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This study aims to develop an empathetic and user-centric customer support service design model. Though service design has been a critical research focus for several decades, few studies focus on customer support services. As customer support gains importance as a source of competitive advantage in the present era, this paper aims to contribute to industry and academia by exploring the service design model.

The study adopted a theories-in-use approach to elucidate mental models based on the industry’s best practices. In-depth interviews with 62 professionals led to critical insights into customer service design development, supported by service-dominant logic and theory of mind principles.

The ensuing insights led to a model that connects the antecedents and outcomes of empathetic and user-centric customer service design. The precursors include people, processes and technology, while the results are user experience, service trust and service advocacy. The model also emphasises the significance of the user’s journey and the user service review in the overall service design.

The model developed through this study addresses the critical gap concerning the lack of service design research in customer support services. The key insights from this study contribute to the ongoing research endeavours towards transitioning customer support services from an operational unit to a strategic value-creating function. Future scholars may investigate the applicability of the empathetic user service design across cultures and industries. The new model must be customised using real-time data and analytics across user journey stages.

The empathetic and user-centric design can elevate the customer service function as a significant contributor to the overall customer experience, loyalty and positive word of mouth. Practitioners can adopt the new model to provide superior customer service experiences. This original research was developed through crucial insights from interviews with senior industry professionals.

This research is the original work developed through the key insights from the interview with senior industry professionals.

This study aims to examine the factors (Stimuli) enhancing perceived utilitarian, social and conditional values (Organisms) of social commerce (s-commerce) platforms and their impact on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs’) behavioral intention (Response) to adopt s-commerce.

Survey data were gathered from 304 Indian SMEs using s-commerce platforms. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS 3 software.

The results indicated that perceived values significantly impact SMEs’ behavioral intention to adopt s-commerce. Among conditional, utilitarian and social values, the conditional value of s-commerce sites was found to be the strongest motivator for SMEs to adopt s-commerce.

This research contributes to the growing literature on s-commerce, explaining how perceived value influences the decision of SMEs to adopt s-commerce platforms.

Among the significant influencers, perceived usefulness and perceived reputation were found to be the most effective triggers that stimulate perceived values of s-commerce sites. The findings draw due attention from policymakers toward environmental cues such as the legal and regulatory environment, which are instrumental in creating the most important perceived value for SMEs, i.e. conditional value.

By employing the inputs from the theory of consumption values and the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, this original study looked beyond the technology factors and examined the role of perceived values of s-commerce platforms in shaping SMEs’ behavioral intention to adopt.

There are two theoretical concepts that can be taught in this case.The new approach to teaching entrepreneurship is termed “lean start-up” and “hypothesis-driven entrepreneurship.” The business model canvas is a core tool of this approach. This framework defines nine key components of a successful business strategy. These components include defining value propositions; identifying customer segments; identifying channels; maintaining customer relationships; defining key activities, key resources and key partners; understanding the revenue model of the business; and the organization’s cost structure. This is considered to be a rigorous approach to learning about and developing a new venture.The other theoretical approach that can be discussed through this case is the link between uncertainty and entrepreneurial growth. These theories associate the willingness of entrepreneurs to bear the perceived uncertainty associated with entrepreneurial acts as representative of the belief-desire model. There is a need for entrepreneurs to experiment and search for alternative paths forward in order to counter this uncertainty. Systematic search processes to discover relevant information will strengthen this process.

This case is based on primary data collected through interviews with company personnel. The company consented freely to the use of their data in the case. The authors have no connection with the company. The four student coauthors had previously pursued an internship with the company and had worked on the machine learning analysis part.The two faculty coauthors in the case contacted the company after the internship and discussed the opportunity to write the case on the company. One of the faculty then interviewed key personnel in the company, including one of the co-founders.

Xoxoday is a technology company that provides employee rewards and corporate gifting to its customers. The company was started by Sumit Khandelwal, Manoj Agarwal, Abhishek Kumar and Kushal Agarwal. In 2018, the company reinvented itself as an experiential gifting company.The company faced some challenges during the lockdowns imposed due to COVID-19. Khandelwal knew that they had to try something new to achieve higher growth in the future. He wondered if higher usage of technology was the solution. It was necessary for them to carve a new path in these times.

This case study can be used at the undergraduate level in courses relating to entrepreneurship strategy and business models for entrepreneurs.The case can be used to highlight the dilemmas faced by entrepreneurs due to unforeseen crises. This case is relevant for classes that will discuss growth crises and out-of-the-box solutions for unprecedented crisis situations.

The purpose of this article is to revisit the mean reversion in profitability and earnings among Indian-listed firms, based on the idea that changes in profitability and earnings are somewhat predictable.

The study used a sample of 445 Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)-listed companies and 309 companies from the manufacturing sector in India for the period from 2007 to 2020. The study employed cross-sectional regressions. Both linear and non-linear Partial Adjustment Models (PAM) were used to forecast profitability and earnings.

The study revealed that profitability and earnings mean revert for both the BSE-listed companies and the manufacturing sector companies from 2007 to 2012. However, for the years from 2013 to 2020, it was found that there is no significant evidence of mean reversion in both the BSE-listed companies or the manufacturing sector companies.

The findings have larger implications for security analysts who forecast future stabilisation or recovery of historically high or low growth rates. Investors and analysts would benefit from having a better understanding of how competitive attacks affect profitability as well as how the overall economic growth of a country affects earnings and valuations.

Most of the empirical research in India has focused on mean reversion in stock prices or stock returns. The present study looked at the mean reversion of profitability and earnings in Indian firms.

While there has been extensive research on understanding the effects of online reviews on product sales, there is not enough investigation of the inter-relationships between online reviews, online search and product sales. The study attempts to address this gap in the context of the Indian car market.

The research uses text mining and considers six important review features volume, valence, length, deviation of valence, sentiment and readability within the heuristic and systematic model of information processing. Panel data regression is used along with mediation analysis to study the inter-relationships between features of reviews, online search and sales.

The study finds that numerical heuristic features significantly affect sales and online search, numerical systematic feature affects sales and the textual heuristic and systematic features do not affect sales or online search in the Indian car market. Further, online search mediates the association between features of reviews and sales of cars.

Although only car sales data from India is considered in this research, similar relationships between review features, online search and sales could exist for the car market of other countries as well.

This research uncovers the unique role of online search as a mediator between review features and sales, whereas prior literature has considered review features and online search as independent variables that affect sales.

A small group of pioneering founders led the creation and early evolution of the service research field. Decades later, this article shares timeless service wisdom from ten of those pioneering founders.

Bowen and Fisk specified three criteria by which to identify a pioneering founder. In total, 11 founders met the criteria (Bateson, Berry, Bitner, Brown, Chase, Edvardsson, Grönroos, Gummesson, Parasuraman, Schneider and Zeithaml) and were invited to join Bowen and Fisk – founders that also met the criteria as coauthors. Ten founders then answered a set of questions regarding their careers as service scholars and the state of the field.

Insightful reflections were provided by each of the ten pioneering founders. In addition, based on their synthesis of the reflections, Bowen and Fisk developed nine wisdom themes for service researchers to consider and to possibly act upon.

The service research field is in its fifth decade. This article offers a unique way to learn directly from the pioneering founders about the still-relevant history of the field, the founders' lives and contributions as service scholars and the founders' hopes and concerns for the service research field.

This paper aims to review, discuss and synthesize the literature focusing on the Indian initial public offering (IPO) market. Understanding the Indian IPO market can help answer broader corporate finance questions. The growing number of IPOs in the Indian context, coupled with the increasing importance of the Indian economy in the global market, makes this review an essential topic.

The systematic literature review methodology was adopted to review 111 papers published between 2002 and 2021. The authors used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach during the review process. Additionally, the authors use a bibliometric review methodology to examine the pattern and trend of research in this area of interest. Furthermore, the authors conduct a critical review and synthesis of the top 20 papers based on citations. The authors also use a co-citation network and manual content analysis method to identify key research themes.

This review helps in identifying major themes of research in this area of interest. The authors find that majority of the research has focused on IPO performance whereas post-IPO performance needs critical attention as well. The authors develop a comprehensive framework and future research agenda based on their discussion.

Meta-analysis of the literature can be conducted to gain better insights into the findings of prior studies.

This review paper develops a comprehensive overview on Indian IPO market which can be of interest not only to Indian scholarship. India as an economy is increasingly gaining attention at the global level. Hence, the future research objectives as illustrated in the study can be of interest for the global scholarship also.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review paper that examines, synthesizes and outlines the future research agenda on Indian IPO studies. This review can be useful for researchers, business policymakers, finance professionals and anyone else interested in the Indian IPO market.

Though there is consensus that mindfulness induces mindful consumption (MC), empirical testing is needed to uncover the mechanism underlying temperance behaviour in the MC model proposed by Sheth et al. (2011). The role of mindful advertising in influencing MC needs deeper investigation. The purpose of this research paper is to bridge the gap.

The relationship between mindfulness and temperance in consumption was investigated using an online simulation. Mindful advertising by Patagonia, with a message to buy less yet demand organic, fair-trade and recycled products, was introduced as a moderator in experimental group one. The second group was exposed to an aspirational advertisement of Tommy Hilfiger, symbolic of consumption-driving communication.

Not buying any brands was the uppermost preference by the participants followed by Patagonia, which used a mindful advertisement. Tommy Hilfiger was a distant third despite using an aspirational advertisement. A predictive relationship between mindfulness and temperance in consumption remained elusive.

Consumer purchase decisions favouring mindfully advertised Patagonia make a strong business case for nurturing a mindful mindset and promoting mindful behaviour. The customer-centric sustainability strategy of caring for the people and the planet beforehand should take precedence over corporate social responsibility which is usually an afterthought.

Measuring mindfulness and MC, two constructs combined in one experimental design, using a simulation built around real-life marketing communication distinguishes this research paper.

With a start in the observation that there is a large variation in how companies interact with each other, the paper aims to anlayse the economic consequences of this variation. As the more extensive interaction is costly, the variation also indicates a variation in the economic dimension.

This is a conceptual paper.

Three different economic streams can be identified. Firstly, the interaction costs can be reduced by taking advantage of time and scope. Interaction over time give opportunity to use some of the costs as investments through creation of relationships. By using the same counterpart for several products, scope can be used to reduce interaction costs. Secondly, developed business relationships can be used to create relation revenues. The counterparts can use each other for developing better solutions and for development of knowledge. Finally, the actors can also get positive network effects. One example is the joint development with third parties such as sub-suppliers or customer’s customer.

The discussion ends in two major implications. One is the central role of managers and the other the crucial role of economic deals. Managers are crucial both to identify relevant cost and revenue items as well as to exploit them. Deals are important as it is only with direct counterparts where there are monetary streams. In all other relationships, there is only indirect consequences.

It is obvious that the type of cost and revenue streams identified above will require new and different economic tools. A base for this is given here.