Marwan Khammash

Case study: 'Arrivederci CIAO.com, Buongiorno Bing.com'-Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), antecedences and consequences

The Internet facilitates access to online product reviews and comments written by consumers. This paper offers new insights on the motives and antecedents of the reading behaviour of consumer reviews in online opinion platforms. This research was carried out from 2005 to 2008 using a case study approach. The case involved working with a prominent and successful online opinion platform (CIAO.com). The company was so successful it was purchased by Microsoft for

E‐business complaint management: perceptions and perspectives of online credibility

486 million in 2008 and is now incorporated into their main search engine which is still a market leader today. The research highlights four different types of motives that drive customers to read online reviews: decision-involvement, product-involvement, social-involvement and economic-involvement motives. The outcomes also demonstrated four different new types of motives: self-involvement motives, consumer-empowerment motives, new social-involvement motives and site-administration motives. Several related themes were also investigated, such as the preference for reading or writing online reviews and the reasons for choosing one over the other. The research tested the relevance of the online reading motives and their influence on consumer buying and communication behaviour. In summary, some theoretical and practical implications are highlighted and discussed.

Online Complaint Communication Strategy: An Integrated Management Framework for e-Businesses

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate public online consumer complaint responses from three different perspectives: the complainer, the company and third party consumers. Consumer complaint behaviour and management has been studied in various streams of literature, yet the subsequent processes triggered by a company complaint response have not been studied so far. In particular, this paper seeks to divert from examining complaint participants in isolation by recognising interrelated communication effects of complaint dialogue and public media. Design/methodology/approach – Looking at credibility perceptions as a theoretical construct for measuring the utility of a complaint as well as attitude-orientation as an evaluative moderator, the paper highlights the ambiguity of meaning transfer in an online complaint forum. Findings – It is hypothesised that credibility and congruence in attitude orientation positively enhance complaint utility perceptions and strongly bias complaint dialogue evaluations. Originality/value – The paper highlights that expected relevant results for online complaint managers and marketers alike are the inclusion of post-complaint communication into corporate image and relationship management as well as using credibility perceptions as a benchmark for online customer satisfaction and potential positive electronic word-of-mouth.

Why do people read reviews posted on consumer-opinion portals?

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a holistic framework of contemporary complaint communication management on the Internet. Specifically, a model for e-businesses strategy is put forward which integrates the communication perspective of online complainers, the company as respondents and observers who follow the complaint dialogue online. In acknowledgement of the active or passive influence of each communication participant on the exchange process, the particular characteristics of online complaint psychology, electronic communication channels and related management systems are reflected within a circular process model that highlights the need for e-managers to develop and implement strategic means to proactively control and respond to negative publicity on the Internet. By distinctively focusing on studies from communication psychology, strategic management, marketing and Information technology that were conducted in an online environment, this chapter aims to address the lack of literary integration with regards to the unique managerial demands posed through online complaint communication paradigms.