The effect of encounter factor at the duration ofcreating co-creation

Marketing thought and practices, rapid changes in consumer needs and consumer behavior, technological developments and facilitation of information accessibility together lead to a reconsideration of conventional marketing practices. At the same time, consumers have recently become reluctant to stay passive in their involvement with products or services, hence a new approach has been introduced, called co-creation, regarding their role in new product development. Co-creation, i.e. a new design method -with the user for the user- has been defined as an alternative and collaborative approach that brings consumers together with the producers. In this study, the effects of co-creation, which is itself still developing conceptually, is examined by taking a perspective in terms of its popularity and importance over time. Within the scope of this research, eighty-three studenta were examined using questionnaires applied at the beginning and at the end of the academic semester and the results were then analyzed. Results indicate a positive effect through the co-creation process, even though consumers' operant resources do not increase significantly. It is also observed that there is no effect of the number of courses taken in this process, while the influence of the faculty member - student relationship is found to be significant. In addition, it is observed that the variable "number of courses taken", which is considered as a moderating variable, does not have the effect of changing the main effect which is mentioned above. Keywords: Co-Creation, Encounter, Operant Resources, Relationship Marketing, Service Provider – Consumer Relationship