ابوالفضل دانایی

Knowing and managing the concept of customer experience is the main factor in creating competitiveness for any organization. Moreover, without customer experience management, a business cannot specify appropriate strategies to maintain the current market and business sustainability. However, most of the existing studies have looked at this subject abstractly and have not provided a comprehensive model based on steps taken in the customer journey. This research aims to fill the gap by providing the body of knowledge with a comprehensive model for customer experience management, where the stepwise nature of the concept is maintained. Using a grounded theory (GT) strategy, 20 experts in the Iranian IT sector took part in this study. Data gathered using an interview protocol that was made based on reviewing the existing literature. Both reliability (Inter-coder rating) and validity (face and content validity) measures for the data gathering tool were obtained. Three coding approaches of grounded theory (open, axial, and selective coding) were applied to analyze the data. This study introduced a stepwise model of customer management experience through the customer journey steps. The model also contains the prerequisites conditions to realize the customer experience in the IT sector and reveals the contextual factors affecting the process and finally the consequences of applying the model.

A logo epitomizes a brand and depicts the picture of a product; consequently, attention, as an initial step of the AIDA model, to the logo is a good-looking index to survey the cognitive processing during consumers’ decision-making. Eye tracker extracts the visual attention data. For these reasons and appreciated from fixation duration, in the present study, the process of visual attention to the logo of a brand during decision-making was studied. To analyze the effects of the popularity of a brand on consumers’ decision-making, visual attention of 53 undergraduate students was studied. The brands were selected from two categories of beverages: soft drinks and non-alcoholic beers. Prior to the test, the participants had declared their favorite categories. The results showed that 75% of the participants selected a popular brand of their unfavorite categories. On the other hand, the difference of fixation duration between logos of popular and unknown brands did not directly relate to the choices of the participants. Therefore, these results did not correspond with the AIDA model. Additionally, cognitive processing toward the unknown brands’ logos was more than the popular brands’ logos. Moreover, the consumers who changed their decision were subjected to more cognitive processing compared to the consumers who insisted on their selection. In contrast to the AIDA model which implies that decision-making is triggered by attention, the present study indicated that decision making can also be influenced by the popularity of the brand. This can be due to optimization of the working memory usage by the brain. Finally, these results could be helpful in creating a new brand. According to the AIDA model, the more attractive logo and package of the brand, the more chance for being selected by the customers. However, our findings emphasize the importance of the popularity of the brand.

INTRODUCTION: Health and healthcare services are of paramount importance in every society and are regarded as the essential needs of people. The present study aimed to assess, describe, and explore the model of human resource development and empowerment adopting a service provision approach in Ilam University of Medical Sciences and Health Services in 2019. METHODS: In the current study, theoretical sources were collected using systematic and library studies, and experts' opinions were collected through open-ended interviews. Thereafter, these sources were analyzed using grounded theory and structural modeling. In this qualitative study, a researcher-made checklist was provided to experts to identify the internal relationship among the components of each variable. The exploratory approach was used in the current study since the focus was on the use of qualitative methods. To identify the dimensions of the model and its associated factors, the indicators were firstly extracted using library studies. The Delphi method was then performed in three steps to monitor the indicators and obtain the final dimensions of the model. The statistical population of the study included all managers and experts of the human resources unit with more than 15 years of work experience in the studied university. MAXQDA software was used to record and manage the codes, and finally, the concept model was designed. FINDINGS: After analyzing the studies and conducting interviews with experts, "employee development and empowerment" was selected as the main category. It encompasses such issues as training and productivity of human resources, development of personnel capabilities, sustainable development of human capital, highlighting the importance of strategic human resource management by the management system, senior managers' support from human resources, and the independence of human resources unit. The relationship of other classes with the central class can be realized in five ways: causal conditions, control system, motivation, and appropriate counseling lead to the development and empowerment of employees. CONCLUSION: Healthcare organizations assume more importance since their human resources are mostly experts in charge of specialized activities. As evidenced by qualitative and library studies, as well as the conducted interviews, the development and empowerment of human resources in Ilam University of Medical Sciences and Health Services is positively correlated with the service provision approach and exerts a significant impact on it.