Building homes and hopes: the transformative service of YouthBuild Las Vegas

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Nehls
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Las Vegas ◽  
Funds Of Knowledge ◽  
High School Dropouts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
School Dropouts ◽  
Content Type

Purpose YouthBuild programs are uniquely designed to address the status of unemployed and uneducated young men and women who are disconnected from work and education. This study, on YouthBuild Las Vegas (YBLV), aims to fill the call for more research on transformative service research, specifically related to education, poverty and well-being. The program educates “opportunity youth” in construction skills while also encouraging progression toward a GED/HiSet or high school diploma. Service providers can better understand how to increase and support reconnection and well-being, especially among low-income individuals in communities with great needs for support services. Design/methodology/approach This yearlong qualitative research study intended to better understand transformative service within the context of former high school dropouts previously without a path to a productive future. YBLV was an ideal single-site case study because it was bound by space, people, organization and time. The study followed one YBLV class from admission through graduation; the qualitative work with the organization started prior to the students’ enrollment and continued after the students graduated. Primary data collections were interviews and observations. Additional data collection occurred in the forms of written documents, as well as photos and videos. Findings YBLV succeeded because of service providers’ attention to the funds of knowledge of the student population and adapting the format and structure of programs to adult learners, developing mentors for consumers and acknowledging the context and layers of knowledge that consumers brought to the program. The students were able to experience reconnection and increased well-being because of the service providers’ impact throughout the program. Research limitations/implications Transformative service research (TSR) research has focused on areas as diverse as health care and homelessness, whereas the lens of funds of knowledge has primarily been applied within educational settings. It would be worthwhile to apply funds of knowledge framework beyond education yet still within the TSR agenda. There are also opportunities to apply the theory to other vulnerable populations. Broadening the scope of reconnection and well-being TSR research far beyond YouthBuild may identify additional or other synergies between these areas. Practical implications The growing body of research on TSR suggested a gap in understanding how service providers can support consumers in poverty and a need for greater well-being. This study on YouthBuild highlighted the phenomenon among low-income, undereducated, urban young adults and while the goal of qualitative research is not to be generalizable, specific examples such as adapting programs and structures to low-income consumers, developing mentors to model wanted behavior and goal-setting and acknowledging the funds of knowledge that consumers bring to situations, can be generic ingredients for future transformative service projects. Social implications Research has demonstrated that public investment in programs that assist youth toward a positive trajectory and greater well-being is much more beneficial than disciplinary measures such as increased spending on policing and prisons. Employment and educational training programs have led to measurable success and when disconnected youth have greater vocational training and high school completion, they and the broader economy experience improved outcomes. Therefore, from a policy perspective, YouthBuild and programs like it emphasize growth, development and well-being for undereducated and low-income individuals. Originality/value The funds of knowledge theoretical framework are new to the Journal of Services Marketing (JSM). That framework coupled with the population of former high school dropouts in a second-chance school and a focus on service providers and well-being within a poverty context, all contribute to the paper’s originality. Reconnection is also a relatively new concept for readers of JSM. These three areas: funds of knowledge, reconnection and TSR are the backbone of this research.

Influence of Paid Work on the Well-Being of High School Dropouts During Emerging Adulthood

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly B. Graling ◽  
Hillary J. Hurst ◽  
Sophie Higgins ◽  
Joan H. Liem
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Emerging Adulthood ◽  
High School Dropouts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
School Dropouts

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.

scholarly journals Introducing the transformative service mediator: value creation with vulnerable consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raechel Johns ◽  
Janet Davey
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Vulnerable Consumers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the role of mediators in supporting value co-creation for vulnerable consumers in a service context. The authors propose that in transformative services, the roles of actor mediators facilitate control and empowerment for the vulnerable consumer – labelling these transformative service mediators (TSMs). Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a theoretical framework for the activities of mediators in value co-creation considering the interrelationships of vulnerability, structure and agency. The authors then use Prahalad and Ramaswamy’s DART (Dialogue, Access, Risk Assessment and Transparency) model as the integrating framework to describe the TSM roles in the context of the foster care service ecosystem. Findings The authors introduce a future research agenda regarding TSM roles in transformational service experiences and value co-creation with vulnerable consumers. Service researchers and providers are encouraged to explore effective training and motivation of TSMs. Research limitations/implications Understanding value co-creation for vulnerable consumers is an emerging area in service research. The TSM concept introduces a new approach to explore how value co-creation and transformative outcomes can be enhanced in service contexts where consumers experience vulnerability. Practical implications This paper presents an agenda for future research. The outcomes of future research based on TSM roles may help guide service providers in identifying opportunities for enhancing well-being and reducing vulnerability in service delivery. Originality/value This paper suggests that exploring the role of TSMs in the service process offers new insights into reducing vulnerability in service relationships.

The Different Role of Mentor Support Along the High-School Dropout Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 981-1008
Author(s):  
Yael Itzhaki
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Dropouts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
School Dropouts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mentor Support ◽  
A Minor

This study examined the contribution of mentor support to the following aspects of high-school dropouts’ lives: the personal (self-esteem, and the process of becoming less religious [BLR]), social (societal conditional positive and negative regard) and psychological (well-being and loneliness). The study, conducted among Ultraorthodox Jewish males, included 261 participants, aged 14 years to 21 years ( M = 17, SD = 1.17), who were at different stages in the dropout process. Findings indicated a significant difference in the contribution of mentor support. Among youths still in their yeshiva high schools, mentor support made only a minor contribution to the process of BLR; for youths in a program for dropouts, mentor support made a positive contribution to most aspects of their lives. However, among dropouts, mentor support contributed negatively to all aspects that were examined in the current study. Findings highlight the importance of further illuminating the role of mentor support and adapting it to youths’ needs.

Harmonious homegoings: alleviating consumer vulnerability through service fluidity and compassion

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Nations Azzari ◽  
Natalie A. Mitchell ◽  
Charlene A. Dadzie
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
The Body ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Vulnerability ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Service Ecosystem

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of service flexibility in addressing consumer vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers within the funerary context. Design/methodology/approach Using phenomenological philosophy and a grounded approach, data was collected and analyzed through 12 depth interviews with funeral service providers, coupled with observations and photographs of three second-line funeral processionals. Findings Study results include the following three primary roles of service providers in supporting chronically-traumatized consumers: the role of service fluidity in addressing trauma, mitigating vulnerability via service providers as community members and alleviating suffering through compassionate service. Service flexibility and value co-creation efforts were executed through an expansive service ecosystem of vendors. Practical implications When consumers experience vulnerability that demands reliance upon service industries, service providers can intentionally implement fluidity and agility in service design, adopt understanding and altruistic practices, and operate with empathy and compassion to orchestrate mutually-beneficial service outcomes. Social implications Rooted in transformative service research, providers are advised to consider modifying services to improve well-being and mitigate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers via fluidity, community and compassion. Originality/value This study contributes originality to the body of service marketing literature by illustrating how service providers alleviate vulnerability for chronically-traumatized consumers through three adaptive service strategies.

Creating hospitable service systems for refugees during a pandemic: leveraging resources for service inclusion

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Finsterwalder ◽  
Sertan Kabadayi ◽  
Raymond P. Fisk ◽  
Silke Boenigk
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Service Systems ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Vulnerable Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Businesses ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe overarching goal of this paper is to increase awareness among researchers and practitioners that refugees are disproportionally impacted by COVID-19, which increases their suffering. Second, it extends a recently introduced transformative refugee service experience framework by integrating and conceptualizing refugees' resource and service inclusion during a pandemic. Third, it explores lessons learned and implications from the COVID-19 pandemic for the future of service research and practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study synthesizes approaches on refugees, resources and transformative service research to develop an extended framework for addressing one of society's pressing issues during and after pandemics.FindingsRecognizing refugees as providing resources rather than just needing or depleting resources can enable more inclusion. It facilitates refugees' integration into society by drawing on their skills and knowledge. This requires hospitable refugee service systems that enable service inclusion and opportunities for refugee resource integration.Research limitations/implicationsThis article focuses on one vulnerable group in society. However, the extended framework presented warrants broader application to other contexts, such as subsistence marketplaces.Practical implicationsManagers of service businesses and public policymakers should create more inclusive and hospitable service systems for refugees. This may result in redesigning services, changing consumer behavior and reformulating public policy.Social implicationsBetter inclusion and integration of refugees and their resources should increase their individual well-being, reduce social issues in society, increase overall societal well-being and productivity.Originality/valueThis article presents a novel extended framework for service scholars and service providers to increase resource and service inclusion of refugees in a disaster context.

scholarly journals Customer captivity, negative word of mouth and well-being: a mixed-methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Furrer ◽  
Jie Yu Kerguignas ◽  
Mikèle Landry
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type

Purpose When customers feel that they have no choice but to stay with their current provider to obtain a service that they need, they feel captive. This study aims to investigate customer captivity as a type of vulnerability and evaluate its effects on customers’ service evaluation and word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior, as well as to identify solutions that reduce customers’ feelings of captivity and improve their well-being. Design/methodology/approach This sequential, quantitative–qualitative, mixed-methods study draws from a survey of 1,017 customers and a qualitative analysis of 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews. Moderated mediation analysis is used to test the quantitative hypotheses; a thematic analysis explores the qualitative data. Findings The results of the quantitative study show that captivity emotions and price unfairness perceptions are two manifestations of customer captivity, which directly and indirectly affect service evaluations and WOM behavior. The findings of the qualitative study highlight how captive customers use emotional support-seeking negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) as a solution to reduce their captivity emotions and improve their well-being, by reinforcing their social ties and regaining a sense of control. Research limitations/implications This study advances transformative service research by demonstrating how captivity affects customers’ well-being and customer vulnerability literature by investigating captivity as a type of vulnerability. It contributes to service marketing literature by identifying customer captivity as a boundary condition for generic service evaluation models. Practical implications Captive customers seek emotional support and consequently spread NWOM. Therefore, it is critical for service providers to reduce customers’ captivity feelings and implement adequate solutions to prevent NWOM and decrease the risk of negative impacts on their profitability. Originality/value Any customer can become vulnerable, due to contextual circumstances. This study focuses on customer captivity as a type of vulnerability and proposes adapted solutions to improve customers’ well-being.

scholarly journals Balancing service inclusion for primary and secondary customers experiencing vulnerabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henna M. Leino ◽  
Leila Hurmerinta ◽  
Birgitta Sandberg
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relational Perspective ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Secondary customers often experience secondary vulnerabilities that manifest in family-centred transformative services as other- and self-related customer needs. Yet, a relational perspective on primary and secondary customers’ needs is lacking. The study analyses secondary customers’ needs and their relationship to primary customers’ needs to enhance well-being in customer entities. The service inclusion lens is used to understand customers’ experiences of vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an exploratory approach. The data consists of ethnographic observations and interviews of elderly residents (primary customers), their family members (secondary customers) and nurses in two nursing homes. Findings Primary and secondary customers’ needs are interrelated (or unrelated) in four ways: they are separate, congruent, intertwined or discrepant. The vulnerability experiences fluctuate in intensity and over time, individually reflecting on these need dimensions. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to service research concerning customers’ experiences of vulnerability, secondary customers and their inclusion in services. Primary customers’ service inclusion may increase/decrease secondary customers’ service inclusion and their experience of vulnerability. Moreover, secondary customers’ inclusion is often necessary to foster primary customers’ inclusion and well-being. Practical implications Fostering service inclusion and well-being for primary and secondary customers requires balanced inclusion and acknowledging the needs of both groups. Service providers may need to act as moderators within customer entities if discrepant needs occur. Originality/value The study addresses the under-researched areas of family members’ customer needs, their relation to primary customers’ needs, experiences of secondary vulnerability and context-related vulnerability.

Coproduction and cocreation in public care services: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 561-578
Author(s):  
Teresa Sofia Amorim Lopes ◽  
Helena Alves
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Public Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trust Development

PurposeTo analyze and discuss the research on the public healthcare services (PHCS) through the lenses of coproduction/creation by systematizing the antecedents, the process enablers and the outcomes of coproduction/creation in terms of organizational and individual/patients factors.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review was performed based on 46 papers found in ISI Web of Science and Scopus databases following the Prisma Protocol for the search.FindingsThe results show that antecedents of coproduction/creation are connected to organizational/institutional capabilities (e.g. codesign of services or trust development) or patient/individual factors (e.g. physical and mental capabilities). The process of coproduction/creation relates with enablers, such as interactive and dynamic relationships between public care service providers and users. Finally, outcomes have diverse nature, namely quality of life, compliance, behavioral intentions, among others.Research limitations/implicationsThis study addresses the overlooked topic of coproduction/creation of value within PHCS. It contributes to public healthcare services literature wherein concepts of coproduction and cocreation of value are still on debate. It contributes to the transformative service research (TSR) by underlining that healthcare factors, processes and approaches may have a positive or negative (value codestructing) influence on the well-being. It yields crucial implications for PHCS.Originality/valueIt is the first attempt to systematize scientific knowledge on this topic, therefore conferring some novelty potential.

Becoming less religious (BLR) and well-being among high school dropouts.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Itzhaki ◽  
Yaacov B. Yablon ◽  
Haya Itzhaky
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Dropouts ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Dropouts
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