Purpose: To examine the major factors affecting patients' perception of cumulative satisfaction and to address the question whether patients in Egypt and Jordan evaluate quality of health care similarly or differently.Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model including behavioural dimensions of patient‐physician relationships and patient satisfaction has been developed. As the empirical research setting, this study concerns three hospitals in Egypt and Jordan. The survey instrument in a questionnaire form was designed to achieve the research objectives. A total of 48 items (attributes) of the newly developed five quality dimensions were identified to be the most relevant. A total of 224 complete and usable questionnaires were received from the in‐patients.Findings: Hospital C has above‐average total and dimensional qualities and patients are the most satisfied in accordance with all dimensions of services. Hospitals A and B have under‐average total qualities as the majority of patients are not satisfied with services. Comparing hospitals A and B, in the majority of dimensions (with the exception of Q5), the quality in hospital B is higher than in hospital A. Patients' satisfaction with different service quality dimensions is correlated with their willingness to recommend the hospital to others. A cure to improve the quality for health‐care services can be an application of total relationship management and the 5Qs model together with customer orientation strategy.Practical implications: The result can be used by the hospitals to reengineer and redesign creatively their quality management processes and the future direction of their more effective health‐care quality strategies.Originality/value: In this research a study is described involving a new instrument and a new method which assure a reasonable level of relevance, validity and reliability, while being explicitly change‐oriented. This study argues that a patient's satisfaction is a cumulative construct, summing satisfaction with five different qualities (5Qs) of the hospital: quality of object, processes, infrastructure, interaction, and atmosphere.

This article predicts that strategic planners in organisations of the future need to consider the potential benefits of collaborating, co‐operating and co‐ordinating with others serving the same markets, rather than pursuing conventional “competition”. The author defines this new mindset as “co‐opetition”. It has been observed that the competitive psychology represents oneself as being better than others, and stresses the winning of more resources at their expense. The antithesis is active co‐operation, wherein one embraces competitors in partnership to the benefit of all. It is argued that the new business environment demands new kinds of business relationships, and that “co‐opetitive” partnerships have emerged as a more effective response to changed environmental threats and opportunities. Co‐opetition can deliver synergy if carefully planned, managed and controlled, and preconditions for achieving this outcome are examined. Equally, weak management of a relationship can produce the opposite effect, so preconditions for survival are also discussed. The conclusion is that, on balance, co‐opetition deserves marketing planners' close attention.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to examine and develop a better understanding of triangle relationship between quality, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer loyalty (CL) which might lead to companies' competitiveness (CC).Design/methodology/approach – A research model (5Qs) was designed to measure satisfaction and loyalty. This model is based on two conditions: the customer database and CRM strategy are well structured; and that management control systems have the capacity to produce required data for the analysis.Findings – Changing in quality over time within various segments or related to specific products or categories of products/services can be used as an indicator the level of loyalty. By linking infrastructure, interaction and atmosphere indicators to the quality of object and processes, researchers and managers can document which changes in CRM strategy improve the overall satisfaction and loyalty, hence the ultimate outcomes.Practical implications – Key ways to build a stron...

This research examines the importance of a set of underlying variables, such as willingness of the supplier to adapt to the dealer, built‐up relationship bonds, costs of terminating the relationship, level of shared values, formal and informal communication between the participating parties, opportunistic behavior by the supplier and perceived level of satisfaction in the relation‐ship, for achieving high trust and commitment within a supplier‐dealer relationship. Data for the analysis are generated from 114 purchasing managers at Swedish lumber dealers, an industry where collaborative relation‐ships are not very developed, but considered necessary for future success. Methodology is described and results are discussed. Concludes that companies trying to achieve high trust and commitment relationships, should create high satisfaction relationships, by decreasing their opportunistic behavior, adjusting to the needs of the other part, and developing shared values.

Argues that relationship marketing is not a complete paradigm shift. Without effective use of technology, relationship marketing is not an effective strategy. Hence, relationship marketing, based on technological advances, can be considered as a new paradigm. It is demonstrated that everything companies do to build consumer loyalty is affected by technology. It is shown that traditional, relationship, and technologicalship marketing are fundamentally different. The technologicalship marketing allows for different types of synergy effects, solutions, different customers, and different types of interactions and relationships.

Presents an empirical stuRecently, banks have found themselves facing more aggressive competition, uncertainty and unlimited opportunities. No bank can offer all products/services and be the best/leading bank for all customers. They are forced to find a new basis for competition. A bank must examine its strengths and opportunities and take a competitive position in the competitive marketplace. Discusses some strategic issues related to bank positioning. A number of ways in which distinctive positions can be developed and maintained have been identified. A well‐integrated application of technology and staff through operations that respond to customer needs encourage customers to use a whole range of banking products/services rather than just a few. It also helps to build loyalty by creating deeper and fuller customer relationships. Surveys how a bank has been selected and perceived from the point of view of its customers in relation to its competitors in that marketplace. Reveals that in Sweden, there is no single leading bank in all financial areas, but there are a number of leaders: a leader in terms of deposit base, a leader in terms of loans outstanding base, a largest bank in terms of assets, and a niche leader bank. Shows that functional quality is a more important factor than traditional marketing activities. As expected, convenience of location, price and advertising had a minor impact on bank selection.