Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
This article addresses the zone of tolerance (ZOT) as a diagnosis tool for managing the quality of information systems' (IS) service delivered to internal customers. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of internal customers' ZOT by considering the frequency of use and skills in IS as explanatory factors. A survey was administered to the internal users of one company's IS department. 276 valid questionnaires were obtained, representing a response rate of 70%. The results show that internal customers have narrow zone of tolerance, which differ according to the users' IS skills and how frequently they use the IS support service; occasional users and skilled users are the least susceptible to heterogeneity in the service delivery. This approach enables IS management to focus on users' expectations, making service delivery more efficient by allocating the resources where they are most needed. Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Abstract
This paper aims to provide a closer look at consumers' attitude toward Facebook advertising by providing a comparison between attitude toward brand posts and ads, a topic that has been disregarded in the extant literature. It also considers the relationship with the users' ad avoidance and electronic word-of-mouth communication. An exploratory quantitative analysis was performed by means of a structured self-administered questionnaire. 385 individuals aged between 18 and 44 participated in the study. The results include evidence on respondents' more favourable attitude toward brand posts than toward Facebook ads. Moreover, ads are considered more annoying by those who spend more time on Facebook. These results help shed the light on how Facebook users handle ads and brand posts, offering some clues for a more effective social media marketing strategy. Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract
The development of relationships by private non-profit organizations (NPOs) with companies is fundamental to their sustainability. However, relational marketing and the definition of fundraising and communication strategies tend to be under-explored, resulting in punctual relationships with donors. This paper proposes to explore ways of developing relationships between NPOs and companies. After a systematization of the main contributions present in the literature, a qualitative and exploratory study was presented, in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 NPO managers with different fields of activity and 16 managers of small, medium and large companies, all with headquarters in the district of Aveiro. The results show that what drives companies to support NPOs are essentially non-material benefits, such as the emotional impact on employees and other stakeholders. There are clear differences between small and large companies, the latter being more prone to formal relations. It was verified, however, that even the occasional supports can be recurrent and repeated, lacking the capacity to protocol the relation. Overall, the data offer interesting clues to NPO staff, namely resulting from a comparison of the different perspectives of the participants.