Exploring Relationship Marketing and Internet Technology in the Service Sector

Abstract

Internet-based relationship marketing is progressively gaining global attention. Nevertheless, the dawn of this modernization draws many theoretical debates and practical concerns, some of which have received little research attention. On this premise, this thesis studied the concepts of Relationship marketing (RM) and Internet Technologies (IT) within the Ghanaian telecommunication industry. As one among few studies within the Sub-Saharan region, the purpose was to explore the contemporary use, compatibilities and benefits of internet-based relationships. To address this purpose, the study provides rich qualitative evidence from four (4) telecommunication firms where twelve (12) experts were sampled and probed over a period of 2 months. Findings from a thematic and cross-case analysis disconfirm some conceptual contributions earlier presented in literature. Additionally, it justifies new uses and key benefits including online ''virality'', a relationship discovery environment, flexibility and credibility. An emerging insight was the role of content marketing in online relationships. Recommendations for practitioners include enhancing online interactions through empathy, value creation via analytic information and managerial openness and support to enhance knowledge development within the area. Significantly, a post study framework was developed to illustrate the use, challenges and benefits of internet-based RM within the Ghanaian telecommunication industry.