Evaluation of a novel communication and consultation skills model (WISE COACH) on dog owner perceptions of veterinarians and projected spending on veterinary care

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of a novel communication and consultation skills model (WISE COACH [WC]) on dog owner perceptions of veterinarians and projected spending on veterinary care. SAMPLE 1,200 US dog owners who had visited a veterinarian within the prior 18 months. PROCEDURES Video recordings of 2 staged client consultations were made, with the veterinarian following the WC recommendations in one video and not following them in the other (control). Participants were randomly assigned to view one of the videos and completed an online survey to assess their perceptions and projected spending. Qualitative responses were coded to identify themes. RESULTS The veterinarian was rated significantly higher in the WC video than in the control video for the characteristics first impression, skilled and knowledgeable, cares about me, cares about my pet, and communicates clearly, and was rated significantly lower for the characteristic rushed or abrupt. Participants who viewed the WC video were significantly more likely to follow the veterinarian’s recommendations, return to see the veterinarian, and recommend the veterinarian. They were also approximately 1.4 times as likely to approve the full recommended treatment plan, and their projected total spending was approximately 15% higher than projected spending for participants who viewed the control video. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results showed improved client perceptions, client retention, quality of patient care, and financial metrics when the veterinarian followed the WC recommendations. Further study is needed to determine whether this model may also improve veterinarian well-being by improving client relationships and decreasing resistance to recommendations.

The Effect of Customer Loyalty Programs on Customer Retention in Pakistan

The aim of our study was to build an extremely significant understanding of the influence of client's loyalty programs on buyer's retention. The context of the current study was set for Pakistani consumers. The current study inspects the key role of loyalty programs such as devotion programs, point framework, level reward framework and non-fiscal projects on the dependent variable: client retention. A quantitative analysis method was adopted to achieve the objective of the research. For the data collection, questionnaires were distributed randomly among customers. Our findings suggest that there is a significant impact of loyalty programs for retaining valuable customers. Evidently, a significant effect was noted for different types of loyalty schemes such as Tier reward, Point and Non-monetary schemes.

Analysis of Factors That Influences Customer Retention in Unit Trust Industry

ABSTRACT Relationship Marketing has been perceived as an incredible method to fabricate a restrictive long haul relationship with their customers in the present powerful worldwide commercial center. Service quality is becoming increasingly important to a growing number of businesses. A unit trust's prosperity relies upon the skill and experience of the organization that oversees it. The aim of this research is to emphasise the significance of service quality in unit trust industry. This research was conducted using a questionnaire that was distributed to 200 customers of unit trust agents in Penang. It can be concluded that relationship marketing is essentially corresponded with service quality and consumer loyalty as well as client retention.

Understanding Predictors That Influences Relationship Marketing in Unit Trust Industry

Relationship marketing has been recognised as an excellent way to build an exclusive long-term relationship with their clients in today's dynamic global marketplace. Personal connection is becoming increasingly important to a growing number of businesses. A unit trust is an unincorporated common store structure that enables assets to hold resources and give benefits that go directly to singular unit proprietors as opposed to reinvesting them once again into the reserve.The aim of this research is to emphasise the significance of personal connection and unit trust in the service industry. This research was conducted using a questionnaire that was distributed to 200 customers of unit trust agents in Penang. It can be concluded that relationship marketing is essentially corresponded with personal connection and consumer loyalty as well as client retention.

Releasing Earnings when the Audit is Less Complete: Implications for Audit Quality and the Auditor/Client Relationship

This study examines the effect of audit completeness at the annual earnings announcement date on audit quality and auditor/client retention decisions. The vast majority of companies now release earnings before the year-end audit is complete while, historically, companies would release earnings on or after the date of audit completion. Management's decision to release earnings when the audit is less complete can adversely impact audit quality and has negative implications for the overall auditor/client dynamic. We find that audits that are less complete at the earnings announcement date are associated with a higher likelihood of financial statement misstatements in audit areas that are typically performed towards the end of audit fieldwork. We also find a higher likelihood of auditor turnover during the following year. Taken together, the results suggest lower financial reporting/audit quality and higher auditor turnover for companies that release earnings when the audit is less complete.

Customer Relationship Management as an Important Relationship Marketing Tool

Nowadays, the traditional four P's of marketing are not enough, especially in hospitality services, because of the permanent need to satisfy the customers, in order to keep them loyal. This chapter aims to understand the application of customer relationship management (CRM) in order to manage client retention and how this can translate into a competitive advantage for the hospitality industry. The chapter has a theoretical framework on the main concepts, such as relational marketing and CRM, and their importance and application to hospitality. The Estoril Coast in Portugal was chosen because it is considered as an international brand due to the importance for national and international tourism. For that, the authors made online questionnaires to hotels in this geographical area. The results allow to measure the use of CRM in the sample hotels and understand the importance of relationship marketing.

Developing Managerial Quotient for Sustainable Client Servicing in Insurance Sector

The insurance sector consists of two branches: life and non-life. Non-life is commonly referred to as general insurance. Insurance is a service industry and client retention influences growth and business sustainability. Being a service industry managerial skills for client servicing is essential for effectiveness in the insurance sector. Further, middle-level management directly deals with clients. So, to mitigate the challenges of privatization, competition, stakeholder's expectations, etc., appropriate managerial skills for middle management is critical. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, primary data collected through questionnaires and secondary data from published records. The sample consists of middle-level managers of the general insurance industry from the Pune region, India. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Findings reflect that higher managerial quotient is associated with client servicing quotient.

Tax professionals’ role and ethics during a period of economic crisis in a small European country

Research Question: This paper analyses the role and ethics of tax professionals in the collection of public revenue from business activity during a period of economic crisis in Greece. Motivation: We attempt to analyse the respective influences of a corporate environment and personal beliefs on tax professionals’ ethics as well as the consequences of economic crisis. Idea: The paper employs a modified experimental questionnaire from Bobek & Radtke (2007) for the US. This questionnaire is adapted for Greece during a period of economic crisis. Data: Addressees of the questionnaire were tax professionals of two categories: certified public accountants and accountant/tax consultants, both of which are responsible for determining the amount of taxes owed to the Greek Independent Public Revenue Authority (IPRA). Tools: Results were reached by submitting the results of a questionnaire to a multiple-correspondence analysis based on the Burt matrix. As the size of the sample is rather small, in order to avoid any bias the study employs a resampling procedure based on the k fold validation method. Findings: The results of the survey showed that the main causes of ethical dilemmas are problems with clients such as pressure from clients, client-retention concerns and misunderstandings with clients. The major factor contributing to the resolution of an ethical dilemma is the experience of the tax professional. A significant percentage of respondents believed that their level of morality had increased during the period of economic crisis, making them more compliant with relevant tax rules. Contribution: This study contributes to business ethics and helps reinforce them, thereby contributing to the increase in the public revenues, which can help a economy to emerge faster from an economic crisis. Also, we recommend the targeting on in-house ethics training and explicitly including rewards and sanctions regarding ethical behavior in performance evaluation systems in tax professionals’ firms.

Client negotiation strategy spillover to integrated audit judgments

Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of negotiating audit differences on auditors’ internal control deficiency (ICD) severity assessments, an ensuing, non-negotiated judgment, in an integrated audit. Design/methodology/approach The experiment manipulates the client’s concession timing strategy as either immediate or gradual, holding the outcome constant. A total of 34 auditors (primarily managers) resolve an audit difference with the client. Findings The client’s concession timing strategy during the negotiation of an audit difference spills over to affect auditors’ severity assessment of a related ICD. Auditors judged the ICD severity to be higher (lower) in the immediate (gradual) condition. Client retention risk inferences mediate this effect. Research limitations/implications The effect on auditors’ ICD severity assessments may not ultimately affect the audit report. Participants did not control their negotiation strategy, allowing the client’s negotiation strategy and the outcome to be held constant; it is possible that interactive effects between the client and auditor’s strategy might affect the study’s implications. Practical implications Features of the auditor–client negotiation process may influence auditors’ downstream, post-negotiation judgments and may therefore help to explain empirical evidence and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board inspection findings that show auditors often fail to identify an internal control material weakness after identifying a financial statement misstatement. Originality/value This paper expands current negotiation research by exploring the impact of inferences made based on counterparty concession strategy for downstream, non-negotiated judgments and current integrated audit research by identifying client retention perceptions as a driving factor of lower ICD severity assessments.