Future service technologies: is service research on track with business reality?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner H. Kunz ◽  
Kristina Heinonen ◽  
Jos G.A.M. Lemmink
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reality Check ◽  
Hype Cycle ◽  
Technology Service ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Concrete Service

Purpose Service technologies are transforming the business landscape rapidly. This paper aims to explore the current scope of research in regard to emerging service technologies by comparing the content of articles in academic journals with practitioner-oriented publication outlets. Design/methodology/approach A total of 5,118 technology-related articles from service journals, service conferences, business journals and business magazines are analyzed. Text-mining on abstracts is used for the thematic and semantic analysis. Common research themes and their relationships are depicted in a two-dimensional structured network. Further, the sample is analyzed regarding various technologies mentioned in the Gartner Hype Cycle. Findings The paper reveals differences in academic and business perspectives in regard to service technologies. In comparison to business journals, scientific service research is more focused on customer-related aspects of technology. Service research has a less concrete focus on technology than in business publications. Still, service conference articles show a broader scope of emerging service technologies than academic journal articles. Research limitations/implications Scientific research should focus on more concrete service technologies. Business magazines serve as a good source for that and the paper identifies several promising new technology fields. Practical implications Although business magazines cover significantly more concrete service technologies, they miss the integrated perspective that academic articles usually offer. Academia can help business to better align concrete technologies with different internal and external perspectives. Originality/value This paper serves as an introduction to the special issue Future Service Technologies. Additionally, a quantitative study of recent service technology research serves as a reality check for academic researchers on business reality and provides research and practical recommendations.

scholarly journals Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical and social realms

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth N. Bolton ◽  
Janet R. McColl-Kennedy ◽  
Lilliemay Cheung ◽  
Andrew Gallan ◽  
Chiara Orsingher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore innovations in customer experience at the intersection of the digital, physical and social realms. It explicitly considers experiences involving new technology-enabled services, such as digital twins and automated social presence (i.e. virtual assistants and service robots).Design/methodology/approachFuture customer experiences are conceptualized within a three-dimensional space – low to high digital density, low to high physical complexity and low to high social presence – yielding eight octants.FindingsThe conceptual framework identifies eight “dualities,” or specific challenges connected with integrating digital, physical and social realms that challenge organizations to create superior customer experiences in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets. The eight dualities are opposing strategic options that organizations must reconcile when co-creating customer experiences under different conditions.Research limitations/implicationsA review of theory demonstrates that little research has been conducted at the intersection of the digital, physical and social realms. Most studies focus on one realm, with occasional reference to another. This paper suggests an agenda for future research and gives examples of fruitful ways to study connections among the three realms rather than in a single realm.Practical implicationsThis paper provides guidance for managers in designing and managing customer experiences that the authors believe will need to be addressed by the year 2050.Social implicationsThis paper discusses important societal issues, such as individual and societal needs for privacy, security and transparency. It sets out potential avenues for service innovation in these areas.Originality/valueThe conceptual framework integrates knowledge about customer experiences in digital, physical and social realms in a new way, with insights for future service research, managers and public policy makers.

Analysis and synthesis of Industry 4.0 research landscape

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniruddha Anil Wagire ◽  
A.P.S. Rathore ◽  
Rakesh Jain
Keyword(s):  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
English Language ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Research Themes

PurposeIn recent years, Industry 4.0 has received immense attention from academic community, practitioners and the governments across nations resulting in explosive growth in the publication of articles, thereby making it imperative to reveal and discern the core research areas and research themes of Industry 4.0 extant literature. The purpose of this paper is to discuss research dynamics and to propose a taxonomy of Industry 4.0 research landscape along with future research directions.Design/methodology/approachA data-driven text mining approach, Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), is used to review and extract knowledge from the large corpus of the 503 abstracts of academic papers published in various journals and conference proceedings. The adopted technique extracts several latent factors that characterise the emerging pattern of research. The cross-loading analysis of high-loaded papers is performed to identify the semantic link between research areas and themes.FindingsLSA results uncover 13 principal research areas and 100 research themes. The study discovers “smart factory” and “new business model” as dominant research areas. A taxonomy is developed which contains five topical areas of Industry 4.0 field.Research limitations/implicationsThe data set developed is based on systematic article refining process which includes the keywords search in selected electronic databases and articles limited to English language only. So, there is a possibility that other related work may not be captured in the data set which may be published in other than examined databases and are in non-English language.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind that has used the LSA technique to reveal research trends in Industry 4.0 domain. This review will be beneficial to scholars and practitioners to understand the diversity and to draw a roadmap of Industry 4.0 research. The taxonomy and outlined future research agenda could help the practitioners and academicians to position their research work.

Assessing service quality in secondary schools: the case of Jordan

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1207-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rateb Sweis ◽  
Hannah Diab ◽  
Firas Izzat Mahmoud Saleh ◽  
Taghrid Suifan ◽  
Samer Eid Dahiyat
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary School Education ◽  
Reality Check ◽  
Focus Group Meeting ◽  
Quality Dimensions

Purpose – Since conducting the literature review revealed that assessing quality in secondary schools has been an unexplored territory, and where most educational service quality research studies have mainly focussed on assessing quality from a student’s perspective in higher education, comes into play with a two-fold objective: first, to identify the quality dimensions most vital to students in a developing country such as Jordan, and then to develop a framework consisting of these dimensions; and second, to investigate the extent of satisfaction of students enrolled into international qualifications in Jordan by measuring the gap between expectations and perceptions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A focus group meeting consisting of experts in the field of secondary school education, specifically in internationally recognized qualifications, was conducted. These expert’s objective input helped develop the framework for assessing quality in secondary schools. Findings – A framework was developed specifically to suit private secondary schools in Jordan with reference to the SERVQUAL model. The resulting questionnaire is intended to be distributed to over 200 students enrolled in an international qualification program among private schools in Jordan. Research limitations/implications – The framework could be considered as a form of reality check for schools supplying school administrations in Jordan with a suitable tool to measure whether they are exceeding their students’ expectations. This framework might not be applicable to public schools in Jordan, since it was customized to be applied in schools who have adopted international qualification(s). Originality/value – This study contributes to quality service research that addresses the context of high schools in a developing Middle-Eastern country.

scholarly journals Twenty-seven years of service research: a literature review and research agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Furrer ◽  
Jie Yu Kerguignas ◽  
Cécile Delcourt ◽  
Dwayne D. Gremler
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Customer Behavior ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Research Questions

Purpose The growing service sector has experienced several revolutions that have transformed the way services are created and delivered. In parallel, services increasingly pique the interest of scholars, resulting in an expanding body of knowledge. Accordingly, it is time to reflect on extant service research, assess its boundaries, and think about its future. This paper aims to consider three research questions: How has service research evolved over the past 27 years? Which articles have most influenced the evolution of service research in the past 27 years? What are the most promising research themes for the future? Design/methodology/approach To answer these questions, the authors analyze the contents of 3,177 service research articles published in ten major academic journals between 1993 and August 2019. Multiple correspondence analysis reveals the evolution of key service research themes and their underlying relationships. Findings The research themes are organized in a growth–share matrix with four quadrants (stars, question marks, cash cows and pets) and also combine into four research clusters (human resource management, organizational behavior and strategy, technology, and operations and customer behavior and marketing). Together with a specified list of influential articles that have shaped the evolution of service research, these insights suggest an agenda for research. Originality/value Acknowledging the vast growth of service research, this study presents an up-to-date picture of the discipline and an agenda to stimulate continued research.

Commentary: future directions of the service discipline

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth N. Bolton
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Discipline ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest some ways that service scholars can shape the future of the service discipline by building knowledge that is useful to businesses, individuals, communities, institutions, society and the bio-environment. Design/methodology/approach This paper explicitly considers how global trends are likely to influence future research challenges in the service discipline. Then, service research priorities are identified by drawing upon the principles of responsible research in business and management (RRBM) (www.rrbm.net). Findings The paper identifies and analyzes many future service challenges arising from socioeconomic, demographic, technology and service systems, environmental and social changes. These changes are categorized as favorable and unfavorable in their effect on the well-being of people, organizations, society and the environment. Research limitations/implications This paper advocates more study of sustainability in service ecosystems, automation and the nature of service work, inclusion, equality and well-being of service workers; service in subsistence markets and the societal implications of new technology and big data. Practical implications The paper provides guidance for service marketers regarding research questions that are important to society and will need to be addressed by the year 2050. It translates the principles of RRBM into useful approaches to service marketing challenges that can be followed by all service researchers. Social implications This paper discusses important societal issues such as individual and societal needs for privacy, security and transparency; the ethical sourcing and treatment of service workers and the impact of service actions on environmental outcomes. Originality/value The conceptual framework integrates knowledge about service research in a new way, with insights for future service researchers, managers and public policymakers.

When service technologies and human experiences intersect

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Scott Rosenbaum ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Technology Service ◽  
Personal Reflections ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to identify future research opportunities that address human–technology service interactions. Design/methodology/approach This editorial is based on the author’s personal reflections and conceptualizations of ideas from past previous research and theory. Findings The authors identify three opportunities for further research on technology and humanity: service technology and social interaction and service technology and societal prosperity. Research limitations/implications Service researchers need to realize that topics such as technology, robots, artificial intelligence are not mutually exclusive from topics that seek to improve the human condition, such as transformative service research. We encourage service researchers to explore how digital technologies in service domains impacts consumers, communities, and even, global humanity. Practical implications Researchers have guidance on areas in which pioneering theoretical and methodological opportunities abound. Originality/value This editorial offers new perspectives on technology and humanity considering the effect of the global pandemic.

scholarly journals Literature review on service quality in hospitality and tourism (1984-2014)

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan K.W. Lai ◽  
Michael Hitchcock ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Tun-Wei Lu
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Quality Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the development of service quality research in hospitality and tourism from 1984 to 2014, to identify research gaps and to suggest directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach This review comprised three steps with the first being the generation of a structural map by using the online pathfinder network (PFNET) to identify potential research themes. The second research step involved an online literature search covering 2,211 academic journal articles to obtain basic information for planning an additional content investigation concerning the research themes. The final step was to investigate the content of the articles published in top-tier journals or frequently cited ones in three different stages (1984-1993, 1994-2003 and 2004-2014) to explore potential research topics. Findings The study identifies 17 research themes that comprise two main research themes, seven sub-stems, six outer-leaves and two little-leaves. The developments of service quality research in each theme are explored. The role of each theme in service quality study is revealed. Finally, this study identifies research opportunities for service quality research within each theme. Practical implications This study demonstrates how to use PFNET to effectively perform a systematic literature review. By referring to previous publications reviewed in this study, researchers can contribute by extending existing theories in their further research on the seventeen themes. Originality/value This study contributes a systematic literature review method by applying an online PFNET approach, provides a well-researched list of references for researchers conducting service quality research and highlights research gaps for researchers who plan to pursue service quality research.

Customer delight during a crisis: understanding delight through the lens of transformative service research

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald C. Barnes ◽  
Jessica Mesmer-Magnus ◽  
Lisa L. Scribner ◽  
Alexandra Krallman ◽  
Rebecca M. Guidice
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Need Fulfillment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Service Experiences

PurposeThe unprecedented dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced firms to re-envision the customer experience and find new ways to ensure positive service encounters. This context has underscored the reality that drivers of customer delight in a “traditional” context are not the same in a crisis context. While research has tended to identify hedonic need fulfillment as key to customer well-being and, ultimately, to invoking customer delight, the majority of studies were conducted in inherently positive contexts, which may limit generalizability to more challenging contexts. Through the combined lens of transformative service research (TSR) and psychological theory on hedonic and eudaimonic human needs, we evaluate the extent to which need fulfillment is the root of customer well-being and that meeting well-being needs ultimately promotes delight. We argue that in crisis contexts, the salience of needs shifts from hedonic to eudaimonic and the extent to which service experiences fulfill eudaimonic needs determines the experience and meaning of delight.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing the critical incident technique, this research surveyed 240 respondents who were asked to explain in detail a time they experienced customer delight during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed their responses according to whether these incidents reflected the salience of hedonic versus eudaimonic need fulfillment.FindingsThe results support the notion that the salience of eudaimonic needs become more pronounced during times of crisis and that service providers are more likely to elicit perceptions of delight when they leverage meeting eudaimonic needs over the hedonic needs that are typically emphasized in traditional service encounters.Originality/valueWe discuss the implications of these findings for integrating the TSR and customer delight literatures to better understand how service experiences that meet salient needs produce customer well-being and delight. Ultimately, we find customer delight can benefit well-being across individual, collective and societal levels.

Investigating consumers’ reluctance to give up local hard drives after adopting the Cloud

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne E. McNeish ◽  
Anthony Francescucci ◽  
Ummaha Hazra
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Cloud Service ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hard Drives ◽  
Content Creation ◽  
Simultaneous Use ◽  
Personal Content

Purpose The next phase of hardware technology development is focused on alternative ways to manage and store consumers’ personal content. However, even consumers who have adopted Cloud-based services have demonstrated a reluctance to move all of their personal content into the Cloud and continue to resist giving up local hard drives. This paper aims to investigate the characteristics of local hard drives and the Cloud that lead to simultaneous use. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses content analysis of online comments and ten depth interviews with simultaneous users of local hard drives and the Cloud. Findings Three factors influence the resistance to giving up local hard drives. Simultaneous users utilize local hard drives as a redundancy system and as a way to ensure the permanence of their digital content. They are unsure of the Cloud’s ability to support their content creation, management and storage activities (task-technology fit). Research limitations/implications Study findings are based on qualitative methods and thus the results cannot be considered conclusive. Practical implications The authors speculate that it is unlikely that Cloud-only will fully replace hard drives until these factors are understood and addressed by information technology developers. Cloud service providers may not be aware of how little that users understand the Cloud. In contrast to their certainty and confidence in local hard drives, simultaneous users are confused as to what the Cloud is and how it functions. This uncertainty exacerbates their risk perception and need for control. Originality/value This is the first study exploring simultaneous use of local hard drives and the Cloud with a view to understanding this behaviour in terms of the relative advantage of the incumbent technology over the new technology.

How do social skills enable nascent entrepreneurs to enact perseverance strategies in the face of challenges? A comparative case study of success and failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadid Lamine ◽  
Sarfraz Mian ◽  
Alain Fayolle
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
New Technology ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of new venture creation. Particularly, reading the entrepreneurial process through the lens of the perseverance strategies model (Van Gelderen, 2012) provided a way to identify and then to assess the impact of the social skills on the overall entrepreneurial perseverance and their combined impact on the performance of NTBF creation process. In doing so, the authors identify the impact of entrepreneurs’ social skills to deal with a series of entrepreneurial problems such as scarcity of resources, uncertainty and ambiguity and consequently their impact on the likelihood of survival for new ventures. The issues that arose mostly reflected the inherent complexity of technology transfer processes, the university and entrepreneurs’ diverging cultures, and the very characteristics of the start-up phase of NTBFs. The findings reveal how social skills impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of NTBF creation. The findings reveal how social skills and perseverance impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Practical implications – The paper has implications for entrepreneurial support mechanisms such as technology business incubators in helping them to improve the efficacy and efficiency of their assistance to entrepreneurs through the development of their skill-sets and perseverance and providing enabling networking. In addition, the research has implications for entrepreneurship education and training. Indeed, there is an urgent need to design and implement courses and programs aiming at developing soft skills in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – In exploring networking and issues of perseverance for nascent entrepreneurs operating in new technology-based sectors, which the authors consider as an under searched area in entrepreneurial literature.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document