Customer experience research: intellectual structure and future research opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge H.O. Silva ◽  
Glauco H.S. Mendes ◽  
Paulo A. Cauchick Miguel ◽  
Marlene Amorim ◽  
Jorge Grenha Teixeira

PurposeThis article aims to synthesize and integrate current research on customer experience (CX), identifying the intellectual structure of the field, systematizing a conceptual framework and identifying future research opportunities.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze 629 articles published in peer-reviewed journals in almost four decades, this study employs both bibliometric co-keyword and thematic literature analysis in a complementary way.FindingsThis article maps the CX literature by describing its intellectual structure in terms of three research domains (customer, organizational and technological), their corresponding most relevant research themes and topics. Moreover, this study develops a conceptual framework and research propositions to summarize and integrate the CX literature. This work recognizes technology as an important driver for the development of CX research. Lastly, this article provides future research opportunities for moving the field forward, considering an integrative view among domains.Originality/valueThis paper complements other reviews on CX by using a novel methodological approach (co-keyword and thematic analysis) that enables the identification and visualization of the CX intellectual structure. In addition, the study explores the increasing connection between technology and CX research, by raising evidence that technology, by continuously modifying services and consequently CX, has become a transversal component in the research field. These outcomes may be useful for academics and practitioners.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth N. Bolton ◽  
Janet R. McColl-Kennedy ◽  
Lilliemay Cheung ◽  
Andrew Gallan ◽  
Chiara Orsingher ◽  
...  

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.


Author(s):  
Timm Schorsch ◽  
Carl Marcus Wallenburg ◽  
Andreas Wieland

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance supply chain management by describing the current state of behavioral supply chain management (BSCM) research and paving the way for future contributions by developing a meta-theory for this important field. Design/methodology/approach The results are generated by applying the systematic literature review methodology and an iterative theory-building approach involving a panel of academics. Findings This review provides a comprehensive overview of the BSCM research landscape. Additionally, a meta-theory of BSCM is presented that encompasses all central elements of the research field and introduces the concept of emergence to the field of BSCM. Furthermore, five promising future research opportunities are formulated. Research limitations/implications The critical discussions and the formulated research opportunities will help scholars in positioning their research to enhance its contribution. Practical implications Results from this research indicate that supply chain decisions benefit from explicit consideration for cognitive and social phenomena. Originality/value This review is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of BSCM research and facilitates BSCM in advancing further.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranay Sindhu ◽  
Kumkum Bharti

Purpose This study aims to examine the trends and themes in the field of customer experience using a bibliometric analysis between 1957 and 2017. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses 1,767 papers selected from Web of Science (WoS) database using VOS Viewer software tool to create bibliometric networks. The results of the study were classified under the following bibliometric indicators: evaluation of the number of studies analyzed; most cited documents; most influential authors; and highly influential journals, institutions and countries with the highest productivity. Additionally, the paper also presents three co-citation studies analyzing most co-cited references, first authors and journals. Findings Authors and institutes from the American and European countries dominate the contribution to the development of the field. The presence of Asian countries signifies the rising importance being given to the research field. The findings establish the argument that most of the ideas that follow today in the development of the field are mostly sourced from the works published in highly reputed journals. Co-citation analysis indicates the presence of multi-disciplinarity in the research field with journals representing different research areas such as management, strategy and psychology. Research limitations/implications The papers analyzed in the study were retrieved only from the WoS. Furthermore, the precise number of clusters obtained during the analysis depends on the parameter set by the authors which is subjective. Researchers are encouraged to draw further insights by manipulating the parameter criteria. Practical implications The findings in the study can be used to enrich the understanding of customer experience and future research on the topic. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first comprehensive papers offering a general overview of the leading trends in the field over a period of 60 years.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxun He ◽  
Cheng Lu Wang ◽  
Yi Wu

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an integrative review on nation branding literature and to identify new avenues for future research on embedding nation equity into commercial brands.Design/methodology/approachIntegrative review and analysis with conceptual development and future research directions.FindingsThe authors firstly identify conceptualizations and measurements of nation brand as national identity and as national image. Consistently, three theoretical perspectives investigating nation branding were given: first, the macro view focusing on nation brand broadly as political and cultural identity; second, the micro view focusing on nation brand as a country image; and finally, the integrative view using the emerging construct of nation equity. Inspired by the last theoretical view, the authors discuss four research foci that examine nation equity in commercial brands for future research.Originality/valueThe paper provides an integrative understanding of nation branding and identifies novel research opportunities to study this research field – building the connection between nations and commercial brands through nation equity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Perkins

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain a greater understanding of fear-based information withholding in project-manager-to-project-sponsor (PM2PS) communication and to propose future research directions. Design/methodology/approach – The research consisted of a review of the literature related to the withholding of information in subordinate-to-superior communication and in PM2PS communication. Literature from project communication studies and literature from general communication theory was consulted. Findings – Using defensive silence theory as a conceptual framework, five research propositions specific to fear-based information withholding in PM2PS communication are offered. Research limitations/implications – The study findings are limited to PM2PS communication based upon fear. The study provides a foundation for further research in this area within the conceptual framework of defensive silence theory. Practical implications – The practical implication of this paper is that certain perceptions and behaviors of a project sponsor can be related to fear-based information withholding in PM2PS communication. Originality/value – The originality of this paper is that it extends defensive silence theory into the realm of PM2PS communication. The value of this paper is to provide a catalyst for subsequent empirical-based research in order gain greater insight into fear-based information withholding in PM2PS communication.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias G. Carayannis ◽  
João J.M. Ferreira ◽  
Cristina Fernandes

Purpose Knowledge and its management and, more recently, strategic knowledge management (SKM) represent major challenges for the organisations of the 21st century. Despite the importance of this knowledge field, and the significant quantity of research that has focussed on this theme, there is a dearth of studies in the literature undertaking a systematic SKM review. This study aims to provide a currently complete and systematic SKM review to stimulate and contribute to furthering this academic field and correspondingly set out an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach This paper sourced the data from the science citation index expanded (SCI-expanded), the social sciences citation index (SSCI) and the arts and humanities citation index (A&H CI) databases. This research spanned references published in journals belonging to the categories of management, business and economics without any chronological filter. The search returned a total of 99 references with their dates of publication between 1995 (1 reference) and 2018 (7 references). Findings The results included the identification of three core approaches to this study field: SKM models and competitive advantage, SKM implementation and the Systematic SKM approach. Practical implications This current study seeks to undertake the mapping of the scientific publications, the intellectual structure and research trends in the SKM field to: identify the fundamental contributions to the SKM research field; determine the research pathways establishing its intellectual structure and the scientific journals with the greatest impact on the field and identify the SKM research field geographical distribution and its collaborative structure. Originality/value This study defines a roadmap for an informed research agenda that proposes multiple directions: the usage and development of an innovative theory that may open new paths for future research and theoretical construction; a more sophisticated understanding of the concept and its applicability; approaching the shortcomings interrelated with the content across different levels of analysis; and the application of relevant and appropriate methodologies for operationalizing SKM.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-307
Author(s):  
Ricardo Godinho Bilro ◽  
Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro

Purpose This paper aims to review the existing literature about consumer engagement, provide an accurate mapping of this research field, propose a consumer engagement typology and a conceptual framework and offer a research agenda for this domain. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review using several quality filters was performed, producing a top-quality pool of 41 papers. After that, a text mining analysis was conducted, and five major research streams emerged. Findings This paper proposes five distinct research streams based on the text mining analysis, namely, consumer engagement, online brand community engagement, consumer-brand engagement, consumer engagement behaviours and media engagement. Based on this, a consumer engagement typology and a conceptual framework are suggested and a research agenda is proposed. Originality/value This paper presents scientific value and originality because of the new character of the topic and the research methods used. This research is the first study to perform a systematic review and using a text-mining approach to examine the literature on consumer engagement. Based on this, the authors define consumer engagement typology. A research agenda underlining emerging future research topics for this domain is also proposed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Das ◽  
Satyasiba Das ◽  
Manojit Chattopadhyay

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and critique the existing literature on entrepreneurial teams (ET) by taking a multi-disciplinary viewpoint and provide a future research agenda based on the identified themes and trends.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was undertaken using “business source complete”. Further scrutiny and application of exclusion criteria led to a final sample consisting of 139 papers from 27 different journals belonging to not just entrepreneurship and strategic management but also other disciplines like OB, finance, sociology, psychology, etc. Using qualitative thematic analysis, the authors identified 11 major themes.FindingsThe paper reviews both the eleven themes and the linkages between the themes. Thereby identifying areas that have been understudied and those that have received comparatively more attention. The review revealed that the research stream possesses certain conceptual and methodological concerns apart from its cross-sectional and primarily bivariate nature. Five such main concerns have been identified and discussed in detail. Other elements of the resulting research agenda include calls for more clinical process-oriented research, further attention to context, shifting the level of analysis, and a need to integrate across disciplines.Originality/valueThis paper incorporates a broad insight of ET across academic disciplines to show how future contributions could benefit by incorporating research from other fields. In doing so, provides a starting point for more nuanced discussions around the interrelationships between the different conversations that are taking place in the ET literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed-Abdullahi Mohamed ◽  
Asmat-Nizam Abdul-Talib ◽  
AfifahAlwani Ramlee

Purpose This study aims to examine the role of returning Somali diaspora entrepreneurs on firm performance and their perceived environmental obstacles. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a broad literature review and covers a theoretical background to develop a research framework. It presents several propositions to be empirically tested to determine the influence of returnee entrepreneurs’ success and the challenges they face in the process. Findings The paper offers an overview of how Somali diaspora returnee entrepreneurs can use their resources to succeed in their business and the possible environmental uncertainties that could hinder them. The study highlights some under-researched areas and provides future research directions. Research limitations/implications A research investigation is needed to test the proposed conceptual framework empirically. Further research is also recommended to use other predictors when investigating the perceived environmental uncertainty faced by returnee entrepreneurs. Practical implications In the diaspora entrepreneurship literature, returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict African countries did not get enough attention. Hence, the study will contribute theoretically to the literature. Originality/value The paper provides a conceptual framework that will help understand returnee entrepreneurs in post-conflict states in Africa, paving the way for empirical studies on the topic.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Bart A. Lameijer ◽  
Hans P. Borgman ◽  
Kevin Linderman

Purpose Although scholars have considered the success factors of process improvement (PI) projects, limited research has considered the factors that influence failure. The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of PI project failure by systematically reviewing the research on generic project failure, and developing research propositions and future research directions specifically for PI projects. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review protocol resulted in a total of 97 research papers that are reviewed for contributions on project failure. Findings An inductive category formation process resulted in three categories of findings. The first category are the causes for project failure, the second category is about relatedness between failure factors and the third category is on failure mitigation strategies. For each category, propositions for future research on PI projects specifically are developed. Additional future research directions proposed lay in better understanding PI project failure as it unfolds (i.e. process studies vs cross-sectional), understanding PI project failure from a theoretical perspective and better understanding of PI project failure antecedents. Originality/value This paper takes a multi-disciplinary and project type approach, synthesizes the existing knowledge and reflects upon the developments in the field of research. Propositions and a framework for future research on PI project failure are presented.


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