scholarly journals Discrimination against customers by retail chain stores and the impact of the law

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139
Author(s):  
K Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Disadvantaged Area ◽  
Chain Stores ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
South African Constitution ◽  
The Impact

Profit and other related objectives of business emphasise the need to distinguish between different customers or groups of customers. The South African Constitution, on the other hand, specifically prohibits unfair discrimination. This paper examines the legal principle of non-discrimination, as set out in the Constitution and the Equality Act, as well as the impact that these provisions have on discrimination against customers. The literature study shows that there is a legal obligation on business to ensure the provision of equitable customer service. An exploratory study was conducted among the customers of retail chain store outlets in Clermont, a historically disadvantaged area, to identify examples of differentiated treatment of customers by retail chain stores. Customer perceptions have in fact shown areas of differentiation which could be viewed as unfair discrimination unless justified

Are tattoos still a taboo?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 874-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ozanne ◽  
Michael J. Tews ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Mediation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Aesthetic Labor ◽  
Agency And Communion ◽  
Failure Scenario ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAs tattoos increase in popularity, questions persist regarding their impact on customer perceptions. To help shed light into this issue, this paper aims to explore the impact of tattooed restaurant servers in the context of service failures. Through the agency and communion theory, the authors propose that a female server with tattoos induces higher levels of negative word of mouth (WOM) intention than her male counterpart. Furthermore, the authors propose that perceived competence mediates this effect.Design/methodology/approachThrough a 2 (tattoos status: yes, no) × 2 (server’s gender: male, female) experimental design, a panel of consumers were exposed to a restaurant service failure scenario with a photograph of a server. Depending on the condition, the server was either a male or female and had (or not) a tattoo on their left arm and neck. The same tattoo design was used for both genders.FindingsThe findings indicate that, in a service failure context, customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM does not differ across tattooed (vs non-tattooed) servers. However, contrary to the expectations of the authors, people tend to react more negatively to a male (vs female) server with tattoos.Originality/valueResearch on tattoos in the customer service context is scant, especially in hospitality. Furthermore, no previous study on tattoos has empirically tested a mediation process explaining differences in customer perceptions. Contrary to previous findings, this study demonstrates that an exposure to male (vs female) tattooed servers increases customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM. In other words, the type of profession coupled with the employees’ gender might influence customer perceptions. Furthermore, as customers’ propensity to generate negative WOM did not increase when served by a tattooed (vs non-tattooed) employee, managers in aesthetic labor industries, such as the foodservice business, can be more accepting of employees with tattoos.

scholarly journals Providing a New Strategy for Reducing the Queue Congestion in the Refah Chain Store of Zahedan, Analyzing and Simulating of the Queuing System by Using Minitab and Arena Software

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41
Author(s):  
Ali Sadatmandzadeh ◽  
Sepideh Hosseinidoost
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Queuing Theory ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Queuing System ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Queue System ◽  
Chain Stores ◽  
New Strategy

Queuing theory is important as a statistical technique for solving problems, analyzing systems, and reducing the adverse effects of waiting. The present research has been done to solve the problem of overcrowding congestion during the distribution of subsidy goods in the Refah chain stores. The purpose of the research is to analyze the queuing system and provide a solution to overcome the crowds in the Refah stores. In this research, a way of providing customer service was reviewed, then customer arrival times, waiting times in queues and customer service were measured. The type of time distribution was followed by Minitab software. Then, the Arena software and the obtained distributions used to simulate the queue system of the store. And the simulation results were used to analyze the queuing system. The results showed that during the distribution of subsidy goods, to fix the queue congestion, 40% of customers should beat the 2nd fund and the rest should equally be divided between the 5th and 6th funds. The implementation of the run-queue system, before the customer enters the funds, is the innovation of this research.

scholarly journals E-Commerce in the Retail Chain Store Market: An Alternative or a Main Trend?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4392
Author(s):  
Christina Kleisiari ◽  
Marie-Noelle Duquenne ◽  
George Vlontzos
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Main Trend ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Physical Presence ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Physical Accessibility

The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of important aspects leading to the further development of e-trade in the retail market and to identify the rationale behind consumer preferences. The degree of total service (adequacy of staff, reception) and the overall satisfaction regarding the facilities (organization and hygiene level of the supermarket) are the main factors influencing consumers’ decisions for their purchases. Other important components are the degree of coverage of needs in quality products, the intention to use an online store, the interest of consumers in finding quality and safe food, having at the same time information about their prices and possible offers. A quite important criterion is the degree of physical accessibility to the store. The main norm about using e-trade platforms instead of physical presence in supermarkets is quite low. It is tested though if there are significantly different approaches among customers of different firms, with no surprising results to be obtained. Customers familiarized with e-shopping, to a greater extent, are highly educated but quite sensitive to price issues as well. Τhe findings of this survey reflect the consumers’ decision-making process to familiarize and use electronic platforms, instead of visiting physical stores for shopping, based on a group of motives and anti-motives relative to this alternative.

scholarly journals Using SERVQUAL to Assess the Customer Satisfaction Level: A Study of an Urban Cooperative Bank

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Seema Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Excellent Service ◽  
The Impact

<p><em>The SERVQUAL instrument was developed in 1988 by Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry as a multi-item scale developed to assess customer perceptions of service quality in service industry. Customers judge service quality as low or high depending upon whether the service performance meets their expectation or not. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of service quality of an urban cooperative bank on its customers and to throw light on the satisfaction level of the customers, so that the managers in the organization can improve the quality of the services rendered. Using SERVQUAL tool, five service quality dimensions using two segments in the form of a questionnaire consisting of 22 questions each have been used for the customers. The result shows that the overall perception of the quality of service provided by the bank under study is within the acceptable limit for the five aspects of service quality measured. Nevertheless, difference between the expectation of excellent service quality and perceived service quality throws light on the need for improvement by bridging the customer service gaps in certain areas of service delivery by the bank. Thus the research intends to add to the limited body of knowledge pertaining to the service quality of the bank under study.</em></p>

Replacing a delisted brand with premium and standard private labels

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1057-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léopold Lessassy
Keyword(s):  
Private Label ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Brand Preference ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
National Brand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shopping Trip ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Brand Competition ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of brand preference and type of shopping trip on the relationship between replacing a delisted national brand (NB) with a retailer’s private label (PL) brand (premium vs standard) and private label switching (PLS), that is switching from NB to PL. Design/methodology/approach Inside a major French retail chain store, an experiment with 1,392 NB buyers tested the impact of replacing NB with PL on PLS. Findings Results stress the positive contribution of PL replacements after NB delisting on buyers’ switching behaviour at different brand preference levels and shopping trip types. A main-choice NB for a major trip shopping benefits a PLS to premium PL. However, when a fill-in shopper looks for a secondary brand, competition between PL standard and NB may not be as weak as suggested in earlier studies. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is that respondents reported their purchases instead of actually buying. Practical implications This study highlights that the retailers that delist some NB brands in the category should adopt a strategy either to develop premium or standard PLs, depending on consumers’ brand preference and shopping trip type. Social implications Delisting is an opportunity to question the NB product competitiveness towards PL. Originality/value The study is based on actual delisting and replacement, combined with a large sample, unlike previous studies. Moreover, it bridges two important areas of research: conflict in marketing channels and PL introduction in retailers’ assortment decisions.

scholarly journals Digitalization and Strategic Transformation of Retail Chain Stores: Trends, Impacts, Prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Yury Malenkov ◽  
Irina Kapustina ◽  
Galina Kudryavtseva ◽  
Victor V. Shishkin ◽  
Victor I. Shishkin
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Research ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Chain Stores ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strategic Transformation ◽  
New System

The study of the transformation of retail chain stores (RCS) due to the impact of digitalization on them is a new problem. The main part of modern scientific research is devoted to separate directions of digitalization and does not consider conceptual aspects of these processes. The purpose of this article is to fill the existing research gap through the development of a new system concept of the digitalization impact on RCS transformations. The study shows the need to clarify the understanding of RCS strategic transformation caused by the drivers of different digitalization processes, which are not well understood today and are not taken into account when developing digitalization strategies. This situation has an extremely negative effect on the quality of RCS development and its competitiveness. The article consistently examines insufficiently covered problems in scientific literature and offers a new conceptual approach to the impact of digitalization on companies with regard to RCS transformation. New digitalization trends and their drivers have a deep impact on RCS transformations. A new system model is needed that integrates superdrivers and the impact of digitalization on the RCS transformation. Causal and heuristic forecasts of prospects, trends and results of digitalization, including contradictory results of AI development are included. We used materials from large retail chains “Magnit”, “Perekrestok” and “M.Video-Eldorado Group”. The research methods used were system modelling, cause and effect links building and heuristic forecasting based on logical models. The main results will be useful for researchers, managers, entrepreneurs and students in developing a clear understanding of digitalization development and its impacts, in order to better work out digitalization strategies and for the development of new directions of scientific research.

scholarly journals A STUDY ON SELECTION OF LOCATION BY RETAIL CHAIN: BIG MART

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 383-395
Author(s):  
Mansi Karna ◽  
Anusha Rai ◽  
Bibek Karki ◽  
Lavalesh Karna ◽  
Miksen Rai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Selection Method ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
Chain Stores ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Hierarchy Process ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract This paper provides insight into the site-selection process that may have influenced the selection of location by retail chain store; Big Mart. The changing shopping habits and the birth of chain stores in and around Kathmandu and proceeds with the discussion on some of the models that have been used around the world. Selecting proper location for competitive advantages is a big choice for being the leader by co-creating customer and seller ecosystem. For this research, however, we have used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and we will be delving more in detail with this method to understand the site selection method for our case area.

Factors Influencing Customer’s Retail Chain Store Brand Choice Intention: Empirical Study of Circle K Stores in Hanoi

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thu Ha ◽  
Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen
Keyword(s):  
Brand Choice ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Store Brand ◽  
Chain Store ◽  
Retail Chain ◽  
Five Elements ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The retail market in Vietnam continues to grow with the entry of foreign retail brands and the strong rise of domestic businesses in expanding distribution networks and conquering consumer confidence. The appearance of more retail brands has created a fiercely competitive market. Based on the outcomes of previous research results on brand choice intention combined with a customer survey, the paper proposes an analytical framework and scales to examine the relationship of five elements including store image, price perception, risk perception, brand attitudes, brand awareness and retail brand choice intention with a case study of the Hanoi-based Circle K convenience store chain. These five elements are the precondition for retail businesses to develop their brands so as to attract customers.

Pengaruh Konversi Lahan terhadap Strategi Pemanfaatan Modal Nafkah Rumah Tangga Buruh Tani

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 407
Author(s):  
Hesti Prastiwi ◽  
Martua Sihaloho
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Land Conversion ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Irrigated Rice ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The Impact

Lahan merupakan salah satu sumber daya agraria yang sangat penting bagi petani dikarenakan lahan merupakan salah satu sumber untuk bertahan hidup. Sesuai dengan Undang-Undang Dasar Nomor 41 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan Lahan Pertanian Pangan Berkelanjutan. Pembangunan yang terjadi di Indonesia semakin masif, menimbulkan konversi lahan bersifat permanen ketika lahan sawah beririgasi berubah menjadi kawasan pemukiman atau industri. Konversi lahan yang terjadi menyebabkan hilangnya beberapa atau seluruh modal nafkah yang ada. Perubahan modal nafkah ini akan mengakibatkan perubahan strategi nafkah petani. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dampak konversi lahan terhadap strategi nafkah dan pengaruh pemanfaatan  modal nafkah  terhadap strategi nafkah rumah tangga. Lokasi penelitian ini yaitu Desa Pasirgaok, Kecamatan Rancabungur, Kabupaten Bogor. Metode yang digunakan untuk menggali fakta, data, dan informasi dalam penelitian adalah pendekatan kuantitatif melalui metode survei dengan kuesioner yang didukung oleh data kualitatif melalui wawancara dan studi literatur hingga diperoleh hasil bahwa dampak konversi lahan mempengaruhi modal dan strategi nafkah.Kata Kunci: buruh tani, konversi lahan, modal nafkah, strategi nafkah=====ABSTRACTLand is one of the most important agrarian resources for farmers because land is one source of livelihood survival. According to Constitution Number 41 Year 2009 on concerning The Protection of Sustainable Food Agriculture. The development that is taking place in Indonesia is increasingly massive leading to permanent land conversion when technical irrigated rice fields change into residential or industrial areas. The land conversion that occurs causes a loss of some or all existing livelihood asset. This change in livelihood asset will result in a change in farmers livelihood strategies. This study aims to analyze the influence of the impact of land conversion towards livelihood strategies and the influence of the utilization of livelihood asset towards the livelihood strategies households. The location of this research is Pasirgaok Village, Rancabungur District, Bogor Regency. The method used to extract facts, data, and information in the research is the quantitative approach through survey method with questionnaires supported by qualitative data through interview and literature study until it is obtained that the impact of land conversion towards landless farmer household’s assets and livelihood strategies.Keywords: land conversion, landless farmer, livelihood asset, livelihood strategies

THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON BRAND LOYALTY OF DTAC SELULER SERVICE USERS

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debby Arisandi
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Impact

<p>Purpose- In the GSM seluler telephony sector, the main condition for protecting the subscriber base is to win customer to be loyalty, a key necessity for the maintenance of a brand loyalty in the long term. To achieve this aim, service quality must be measured and identified. This paper’s aim is to measure the effects of service quality towards brand loyalty on DTAC seluler service provider. This study will explore the relationship between service quality and brand loyalty in the seluler service industry.</p><p>Design/methodology/approach- The main research target sample covered 200 seluler phone users in Prince of Songka University, Hatyai campus. Field research was conducted. The questionnaire was formed by a synthesis of existing constructs in relevant literature. Reliability tests, descriptive statistic, and regressions analyses were performed to both confirm scale reliability and answer the research questions. The data were analysed by moderated regression analysis to test the hypotheses.</p><p>Findings- The findings of this study show that an overall service quality directly affects brand loyalty. Network quality, customer service, pricing structure and billing system are the service quality dimensions that have significant positive influence on brand loyalty, which in turn has a significant positive impact on brand loyalty 43,5%. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in winning customer loyalty.</p><p>Originality/value- It is of great importance for seluler operators in a mature market such as that of Thailand, to understand what the drivers of brand loyalty are. The present study produced useful findings, which can be utilized by seluler service provider managers, in their effort to develop and implement successful brand loyalty strategies. With respect to the findings, pricing structure has the most importance than others dimensions of service quality which provides positive outcomes on brand loyalty, not only in the present but also in the future. So, the effect of pricing structure on brand loyalty becomes greater than the effect of others dimenstions of service quality. Therefore, any GSM operator who wishes to preserve its existing subscriber base should concentrate on winning its subscribers’ loyalty, especially for DTAC.</p>Keywords- Seluler Services, Brand Loyalty, Service Quality

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