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This study aims to critically evaluate and reflect on the current state of service research in Africa. The purpose is to develop a roadmap to guide future service research in and out of Africa.

This study is a conceptual reflection and in situ observation of service research and practice in Africa.

This study delineates scholarly, policy and managerial pathways for further service research in the African context. Service research in Africa is often experience-based rather than concept-based, and such research is often conducted in close collaboration with the local business community. Theoretical development and empirical exploration through collaboration initiatives among institutions with mutual research interests are encouraged.

This study is a theoretical analysis of service research in Africa. Further empirical exploration is needed to delineate service research priorities and methodological directions so as to balance local needs and global relevance.

Africa represents fertile terrain for experience-based insights regarding financial behavior, ecosystem services and nation branding. Grassroots-level involvement in research represents a key component of managerial relevance.

This study highlights the role of service research in and about Africa. The discussion demonstrates that the African Ubuntu values of community involvement and a collectivist orientation can expand the relevance of research from the academic business field to broader society.

This study represents a unique perspective on service research in the African context. In doing so, this paper lays the groundwork for more meaningful participation on the part of African-based researchers in the global service research domain. Experience-based research projects focusing on the empirical starting point complement theory development and serve as useful anchors for theory implementation in practice.

This paper aims to present empirical testing of an experience-based usability framework to study an urban area. The framework is applied to the Punavuori neighbourhood in Helsinki, Finland, to understand the issues that make this neighbourhood attractive to its users.

The experience-based usability framework for an urban area study is the 6T-model of experience of place, which was developed by combining service and experience design tools and methods as well as former research to assess the user’s experience. The framework is tested by analysing data gathered from documents, a walkthrough of the neighbourhood and interviews.

This paper interprets users’ experiences of the Punavuori area using the 6T-model to capture new perspectives on user-centric urban design and the management of places. The identified connections can be a starting point for investigations into users’ experiences as a part of the usability of an urban area.

The results represent a beginning study into the usability and the usability experience of individuals in the built environment. The preliminary testing of the experience framework is used as a framework for the analysis of the secondary data. The user data have not been gathered in the broadest sense.

The results can be used in other experience-based research for (re-)design an existing or new area that attracts new inhabitants and business. The results can be applied by urban planners as well as place managers.

The identified points of connection provide a valuable approach to capture and discuss about user experiences in complex urban context.

The study aims to explore how concept stores (theoretically) differ from other experience-based retail formats, and hence, how they (practically) contribute to a diversified retail store portfolio.

Case study based on semi-structured, qualitative interviews with seven IKEA retail managers, three industry experts and 26 customers of IKEA concept stores in London and Stockholm.

The concept store represents a conceptual departure from other experiential store formats. It is neither fully experiential in the sense that it is not only about marketing communications nor is it sales or profit-focused. Its aim is to be an accessible touchpoint that reduces friction on a diversified customer journey with its value to the retail portfolio being that it attracts new and latent customers, mitigates existing inhibiting factors and drives them to other touchpoints.

Ideas about the different characteristics of new store formats and their potential to shape the customer experience are extended. New formats reflect innovation in retailing and are part of a retail portfolio which generates different customer expectations and determinants from traditional store formats which provide the customers' existing reference point.

The contributions of new formats should be evaluated in light of other existing formats in the portfolio and not isolated. This is particularly true when considering format cannibalisation and the potentially extended customer journey that arises when customers use traditional format stores and new concept format stores simultaneously.

Previous research, using sales metrics and market-based results as performance determinants, suggests negative outcomes for format diversification. Our study suggests that the contributions of the concept store format should be viewed from an overall customer journey perspective and the “performance” of different format based touchpoints are not best captured through traditional sales evaluation methods.

The purpose of this paper is to reveal how managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can utilise their participation in research-based training to enable innovation and growth.

Action research and action learning from a longitudinal study of ten SME managers in the wind turbine industry are applied to reveal SME managers’ learning and the impact of the application of learning in the wind turbine industry.

The findings of this study show that SME managers employ a practice-shaped, holistic, cross-disciplinary approach to learning. This learning approach is supported by theory dissemination and collaboration on perceived business challenges. Open-mindedness to new learning by SME managers and to cross-disciplinary collaboration with SME managers by university facilitators/researchers is required.

The research is conducted within the wind turbine industry, in which intense demands for innovation are pursued. The findings require verification in other industry contexts.

This research contributes strategies for SME managers to utilise research-based training and for universities regarding how to work with SME training. In addition, public bodies can enhance their understanding of SMEs for innovation and growth. The learning approach that is suitable for specialisation in larger organisations is not suitable in the SME context.

SME learning is enhanced by a social approach to integrating essential large-scale industry players and other SME managers to create extended action and value from learning.

The findings reveal the need for extended theory development for and a markedly different approach to SME training from that used for training managers in larger companies. This topic has received only limited attention in previous research.

Both high reliability theory (HRT) and “new school” supply chain resilience (SCR) promote a multi-layered, adaptable, transformational, and holistic perspective on organizing and managing. The authors explore whether, and if so how, HRT offer fresh perspectives on the SCR challenges experienced during COVID-19 and on organizing for future resilience.

Addressing SCR at the interorganizational network level, and blending theory synthesis and case study research, the authors assess if and how HRN constructs and practices can guide analysis of SCR in dynamic, complex networks, and help shape development pathways towards organizing for resilience. Findings draw on thick description and iterative coding of data (58 interviews and 200+ documents) on the buyer network responsible for managing the supply of critical medical products in the Netherlands.

HRT highlights the interconnectedness of challenges encountered during COVID-19 and helps design future resilience through three lessons. Organizing for SCR requires (1) both anticipation and containment strategies, (2) stable working relationships characterized by trust, and (3) a clear basis of command underpinned by experience-based legitimacy.

Distinctive from SCR, which views crises as “black swans”, HRT organizes around everyday consideration of the risk of failure. Taking a buyer network perspective, the authors move beyond the buyer-supplier network focus in SCR. The authors contend that emphasis on measures such as supplier base management, stockpiling, and domestic production are essential but not sufficient. Rather, HRT implies that deep structural and social ties within the buyer network should also be emphasized.

Current research lacks a clear definition of blended learning in entrepreneurship education (EE), a comprehensive overview of the recent research, and a conceptualization of different types of blends with their respective challenges and advantages. In response to that, the author systematically reviewed the literature on blended learning in EE and developed four archetypes of blends for entrepreneurship educators.

The author conducted a systematic literature review and identified 75 relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2021.

The findings suggest that blended learning is a common yet underexplored and undertheorized phenomenon in EE. The findings display the rationale and motives, educator characteristics, content, teaching methods, student characteristics, and results of blended learning in EE.

The paper is original because it posits blended learning as an independent and unique mode of delivery in EE. In addition, the author suggests four archetypes of blends in EE: the traditional blend, the for-action blend, the in-action blend, and the experiential blend. For each of these blends, the author identified specific advantages and challenges and discussed under which circumstances educators may employ them.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and improve patient care processes by collaborating patients, relatives and healthcare professionals.

To identify and improve patient care processes by collaborating patients, relatives and healthcare professionals.

Healthcare problems captured from collaboration between patients and healthcare professionals fall into simple, complicated and complex problems. Healthcare staff and patient experiences with patient processes differ, and a collaborative approach is needed to capture all areas needing improvement.

The conclusions are drawn from a project with few participants in a context that probably influenced the results. In contrast, other studies in the same area confirm the results.

The study outcomes have direct implications for healthcare professionals who can learn from patients involved in quality improvements such as this experience-based co-design (EBCD) project.

The paper contributes to limited studies on EBCD involving patients in healthcare quality improvements.

The aim of this study is to describe the experience of Swedish healthcare managers (HCMs) of learning leadership through practice.

The study is based on a qualitative approach, and critical incident technique guided the data collection. Interviews with 22 hospital HCMs provided a total of 50 narratives. These narratives were categorised by classifying them according to their manifest content, and a latent content analysis resulted in categories with additional sub‐categories.

Leadership learning occurred in relation to reorganisation, developmental work and conflicts. About 50 per cent of the narratives were classified as “managing conflicts”. The learning outcome in the classes was related to the categories “personal development”, “interpersonal leadership qualities” and “developing leadership strategies”. About 50 per cent of all learning outcome was a result of managing conflicts.

To be able to transfer the findings to a wider context in healthcare, further research into experience‐based leadership learning in healthcare is needed.

A majority of the narratives as well as the learning outcomes are related to managing conflicts. This indicates that in management development programmes, as well as leadership courses, the focus on conflict management should be extended, and also that HCMs need support from their employer in their conflict management duties.

With its use of critical incident technique, this study contributes to an understanding of HCMs' experience‐based leadership learning – a field in which limited research has been conducted.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze if the sport trajectory could be an impact factor in leadership development.

A qualitative research method has been adopted by conducting 17 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed with the program Open Code (4.03).

The findings of this study revealed that the interviewed managers perceived that their sport trajectory has had an important influence in the development of their leadership. This influence is determined by four factors: (1) sport profile, (2) sport referents, (3) competences, values and abilities and (4) experiences from different sport roles played during their lifespan.

The research is based on interviews with a small sample of managers. In order to develop the research further, a more extensive sample is required.

The paper is unique as it examines the impact of the sport trajectory as an impact factor in leadership development.