Search results

The purpose of this paper is to assess the usefulness and efficiency of customer-based measures such as customer satisfaction (CSI) and perceived loyalty for monitoring and enhancing the financial performance in corporations.

General financial data for the empirical modeling is compiled from national and international databases (Alla Bolag, IMF/IFS, Bloomberg, Eurostat, etc.) and company-specific data from the studied corporation. Customer perception data (like CSI and loyalty) are taken from the Extended Performance Satisfaction Index-initiative database (annual observations for the period 2001-2014 and quarterly for 2008-2014). A hierarchy of structural models is devised on a combined time-series and cross-section (panel and multi-level) approach. The results are based on models estimated by Arellano–Bond procedures (Arellano and Bond, 1991).

The core findings are two. First, there is a strong positive relationship between customer-based measures and financial performance. Second, it is effective to regularly monitor CSI as a forward- looking indicator for understanding future financial performance.

Customer-based measures are highly useful as leading indicators of companies’ future performance and should be incorporated even more into corporate decisions.

According to this survey of contemporary research, very little is academically documented for the full-circle from corporate to branch level. Thus, the prevailing study should be of potential value for companies in general.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between customer satisfaction measured as Extended Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI) and the financial performance of the banking sector for seven European countries over the period 2004–2014.

Using panel models, this study finds a significant positive influence of EPSI on banking financial performance at the country level.

Findings suggest that the value of the customer satisfaction index is important in explaining the financial performance of the banking industry at the aggregative country level. The customer satisfaction index measured as EPSI has a strong positive influence on the financial performance of the banking industry for the various North European countries studied. It was shown that EPSI has a positive influence on both total assets and total equity, with a higher relative influence and stronger significance on the total assets of the banking sector than on total equity.

The study contributes to understanding the importance of measuring and maintaining customer satisfaction as a profitability driver in the banking industry, providing new cross-country evidence. It also contributes to the literature focussing on a group of countries that have not previously been studied.

This paper explores the institutional and economic drivers of employability, as existing literature focuses on the individual and skills aspects, of employability. Tertiary institutions, possessing a strong academic reputation and standing amongst potential employers, will achieve high graduate employability, however when measured, this is not the case.

This exploratory study builds on Santos' career boundary theory, recognising organisational boundaries; those related to the labour market, personal-aspects and finally, cultural boundaries (Santos, 2020). 37 Universities that provided their employability rate, within 12 months of graduation for 2020, are analysed. The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Ranking, measures drivers in terms of institutional reputation through survey responses, and partnerships with employers via research and placement data.

The regression explained 19% of the variation between the number of graduates being employed and the institutional and economic drivers. Universities in the same economic context, do not have the same number of employed students. Equally, those universities with the most favourable academic reputation, do not have the most employed student rate.

Only 37 universities provided all their employability data, thus, research with a larger sample will have to be conducted, but equally more needs to be done to establish why the smaller universities are unable to submit all the required data.

An exploratory understanding of the institutional and economic drivers of employability, is provided.