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SADRAC

CENOPHAT

“Driving in the dark” provides a rich illus- great deal of uncertainty when I needed to
DISSERTATION TOPIC tration for my PhD journey. While I was organize focus groups for generating mea-
Customer Relationship passionate about this new journey, I under- surement items for the construct. I was new
Vulnerability – A New Concept estimated the level of uncertainties that lay in Heilbronn and did not know English
In Relationship Marketing
ahead. Hence, I had to adapt and rely on speakers who would be willing and able to
PERIOD OF STAY the DCR community. participate in the study. Hence, I had to
04/2015 – 03/2018, walk out of my comfort zone by engaging
04/2018 – 08/2018 as To understand my struggle with uncertainty, with “strangers” on the GGS campus in an
Postdoctoral Researcher
one needs to refer to my first métier. My attempt to recruit them for the focus groups.
CURRENT POSITION early profession values certainty, predicta- It was difficult, but the silver lining is that
Postdoctoral Researcher at bility, and a decent relationship with the I widened my circle of acquaintances in the
Justus-Liebig University, machines (e.g., computers, fax/printers). process — which contributed positively to
Giessen
As a former computer programmer, I have my social life in Heilbronn. It should be
developed a need for certainty — which noted that the DCR community devoted
made my PhD journey more challenging. valuable resources that helped me deal with
It all started in 2015 when I decided to pro- this uncertainty. Developing a new concept
pose and test a new relationship marketing is a tedious endeavor and requires the
concept. This new concept draws on social application of rigorous analytical techniques.
psychology to explain the customer’s ability The DCR offered me the opportunity to
to maintain relationships. It identifies a acquire skills in qualitative/quantitative
customer segment that is immune to rela- research, which made this journey less
tionship marketing initiatives. The idea was uncertain. In addition, the professors created
to show not only the validity of the concept, a supportive environment that allowed me
but also its merit in the customer relation- to consult them for guidance whenever
ship marketing literature. I felt that the I felt lost along the journey.
development of this new concept was com-
parable with driving a car in the night on Just as headlights allow the driver to see
a dark highway: the headlights allowed me what lies a few meters ahead in the dark,
to see only what lay a few meters ahead. my willingness to adapt and the DCR support
I knew the destination but needed to face allowed me to walk through uncertainty
and overcome uncertainties in order to trusting that the destination was reachable.
reach it. For instance, I was faced with a And I made it.
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