The impact of virtual communities on e-loyalty: a conceptual framework

Abstract

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) adoption is both a relevant research topic in academia and a challenge for practitioners. We understand CRM as a complex concept that includes technology, strategy and philosophy. In this research, we propose an analysis of CRM organisational dynamic capabilities. The main goal is to apply a dynamic capabilities perspective to analyse how companies can improve their CRM initiatives. In order to achieve this purpose, a qualitative, interpretative, case-based research strategy was implemented. We conducted a case study in a Portuguese telecommunication enterprise for one year. The case study was based on semi-structured interviews and document analysis. We used qualitative techniques to analyse the collected data and ground our interpretation in a dynamic capabilities theoretical approach. We propose a theoretical framework related to CRM dynamic capability that is corroborated with empirical evidence. We believe that because organisations which adopt a CRM strategy are in a competitive environment, a dynamic model needs to be used to analyse and explain how they can improve their CRM strategy in order to achieve success.

Managing the digital campaign process for sustainable tourism destinations

“…Cohen [43] summarized 30 different definitions of social media from different perspectives, emphasizing important characteristics and natures of social media, such as online tools, applications, platforms and media, depending on information technologies (IT); social media are peer-to-peer communication channels enabling interactive web's content creation, collaboration, and exchange by participants; and social media link users to form a virtual community by using cross-platforms and affect people's behaviours and real life. In addition to Cohen's [43] categorization of social media definition and natures, Krumay and Brandtweiner have stressed e-loyalty in virtual communities [44]). Social media would decrease uncertainty and increase the exchange utility on the other hand, and provide users a sense of belonging into virtual travel communities by storytelling (Gretzel et al [45]; Wang et al [46]).…”