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.

Can the marketing innovation of purpose branding make brands meaningful and relevant?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajith Narayanan ◽  
Jyoti Ranjan Das
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Innovation ◽  
The World ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Media Group

Purpose Purpose branding is a concept that has gained momentum in recent years. It is a marketing innovation that has the potential to change why and how companies work. Still, academic research on purpose branding is scarce. This paper aims to increase awareness about purpose branding and showcase how it can be implemented successfully through account of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). Design/methodology/approach The study is based on qualitative research and case analysis of HUL by examining its published reports, its parent company’s trade publications, press articles and relevant studies in indexed journals. Findings Purpose branding is a marketing innovation that delivers increased value to all stakeholders. The account of HUL reveals that purpose branding reaps economic rewards for the organization. Practical implications A study by Havas Media group involving 300,000 customers across 33 countries found that the customers would not care if 74% of brands in the world disappeared. In such a context, purpose branding provides a way to make the brand meaningful and play a worthy role in consumers’ lives. HUL’s brands that used this approach grew by 69% and accounted for 75% of its overall growth, showing how other organizations can imbibe it into their brands. Originality/value Despite many trade publications on this trending topic, there is limited academic research on purpose branding. This paper focuses on understanding this concept and demonstrates its successful use by an organization.

Bridging the data divide between practitioners and academics

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 524-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Benoit ◽  
Sonja Klose ◽  
Jochen Wirtz ◽  
Tor Wallin Andreassen ◽  
Timothy L. Keiningham
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Research Outcome ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Research Resources

Purpose Organizations (data gatherers in the context) drown in data while at the same time seeking managerially relevant insights. Academics (data hunters) have to deal with decreasing respondent participation and escalating costs of data collection while at the same time seeking to increase the managerial relevance of their research. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework on how, managers and academics can collaborate better to leverage each other’s resources. Design/methodology/approach This research synthesizes the academic and the managerial literature on the realities and priorities of practitioners and academics with regard to data. Based on the literature, reflections from the world’s leading service research centers, and the authors’ own experiences, the authors develop recommendations on how to collaborate in research. Findings Four dimensions of different data realities and priorities were identified: research problem, research resources, research process and research outcome. In total, 26 recommendations are presented that aim to equip academics to leverage the potential of corporate data for research purposes and to help managers to leverage research results for their business. Research limitations/implications This paper argues that both practitioners and academics have a lot to gain from collaborating by exchanging corporate data for scientific approaches and insights. However, the gap between different realities and priorities needs to be bridged when doing so. The paper first identifies data realities and priorities and then develops recommendations on how to best collaborate given these differences. Practical implications This research has the potential to contribute to managerial practice by informing academics on how to better collaborate with the managerial world and thereby facilitate collaboration and the dissemination of academic research for the benefit of both parties. Originality/value Whereas the previous literature has primarily examined practitioner–academic collaboration in general, this study is the first to focus specifically on the aspects related to sharing corporate data and to elaborate on academic and corporate objectives with regard to data and insights.

What does insurance purchase behaviour say about risks?

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximiliano Emanuel Korstanje ◽  
Babu P. George
Keyword(s):  
Probability Theory ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Source Of Information

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the world of insurances as rites of adaptancy and resiliency before risk and disasters. The research on risks, both perceived and real, has become a frequent theme of academic research in the recent past. Design/methodology/approach – The information given by the superintendencia de Seguros de Buenos Aires involves 100 per cent of the insurances companies of Argentina. The reading of insurance demands corresponds with a new method in the studies of risks. Findings – Using advanced probability theory and quantitative techniques, risk management researchers have been able to construct sophisticated mathematical-statistical models of risk. Research limitations/implications – However, the relation between anticipated risks and insurance purchase behaviour has not received sufficient attention. In the present study, starting from the premise that societies may be studied by examining their fears, the authors posit that these fears are represented in the insurance premiums people buy for being protected. Originality/value – Insurance purchase behaviour at any particular point in time is a measure of what a society considers to be risky at that time and is a key source of information for tourism managers.

Beyond Brexit’s uncertainty: the foreseeable Britain’s innovative stagnation

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alcides J. Padilla ◽  
Alexander Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Integration Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes that determine the UK’s civilian research and development (R&D) expenditure to forecast its possible evolution in a post-Brexit scenario. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the Johansen’s co-integration analysis for time series. Findings The authors find a co-integration relationship between R&D and variables such as exports, military expenditure, patents, EU GDP per capita and USA GDP per capita. The authors also observed a stagnation in the foreseen R&D expenditure over the next five years. Research limitations/implications The authors warned that the results can only be viewed as a glance into the understanding of the complex elements that undergird the UK’s civilian, scientific and technological policy-making. But the authors see them as an interesting starting point for scrutinizing current shortcomings in policy-making, while providing clues for corrective action that would otherwise lead the UK to a structural crisis in its economic performance. Originality/value This study constitutes a first attempt to account for the loss of the UK’s innovative influence all over the world.

Is the learning economy a viable concept for understanding the modern economy?

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 492-507
Author(s):  
John A. Cotsomitis
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Learning Economy ◽  
Economic Regime ◽  
Do So

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual adequacy of the learning economy and its ability to describe the modern globalised economy. It is argued that unlike many fleeting catchwords and phrases found in economics, the learning economy represents a superior conceptual and heuristic starting point that reflects a new and emerging economic regime. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines those features of the learning economy which makes it a useful conceptualization and highlights some preconditions that are functional for its emergence. The paper then assesses the empirical validity of the learning economy and gauges its performance across 16 EU countries. Findings The learning economy represents a viable and useful concept in economics and the broader social sciences, which synthesizes recent attempts to depict what is new in the world economy into an internally coherent whole while overcoming previous shortcomings. It reflects a tangible reality that has taken hold most firmly in a small but significant part of the world, the Nordic countries of Northwestern Europe. Social implications Because it has already emerged in some advanced countries, the learning economy offers a concrete exemplar for other countries to emulate. If one has to ask people and communities to sacrifice, save and invest for the future, it is more convincing to do so for a concrete and credible future that does exist than for some conjectural future. Originality/value The paper uses an epistemological perspective to analyse the concept of the learning economy as articulated by Bengt-Äke Lundvall.

Human development and transcendence: a Vivekananda view

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-224
Author(s):  
Swami Tyagananda
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Is Development

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the following questions in the light of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy: What will ultimately come out of human development? Is development a goal in itself or only a doorway to a higher goal called transcendence? Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive view of human development can come only through a comprehensive understanding of human nature. Findings – What the dimensions of the human personality are and how they function in the world provide a good starting point to assess the way in which human development can be achieved. Originality/value – Vivekananda’s quest for human development was not for human development per se, but to point to its potential as a spiritual practice that makes human beings realize that they are, in fact, not human being but divine beings.

Sustainable business-and-industry foodservice

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soyoung Kim ◽  
Jihyun Yoon ◽  
Joongwon Shin
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The World

Purpose This study aimed to investigate consumers’ perception on sustainable business-and-industry (B&I) foodservice and their willingness to pay a premium for it. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted. Among the 978 respondents, a total of 548 respondents who used B&I foodservice equal to or more than five times a month on an average were included for analyses. Findings The result revealed that consumers tended to perceive the concept of sustainability as “equivalent to (32 per cent) or beyond (28 per cent) being green or eco-friendly”. Consumers appeared to perceive the need for and the quality of sustainable B&I foodservice highly, but their awareness was comparatively low. Consumers’ awareness was significantly different across all demographic and food-related lifestyle variables. However, significant differences in the need and perceived quality were found only among food-related lifestyle variables. The result also indicated that 66 per cent of consumers were willing to pay a premium average of USD 0.72, 21 per cent of the reference meal price (USD 3.53) proposed in the survey. Consumers’ gender and eco-friendly dietary lifestyles were the significant determinants in predicting consumers’ willingness to pay a premium. Originality/value With concerns over environmental crisis, sustainable development has been a mainstream agenda across the world. However, the issue of sustainable development appears to be relatively overlooked in the field of foodservice research. This study is meaningful, in that it calls attention to the importance and potential of realizing sustainable foodservice and provides a starting point in relevant researches.

scholarly journals Viewpoint: service marketing research priorities

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Grönroos
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Knowledge

Purpose This paper aims to emphasize two key research priorities central to the domain of service marketing. Design/methodology/approach Reflections based on conceptual analysis of the current level of knowledge of service as an offering and of the nature of service marketing in the literature. Findings It is observed that research into marketing and into service as an object of marketing, or as an offering, has been neglected for two decades and more. It is also shown that to restore its credibility, marketing needs to be reinvented. Furthermore, the point is made that if a proper understanding of service as an object of, for example, innovation, design, branding and development is lacking, or even only implicitly present, valid research into those and other important topics is at risk. Research limitations/implications This paper discusses two neglected topics within the domain of service research. Other important areas of future research are not covered. However, the paper offers directions for service marketing research fundamental to the development of the discipline. Originality/value In earlier discussions of service and service marketing research priorities, the observation that service and marketing are neglected topics that need to be studied and further developed has not been made. The paper emphasizes that service marketing research also needs to return to its roots and suggests possible directions for future research.

How Phillips saw the light

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Freak Show ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The One ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The problem with developing a reputation of being something of an oracle in the business world is that all of a sudden, everyone expects you to pull off the trick of interpreting the future on a daily basis. Like a freak show circus act or one-hit wonder pop singer, people expect you to perform when they see you, and they expect you to perform the thing that made you famous, even if it is the one thing in the world you don’t want to do. And when you fail to deliver on these heightened expectations, you are dismissed as a one trick pony, however good that trick is in the first place. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Information processing by elderly consumers: a five-decade review

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluigi Guido ◽  
Marco Pichierri ◽  
Cristian Rizzo ◽  
Verdiana Chieffi ◽  
George Moschis
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Processing Activity ◽  
Elderly Consumers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review scholarly research on elderly consumers’ information processing and suggest implications for services marketing. Design/methodology/approach The review encompasses a five-decade period (1970–2018) of academic research and presents relevant literature in four main areas related to information processing: sensation, attention, interpretation and memory. Findings The study illustrates how each of the aforementioned phases of the information processing activity may affect how elderly individuals buy and consume products and services, emphasizing the need for a better comprehension of the elderly to develop effectual marketing strategies. Originality/value The study provides readers with detailed state-of-the-art knowledge about older consumers’ information processing, offering a comprehensive review of academic research that companies can use to improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts that target the elderly market.

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