disagreement with funding and satisfaction with BBC andFreeview. This statistical technique was mainly used to test the explanatory power of thefunding and satisfaction of service on the dependent variable. The result helped to testhypotheses H2, H3, H4, and H5. 1Variables which take on one of a set of discrete values such as Gender: male or female2Cross-tabulations are a combination of two (or more) frequency tables arranged so that each cell inthe resulting table represents a unique combination of specific values of cross tabulated variables.5012.1.2 Hypotheses testing methodTo test the five hypotheses the following method was used:1. The author analysed the demographic profile, personality traits and behavioural intention(adopt Freeview or not) of the respondents in order to profile and possibly classify them intothe aforementioned categories.2. A descriptive analysis was conducted to test hypothesis H1.3. A correlation was computed to detect whether or not the funding of Freeview was a maindeterminant of the adoption of Freeview.4. A classification of means of the different perceptions was provided to test hypotheses H3,H4, H55. Finally, descriptive results were provided to detect the various levels of perceptions amongthe different categories of adopters versus non-adopters.12.2. Research resultsTo check the hypotheses, the author used the statistical tools stated above and presented theresults in the following section.Also, the figures described in this section are considered relevant in terms of their value and/orin terms of their surprising or other, seemingly irrelevance to the research question andhypotheses.……12.2.4. Demographic characteristics In Table I, the frequency of males versus females proved to be very equal, where malesrepresented 52.5% and females 47.5% of the people interviewed. Among the peopleinterviewed, nearly a third, 29.7% were students and nearly half, 46.5%, were aged between 25-34. (See Table I-IV) A relatively high number of people were aged between 25-34 (46.5%) which means thesample considered was relatively young. However, the following age groups were also wellrepresented as they were almost equally spread over the different age categories: 29.7%(18-24 years old), 10.9% (35-44), 7.9% (45-54) but only 5% were aged between 55-60.(See table II)   There was a large number of students represented, forming over one third of therespondents (34.7%) and the second largest category being people in accountancy(25.7%). (See table IV) The high representation of students (37.4%) and people in accountancy (25.7%) is explainedby the fact that most of the interviews were conducted in or around London MetropolitanUniversity and among friends working within an accountancy department in a law firm.Looking at the current Freeview viewers, the data collected confirmed that the Freeview servicewas not yet very widely used despite BBC’s own statement that 47% of the viewing public havedigital access. There were only 24.8% of the respondents who claimed to be receiving theservice, compared to 75.2% who claimed they did not. Also, a somewhat surprising finding was51that, out of the people who did not yet receive the service only 39.6% said they would evenconsider buying a top-box, thus receive the service, in the future. (See Table V. Also seeAppendix 4-7; Who will adopt Freeview? For a closer look at which type of people wouldconsider the service.)12.3 Hypotheses testedThe following analyses were computed using SPSS version10.0. H1 testedIt was found and confirmed that people in general do conceive of the BBC as a broadcasterproviding a good service to the customer (62.4% agree or strongly agree). This statement isshown in Appendix: H3 a) BBC perception.This confirms a general consensus about BBC’s generally good corporate reputation such as itis stated in the above specified synthesis.However, it seems the majority of people, 89.1%, do not at all identify with the BBC (39.6%Disagree or Strongly Disagree + 49.5% who neither agree nor disagree) (see Appendix: H1 a).Also, it appears that although there is an equal number of people who strongly/agree orstrongly/disagree with the statement: “The BBC provides a balanced level of programmes”(33.7% versus 35.6%) (see Appendix H1 b), people do not agree with the statement: “I findBBC’s programmes ‘stuffy’” (41.7% strongly/disagree versus 26.7% who strongly/agree) (seeAppendix H1 c). As such those findings are interesting for research by the BBC into finding outwhat kind of programming their customers do want and when, as it appears to be in interestingcorrelation between people’s perception about the balanced level of programmes, and whetherthey find the programming ‘stuffy’ (See Appendix: H1 D)Overall however, the hypothesis can be verified through the analyses which show strongsupport for the corporation.H4 testedAlthough a majority of people do still not receive the Freeview service, those who do appear tobe more than happy with their service. (See Appendix: H4 – Satisfied customers). This isclearly something that needs emphasis and further investigation. The BBC needs to find outwhat they are doing right when they get the customers, but also to find out what will bring newcustomers in. The results do however reject the hypothesis with a number of 83.3% beingpleased with the service and only 16.7% being disappointed with the service.H5 testedAs stated in hypothesis H2, the ‘negative’ perception of Freeview is interpreted as people whowould not consider purchasing a top-box, thus not adopting Freeview in the near future, as wellas the early adopters with an unsatisfactory perception of the service received. However, asthe number of people who were not satisfied with the Freeview service was very low, only onevariable was really used. However, two relationships were typically noticed, that betweenpotential adopters and their perception of the BBC programmes being ‘stuffy’, as well as theearly adopters of Freeview and their perception of BBC’s service (See Appendix: H5 –Freeview versus BBC + (Specific))Even in this case it was hard pushed to find any conclusive results that would verify the sethypothesis, therefore it was rejected on the basis that the analyses computed provided too52varied a result. (See Appendix: H5 – Freeview versus BBC for results)What can be noted however is the strong support the BBC receives with both potentialFreeview adopters and those who do not intend to purchase a top-box.53SAMPLE 7 – Sample of Qualitative AnalysisThe respondents offered a number of different factors, which they thought cause theircustomers to defect (Figure 17). A total of 82.7 per cent of respondents stated that customersdefect because of price, poor service or both:“Customers defect due to a number of reasons, however, price and service are the mainreasons.” (Customer Development Manager)Other factors included price inducements from competitors, better products from competitorsand a change on circumstances. The Financial Services Industry is very competitive, therefore itis evident that companies resort to competing on price in order to create competitive advantage.The interviews revealed that companies attempt to provide their customers with added value, forexample improving service levels, in order to prevent customers from defecting to competitionas they have ‘tied-in’ their customers:“Shopping around is inherent in the industry and with the plethora of market playersoffering price inducements, therefore some level of defection is inevitable.” (GroupProducts Manager)When questioned about the number of their customers who defect, the interviewee refused toanswer this specifically. However, it was stated that: “between 10 and 15 per cent of ourcustomers defect. It varies across our product portfolios”. The author notes that, within theFinancial Services Industry, NU’s defection rate is low and above the industry average ofbetween 15 and 20 per cent.OtherPrice Inducements byCompetitionBetter productPoor Service 0204060Price %Figure 17. The factors which influence customer defection, as resulting from theinterview analysis.This cause of defections offered by NU is upheld by De Souza (1992) who suggested that priceand service were two factors causing defections. Reichheld and Sasser (1992) state thatcompanies need to carry out defection analysis in order to learn how to keep customers, bytracking those customers who defect. NU do not carry out defection analysis on thosecustomers they lose, in this way it is very difficult to identify why they defected. NU could carryout ‘exit surveys’ (section 8) on customers who have defected to ascertain their main reasons indoing so.54SAMPLE 7 – Sample of Quantitative Analysis….Figure 6 illustrates the most commonly noticed changes at the Chislehurst store andhighlights the main changes that were noticed by the customers to their store.The top five most noticed changes include: such as new deli (98%) bakery (96.7%) saladkitchen (96%), meat (90.7%) and fish counters (84%). However, the more subtle changes suchMost noticed changes at Sainsbury’s Chislehurst 120Noticed%100Not noticedPercentages806040200 Changesas more products on shelves (54.7%), improved customer toilets (52%), improved floral area(47.3%) customer brand wall (40%), and improved lighting (32.7%) were not as commonlynoticed, even by the everyday shoppers.Results show positive correlation between customers who found the overall shoppingexperience satisfying and those who think the store is better now that the changes have beenimplemented. Appendix 10 shows that 111 out of 150 customers were ‘Extremely Satisfied’ withthe overall shopping experience encountered at Sainsbury’s (39 customers were ‘Satisfied’) and102 customers think the store is ‘Much Better’ since the changes (the remaining 48 customersthought the changes are a ‘Little Better’…Figure 8 shows that 68% of customers described the store as ‘Much better than before’ theHow customers describe Sainsbury’s Chislehurst since the refurbishment tothe store… Much better than32%beforeLittle better than before 68%Figure 8: Customer Description of Sainsbury’s Chislehurst since the Reinvigoration55Reinvigoration. The results indicate that there was no negative feedback regarding thesatisfaction of the overall shopping experience and all customers said the store was either‘Much better’ or a ‘Little better’ since the changes. The customers did not respond with negativecomments that the store was worse than before or that they were unsatisfied with the shoppingexperience at Sainsbury’s since the Reinvigoration. Thus highlighting the customers appreciatedthe changes at the store and were satisfied with the overall shopping experience encounteredhere.A Pearson’s correlation analysis was carried out to test any correlation between variables. (Bell1999, Gofton and Ness 1997, Kirkpatrick and Feeney 2001). Appendix 6 illustrates significantcorrelation for customers’ opinions regarding the layout and appearance of the Sainsbury’sChislehurst store. However, only the most relevant relationships related to the researchobjectives shall be discussed.A highly significant correlation of (Pearson = 0.546, p