Value co-creation in services for animal companions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hendricks ◽  
Gertrud Schmitz

Purpose As other actors in the service ecosystem often have a pivotal role in value creation for actors experiencing vulnerability, this paper aims to explore caregiving customer value co-creation in services for animal companions. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 follows a two-step procedure, using two different qualitative approaches (interviews and observations) to identify caregiving customer value co-creation activities. Study 2 serves to empirically test a higher-order structure of caregiving customer participation behaviour in value co-creation and test for differences regarding customer and service characteristics (questionnaire survey; n = 680). Findings The results reveal the existence of various value co-creation activities towards the service provider (e.g. cooperation under consideration of the animal companion’s needs) and animal companion (e.g. emotional support). Significant differences in individual caregiving customers’ activities were found regarding gender, age, type of service and animal companion. Caregiving customer value co-creation is influenced by emotional attachment and has a positive effect on value outcomes for both the caregiving customer and the animal companion. Originality/value This study extends and enriches customer value co-creation literature by providing innovative findings on various such caregiving activities and value outcomes in services for (non-human) actors experiencing vulnerability. It also adds knowledge by showing differences in customer value co-creation behaviour regarding specific customer and service characteristics.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Yu Wang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how customers derive value and switching costs from their own participation conditional on their perceived efficacy of themselves (self-efficacy) and their advisers (adviser-efficacy) in financial services. Design/methodology/approach Student interviewers approached customers exiting banks with a skip interval of two. The respondents received the questionnaire items translated into Chinese. The final survey sample consists of 220 respondents. Findings Empirical results confirm that customer participation influences switching costs through customer value. The synergistic effect of self-efficacy and adviser-efficacy moderates the relationships among customer participation, customer value and switching costs. The incongruent levels of self-efficacy and adviser-efficacy can increase customer value and switching costs. Originality/value This study looks beyond self-efficacy to demonstrate that the synergistic roles of self-efficacy and adviser-efficacy significantly influence the relationships among customer participation, customer value and switching costs.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Emeka Izogo ◽  
Mathias Egede Elom ◽  
Mercy Mpinganjira

PurposeAlthough scholars highlighted the need to close the interactive marketing gap and enhanced understanding of willingness to pay more in settings where customer participation in the service delivery process is paramount, research addressing this issue is scare. This study investigates the effect of perceived employee commitment to service delivery and customer involvement on customer value and willingness to pay more. The study also examines the extent to which customer value mediates the effect of employee commitment and customer involvement on willingness to pay more for banking services.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis was based on a sample of 211 Nigerian bank customers procured through a mall-intercept survey technique. The partial least squares structural equation modelling procedure and the Preacher–Hayes Bootstrapping technique aided hypotheses testing.FindingsThis study demonstrates that elements of employee commitment to service delivery and customer involvement have significant positive effect on the components of customer value. It also shows that customer value components have significant effect on customers' willingness to pay more. Additionally, the study shows that components of customer value mediate the effect of employee commitment to service delivery and customer involvement on willingness to pay more.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes to closing gaps in interactive marketing literature by uncovering how willingness to pay more for services is influenced by customer perceptions of employee commitment (affective and calculative) service delivery, customer involvement and customer value (hedonic and utilitarian).Practical implicationsIt is important for managers to put in place measures that will help them know the kind of commitment cues their employees are emitting to customers as well as levels of customer involvement during service encounters.Originality/valueThis study breaks new ground in three unique ways. First, the study represents the first attempt to examine the combined effect of employee commitment to service delivery and customer involvement on consumer value perceptions. Second, the study also demonstrates that hedonic value has a more pronounced effect on willingness to pay more for banking services than utilitarian value. Finally, the study shows the extent to which customer value (hedonic vs utilitarian) mediates the effect of employee commitment to service delivery and customer involvement on willingness to pay more.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 963-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Du ◽  
Hsin-Hui Chou

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the research question of how human actors and technology interact together in practices in the context of a sharing economy. The theoretical foundation of this paper is based on the existing literature about the sharing economy and studies that have been carried out examining value co-creation and sociomateriality.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a qualitative case study method for the empirical investigation. Using theoretical sampling, Xbed, an internet, unmanned and self-service hotel platform based in Guangzhou, China, was chosen for the empirical investigation. The case was built on multiple sources of data, including archival materials, on-site fieldwork and in-depth interviews. Then, the case was interpreted based on a number of theoretical concepts, with a particular emphasis on the sociomaterial perspective.FindingsThis paper shows how human actors and technology interact with one another in a number of interrelated ways, which collectively result in the value co-creation necessary for creating a sharing economy. The authors have found that various forms of sociomateriality (the intersection between technology, work and organization) play a key role in co-creation and that interactions between these sociomaterial assemblages (assemblage-to-assemblage (A2A)) drive the development of a sharing economy. These sociomaterial assemblages have dynamic and evolving characteristics.Practical implicationsThe authors argue that the key to the success of a sharing economy lies in how to engage participating actors with material entities (e.g. technology applications) to form action-enabling sociomaterial assemblages, as well as in determining how these assemblages can be systematically arranged to collectively form a larger assemblage. We suggest that managers need to conceive how relations between the social and the material realms can be structured by adopting a service logic that aims to help the beneficiary function better. The authors also suggest that managers have to consider what assemblages are necessary and how they are connected, to construct a full access-based service.Originality/valueThis paper conceptualizes the sharing economy as a system of value co-creation practices and empirically examines such practices from a sociomaterial perspective. This paper adopts the concept of sociomaterial assemblages to investigate sharing practices, through which the knowledge of the role of technology in the development of a sharing economy is enhanced. This paper also expands the knowledge of service-dominant logic by using a microfoundation perspective to look at the value co-creation that emerges as a result of the interaction between sociomaterial assemblages. These assemblages also act as constitutive elements of a service ecosystem.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Xiao ◽  
Qinhai Ma ◽  
Man Li

Purpose Co-creating value with customers is important for companies in order to gain a competitive advantage. Based on resource theory and social interaction theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the customer participation mechanism in co-creating value and test the effects of different types of customer resources and multi-level customer–firm interaction on customer value. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from tourism industry. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that both the customer’s human resource and relationship resource have a significantly positive effect on customers’ utilitarian value and hedonic value through reactive and proactive interactions. Reactive interaction has a full mediating effect on the relationship between relationship resource and proactive interaction, whereas proactive interaction has a full mediating effect on the relationship between reactive interaction and hedonic value. Originality/value This study explores the mediating effects of customer–firm interaction between customer resources and customer value. This paper contributes to the understanding of customers’ motivations for, and the processes of, participating in value co-creation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 3063-3081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Taheri ◽  
Filipe J. Coelho ◽  
Carlos M.P. Sousa ◽  
Heiner Evanschitzky

Purpose Customers play a key role in value creation. Not surprisingly, research has investigated customers’ motivations to engage in the creation of value. Thus, this study aims to assess the link between mood-regulatory processes and customer participation in value creation. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a model that relates mood-regulatory processes to customer participation and customer value creation, and tests it with a sample of 419 hotel customers, using partial least squares estimation. Findings It is found that mood clarity relates directly with customer relational value; mood monitoring relates directly with customer participation as well as directly and indirectly with customer economic and relational value; and mood repair relates directly with customer participation and customer economic value, as well as indirectly with customer economic and relational value. Research limitations/implications This is a cross-sectional study limited only to hotels in Iran. This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between mood regulation with customer participation and value creation. Hospitality service organizations interested in promoting customer participation may consider mood as a segmentation criterion. Originality/value Value creation theory was applied to identify the relationship among customer mood regulation, participation, economic value and relational value, as it is first attempted in the hospitality studies.


Author(s):  
Jyoti Sharma ◽  
Lata Raj ◽  
Anil Gupta

The purpose of this study is to measure the existence of co-creation behavior between doctors and patients. The research also studies customer participation and customer citizenship behavior as the dimensions of co-creative behavior and tries to establish the relationship between co-creative behavior and satisfaction. This study uses Yi and Gong (2013) scale for collecting data regarding co-creation behavior and its dimensions which are customer participation (CP) and customer citizenship behavior (CCB). The data was collected from 204 patients who were suffering from various chronic/lifestyle diseases and getting their treatment from private clinics in Jammu city. The study uses 7-point Likert scale in the questionnaire ranging from 1 completely disagree through 7 completely agree, with a midpoint labeled 4 neither agree nor disagree. The analysis of paper reflects that co-creation behavior is prevalent among the patients and not only participation but the citizenship behavior also affects the co-creation behavior of patients. The study is conducted from patients point of view whereas doctors perspective should also be used in future research. The research area is restricted to Jammu city only. The research provides several implications-doctors can also use this scale for market segmentation and customer profiling for maximizing customer value co-creation behavior by gaining the useful information.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Huiqin Zhang ◽  
Hai Lan ◽  
Xudong Chen

The Weibo social media platform in China has an important role in the value-generation process between a company and a customer. We investigated the relationship between the service quality provided on a company's Weibo page and the two dimensions of customer value cocreation behavior, namely, participation and citizenship, as well as the moderating effect of collectivism on this relationship. Participants were 354 active users of Weibo. Our findings confirmed that the service quality provided on a company's Weibo page was critical to the generation of customer value cocreation behavior. Further, collectivism moderated this relationship, with higher levels of collectivism strengthening the Weibo page service quality and customer value cocreation behavior relationship. In addition, customer citizenship behavior was positively related to customer perceptions of brand image, whereas customer participation was not. Implications for companies in the Chinese context are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Ki Lee ◽  
Sally Y. Kim ◽  
Namho Chung ◽  
Kwanghoon Ahn ◽  
Jong-Won Lee

Purpose Social commerce using social media has been on the rapid increase. Among various social commerce models, group-buying has become the mainstream. There is a paucity of research related to how customers perceive value in group-buying situations. This paper aims to examine and analyze various factors that influence perceived customer value in group-buying. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a survey on customers who had purchased a restaurant service deal on a group-buying site. A partial least squares technique was used to estimate the model. Findings Results show that perceived customer value affects customers’ group buying intentions and that all four antecedents of perceived value (low price, valence of experience, trust in social media and reputation of the group-buying site) have a significant influence. Implications and further research directions are discussed at the end of the paper. Originality/value This study provides valuable strategic implications for social commerce firms.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Plé

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the combining of marketing and organizational literature. This paper seeks to evaluate the relationships between multichannel coordination and customer participation, as seen through the lens of potential customer opportunism. It aims at showing the impact of this opportunism on the organizational design of multiple channels structures.Design/methodology/approachThe research reports on an exploratory case study in a French retail bank. A total of 25 in‐depth interviews were conducted, and the use of other sources enabled data triangulation.FindingsThe results show first that an increase in the number of distribution channels is liable to favor customer opportunistic behavior. To counter this, the bank mainly relies on impersonal coordination modes. An emerging result highlights the role of the customer as a “perceptual filter” between the different channels of employees.Research limitations/implicationsCustomer opportunism is studied via channels employees perceptions. An investigation using a customer survey may help to better understand this construct, e.g. to identify its antecedents, and to measure it precisely. Moreover, further qualitative and/or quantitative studies with larger sample sizes are needed to try and generalize these results.Practical implicationsIt is recommended not to forget that customers can facilitate or hinder multichannel coordination. Retail banks have the power to use them conveniently, provided that they are fully conscious of the scope of the “partial employee” role played by the customer.Originality/valueThis paper broadens understanding of how multichannel distribution structures are coordinated, and in a way belies traditional organizational design literature. The emerging result gives birth to the concept of “reversed interactive marketing”, which has interesting theoretical and practical repercussions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shrikant Gorane ◽  
Ravi Kant

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a framework which identifies the relationships between various supply chain practices (SCPs) and organizational performance (operational performance (OP), customer satisfaction, and financial performance) in the context of Indian manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach From the literature, ten SCPs are selected which finally influences the organizational performance. In order to understand the interactions between SCPs and organizational performance, this paper grouped the ten SCPs into four constructs namely: information and communication technology, supply chain (SC) integration, operational responsiveness, and closed loop green practices. Three levels of firm performance are also examined, including OP, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. The paper-based and web-based survey yielded 292 responses from the Indian manufacturing organizations. The data collected were put through rigorous statistical analysis to test for the content, construct, and criterion-related validity, as well as reliability analyses. Further a structural equation model was developed to test the relationships between SCPs and organizational performance. Findings The finding suggests that a successful SCPs implementation not only improves the OP, but also enhances customer satisfaction and financial performance. In addition, higher financial performance is also attributable to better customer value resulting from the achievement of better customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications SCPs are complex constructs. While this study shows the effect of broadly accepted SCPs on organizational performance, not all possible practices are covered in this study. Again the study can be further extended to sector specific so that the results can be further refined. Practical implications This is one of the few studies which attempts to investigate whether there is any relationship exits between SCPs and organizational performance. The finding will help decision makers in the organization to know the importance of SCPs and how SCPs influence the organizational performance. Second, this study has developed and validated a multi-dimensional construct of SCPs, which can assist decision makers of Indian organizations to evaluate the competence of their current status of SCPs in the organization. Originality/value As per the knowledge of the authors, this is the first kind of study which empirically investigated the relationships between SCPs and organizational performance in the context of Indian manufacturing organizations.


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