An update on customer value: state of the art, revised typology, and research agenda

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 650-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Leroi-Werelds
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Business Practice ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Value Types

Purpose The context of marketing and service research is rapidly changing as a result of advances in academic research and business practice. This has implications for our understanding of customer value. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on customer value given today’s context (including recent advances such as technologies, human contact, collaborative consumption, service ecosystems and transformative service research); to revise Holbrook’s value typology; and to propose a research agenda. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a conceptual approach that is rooted in the service and marketing literature. Findings The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, this paper presents an evolved view on customer value which accounts for recent advances in academic research and business practice. Second, this paper updates Holbrook’s value typology by revising existing value types as well as identifying additional value types; and offers guidelines for measuring and modeling customer value. Third, this paper proposes a research agenda to guide and stimulate future value research. Originality/value This paper provides an update on customer value, which is one of the most fundamental concepts in service and marketing research. This updated perspective has been approved and applauded by Morris B. Holbrook, one of the founding fathers of value research.

scholarly journals Commentary: transformative service research and social marketing – converging pathways to social change

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett ◽  
Raymond P. Fisk ◽  
Mark S. Rosenbaum ◽  
Nadia Zainuddin
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Common Interests

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss two parallel but distinct subfields of marketing that share common interests (enhancing consumers’ lives and improving well-being): social marketing and transformative service research. The authors also suggest a research agenda. Design/methodology/approach The paper offers a conceptual approach and research agenda by comparing and contrasting the two marketing fields of transformative service research and social marketing. Findings Specifically, this paper proposes three opportunities to propel both fields forward: 1) breaking boundaries that inhibit research progress, which includes collaboration between public, private and nonprofit sectors to improve well-being; 2) adopting more customer-oriented approaches that go beyond the organizational and individual levels; and 3) taking a non-linear approach to theory development that innovates and co-creates solutions. Originality/value This paper presents the challenges and structural barriers for two subfields seeking to improve human well-being. This paper is the first to bring these subfields together and propose a way for them to move forward together.

scholarly journals An academic perspective on the entrepreneurship policy agenda: themes, geographies and evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Arenal ◽  
Claudio Feijoo ◽  
Ana Moreno ◽  
Cristina Armuña ◽  
Sergio Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Text Mining ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Entrepreneurship Policy ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Shifts

Purpose Academic research into entrepreneurship policy is particularly interesting due to the increasing relevance of the topic and since knowledge about the evolution of themes in this field is still rather limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the key concepts, topics, trends and shifts that have shaped the entrepreneurship policy research agenda during the period 1990–2016. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses text mining techniques, cluster analysis and complementary bibliographic data to examine the evolution of a corpus of 1,048 academic papers focused on entrepreneurship-related policies and published during the period 1990–2016 in ten relevant journals. In particular, the paper follows a standard text mining workflow: first, as text is unstructured, content requires a set of pre-processing tasks and then a stemming process. Then, the paper examines the most repeated concepts within the corpus, considering the whole period 1990–2016 and also in five-year terms. Finally, the paper conducts a k-means clustering to divide the collection of documents into coherent groups with similar content. The analyses in the paper also include geographical particularities considering three regional sub-corpora, distinguishing those articles authored in the European Union (EU), the USA and South and Eastern Asia, respectively. Findings Results of the analysis show that inclusion, employment and regulation-related papers have largely dominated the research in the field, evolving from an initial classical approach to the relationship between entrepreneurship and employment to a wider, multidisciplinary perspective, including the relevance of management, geographies and narrower topics such as agglomeration economics or internationalisation instead of the previous generic sectorial approaches. The text mining analysis also reveals how entrepreneurship policy research has gained increasing attention and has become both more open, with a growing cooperation among researchers from different affiliations, and more sophisticated, with concepts and themes that moved the research agenda forward, closer to the priorities of policy implementation. Research limitations/implications The paper identifies main trends and research gaps in the field of entrepreneurship policy providing actionable knowledge by presenting the spectrum of both over-explored and understudied research themes in the field. In practical terms the results of the text mining analysis can be interpreted as a compass to navigate the entrepreneurship policy research agenda. Practical implications The paper presents the heterogeneity of topics under research in the field, reinforcing the concept of entrepreneurship as a multidisciplinary and dynamic domain. Therefore, the definition and adoption of a certain policy agenda in entrepreneurship should consider multiple aspects (needs, objectives, stakeholders, expected outputs, etc.) to be comprehensive and aligned with its complexity. In addition, the paper shows how text mining techniques could be used to map the research activity in a particular field, contributing to the challenge of linking research and policy. Originality/value The exploratory nature of text mining allows us to obtain new knowledge and reveals hidden patterns from large quantities of documents/text data, representing an opportunity to complement other qualitative reviews. In this sense, the main value of this paper is not to advise on the future configuration of entrepreneurship policy as a research topic, but to unwrap the past by unveiling how key themes of the entrepreneurship policy research agenda have emerged, evolved and/or declined over time as a foundation on which to build further developments.

Drivers, types and value outcomes of customer-to-customer interaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 710-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen ◽  
Elina Jaakkola ◽  
Irina Neganova
Keyword(s):  
Customer Value ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Customer Interaction ◽  
Interaction Research ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeCustomer-to-customer (C2C) interaction plays a significant role in service. The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers that motivate customers to interact with other customers, the interactions through which customers affect other customers and the value outcomes of C2C interactions for the participants.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a systematic literature review of C2C interactions. The authors analyzed 142 peer-reviewed articles to synthesize existing knowledge about C2C interactions. A generic value framework is used to categorize earlier research and reveal areas for further research.FindingsThe main outcome of this study is an integrative framework of C2C interaction that bridges C2C interactions and customer value. The findings indicate customer-, firm- and situation-induced drivers of C2C interactions. Outcome- and process-focused C2C interactions are identified to result in functional, emotional and social value outcomes. Avenues for additional research to explore issues related to current technology-saturated service settings are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes an agenda for future research to extend the C2C interaction research domain and explore how such interactions create value for the customer. The role of the service provider is not explicitly addressed but is an important area for further research.Practical implicationsCompanies can use the framework to understand how they can become involved in and support beneficial C2C interaction.Originality/valueThis paper reviews empirical studies on C2C interaction, offering a systematic review of C2C interaction and producing an integrative framework of C2C interaction. It identifies a research agenda based on the framework and on topical issues within service research and practice.

Engagement platforms in the sharing economy

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph F. Breidbach ◽  
Roderick J. Brodie
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Service Ecosystem

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and delineate research directions that guide future empirical studies exploring how engagement platforms facilitate value co-creation and actor engagement in the context of the sharing economy. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt a midrange theorizing approach with service-dominant 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. The authors then contextualize the framework for the sharing economy. Findings The authors 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 co-creation and engagement amongst interdependent economic actors in a service ecosystem. Practical implications The purpose of this paper is to guide future academic research, rather than managerial practice. Future research based on the 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.

scholarly journals How do innovators stay innovative? A longitudinal case analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Tuzovic ◽  
Jochen Wirtz ◽  
Loizos Heracleous
Keyword(s):  
Customer Value ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Foundations

Purpose How can some companies be the innovation leader in their industry over prolonged periods of time, whereas others cannot? The purpose of this study is to understand a firm’s capability to be a successful serial innovator and to generate a constant stream of industry-leading innovations. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a longitudinal case study approach to gain an understanding of what and how Singapore Airlines sustained service innovation for over 30 years. The study uses triangulation, whereby the core data from in-depth interviews with senior and middle management and frontline employees were complemented with academic research, case studies, annual reports, observations and archival documents. In total, 240 single-spaced pages of interview transcripts with over 130,000 words were analyzed and coded using MAXQDA for identifying repeated patterns of meaning. Findings The authors identified three key institutional foundations for service innovation: innovation climate (i.e. leadership and service culture), human capital (i.e. recruitment, training and development and engagement and incentives) and resource configurations (i.e. systems, structure and processes). These foundations enabled the organization to build the following four service innovation-related dynamic capabilities: embrace ambidexterity, institutionalize learning and knowledge integration, orchestrate collaboration and reinvent customer value. Interestingly, these institutional foundations and capabilities remained largely stable across 30 years; what changed were the contexts and specifics, not the foundations and capabilities. Research limitations/implications Data were collected only from one company. Because of the method of thematic analysis, the generalizability of the findings needs further investigation. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the drivers of industry-leading sustained service innovation over a prolonged period of time. The proposed framework provides a fuller and more integrated picture of sustained service innovation than past cross-sectional studies.

The business-to-business inside sales force: roles, configurations and research agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Sleep ◽  
Andrea L. Dixon ◽  
Thomas DeCarlo ◽  
Son K. Lam
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sales Forces ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose This study aims to explore the changing nature of the inside sales role and the individual capabilities required for success. Additionally, it examines the influence of organizational structure on inside sales force capabilities. Although business-to-business firms are investing heavily in inside sales forces, academic research lags behind this evolution. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-study qualitative approach, the authors examine contemporary inside sales forces’ responsibilities and operational configurations. Study 1 uses a cross-industry sample of sales leaders and professionals to examine roles and responsibilities. Study 2 used the second sample of sales leaders and professionals to explore the impact of various organizational configurations. Findings The study identifies important differences between inside and outside salespeople in terms of job demands and resources; inside salespeople’s greater reliance on sales technology and analytics than outside counterparts; and existing control systems’ failure to provide resources and incentives to match with inside salespeople’s increasing strategic benefits and job demands. The study also explores four distinct inside–outside configurations. The differences among these configurations help to explain the distinct benefits and costs of each configuration regarding the company, customer and intra sales force processes, which, in turn, determine inside salespeople’s strategic benefits and job demands. Research limitations/implications The authors discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for research on the evolving roles and capabilities of the inside sales force; antecedents and consequences of firms’ choice of inside–outside sales force configurations; and the impact of technology and the inside sales force. They propose a research agenda that includes a series of specific future research questions. Practical implications This study informs managers of the unique role of the inside sales force and how it differs from their outside counterpart. The results inform managers of the issues inherent to various inside sales configurations, helping them determine, which configuration best addresses their customers’ needs. Originality/value This research provides a detailed, updated account of the differences between inside and outside sales forces and the benefits/costs of major inside–outside sales force configurations. Drawing from job demands-resources, organizational structure and strategy-context fit theories, the authors develop research propositions about the underlying structural differences of inside-outside sales force configurations; how these differences drive the inside sales force’s increasing strategic benefits and job demands; and organizational choice of inside sales force configurations. A research agenda is then presented.

Viewpoint: service research priorities – bridging the academic and practitioner perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerzan Aksoy ◽  
Loïc Guilloux ◽  
Hélène Duneigre ◽  
Sikaar Keita
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Main Ideas ◽  
Two Sides

Purpose As an interdisciplinary and applied discipline, managerial relevance has always been at the forefront of service research. This viewpoint article synthesizes the main ideas presented in one of the 10th SERVSIG conference panels by three practitioners about what they view as the biggest opportunities/challenges they face and two journal editors on current academic research priorities. The purpose of this study is to use this panel as a starting point to bridge more closely the world of academia with practice and propose a collection of recommendations toward this goal. Design/methodology/approach This study synthesizes the academic and practitioner viewpoints presented and research conducted into research priorities. Findings Although there is significant overlap in what is deemed important by the presenting academics and practitioners, there are some important differences when it comes to issues deemed important, how they are articulated and the language that is used. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature and practitioner community by summarizing the viewpoints of the two sides and curating a collection of existing approaches and new recommendations to more closely bridge academic and practitioner perspectives.

Viewpoint: conveying managerial relevance into service research

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Phil Klaus
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Funding Opportunities ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to propose opportunities on how service research scholars can overcome the challenge of designing, delivering and disseminating managerial relevant studies. The proposed tactics will assist researchers and the community in general to resolve the pressing issues of both, the disconnection between theory formulation and verification and the divide between pursuing theoretical advances versus managerial usefulness. Design/methodology/approach Building on insights deriving from academic research, managerial publications and managerial feedback, the paper explores how to turn the challenges of developing managerial relevant research into opportunities. Findings Using communication research insights, the paper submits that, contrary to common belief, conducting managerial relevant research is not necessarily the main challenge for service researchers. The author identifies the main communications challenges according to three stages, designing, delivering and disseminating research with managerial relevance to the business community, leading to the phenomenon labeled as “lost before, and in translation.” Research limitations/implications This paper highlights the developments leading to service research’s lack of managerial relevance perception. Using these insights, the author develops detailed chronological strategies and tactics how to change these perceptions into more favorable ones by designing, delivering and communicating research’s benefits of the research in a better, more efficient and impactful fashion, catered to the managerial audience. Practical implications The strategies and tactics outline build a practical “how-to” foundation for researcher to develop managerial relevant research, increase their publication chances and tap into new networks, data collection and funding opportunities. Originality/value This is the, to the author’s knowledge, first study to shed new light on the challenge of conducting managerial relevant research by not challenging the notion of relevance, but the way relevance is communicated, disseminated and originated.

Frontline Service Technology infusion: conceptual archetypes and future research directions

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne De Keyser ◽  
Sarah Köcher ◽  
Linda Alkire (née Nasr) ◽  
Cédric Verbeeck ◽  
Jay Kandampully
Keyword(s):  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Conversational Agents ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Frontline Service

PurposeSmart technologies and connected objects are rapidly changing the organizational frontline. Yet, our understanding of how these technologies infuse service encounters remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to update existing classifications of Frontline Service Technology (FST) infusion. Moreover, the authors discuss three promising smart and connected technologies – conversational agents, extended reality (XR) and blockchain technology – and their respective implications for customers, frontline employees and service organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a conceptual approach integrating existing work on FST infusion with artificial intelligence, robotics, XR and blockchain literature, while also building on insights gathered through expert interviews and focus group conversations with members of two service research centers.FindingsThe authors define FST and propose a set of FST infusion archetypes at the organizational frontline. Additionally, the authors develop future research directions focused on understanding how conversational agents, XR and blockchain technology will impact service.Originality/valueThis paper updates and extends existing classifications of FST, while paving the road for further work on FST infusion.

scholarly journals Diamond in the rough? An “empty review” of research into “neurodiversity” and a road map for developing the inclusion agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Doyle ◽  
Almuth McDowall
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Disability Accommodation ◽  
Disability Employment

PurposeThe aims of the paper were to highlight the dearth of applied practitioner research concerning the expression of neurodiversity at work and develop an epistemological framework for a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachA systematic empty review protocol was employed, with three a priori research questions, inquiring as to the extent of neurodiversity research within mainstream work psychology, psychology in general and lastly within cross-disciplinary academic research. The results of the final search were quality checked and categorized to illustrate where studies relevant to practice are currently located.FindingsThe academic literature was found to be lacking in contextualized, practical advice for employers or employees. The location and foci of extracted studies highlighted a growing science-practitioner gap.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused on common neurominority conditions such as autism and dyslexia; it is acknowledged that the neurodiversity definition itself is broader and more anthropological in nature. A need for a comprehensive research agenda is articulated, and research questions and frameworks are proposed.Practical implicationsGuidance is given on applying disability accommodation to both individual and organizational targets.Social implicationsThe disability employment gap is unchanged since legislation was introduced. The neurodiversity concept is no longer new, and it is time for multi-disciplinary collaborations across science and practice to address the questions raised in this paper.Originality/valueThis paper offers an original analysis of the neurodiversity paradox, combining systematic inquiry with a narrative synthesis of the extant literature. The conceptual clarification offers clear directions for researchers and practitioners.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document