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1 – 10 of over 30000Christina Öberg and Beata Kollberg
Ambidexterity refers to the ability to balance contradictory items and has been extensively described in relation to technological advancement in large-sized manufacturing firms…
Abstract
Purpose
Ambidexterity refers to the ability to balance contradictory items and has been extensively described in relation to technological advancement in large-sized manufacturing firms. Few studies on hospitality and tourism firms have described the balancing of innovative developments, often focusing on the operational level of firms. Ambidexterity could though be understood also in dimensions of customer/market development and collaborative interaction. This paper describes and discusses ambidexterity in the dimensions of technological advancement, customer/market development and collaborative interaction in service firms to inspire this debate and bridge the gap between strategy and the service field.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study describing a service firm's 25-year development functions as the empirical source of inspiration to understand how service firms also in tourism and hospitality sectors would work with strategies and their developments related to technology, customers and collaboration. The case study is analysed using an activity-based time schedule to capture dimensions of ambidexterity and how they are linked to one another.
Findings
The findings indicate how the service firm balanced exploitation and exploration over time, rather than allowing such activities to occur simultaneously and in parallel. Generally, the firm only managed to explore in one dimension at the time.
Originality/value
The paper broadens the lens on ambidexterity to include collaboration and customer involvement and the link among the various dimensions of ambidexterity. It also discusses how ambidexterity in these dimensions may be handled by service firms so as to inspire strategic developments among tourism and hospitality firms.
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Teng Teng, Christos Tsinopoulos and Ying Kei Tse
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects that information systems (IS) capabilities can have on supplier collaboration and customer collaboration and on quality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects that information systems (IS) capabilities can have on supplier collaboration and customer collaboration and on quality performance in service contexts. In addition, the study examines how supply chain collaboration influences quality performance under various levels of environmental dynamism.
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model for this study is designed on the basis of the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities view (DCV). A survey of 156 UK service firms was conducted and the data analyzed to test theoretical model using the structural equation modeling method. Furthermore, the moderating effect of environmental dynamism was investigated.
Findings
The results show that IS capabilities are positively associated with supply chain collaboration. Both supplier collaboration and customer collaboration are positively related to quality performance. Supplier collaboration has a positive effect on customer collaboration. Environmental dynamism significantly moderates the relationship between customer collaboration and quality performance, but no moderating effect on the relationship between supplier collaboration and quality performance.
Originality/value
This study takes a step toward quelling concerns about the business value of IS, contributing to the development and validation of the measurement of IS capabilities in the service supply chain context. The study deepens our understanding of supply chain collaboration by making a distinction between supplier collaboration and customer collaboration and investigating the correlation of supplier collaboration and customer collaboration. The findings extend the empirical application of RBV and DCV. In addition, this study’s findings direct service firms to develop IS capabilities that can enhance specific kinds of supply chain collaboration activities, thereby enabling improved quality performance.
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According to IBM research, companies seeking opportunities in an era of constant customer connectivity focus on two complementary activities: reshaping customer value propositions…
Abstract
Purpose
According to IBM research, companies seeking opportunities in an era of constant customer connectivity focus on two complementary activities: reshaping customer value propositions and transforming their operations using digital technologies for greater customer interaction and collaboration. This paper aims to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains that businesses aiming to generate new customer value propositions or transform their operating models need to develop a new portfolio of capabilities for flexibility and responsiveness to fast‐changing customer requirements.
Findings
The paper finds that engaging with customers at every point where value is created is what differentiates a customer‐centered business from one that simply targets customers well. Customer interaction in these areas often leads to open collaboration that accelerates innovation using online communities.
Practical implications
Companies focused on fully reshaping the operating model optimize all elements of the value chain around points of customer engagement.
Originality/value
The article explains how companies with a cohesive plan for integrating the digital and physical components of operations can successfully transform their business models.
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Summer K. Mohamed, Sandra Haddad and Mahmoud Barakat
Due to the rapid increase in environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, there has been a recent shift in global focus from economic concerns to environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the rapid increase in environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, there has been a recent shift in global focus from economic concerns to environmental ones. The purpose of this research is to examine the relevant literature on the use of blockchain technology to promote environmental sustainability through customer integration.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed framework is based on the theoretical lens of systems theory (ST) and knowledge-based view (KBV) theory, and is developed by conducting a systematic literature review of 51 articles, (16) from 2022, (17) from 2021, (10) 2020, (5) 2019, (2) 2018 and (1) from 2017 on blockchain technology (BCT), environmental supply chain performance (ESCP) and customer integration.
Findings
Three main propositions are formulated and demonstrated using the developed framework, which shows that BCT has the potential to revolutionize the supply chain from an environmental sustainability perspective through facilitating waste management, reduction of energy consumption and reduction of carbon emissions/pollution. The technology will not only enhance the environmental sustainability but also facilitate customer integration through resolving transparency issues, protecting data/enhancing security, database decentralization, promoting trust and immutability.
Originality/value
The effects of blockchain on supply chain performance has been studied in the past; however, no studies were found which shed light on how BCT can affect ESCP through the mediation of customer integration.
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Original equipment manufacturers offer maintenance services such as remote diagnostics to extend their portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
Original equipment manufacturers offer maintenance services such as remote diagnostics to extend their portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate requirements and expectations regarding remote services (RSs) for maintaining complex high-tech equipment from a users’ point of view.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative interview study based on 30 interviews and observations at 11 organizations in the healthcare industry was conducted in order to get a holistic understanding of requirements and expectations of the new service technology.
Findings
This study shows that the focus on providing high-technology services is not sufficient to increase customer's usage, soft factors such as personal interaction, integration, and individualization are main expectations for customers in the medical equipment industry. The expectations are concentrated in seven propositions.
Research limitations/implications
The interviews were conducted only in the healthcare industry. Even though is it possible to generalize the findings and transfer them to other sectors, a large-scale empirical survey should be conducted in different industries to verify the qualitative results.
Practical implications
A framework for manager and service provider is set up that can help to improve the service offerings according to specific customer expectations.
Originality/value
The paper provides an original perspective on a new service technology that facilitates remote maintenance of complex high-tech equipment. Through in-depth interviews, the author generates valuable insights that help to advance RS technologies.
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Mekhail Mustak, Elina Jaakkola, Aino Halinen and Valtteri Kaartemo
Management of customer participation (CP) in service production and delivery is of critical concern for service managers, as CP can result in various positive but also negative…
Abstract
Purpose
Management of customer participation (CP) in service production and delivery is of critical concern for service managers, as CP can result in various positive but also negative outcomes. However, an integrated understanding on how service providers can manage CP is still missing. The purpose of this paper is to gather and synthesize the extant knowledge on the constituents of CP management into a comprehensive framework, and to offer an extensive agenda for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review of existing research is conducted. A total of 181 journal articles are analyzed in five steps: attaining basic understanding, coding, categorization, comparison, and further analysis.
Findings
The authors provide identification and categorizations of the customer inputs, their antecedents, the management approaches, and the outcomes of CP. To date, CP management has been addressed from three distinct perspectives: human resource management that treats customers as partial employees; operations management that focusses on customer functioning during the service process; and marketing that highlights the roles and value outcomes for customers.
Research limitations/implications
The authors call for further research that addresses the relationships between the antecedents, customer inputs, management approaches, and outcomes of CP, and argue for extension of contextual diversity. The detailed research agenda provided is helpful for interested researchers.
Practical implications
The study offers managerial insights on how the degree and quality of CP can be improved by applying the various management methods examined in academic research.
Originality/value
As the first comprehensive review on this topic, this paper brings together the dispersed knowledge on CP, integrates it into a comprehensive framework of CP management, and paves the way for future focussed research.
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Digitalization has a profound impact on economies as a whole, and on sectors, businesses, and daily life. Digitalization is possible through development of a variety of digital…
Abstract
Digitalization has a profound impact on economies as a whole, and on sectors, businesses, and daily life. Digitalization is possible through development of a variety of digital technologies which led to creation of digital products and services in almost every sector. Almost all sectors benefit from digital technologies; however, there are also challenges about digitalization which encounters conflicts. These conflicts are either macro-level or related to digitalization of business processes. With efficient functioning of governmental policies, macro-level conflicts could be diminished or prevented. Conflicts arising from business process could be avoided by improvement of business relations.
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Chih-Cheng Volvic Chen and Chih-Jou Chen
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer participation in the service delivery process by designing and testing an empirical model with the customers’ point…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer participation in the service delivery process by designing and testing an empirical model with the customers’ point of view in mind.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected from 176 customers in the context of professional financial insurance services. The proposed model is analyzed with partial least squares (PLS) path modeling in SmartPLS 2.0 software.
Findings
The results of the study show that customer participation produces positive effects on customer satisfaction and affective commitment through the customer relational value. Affective commitment is a strong predictor of repurchase intention, but no relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase intention was found.
Practical implications
This study suggests that customer participation can be a win-win situation for customers and the service firm. Customers who create relational value with their service providers effectively enjoy their services more and are more likely to build and maintain long-term relationships with their service firm.
Originality/value
The findings highlight the roles of the customer and indicate the heuristic value of viewing customer satisfaction and affective commitment as consequences of customer participation. By identifying the effects of customer participation in the service interaction, organizations can determine optimum roles for customers in the service delivery process that will yield a more efficient use of organization resources and improve operational performance.
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Àngels Dasí, Frank Elter, Paul N. Gooderham and Torben Pedersen
In recent years, we can observe the emergence of firms, born both digital and global, that have disrupted existing industries. Deploying digital technologies, they have developed…
Abstract
In recent years, we can observe the emergence of firms, born both digital and global, that have disrupted existing industries. Deploying digital technologies, they have developed innovative value chains and business models that threaten established multinational companies (MNCs). In this chapter, we examine how MNCs can and do respond to the challenge digital technologies represent. We describe the main facets of digital technologies and discus the potential these have to undermine the value chains and business models of established MNCs. In order to illustrate this, we employ longitudinal data from Telenor, a leading multinational mobile telecom company. Telenor perceives digitalization as a critical threat that in turn is causing a radical rethink about the viability of its decentralized, locally responsive value chain and business model. Our data provides insights into business models in-the-making at the top management level. We argue that the case of Telenor is generalizable to multi-domestic MNCs across a range of industries.
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Anju Verma, M. Venkatesan, Mallika Kumar and Jyoti Verma
Human history observed an arduous time fighting the novel infectious respiratory disease Covid-19 coronavirus, which started in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly across the globe in…
Abstract
Purpose
Human history observed an arduous time fighting the novel infectious respiratory disease Covid-19 coronavirus, which started in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly across the globe in 2020. Economies and the countries including India around the world experienced dismay with nationwide lockdowns and the fear of the unknowing. The unforeseen circumstances enforced immediate transitions in the organizations' work environment through remote working, digital infrastructure, online collaborations and new ways of interaction. The pandemic altered the workplace trajectories in lasting ways as the employees settled into a new routine of working from home more quickly than imagined. Now, as India and many other countries slowly move beyond the crisis, there exists a need to realize the implications of the pandemic on the workplace and articulate the future of work. This article, therefore, investigates the key perceived benefits and the HR implications of the new and emerging concept of hybrid workplaces and presents an HRM framework for their successful adoption in India. The findings may prove crucial in framing new workplace norms and shaping them. Moreover, this research would provide practitioners, policymakers, business leaders and HR professionals insights about the need to review the existing workplaces and successfully roll out hybrid work models in accordance with HR strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology of Systematic Review of Literature (SLR) was adopted to study the key perceived benefits and the HR implications of hybrid workplaces.
Findings
The findings of the study would help business leaders, HR professionals, policymakers and researchers in developing HR policies and approaches for the adoption of the hybrid workplace as they chart the path toward the post-pandemic future.
Research limitations/implications
The study stresses the HR implications of the future of work as the hybrid workplace paradigm evolves. The approach is explorative and would require quantitative validation in different sectors and countries.
Originality/value
The study makes a direct link between the hybrid workplaces and the impetus for the transformation of HR strategies. It also examines the changing role of the human resources (HR) functions and professionals after the pandemic.
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