A decision model for efficient service design in the sharing economy: a service triad perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Maruf Hossan Chowdhury ◽  
Shahriar Sajib ◽  
Moira Scerri ◽  
Eijaz Ahmed Khan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Decision Model ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Optimal Strategies ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enhance Efficiency ◽  
Over Time

PurposeSharing economy-based service platforms are a relatively new way of delivering services that have received increasing attention from both practitioners and researchers. However, current research in the area is still developing in terms of offering practical insight in conjunction with a decision model that may help to determine optimal strategies for efficient service design in the sharing economy from a service triad perspective. Exploring this gap in the literature, this paper aims to develop and apply a decision model that enables managers to identify and prioritise the efficiency attributes of sharing economy-based services. It also aids in designing optimal strategies to enhance efficiency over time based on the insights obtained from users (buyers and sellers) and platform providers.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative approach comprised an extensive literature review followed by in-depth interviews, and the quantitative approach adopted the quality function deployment (QFD) integrated optimisation technique to design and prioritise the most optimal strategy emanating from the application of a decision model.FindingsThe findings revealed that establishing global distribution, continued technological research and development (R&D) and enhancing the transactional platform are the most important strategies in the context of sharing economy platform providers (e.g. accommodation-based-platform service providers). This study also revealed that as the importance weights of the efficiency attributes changed over time, so too did the portfolio of strategies used to attain an optimal efficiency level.Originality/valueThe decision model brings a richer conceptual understanding of the dynamic changes over time that occur in the business ecosystem. It also allows managers of sharing economy-based platforms to select optimal strategies and make astute decisions towards achieving efficient service design.

An empirical investigation of tourist’s choice of service delivery options

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1892-1913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Kumar Kaushik ◽  
Zillur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Technology Readiness ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Delivery Options

Purpose This paper aims to offer and examine a conceptual model of tourist innovativeness toward self-service technologies (SSTs) to confirm whether tourists prefer service delivery by SSTs over employees in an offline hospitality environment. Design/methodology/approach Tourists’ perceived usefulness (PU) of SSTs and need for interaction (NI) with service employees have been taken as crucial mediating variables to examine the effects of perceived ease of use and technology readiness index personality dimensions toward SST and employee-based service adoption. Findings Findings reveal that both “NI” and “PU” play significant roles in Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) when tourists select one of two service delivery options – SSTs and service employees. Research limitations/implications The foremost limitation of the study is its dependence on domestic tourist samples. However, such samples were chosen because tourists comprising these samples tend to use similar service delivery options more, in turn increasing their use of SSTs available in sample hotels. Practical implications The study gives a deeper understanding of TRAM with an extremely crucial mediating variable (NI) in an offline service context. It also provides useful insights to service providers and policy makers for developing new strategies and policies to enhance user experience. Social implications This study recommends the usage of numerous SSTs by tourists. Originality/value During extensive literature review carried out in this research, no study was found that proposed such an effective framework in an offline service context.

Last-mile logistics in the sharing economy: sustainability paradoxes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Btissam Moncef ◽  
Marlène Monnet Dupuy
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Food Delivery ◽  
Logistics Management ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Last Mile Delivery

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by focusing on logistics management in last-mile logistics.Design/methodology/approachIn this exploratory study, a total of 10 case studies were conducted in three categories of companies: anti-waste platforms, food delivery platforms and bicycle delivery companies. Twenty-seven face-to-face interviews with founders and/or managers and contractors (couriers, logistics service providers or volunteers) were the primary source of data collection. The heterogeneity of the sample enabled the authors to build an understanding of sustainability paradoxes in the logistics of sharing economy initiatives.FindingsThe findings indicate how logistics management impacts the sustainability of sharing economy initiatives in last-mile delivery. The authors identify seven paradoxical tensions (five of them social) generated by the contradictions between the organizations' promised environmental and social values and the impacts of their operations.Research limitations/implicationsThis exploratory research is based on a qualitative study of 10 cases and 27 interviews from heterogeneous samples; further empirical research is needed to ensure generalization.Practical implicationsThe paper increases the understanding of environmental and social paradoxical tensions and awareness of logistics challenges.Social implicationsThe paper helps identify ways to reconcile promised values and impacts generated by sharing economy initiatives while managing last-mile delivery.Originality/valueThe results enrich the literature about the paradoxes in sharing economy initiatives by providing illustrations in last-mile logistics and exposing the underlying challenges for sharing economy logistics actors.

Case study of sustainable service design in the hospitality industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-An Chen ◽  
Chun Liang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Understanding

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how creative-cultural hotels can achieve sustainable service design through the development of a holistic conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach The authors created this framework using a qualitative exploratory multi-case study of four creative-cultural hotels in Taiwan. The framework comprises strategic, organizational and interface levels to describe the design process and implementation of service offerings that co-create value within a multifaceted network of actors. Findings The findings of this study show that incorporating local arts and culture into sustainable service design can generate unique value and experiences for customers. From the perspective of sustainable development, these hotels seek to add value by using local creative and cultural resources to ensure that they have a sound commercial base from which to showcase their cultural features. As such, this study recommends that the hotel industry shift its focus to a paradigm that provides a strategic and sustainability-framed vision to create value for society while protecting local natural and cultural resources. Originality/value This multilevel model reframes the development of customer value constellations through a holistic understanding of user experience, eco-design practice, service encounters aligned with user touchpoints and front-line employee capabilities. To integrate the perspectives of both service providers and their customers, the proposed model embeds these stakeholders within a single model through the vehicle of local value co-creation. This holistic framework can assist in designing sustainable service within the hospitality industry to deliver better services and customer experiences. The findings provide an illustration of how the proposed multilevel sustainable-development-oriented service design framework can serve as a useful tool in guiding hotels toward corporate sustainability.

Mapping the customer centric weather index insurance service design using quality function deployment

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Singh ◽  
Gaurav Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Index Insurance ◽  
Importance Rating ◽  
Customer Requirements ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Quality Function ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weather Index Insurance ◽  
Design Requirements

PurposeThe present paper aims to propose a framework on weather index insurance (WII) service design by using quality function deployment (QFD).Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes QFD technique to propose a customer oriented framework on WII service design. In initial phase, customer and design requirements were gathered to derive the relationship between customers' and managers' voice for construct the house of quality (HOQ). Later on, prioritized customer and design requirements as QFD outcome were utilized to develop the action plan matrix in order to suggest the future action plans.FindingsThis study proposed a customer centric framework on WII service design to address the customer requirements. Findings show that adequate claim payments, hassle free prompt claim payment and transparency in losses computation are prioritized customer requirements with highest importance rating, whereas, accurate claim estimation, claim management system and advancement of technology are prioritized service design necessities with highest importance rating.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed WII service design can enhance the quality of WII service by attain the higher standards of WII service in order to completely satisfy the customers.Practical implicationsThe proposed WII service design can provide a solution to the problems faced by WII industry by improve the customer's service experience and satisfaction.Originality/valueBased on best of author's knowledge, this paper first proposed a framework on WII service design by integrating customer and design requirements by using QFD.

Energy efficiency in logistics through service modularity: the case of household waste

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Wehner ◽  
Ceren Altuntas Vural ◽  
Árni Halldórsson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Household Waste ◽  
Waste Collection ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
Logistics Services

PurposeService modularity promotes efficiency at the provider end of the supply chain and customisation at the customer end. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how logistics service modularity contributes to sustainable development through the means of energy efficiency. This is analysed in the context of logistics services for household waste collection.Design/methodology/approachA single case study methodology with embedded units is adopted where semi-structured interviews were conducted with a waste service provider (WSP) and buyers (municipalities) in Sweden, focussing on five types of logistics services for waste collection: collection of food and residual waste at apartments and one-family houses, as well as collection of gardening waste. Service modules are identified and analysed by blueprinting the service.FindingsThe findings show different service modules – standardised or customised – and their contribution to sustainable development operationalised through energy efficiency. Principles for an energy-centric service design are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to Swedish household waste collection setting. Promising efficiency through standardisation, logistics service modularity has a potential to improve energy efficiency as well. This neglected link between sustainability and service modularity offers fruitful research avenues.Practical implicationsThis research is of practical relevance to waste logistics service providers and the municipality by suggesting principles for energy-centric service design. The service blueprint enables using logistics service modularity for improving energy efficiency in different logistics service settings.Originality/valueThis research incorporates an environmentally sustainable development perspective into logistics service modularity and contributes to the literature by exploring how energy efficiency is improved by modular design of logistics services. Furthermore, the study is one of the first to use service blueprinting to analyse logistics service modularity, providing a methodological contribution to that field in general and logistics in particular.

Customer contact in a digital world

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1061-1069
Author(s):  
Scott E. Sampson ◽  
Richard B. Chase
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Operating Efficiency ◽  
Customer Contact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Front Office ◽  
Back Office

PurposeThe customer contact approach to service has been at the core of service theory since the 1970s. It suggests that the potential operating efficiency of a service is inversely related to the extent of customer contact with the provider's operations and that various service design issues are dictated by the presence or absence of customer contact. The purpose of this article is to reevaluate the customer contact approach in light of advanced digital technologies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors review the origins and history of the customer contact approach and show ways it has been refined in research literature. From that they demonstrate how the refined approach can be applied to contemporary conditions.FindingsRecent advances in digital technologies have indeed required us to revise our conceptualization of customer contact. There is now a blurring between front-office and back-office operations. Emerging technologies are allowing customers to have high-contact experiences with low-contact efficiencies.Research limitations/implicationsGoing forward, conceptualizations of customer contact are becoming increasingly complex and requiring increasingly complex models. Armed with self-service technologies, customers are able to permeate the “buffered core” of service businesses. Artificial intelligence and anthropomorphic devices have further blurred the distinction between front-office and back-office operations. Research will need to consider new forms of technology-enabled customer contact.Practical implicationsCustomer contact is no longer limited to interpersonal interactions and the relationships between service providers and customers are increasingly complex. Customers may interact with automated service providers, or service providers may interact with customer technologies. New forms of customer contact may not involve humans at all, but instead involve technologies interacting with technologies.Originality/valueThe customer contact approach to service was one of the original models of service design. By revisiting and revising the model we bring it in-line with the realities of the contemporary service economy.

scholarly journals Factors influencing trust and behavioral intention to use Airbnb service innovation in three ASEAN countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-188
Author(s):  
Evelyn Lim Chua ◽  
Jason Lim Chiu ◽  
Candy Lim Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Social Influence ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioral Intention To Use

Purpose The sharing economy is described as a community marketplace, particularly home sharing such as Airbnb, which is more prevalent. Airbnb changed the way renters and tourists find places to stay when they are traveling. The company introduced innovations in business models and technologies. So, Airbnb requires specific factors that will influence consumers’ trust because consumers intuitively seek out trusting factors to make judgments on innovative service providers. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand the factors that influence travelers’ trust to use Airbnb within the three ASEAN nations. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from both qualitative and quantitative methods. The questionnaire was the main data-gathering instrument used in this study and supplemented by informal interviews. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to 130 Airbnb users from the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore using Hayes’ Process Macro as the statistical tool. Findings The correlation test was carried out to determine the strength and relationships among the independent, mediating and dependent variables. All independent variables are positively correlated with the mediating variable. The results reveal that ease of use, convenience, information social influence, normative social influence and security have a significant impact on trust and behavioral intention to use Airbnb. Originality/value This study contributes to the field of sharing economy, particularly home sharing, by examining different factors that influence trust and behavioral intention. This study focused on the case of Southeast Asian consumers, so this study is useful for marketing practitioners to enhance their marketing strategies in catering to this segment of the market.

Externalities of development of the sharing economy in tourism cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-157
Author(s):  
Daria Elżbieta Jaremen ◽  
Elżbieta Nawrocka ◽  
Michał Żemła
Keyword(s):  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Real Estate Market ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Procedure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to identify the state-of-the-art of scientific research on externalities generated in cities by the sharing economy in tourism (SET) based on an extensive literature review. Design/methodology/approach This review detected benefits and costs of the SET in cities development described in the literature using the economic externalities theory approach. The SALSA (Search, AppraisaL, Synthesis and Analysis) research procedure was used to collect relevant academic articles. For findings, the qualitative and quantitative content analysis combined to make a critical analysis of selected papers was conducted. Findings Thirty articles devoted to the impact of the SET in cities were identified. Five topics that gained researchers’ attention were recognized: real estate market; transportation; quality of life and gentrification; entrepreneurship and innovativeness of citizens; and local budgets’ incomes. The studies that present externalities of development of the SET in a more complex way are extremely rare. Research limitations/implications Research limitations are related to the methods used. The subjectivism of the research is a limitation to possibilities to achieve similar results when analyzing the same set of papers by different researchers. The results then are not to be generalized. Practical implications The research reveals a list of problems with externalities of the development of the SET in tourism destinations. Those problems are to be solved by policymakers in cities. Originality/value This study identified the gaps of previous research on the impacts of the SET on cities’ development. The paper presented an original conceptualization of future research.

Halal logistics opportunities and challenges

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhaiza Zailani ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Azmin Azliza Aziz ◽  
Kanagi Kanapathy
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Future Market ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Transportation Sector ◽  
Logistics Service Providers ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to investigate the challenges and opportunities for logistics companies in Malaysia to adopt halal logistics. Logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal food through proper transportation, storage and handling along the supply chain until it reaches its final destination. Design/methodology/approach This research builds on existing research published in the Journal of Islamic Marketing on halal logistics. In addition to an extensive literature review, five focus group discussions were conducted to discover the challenges and opportunities with regards to halal logistics services in Malaysia. Findings The results show that the future market demands and the competitive opportunities related to halal services are the main motivators of first movers in halal logistics. The early adopters of halal logistics face several challenges such as ambiguous halal guidelines, lack of international halal certification, lack of collaboration among governing agencies (i.e. logistics service providers (LSPs), Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Industry Development Corporation), a lack of cost-effective standards, an overly competitive transportation sector, lack of demand, lack of halal logistics compulsion, financial challenges and a general misunderstanding of halal practices. Practical implications The findings of the present study may help government policy makers recognise the issues that should be addressed in motivating logistics companies to adopt halal practices. Originality/value Although halal logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal products, there are few halal LSPs. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities of adopting halal logistics.

The role of employee empowerment in the implementation of continuous improvement

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1563-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Kathrin Hirzel ◽  
Michael Leyer ◽  
Jürgen Moormann
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Structural Empowerment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of increasing employees’ level of continuous improvement (CI) empowerment, i.e. employees’ knowledge and understanding of CI, the possibility of open communication and support from the work environment regarding CI, in the implementation of CI over time. Design/methodology/approach Based on the theory of structural empowerment, the authors test the research question using evidence from a case study in a European financial services provider. Data are gathered with questionnaires on a team level and cover a period of 2.5 years including 780 participants. Findings The findings show that after conducting a CI programme in the case, there is a significant increase in employees’ CI empowerment over time, which has a positive but time-lagged relationship with the level of CI implementation. Research limitations/implications Implications are that CI empowerment can be created sustainably and is an important factor in establishing CI in a company, but that it takes time until empowerment leads to changes in behaviour. However, it has to be considered that these implications are solely derived from empirical results from a single company. Practical implications Financial service providers should invest in establishing CI empowerment and consider a delay in realising measurable benefits in terms of the level of CI implementation. Originality/value This paper is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between employee CI empowerment and the implementation of CI from a longitudinal perspective.

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