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21 – 30 of over 194000
Article
Publication date: 29 May 2007

Adegoke Oke

The purpose of this study is to investigate the different types of innovation that are predominant in companies in the UK services sector, the degree of innovativeness, the…

35066

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the different types of innovation that are predominant in companies in the UK services sector, the degree of innovativeness, the practices associated with the pursuit of innovation and their relationship with company performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical phase of the study was conducted using a two‐stage process initiated by interviews and completed with mail surveys. Interviews were held with six senior executives of leading service companies in the UK. 214 senior managers of UK service companies were surveyed. The response rate was 47 per cent. Relevant statistical analytical techniques including regressions were used to analyse the data.

Findings

Product innovations are emphasized more in telecommunications and financial sectors than in transport and retail sectors while service innovations are emphasized more in retail and transport sectors. Radical and incremental innovations were found to be related to innovation performance. Radical innovations were also found to be related to innovation management practices.

Practical implications

Service companies need to pursue radical, me‐too and incremental innovations. Formal practices and processes must not be limited to the pursuit of radical innovations. Service companies must also recognize the pursuit of incremental innovations formally in their innovation strategies and define formal process for implementing these types of innovation.

Originality/value

The finding that formal practices are set up to foster the development of radical innovations in spite of the fact that both me‐too and incremental innovations are also related to innovation performance represents an interesting contribution. Applying a framework that was based on the development of new products and innovations in the manufacturing context to the service context represents a contribution to the extant literature. Finally, investigating the link between innovation types, innovativeness, management practices and innovation performance in service companies is pioneering.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 1997

Meera Venkatraman and Ruby Roy Dholakia

Posits that companies offering services that directly compete with products are particularly interested in whether the form of the offering ‐ service or product ‐ affects the…

1050

Abstract

Posits that companies offering services that directly compete with products are particularly interested in whether the form of the offering ‐ service or product ‐ affects the behavior of consumers. Compares in two tightly designed and rigorously implemented experiments, consumers’ information search behavior for services that compete with products. Finds that: the critical difference between services and products is not that personal sources are used more for services but that impersonal sources are used less; there are similarities between products and services in search patterns; and with greater knowledge about the service, product and service search does not look very different. Finally discusses implications of these findings for managerial action.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 April 2009

Kulwant S. Pawar, Ahmad Beltagui and Johann C.K.H. Riedel

The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of productservice systems (PSS). It uses a multiple method approach to analyse literature and cases and synthesise a…

6746

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of productservice systems (PSS). It uses a multiple method approach to analyse literature and cases and synthesise a framework for the understanding and investigation of PSS. It demonstrates the need to consider the “organisation” or network, of firms involved in defining, designing and delivering value through the PSS. This is conceptualised as a productservice‐organisation (PSO).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses three complementary methodologies: a road‐mapping analysis, investigating industrial challenges for collaborating enterprises, a multidisciplinary literature review of PSS concepts and analysis of two cases.

Findings

The paper finds that value can be most effectively delivered by networks of collaborating firms, integrating the products and services they offer to create the value which customers seek. In short, creating value requires the simultaneous design of product, service and organisation – the PSO triangle.

Research limitations/implications

The paper offers a new classification of PSS related literature, drawing on a broad review of research in marketing, design and operations management related to service and PSS. The framework helps researchers understand the organisational challenges of PSS and provides suggested future research directions and questions.

Practical implications

The framework provides the foundations for a process to develop PSS. It highlights the organisational challenges and suggests that a systematic yet iterative process can be devised to create and deliver value. This means defining customer value which can be profitably delivered; designing the PSS to create this value and identifying the required capabilities; and finally creating and managing the network of partners responsible for delivering value.

Originality/value

The major contribution is a link between the emerging PSS literature and previous research on virtual enterprises and other types of organisational networks. The paper argues that PSS often creates the need to identify and access capabilities through a collaborative network. This is conceptualised in the PSO triangle.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2018

Giuditta Pezzotta, Claudio Sassanelli, Fabiana Pirola, Roberto Sala, Monica Rossi, Sophia Fotia, Angelos Koutoupes, Sergio Terzi and Dimitris Mourtzis

Nowadays manufacturers companies are increasingly compelled to navigate towards servitization. Different methods and approaches were proposed in literature to support them to…

2152

Abstract

Purpose

Nowadays manufacturers companies are increasingly compelled to navigate towards servitization. Different methods and approaches were proposed in literature to support them to switch from traditional product-based business model to product service systems (PSSs). However, new knowledge, capabilities and skills were needed to consistently develop PSSs, since they need a joint focus on both customer’s perspective and company’s internal performance and at the same time a proper support for the integration of product and service design. The purpose of this paper is to propose the Product Service System Lean Design Methodology (PSSLDM), a structured methodology to develop PSSs along their entire lifecycle.

Design/methodology/approach

Retrieving concepts from interpretative, interactive and system development research traditions, and strongly reminding the design research methodology framework, the adopted research methodology is composed of three main phases (observation and conceptualization, theory building and tool development, validation) and involved three heterogeneous companies.

Findings

This paper provides an overview of the PSSLDM, explaining how the different methods supporting its conduction should contribute to properly design an integrated PSS. Moreover, companies highlighted several benefits in the different stages along the PSS lifecycle deriving by the adoption of the PSSLDM.

Research limitations/implications

The development of a platform based on the PSSLDM methodology raises a discussion on the possible changes needed by current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) models and systems when they have to do with PSSs.

Originality/value

The PSSLDM enriches the already proposed SErvice Engineering Methodology, introducing new several components linked by lean rules in each of its phases (starting from customer analysis, going through solution concept and detailed design, until the offering analysis) and better supprting the deatil design of both prodcut and service components.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2010

Veronica Martinez, Marko Bastl, Jennifer Kingston and Stephen Evans

The purpose of this paper is to present challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming productservice providers.

9783

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming productservice providers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses an exploratory single‐case study approach based on semi‐structured interviews, and archival data. A total of 22 senior managers were interviewed from the productservice provider and its two suppliers, resulting in more than 400 pages of interview data. Data were analysed through an inductive research analysis by an emergent identification of patterns.

Findings

This research identifies critical and frequent challenges experienced by UK manufacturing companies undergoing a servitization journey to becoming productservice system (PSS) providers. They are condensed into five pillars, which constitute the architecture of challenges in servitization. The architecture of challenges in servitization provides a full description of the strategy and operations of PSSs.

Research limitations/implications

This is qualitative research based on a single case study. Given the nature of research design, the identified patterns cannot be used as a predictive tool.

Practical implications

This research provides a framework to understand, analyse and plan the strategic transformations to more highly servitized organisational forms.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to knowledge with a new model called “the architecture of challenges in servitization”. This is the only model that explains the importance of the strategic, operational and social tests that organisations confront when adopting servitization strategies. If companies understand these challenges, they have the potential to create unique sets of values for a variety of stakeholders.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2011

Gunther Kucza and Heiko Gebauer

The article aims to investigate how product manufacturing firms can configure their global service approach.

3728

Abstract

Purpose

The article aims to investigate how product manufacturing firms can configure their global service approach.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative, multi‐case research design was employed.

Findings

The following four global service approaches could be identified: integrated and ethnocentric; integrated and polycentric; separated and polycentric; and separated and geocentric.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings are limited in generalizability because of the qualitative research approach.

Practical implications

Exploring global forms of and supply chain configurations for services supports the efforts of manufacturing firms in developing new service‐based and relationship‐based value propositions.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the debate on integrating versus separating the service organization. It offers a complementary explanation on integrating and separating the service business, through a differentiation into central and local (market) organizations.

Article
Publication date: 8 July 2014

Xiaohui Shi, Pattarin Chumnumpan and Kiran Fernandes

This paper aims to develop a diffusion model that can be used to understand and forecast the market growth of service products in a competitive environment. Despite the fast…

1178

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a diffusion model that can be used to understand and forecast the market growth of service products in a competitive environment. Despite the fast growth of the service sector, the existing literature has dedicated little effort to modeling the market growth of service products.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a choice-type diffusion model that links the issues of service product utility, customers’ choice preference, customer switching behavior and the market growth of service products. The authors use the market data of one online product and assess the performance of the proposed model using this case.

Findings

The results demonstrate the model’s good fitting and forecasting performance. Specifically, the proposed model has better performance than the benchmarks the authors choose from the existing literature.

Originality/value

This study shows that market growth of service products can have different diffusion patterns with that of durable goods, which is evidence of the needs for specific models for service diffusion. Further, this study demonstrates the important role of customer switching in service diffusion. Also for marketing practitioners, this study provides an explanation and forecasting tool for the market growth of service products, which can be used for marketing planning in the service industry.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Sung‐Eui Cho and Kwangtae Park

The necessity of geographical accessibility between service provider and the customer has been essential for face‐to‐face contact in many service industries. However, the…

3841

Abstract

The necessity of geographical accessibility between service provider and the customer has been essential for face‐to‐face contact in many service industries. However, the emergence of electronic commerce (EC) and new technologies has altered the concept of location and geographical accessibility of service industries in a traditional economy. This study developed factors representing characteristics of product/service processes and verified that those factors are significantly related to customer needs of geographical accessibility in the transactions of EC. In addition, it investigated the relationships with the reasons for customer needs of geographical accessibility. Data for analyses were collected through customer surveys and statistically analyzed through exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, and canonical correlation analysis.

Details

International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-4233

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1992

Andrew Ede

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the European Journal of Marketing is split into seven sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing, Europe and…

Abstract

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the European Journal of Marketing is split into seven sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing, Europe and International Business; Marketing Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Product Management; Services Marketing; Marketing in the Public Sector; and Marketing & IT.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 26 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1998

Faïz Gallouj

As they account for the largest share of employment and value added, services do not (or cannot) lie outside a Schumpeterian view of innovation phenomena. Of the various attempts…

5590

Abstract

As they account for the largest share of employment and value added, services do not (or cannot) lie outside a Schumpeterian view of innovation phenomena. Of the various attempts at shedding more light on the mechanisms of innovation in service industries and firms, we consider the “reverse product cycle” to warrant special attention because of its highly thought‐provoking nature and its theoretical ambition. This article has two objectives: first, to present this interesting and still neglected theoretical study, and second, to evaluate on a theoretical and empirical level the extent to which Barras’ model meets the objective of a “theory of innovation in services”.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

21 – 30 of over 194000