Considered Service-specific journals were Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Service Industries Journal, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, and Service Science.
For more information about the alert system methodology go here
For all previous alerts go here
Abney, A. K., M. J. Pelletier, T.-R. S. Ford and A. B. Horky (2017): #IHateYourBrand: adaptive service recovery strategies on Twitter, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.281-294
Purpose Social networks offer consumers the ability to voice their opinions of brands in a real-time, public setting. This represents a unique challenge for firms as brand managers must develop new strategies for properly communicating with consumers, especially in the event of a service failure. The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of various adaptive service recovery strategies via social media, specifically Twitter.Design/methodology/approach Through a series of experimental manipulations, four service recovery strategies are tested alongside two variations of consumer complaint tweets. The service recovery responses vary in their degree of adaptiveness, which have differential impacts on numerous consumer outcome variables.Findings The findings indicate that highly adaptive recoveries responses positively impact consumers’ evaluations of service recovery satisfaction, leading to greater consumer behavioral intentions. Additionally, the type of tweet the consumer sends may further reveal their expectations for adequate service recovery responses.Originality/value This study is the first to empirically test the use of social media platforms in the service failure and recovery context. Although social media is commonly used for such purposes by practitioners, academic research up to this point has predominately focused on social media for generating word-of-mouth. Further, this study seeks to examine how service adaptability is perceived from the customer perspective, as opposed to the more traditional employee viewpoint.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2016-0079 [Google]
Anderson, S. and J. Smith (2017): An empirical examination of the services triangle, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.236-246
Purpose The “services triangle” is a dynamic model in which three interlinked entities (customer, employee and firm) combine to create three dyads [employee-firm (EF), customer-firm (CF) and customer-employee (CE)] that work together to deliver services. This study aims to determine whether significant differences exist vis–vis the impact of EF, CF and CE dyads on the service experience.Design/methodology/approach Empirical evidence from data garnered from 398 surveys was used to test a conceptual model. To test the hypotheses, like-signed first-order dyads were constructed and combined to create second-order dyads, and analysis of variance and post-hoc tests (least significant differences) were used to investigate whether differences among the second-order dyads exist.Findings The analysis reveals the differential impact of the three services triangle dyads on the service experience. Specifically, customers’ perception of EF fit appears to have the greatest impact on customers’ evaluation of the service experience, followed by CF and CE fit.Research limitations/implications The main implication is that this paper extends conceptual research by providing empirical evidence that the EF dyad is the foundation of the services triangle. The limitations are based primarily on methodology, where the use of a survey to collect data rules out the potential generalizations of true cause and effect while also potentially being subject to common method bias.Practical implications Managers should realize that fit within some dyads is more instrumental in determining the service experience than fit within others. A number of managerial implications are proposed and discussed.Originality/value Prior research has neither empirically examined the services triangle nor whether significant differences exists among the impact of its dyads on the service experience. Insights from various literatures, the application of the balance theory and the construction of first- and second-order dyads enables an investigation of the various relational patterns contained in the services triangle.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-12-2015-0369 [Google]
Ballantyne, D. and E. Nilsson (2017): All that is solid melts into air: the servicescape in digital service space, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.226-235
Purpose The emergence of new social media is shifting the market place for business towards virtual market space. In the light of the emerging digital space for new forms of marketing, the traditional servicescape concept is critically examined. This paper aims to show why servicescape concepts and attitudes need to be adapted for digital media.Design/methodology/approach First, the authors explain how the traditional servicescape concept adds meaning to a service provider’s value-proposition by modifying customer expectations and customer experience. Second, recognising that the environment for service is no longer bound to a physical place, the authors discuss the implications of the epistemic shift involved.Findings The authors’ examination shows that digital service space challenges traditional concepts about what constitutes a customer experience and derived value. The authors conceptually “zoom out” into a virtual service eco-system and show with exemplar examples why the servicescape in digital space is more socially embedded and necessarily more fluid in its time-space design. In the more advanced sites, interactions between various artificial bodies (avatars) are co-created by controlling off-line participant-actors; yet, these participant-actors remain strangers to each other at an off-line level. This is entirely a new and radical development of old times.Research limitations/implications The research findings are based on scholarly research of the relevant literature, from practitioner reports, and evidence emerging from the examination of many digital web-sites. It has not been the authors’ intention to objectively represent current servicescape functionalities but more to indicate the major directions of change with exemplar examples. The future cannot be predicted, but their interpretive conclusions suggest major challenges in service marketing and management logic ahead. New forms of digital servicescape are still being created as technology and service imagination enables, so further research interest in virtual atmospherics can be expected.Practical implications Social media platforms are enabling organisations to learn more about their customers and also to engage them more. In these changing times, bricks and mortar stores would be well advised to review their servicescape presence to allow and encourage engagement with the more involved consumers. And, by integrating their digital space into their physical place, bricks and mortar stores might take on more relationship oriented process-like characteristics, both in the digital space and in their physical places, with developments on one platform leading to possible service innovations on the other.Social implications The digital era is changing consumer behaviour. Service managers need to take into account that many customers are already equally as engaged with digital-space social networks as they once were with bricks and mortar stores. The more time consumers as participant-actors spend in social networks, the decision on what and where to buy is decided by interactions with friends and other influencers.Originality/value New forms of digital servicescape are being created as technology and service imagination enables. Further scholarly research interest in virtual atmospherics can be expected, impacting on the authors’ sense of place, and self-identity.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2016-0115 [Google]
Chesney, T., S.-H. Chuah, A. R. Dobele and R. Hoffmann (2017): Information richness and trust in v-commerce: implications for services marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.295-307
Purpose The potential for e-commerce is limited by a trust deficit when traders do not interact in a physical, bricks-and-mortar context. The theory of information richness posits that equivocal interactions, such as ones requiring trust, can be facilitated through communication media that transmit multiple cues interactively. This study aims to examine the potential of information-rich virtual worlds to reduce this trust deficit compared with more traditional Web-based e-tailing environments.Design/methodology/approach Rather than focusing on stated intentions, the authors adopt an experimental approach to measure behaviour. Participants receive performance-related financial incentives to perform trust games in different information-rich treatments that represent three retail environments: a physical environment representing bricks-and-mortar trade, an electronic environment representing Web-based online retailing and a virtual environment representing virtual world retail.Findings The authors find that the two dimensions of trust significantly differ between the treatments. In particular, as hypothesised, both trustingness and trustworthiness are higher in the virtual than in the electronic environment. However, contrary to the hypotheses, physical trade is not associated with greater trust than virtual trade.Research limitations/implications The authors extend previous research by demonstrating how the information richness of the virtual world interface can promote e-commerce by deepening trust between trading partners. This research also complements existing work that approaches product and service interfaces through the lens of servicescapes.Practical implications The findings also contribute towards the development of services marketing practice and the design of e-commerce environments.Originality/value Much of the work in this space considers purchase intentions and attitudes around trust, whereas this study looks at actual trust behaviour in the virtual space.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2015-0099 [Google]
Grönroos, C. (2017): Relationship marketing readiness: theoretical background and measurement directions, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.218-225
Purpose This paper aims to develop the foundation of a model for assessing relationship marketing readiness (RMR) and provide directions for such an assessment.Design/methodology/approach Based on the promise theory and service logic, the importance of the customer–firm touchpoints and interactions to relationship marketing as an equivalent to the product variable in a conventional marketing approach is discussed. Then, a relationship marketing model and an RMR assessment model are developed.Findings The paper suggests an RMR assessment model based on two variables, namely, whether management’s focus is on the customers’ or the firm’s resources and processes and whether it is on the customers’ or the firm’s definition of quality. An indicative list of measurement factors is proposed.Originality/value The paper emphasizes the need to broaden the scope of marketing and offers a novel measurement approach, which both in theory and practice helps the development of relationship marketing understanding.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2017-0056 [Google]
Hollebeek, L. D., B. Juric and W. Tang (2017): Virtual brand community engagement practices: a refined typology and model, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.204-217
Purpose Despite Schau et al.’s (2009) pioneering research addressing consumers’ community engagement practices, scholarly understanding of the nature and dynamics characterizing consumers’ engagement practices in virtual (online) brand communities, and their inter-relationships, is limited to date. Building on these authors’ study, this paper aims to develop a refined typology and process model of virtual brand community engagement practices (VBCEPs).Design/methodology/approach Using the netnographic methodology, the authors analyze 20 luxury handbag community members’ entries posted on the brand’s particular section of The Purse Forum.Findings The authors develop an eight-component VBCEP typology that refines Schau et al.’s (2009) four-component model of brand community engagement practices. The model comprises “greeting”, “regulating”, “assisting”, “celebrating”, “appreciating”, “empathizing”, “mingling” and “ranking”. These practices contribute to and maintain the community’s vision and identity, and strengthen shared community consciousness.Research limitations/implications A key limitation of this research lies in its findings being generated from a single, luxury virtual brand community. Future research may thus wish to validate the VBCEP typology and model across different contexts.Practical implications The authors provide strategic managerial recommendations designed to leverage virtual brand community performance, which center predominantly on the social (altruistic) and achievement-based VBCEP sub-processes.Originality/value The eight-component VBCEP typology refines Schau et al.’s four-component model of brand community engagement practices with particular applicability to virtual brand communities.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2016-0006 [Google]
Korai, B. and N. Souiden (2017): Rethinking functionality and emotions in the service consumption process: the case of funeral services, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.247-264
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the service literature by investigating post-consumption evaluation in the context of unwanted services. In particular, it intends to delineate the main characteristics of funeral services.Design/methodology/approach Given the lack of substantive literature on funeral services, a qualitative exploratory design was used from in-depth interviews with ten managers of funeral services companies in Quebec (Canada).Findings The study shows that compared to other traditional services, funeral services are characterized by their strong emotiveness, non-recurrence, irreversibility, uncommonness, high level of symbolism and personalization and emotion control of the service provider. The study also argues that funeral services quality is strongly dependent on funeral houses’ integrated logistics, proximity and integrity.Practical implications Because of consumers’ lack of competency, funeral companies need to guide and educate consumers about the criteria they should use to evaluate the service quality. Because funeral consumers are strongly emotion-driven at the purchase time, funeral services providers should find the right balance of emotions to express. Thus, more staff training is needed.Originality/value Because funeral services are emotionally challenging and deal with grief and distressed clients, the present study contributes in shedding light on service quality assessment in the funeral industry. Although they have some characteristics of traditional services (intangibility, perishability and variability), funeral services are also different in many ways.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2015-0132 [Google]
Trischler, J., S. J. Pervan and D. R. Scott (2017): Exploring the “black box” of customer co-creation processes, Journal of Services Marketing, 31(3), pp.265-280
Purpose Many firms use customer co-creation practices with the aim of benefiting from their customers’ knowledge, skills and resources. This paper aims to explore co-creation processes which involve users with different background characteristics and motivational drivers.Design/methodology/approach The study builds on an analysis of data from six teams in which users collaborated with in-house professionals for the development of new service concepts. Observations and open-ended questionnaires provided insights into the teams’ development processes. Independent experts rated the generated concepts. The data were analysed using cross-comparison matrices.Findings The findings suggest that the co-creation process and outcomes can be influenced by numerous intra-team factors, including relationship and task conflicts, participation style, team bonding, team identity and cohesiveness and intra-team collaboration. Their occurrence and influence seem to be linked with a specific team composition. A conceptual co-creation process model and six propositions are used to describe the complex relationships between team composition, intra-team factors and key innovation outcomes.Research limitations/implications Research that investigates user involvement in teams needs to consider the complexity of intra-team factors affecting the development process and outcomes. The findings are limited to a specific setting, design task and user sample. Future research should replicate this study in different sectors.Practical implications Key to customer co-creation is the systematic recruitment of users based on their background characteristics and motivational drivers. For instance, the involvement of users with very specific innovation-related benefit expectations can cause conflict, leading to narrowly focused outcomes. This, however, can be mitigated by the form of facilitation and roles adopted by in-house professionals. Understanding intra-team dynamics can allow the firm to assemble and facilitate customer co-creation so that generated outcomes can align with set innovation targets.Originality/value This paper provides original insights into the “black box” of the customer co-creation process and the complex relationship between team composition, intra-team factors and key innovation outcomes.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2016-0120 [Google]
Brun, I., L. Rajaobelina, L. Ricard and B. Berthiaume (2017): Impact of customer experience on loyalty: a multichannel examination, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.317-340
This article examines the relation between the five dimensions of customer experience advocated by Schmitt [1999a. Experiential Marketing.Journal of Marketing Management,15, 53–67] (cognitive, affective, sensory, behavioural and social) and service provider loyalty. The examination focuses on two different channels, namely branch/agency (physical) and online (Web-based). A total of 484 panellists of a large Canadian polling firm self-administered a Web-based questionnaire regarding banking experience. The exercise was subsequently replicated in the tourism sector. Findings demonstrate that the main dimension impacting loyalty is the affective dimension (negative), thereby contributing handsomely to experiential marketing literature since negative emotions are rarely investigated. Findings also reveal that choice of channel exerts a moderating effect on the different dimensions influencing loyalty and that results vary from one sector to another. The multidimensional, multichannel, multisector approach selected for this study substantiates customer experience as complex and context specific. The authors also suggest practical implications and set out avenues of future research.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1322959 [Google]
Kim, J. and C. Lee (2017): Stochastic service life cycle analysis using customer reviews, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.296-316
This study proposes a stochastic service life cycle analysis to gauge where a service is in its life cycle and to give forecasts about its future prospects. We employ customer review data to measure customer-oriented service maturity and use a hidden Markov model to estimate the probability of a service being at a certain stage of its life cycle. Based on this, we also develop three indicators to represent the future prospects of a service’s life cycle progression. The main advantages of the proposed approach lie in its ability to model different shapes of life cycles without any supplementary information and to examine a wide range of services at acceptable levels of time and cost. We believe our method will assist firms in building stage-customised post-launch service strategies. A case study of mobile game services in the Apple App Store is presented.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1316379 [Google]
Martínez-Ruiz, M. P., J. J. Blázquez-Resino and G. Pino (2017): Store attributes leading customer satisfaction with unplanned purchases, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.277-295
Understanding which specific factors of retail stores’ offering affect unplanned buyers’ satisfaction may be of great interest to store managers as they could set ad hoc strategies to target these consumers and establish long-term, profitable relationships with them. Satisfied unplanned buyers could indeed return to the store where they purchased their unplanned item(s) and/or positively talk about it with other customers. Nevertheless, we still know very little about such factors. To close this gap, this research gathered survey data on consumers’ store satisfaction and perceptions of store attributes in Spain during two time periods: in 2008, when the crisis was barely noticed by Spanish consumers, and five years later, when consumers were experiencing this economic situation. The results obtained evidence how grocery retailers can respond to customers’ awareness of the crisis by providing some managerial recommendations for bolstering satisfaction in consumer segments with diverse levels of unplanned buying behavior.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1315409 [Google]
Sabbagh, O., M. N. Ab Rahman, W. R. Ismail and W. M. H. Wan Hussain (2017): The moderation influence of warranty on customer satisfaction’s antecedents: an empirical evidence from automotive dealerships, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.381-407
The purpose of this article is to investigate the differential influence of product quality and service quality on customer satisfaction (CS) along with the interaction role of warranty presence in the context of automotive dealerships. Survey-based research methodology is adopted in which the population are the car owners who perform repair and maintenance jobs in authorized service centres. It is found that the warranty moderation role is supported wherein the relationship between service quality and CS is strengthened by the warranty presence, contrary to the insignificant relationship between product quality and CS influenced by the warranty moderator; besides, the empirical results provide an evidence that the CS value relies on metrics comprising operational measures for service quality and product quality. The outcome of this study contributes to sensitizing the decision makers from manufacturing and service disciplines to the interdependencies and the prerequisite for overall collaborative development. This study presents the first systematic approach that differentiates the influence of product quality and service quality on CS, wherein the warranty service is primarily introduced as a moderator affecting the antecedent relationship in the context of automotive dealerships.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1326483 [Google]
Sundström, E., J. Karlsson and C. Camén (2017): Service innovation as a political process, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.341-362
Service innovation processes are driven by stakeholders in interaction and are understood and sketched as a value negotiation process that consists of an iterative process of securing potential value in service. While previous research has focused on service innovation as a harmonious closed system, our study explores service innovation as a political process in which stakeholders negotiate to create and secure future value. Data are collected through interviews and participant observations in four different case studies. Our study contributes to the field by illuminating service innovation as a political process and explaining how this is operationalized. The findings also contribute to an understanding of how stakeholder resources impact a chosen strategy; the resulting strategy’s impact on the service concept vis–vis its potential value; and how several involved stakeholders formulate, negotiate, and secure future potential value, which are the activities that drive a service innovation process.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1322960 [Google]
Wang, J., M. Zhao and G. Zhao (2017): The impact of customer cognitive competence on online service decision-making: an event-related potentials perspective, Service Industries Journal, 37(5/6), pp.363-380
Customer service online decision-making is subject to the perception of service value based on the interaction between customer cognition and emotion. The study reported in this paper examines the impact of customer cognitive competence on the online service perceived value. Thirty participants were divided into high- and low-cognitive-competence groups based on their responses on the service value perception survey. During the experiment, both groups were shown services that were available for online purchase. Changes in cognitive and emotional late positive potential (LPP) in the occipital and central–parietal region were recorded. In comparison with the customer sacrifice and customer benefit, the service value may elicit greater emotional LPP components in the central–parietal region and shorter cognitive LPPs in the occipital region in the group with high cognitive competence. Our findings present a potential neural mechanism for the impact of consumer cognitive competence on service value perception and decision-making, which may encourage the managers to improve service quality and guide the research of customer behavior and marketing.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2017.1325467 [Google]
Fatma, M. and Z. Rahman (2017): An Integrated Framework to Understand How Consumer-Perceived Ethicality Influences Consumer Hotel Brand Loyalty, Service Science, 9(2), pp.136-146
This study aims to examine the influence of consumer-perceived ethicality of a hotel brand on customer brand loyalty through the customer identification with the brand, considering the mediating role of affective commitment and trust. The findings suggest that when consumers have an ethical perception of a company?s behavior, they tend to be more identified with the hotel brand, which results in favorable judgment of the hotel brand in terms of developing affective attachment to the brand (affective commitment) and willingness to rely on that brand (brand trust). This positive evaluation of a hotel brand results in determining the customer long-term relationship with the brand (brand loyalty). This study aims to contribute to the underresearched area of business ethics and hotel brands by examining the relational perspective of brand loyalty, and characterizes the relationship between consumer-perceived ethicality and brand loyalty through customers? brand identity, brand trust, and affective commitment.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0166 [Google]
Geum, Y., M.-S. Kim and S. Lee (2017): Service Technology: Definition and Characteristics Based on a Patent Database, Service Science, 9(2), pp.147-166
With the rise of service innovation, service is no longer considered peripheral to the business environment, and is increasingly being seen as a core offering to customers. Technology has played a central role in the rise of service innovation, but previous studies on service technology have discussed mostly qualitative approaches. For this reason, the concept of ?a service technology? has not been properly defined based on the large amount of empirical evidence. To address this limitation, we define and characterize service technologies using patents to come up with a consensus and adopt a five-step process that embraces three viewpoints on the notion of service technology: the industry, patent, and technology perspectives. First, service industries are defined based on their International Standard Industrial Classification system categories, as prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division. Second, relevant service patents are extracted from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database for each service industry. Third, the International Patent Classification classes are obtained from these collected patents to investigate the technologies employed in service industries. Fourth, service technologies are defined and classified into six categories based on this patent classification analysis. Finally, the technological concentration and generality characteristics of each technology are analyzed.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0170 [Google]
Heydari, J., T.-M. Choi and S. Radkhah (2017): Pareto Improving Supply Chain Coordination Under a Money-Back Guarantee Service Program, Service Science, 9(2), pp.91-105
Money-back guarantee (MBG) is a well-known service offered by many retailers. Under the MBG policy, a purchased item by a consumer can be returned for a full refund. In this paper, we explore a supply chain (SC) system comprising of one retailer, which offers the money-back guarantee policy and faces a stochastic demand. With a given supply contract offered by the supplier, the retailer makes decisions on the order quantity and the market coverage of the money-back guarantee service. With reference to real-world practices, we examine three models, namely, (1) the traditional wholesale pricing model without the buyback contract, (2) the model with a buyback contract (between the supplier and the retailer) for unsold items, and (3) a dual-buyback (DB) contract model for both unsold and consumer returned items. We find that using the buyback contract alone for unsold items cannot achieve Pareto improving supply chain coordination, whereas the DB contract can. Numerical findings also indicate that the DB contract can lead to an expansion of the money-back guarantee service program to cover more customers. This paper?s findings support the implementation of the DB contract, which is commonly seen in the industry, for efficient supply chain management in the presence of the money-back guarantee service program.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0153 [Google]
Lee, I. C., J.-f. Rachel Lu, C.-W. Fu and C.-I. Teng (2017): Why Can Some Service Employees Provide Service of a Consistently High Quality While Others Cannot?, Service Science, 9(2), pp.167-180
Variation in service quality results in service failure and subsequent customer defection, and thus knowing how to manage such variation is critical for service managers. However, little is known about why, and at which workplaces, some service employees can provide service of a consistently high quality but others cannot. This study addresses this issue using the perspective of signal detection theory. Multiple-source and matched data from 160 nurses and 480 patients were used for the analysis. We found that job tenure was negatively related to variation in all dimensions of service quality. Moreover, control over practice interacts with job tenure and expertise to impact service variation and the average level of all dimensions of service quality. These factors interactively determine whether service employees can provide a consistently high quality of service. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical study addressing this issue by examining viable employee and workplace characteristics. The findings provide a means for service managers to ensure a consistently high level of service quality.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0171 [Google]
Saltzman, R., T. Roeder, J. Lambton, L. Param, B. Frost and R. Fernandes (2017): The Impact of a Discharge Holding Area on the Throughput of a Pediatric Unit, Service Science, 9(2), pp.121-135
Hospital patients often move from one bed to another for both medical and nonmedical reasons. In a highly utilized quaternary inpatient pediatric unit we have studied, bed and nursing resources are stressed not only by frequent movement of patients but also by the unit?s patient discharge policy. We present a discrete-event simulation model for examining how the unit?s efficiency may be improved by a better discharge policy. In particular, we use the base version of the model to investigate the impact of sending various percentages of discharge-ready patients to a discharge holding area where they can safely wait for a few hours until being picked up by their parent or guardian. Doing so frees up inpatient beds, allowing the unit to serve many more pediatric patients per year. In a revised version of the model we quantify the benefits of helping some patients achieve discharge-ready status a few hours earlier than under current operations. In both cases, our cost analysis shows that the unit could realize hundreds of thousands of dollars more per year in net revenue. This argument can be used to help persuade decision makers, who have otherwise been skeptical of the idea of a discharge holding area.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0167 [Google]
Tandon, U., R. Kiran and A. N. Sah (2017): Customer Satisfaction as Mediator Between Website Service Quality and Repurchase Intention: An Emerging Economy Case, Service Science, 9(2), pp.106-120
The purpose of this research is to develop a research model to understand the important dimensions of website service quality and its influence on repurchase intention. The study also analyzes the mediating effect of customer satisfaction on repurchase intention. The results of empirical analysis confirmed that website quality can be conceptualized as a composite of navigation, ease of understanding, information usefulness, website design, ease of use, security and privacy, ease of ordering, and customization. Second, website quality positively affects repurchase intention and customer satisfaction. Third, website service quality can affect repurchase intention by enhancing mediators like customer satisfaction, as it has full mediating effect on repurchase intention. This study has developed the instrument dimensions of website service quality in online shopping context. The study has also refined the scale of repurchase intention by including ?cash-on-delivery? (COD) mode of payment as a new dimension to inculcate confidence for online shopping in emerging economies. The online appendix is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0159.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/serv.2016.0159 [Google]
Anne, S., A. Lynda and D. Judy (2017): Using social media posts as resources for engaging in value co-creation: the case for social media based cause brand communities, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how organisations create focal engagement objects through posts to their social media community members and how the members engage with these posts in ways that potentially co-create value. Of additional interest is the use of platform, tone and language to determine how they potentially facilitate value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach The research method is netnography. Two Australian based cause organisations were selected for the study, and posts were collected from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube platforms used by the communities, as well as likes, clicks, shares and retweets. Data was examined using content and thematic analyses. Findings Findings for the characteristics of the posts, indicate how platforms needs to be member-centric and that post tone and language can be used for engaging members effectively. Four consumer engagement objects were thematically derived from the posts, Events, Social justice and advocacy, Donations and fundraising, and Shout-outs and Thunderclaps. In turn, consumer responses evidenced engagement sub processes of co-developing, acknowledging, rewarding, momentum, encouraging and generosity. The Likes, clicks, shares and retweets assisted in determining the amount of community interactions with posts in the cause brands’ communities. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to the extent it involved two cases As with any cross sectional research, the findings are snapshots of interactions on the two sites over the two week data collection periods. Theoretical implications provide a deeper insights into value co-creation by empirically examining how organisations and their supporters employ and use post resources to co-create value collectively, and how the characteristics of the posts and behavioral interactions potentially facilitates this. Practical implications Managerially, this investigation will assist both commercial brand and cause brand organisations to plan and adapt their social media strategies to enhance supporters? engagement with posts value-creating experiences in this digital environment. Originality/value The study is both original and adds value to the research community. The findings presented provide an insightful conceptual framework to guide future research into this important area of consumer engagement with resources in social media communities leading to potential co-creation of value.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0080 [Google]
Christoph Friedrich, B. and J. B. Roderick (2017): Engagement platforms in the sharing economy: conceptual foundations and research directions, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose This paper aims to identify and delineate research directions that guide future empirical studies exploring how engagement platforms facilitate value cocreation and actor engagement in the context of the sharing economy. Design/methodology/approach We adopt a midrange theorizing approach with service-dominant (S-D) logic as the integrating meta-theoretical perspective to develop a theoretical framework about service platforms, engagement platforms, and actor engagement in information communication technology (ICT) mediated environments. We then contextualize our framework for the sharing economy. Findings We introduce 20 unique research questions to guide future studies related to service ecosystems, engagement platforms, and actor engagement practices in the context of the sharing economy. Research limitations/implications The sharing economy is an emerging phenomenon that is driven by the development and proliferation of engagement platforms. The engagement platform concept therefore provides a novel perspective for exploration of how ICT can be utilized to facilitate value cocreation and engagement amongst interdependent economic actors in a service ecosystem. Practical implications The purpose of this article is to guide future academic research, rather than managerial practice. Future research based on our framework can help guide decision-makers to implement and use engagement platforms more effectively. Originality/value This paper offers new insight into the important intersection of ICT and service research, and guides future studies exploring the role of engagement platforms in the context of the sharing economy.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0071 [Google]
Gauri, L. and K. Ingo Oswald (2017): Value co-creation behaviour—role of embeddedness and outcome considerations, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose The purpose of this article is to identify antecedents and consequences of customers? value co-creation behaviour. Value co-creation behaviour as a means to facilitate value realisation processes is gaining importance in service research and practice. Encouraging such enactments can be challenging, but can also offer competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach We empirically investigate a conceptual model by converging three contemporary concepts of co-creation research?embeddedness, value co-creation behaviour and value-in-context?and examining the interdependencies between them. Data were collected in an online forum of a leading international weight-management firm. Findings Results suggest that customers? embeddedness is a key antecedent of customers? value co-creation behaviour in a service system. The three embeddedness dimensions?structural, relational and cultural?have a differential impact on customers? value co-creation behaviour. Furthermore, findings illustrate that customers? value co-creation behaviour has a significant impact on their object-oriented, self-oriented and brand-oriented social value-in-context outcomes. Research limitations/implications This study contributes by empirically investigating and validating antecedents and consequences of value co-creation behaviour in a service system. In doing so, the study highlights the significance of the nature of customer?s social constellations to develop contexts where value outcomes are actualised. Understanding the factors that shape value co-creation behaviour offers insights for firms to recognise how and where value propositions can be deployed that drives on-going co-creation processes. Originality/value This study is the first empirical research to offer insights into important pre-conditions and subsequent outcomes concurrently to illustrate how customers? value co-creation behaviour can be managed and nurtured for sustainable value co-creation processes within service systems. This research further advances mid-range theorizing and microfoundational perspectives in marketing.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0069 [Google]
Jana Lay-Hwa, B., C. Jodie, D. H. Linda, L.-a. Vilma and S. Birgit Apenes (2017): Engagement valence duality and spillover effects in online brand communities, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose Online brand communities (OBCs) are a fruitful avenue for brands to engage consumers. While engaging with the brand, consumers simultaneously interact with other OBC members; thus engaging with multiple, interrelated engagement objects concurrently. This paper explores both positively and negatively valenced consumer engagement with multiple engagement objects, the interplay between these, and the spillover effect from consumers? engagement with the OBC to their engagement with the brand. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews with OBC members of a luxury accessory brand, a constant comparative method was adopted using axial and selective coding procedures. The objective was to understand the nature of participants? engagement with the brand, the OBC, and the interplay between individuals? engagement with these objects. The coding framework and resultant interpretive frameworks address engagement valence, outcomes, and direction. Findings This study illustrates consumer expressions of consumers? positively and negatively valenced engagement with a focal brand, and with the OBC. Further, it demonstrates the interplay (spillover effect) that occurs between consumers? engagement with the OBC, to their engagement with the brand. While the existence of positively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to further enhance consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement accumulation effect), negatively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to reduce consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement detraction effect). Originality/value While consumer engagement has been recognized to have both positive and negative manifestations, this study demonstrates that consumers? engagement valence may differ across interrelated engagement objects (i.e. the brand and the OBC). Further, we demonstrate the existence of engagement spillover effects from the OBC to the brand for both positively and negatively valenced engagement.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0072 [Google]
Loic Pengtao, L., J. Biljana and J. B. Roderick (2017): Dynamic multi-actor engagement in networks: the case of United Breaks Guitars, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamic process of multi-actor engagement by examining how it evolves and spreads in actor networks. We challenge the dyadic perspective adopted by previous research. Design/methodology/approach An abductive theorizing approach uses a longitudinal case study to develop a theoretical framework of the iterative process of multi-actor engagement. We draw on the contemporary literature on engagement, service-dominant logic and value propositions. Findings The research shows that engagement conditions, via actors? appraisals, lead to engagement properties and result in engagement outcomes as the new conditions for the next iteration. Changes within this multi-actor engagement process lead the network to evolve over time. Research limitations/implications We highlight the importance of adopting a dynamic multi-actor perspective of engagement and provide foundations for further research. The use of longitudinal methods that focus on the groups of actors in the evolving network is a key consideration. Practical implications There is the need to understand and measure the dynamic process of engagement among different groups of actors within networks in the service context. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to explore the dynamics of engagement among multiple actors in the network. This leads to the expansion of Storbacka et al.?s (2016) conceptual work by identifying the iterative nature of the multi-actor engagement process, and new components in the process (i.e. actors? connections, value propositions and engagement outcomes), as well as clarifying existing ones (e.g. engagement properties and actors? appraisals).
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0066 [Google]
Max, S. and P. Carolin (2017): Customer engagement with a service provider and context: an empirical examination, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose Customer engagement is of critical interest to both academics and practitioners. Extant literature focuses primarily on customer engagement with a single focal object, usually brands; this study takes another view to consider customer engagement with multiple focal objects (service provider and context). In addition to testing the relationship of the individual dimensions of engagement with the service provider and engagement with the context, this research elaborates on their drivers, with a particular focus on distinct engagement platforms. Design/methodology/approach A survey captures customer engagement with a service provider and a context in a higher education setting, with 251 responses collected across first- and third-year marketing courses in an Australian, mid-sized university. Findings Engagement with the service provider can drive engagement with the context. In turn, engagement with the service provider can be stimulated through the use of engagement platforms that enable customer-to-service provider interactions. The results show limited effects of customer-to-customer engagement platforms on engagement with the context though. The results are consistent across gender and student grade levels; some differences arise between international and domestic students. Originality/value This unique study broadens understanding of customer engagement with various focal objects and also details the flow of effects, from engagement with a service provider to engagement with the context. This research builds on conceptual discussions of engagement platforms and empirically examines their ability to facilitate affective, cognitive and behavioural engagement.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-03-2016-0057 [Google]
Michael, K., P. Carolin, G. Siggi, K. Ingo Oswald and C. Tom (2017): Usage center – value cocreation in multi-actor usage processes, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose This paper seeks to advance extant theorizing around resource integration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. A usage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw on resources across their individual usage processes to create value. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a conceptual inquiry into the usage center. Findings This paper delineates the notion of a usage center by way of focal and peripheral resource integrators, as well as focal and peripheral resources that form part of interdependent resource usage processes. The conceptual analysis reveals the need for resources to be accessible and shareable to focal and peripheral actors, with rivalry and emergence central factors influencing the actor?s usage processes. Originality/value Responding to recent calls for research developing insights into multi-actor value co-creation, this paper is the first to comprehensively and coherently conceptualize the notion of a usage center. In doing so, we build an important foundation for future theorizing related to the potential emergence of usage centers as well as the cocreation of individual and collective value.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0074 [Google]
Ralf, W. and G. Siggi (2017): Service-dominant orientation, dynamic capabilities and firm performance, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose This study investigates the effects of a firm?s service-dominant orientation on marketing and technological capabilities, and its performance. It outlines how a service-dominant orientation offers guidance for the development and deployment of ordinary capabilities, and indirectly affects performance. Additionally, it delineates how dynamic capabilities affect the impact of a service-dominant orientation on ordinary capabilities. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares structural equation modeling drawing on data from 228 firms serves to assess hypotheses relating service-dominant orientation and dynamic capabilities with firm performance. Findings The results indicate that marketing and technological capabilities fully mediate the relationship between a firm?s service-dominant orientation and firm performance. Furthermore, the positive marginal effect of a firm?s service-dominant orientation on its marketing capabilities increases with the firm displaying a stronger service-dominant orientation. In addition, the positive effect of service-dominant orientation on marketing capabilities reduces the more the firm deploys dynamic capabilities. Research limitations/implications Because of the cross-sectional sample, future studies could adopt longitudinal research designs to explore the impact of a service-dominant orientation on ordinary capabilities and performance, or investigate the applicability of the findings in other contexts. Practical implications The findings imply that implementing a service-dominant orientation can be beneficial for firms. However, because the impact of such an orientation weakens the greater a firm?s dynamic capabilities, managers need to be mindful of this trade-off. Originality/value The study is the first to establish a link between the dynamic capability view, originating from strategy research, and service-dominant logic, stemming from marketing thinking.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0077 [Google]
Wade, J., O. Robyn, J. B. Henry, S. Geoffrey and M. O. B. Ingrid (2017): Customer engagement in CSR: a utility theory model with moderating variables, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, (), pp.
Purpose Both Customer Engagement (CE) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have been linked to customer loyalty. Past studies use Service Dominant Logic and customer value co-creation to explain this relationship. This study applies utility theory to develop and test a new theoretical model based on CSR initiative preference to understand the relationship between customer engagement and customer loyalty to the organisation in a CSR platform. Design/methodology/approach This empirical study uses choice theory in the form of best-worst scaling, and structural equation modelling, to measure the impact of sports club members? choice preferences for a range of CSR initiatives on their intention to engage with the initiative and subsequent loyalty to the club. Findings This study highlights the importance of engaging members in the CSR strategy they prefer as it enhances not only the extra value to the organisation via customer loyalty to the organisation, but also customer engagement with the organisation. Furthermore, the study reveals age and gender impact on the relationship between customer engagement in CSR initiatives and customer loyalty. Originality/value This study extends customer engagement to CSR behaviours and provides empirical evidence for a unique theoretical framework of customer engagement based on utility theory. It also highlights the need to take into account moderating variables such as customer demographics.
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-04-2016-0081 [Google]
