Attempts to examine the concepts of trust and commitment, on two levels of retail relationships: the salesperson level as well as the store level, and test their impact on relationship quality. Based on a review of the literature, a conceptual model has been developed that links trust and commitment to relationship quality. A number of research hypotheses have been formulated to examine the relationships proposed. The paper presents the model developed and discusses some empirical findings from a survey of 1,261 shoppers in a departmental store setting in Victoria, Australia. In particular, the two levels of relationships (salesperson and store level) are examined from the customer's perspective, using structural equation modelling (LISREL VIII). Concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study and provides directions for future research.

This paper empirically examined the role of emotional satisfaction in service encounters. Specifically, this study seeks to: investigate the relationship between emotional satisfaction and key concepts, such as service quality, customer loyalty, and relationship quality, and clarify the role of emotional satisfaction in predicting customer loyalty and relationship quality. In doing so, this study used the relationship between emotional satisfaction, service quality, customer loyalty, and relationship quality as a context, as well as data from a sample survey of 1,261 Australian retail customers concerning their evaluation of their shopping experiences to address this issue. The results show that service quality is positively associated with emotional satisfaction, which is positively associated with both customer loyalty and relationship quality. Further investigations showed that customers' feelings of enjoyment serve as the best predictor of customer loyalty, while feelings of happiness serve as the best predictor of relationship quality. The findings imply the need for a service firm to strategically leverage on the key antecedents of customer loyalty and relationship quality in its pursuit of customer retention and long-term profitability.

This study attempts to examine the impact of service quality dimensions on customer loyalty, on two levels of retail relationships: person‐to‐person (salesperson level) and person‐to‐firm (store level). A total of 1,261 surveys were administered to shoppers who were leaving a large chain departmental store in Victoria, Australia. The results showed that service quality is positively associated with customer loyalty, and that the relationship between the two is stronger at the company level, rather than at the interpersonal level. Specifically, among the dimensions of service quality, the most significant predictor of customer loyalty at a company level is tangibles, while the most significant predictor of customer loyalty at an interpersonal level is empathy. Further discussion and managerial implications can be drawn from these findings.

No abstract

Educators have long debated the usefulness (or otherwise) of final examinations; a debate that has typically revolved around the relative merits of closedbook exams, open-book exams, take-home exams or their substitution by some other assessment format (eg, project work). This paper adds a new dimension to the debate by considering how the final examination assessment instrument might be enhanced through harnessing the power of technology, more specifically, how the learner experience of the final examination might be made more authentic and, in the process, more constructively aligned with stated learning outcomes. The authors report on the latest findings of an ongoing research project evaluating the effectiveness of 'open-book, open-web' (OBOW) examinations delivered by an online university, vis-à-vis a closed-book, invigilated alternative. Earlier research had indicated that the OBOW model receives the strong endorsement of students in a number of respects, most particularly the quality of the learning outcomes. IntroductionAfter very little change in the university sector for several centuries, there has been something of a 'mini-revolution' in the last quarter of a century or so. The learner profile has changed socially, culturally and economically as new universities have emerged, enrolling an increasingly diverse population of students, and-along with this 'massification' of higher education (Carrier, 1990)-there has been spectacular change in the area of educational technology. These changes have been reflected in professional journals and conferences dedicated to teaching and learning, which have produced a steady stream of literature reporting on a wide range of research projects including, among other things, experiments with new classroom techniques, modes of