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PurposeService managers increasingly strive to achieve sustainability through strategies centered on circularity. With a focus on saving, extending and (re)generating resources and their enclosing service systems, circularity can... more
PurposeService managers increasingly strive to achieve sustainability through strategies centered on circularity. With a focus on saving, extending and (re)generating resources and their enclosing service systems, circularity can contribute to environmental, social and financial gains. Yet, the notion of circularity is surprisingly understudied in service research. This article seeks to provide an initial conceptual understanding of circular service management, introducing illustrative strategies and research priorities for circular service management. This paper provides a roadmap for scholars, practitioners and policymakers to develop a deeper understanding of the opportunities from adopting circular services.Design/methodology/approachThe authors explore the concept of circular service management by drawing upon existing literature on sustainability, circularity and service research. Strategies of circular service management and research priorities emerge on the basis of industry...
Purpose Organizations increasingly seek to leverage open innovation (OI) communities to generate and advance novel ideas through collaborative innovation efforts of their members. However, success is far from guaranteed, as OI communities... more
Purpose Organizations increasingly seek to leverage open innovation (OI) communities to generate and advance novel ideas through collaborative innovation efforts of their members. However, success is far from guaranteed, as OI communities can only thrive depending on individual and collective member contributions. This study aims to examine individual and social determinants that encourage members to first generate novel ideas, then collaboratively advance these ideas through cocreation with other members, a process this study terms member “(co)creativity.” Design/methodology/approach A survey design was used to collect data from 301 OI community members, which this study analyzed through component-based structural equation modeling using the partial least squares (PLS) method. Findings Drawing on componential theory of creativity and innovation, this study demonstrates the role of members’ creative identity, creative self-efficacy and domain-relevant knowledge as determinants for t...
Companies invest considerably in event experiences; however, many are criticised for hosting events without understanding the full extent of their impact, or how to optimise their design. To benefit from event experiences, it is critical... more
Companies invest considerably in event experiences; however, many are criticised for hosting events without understanding the full extent of their impact, or how to optimise their design. To benefit from event experiences, it is critical to consider not only how customers engage with the event, but also how event engagement transfers to engagement with the host brand to ultimately drive brand loyalty. This paper empirically explores the role of customer event engagement in facilitating brand engagement, within the context of branded marketing event experiences. Surveying attendees of such branded event experiences, six Australian wine brands, running 10 diverse events, agreed to collaborate in the research, yielding a total response of 274 participants. Results indicate that, for emotional, sensorial, pragmatic and relational experiences, event engagement fully mediates the relationship with customer brand engagement. Furthermore, it is the engagement with the host brand, rather tha...
Scholars have suggested that design thinking and effectuation theory may enrich each other. However, to date, we lack deeper theorizing and empirical evidence to further advance this valuable discourse for the benefit of innovation... more
Scholars have suggested that design thinking and effectuation theory may enrich each other. However, to date, we lack deeper theorizing and empirical evidence to further advance this valuable discourse for the benefit of innovation management. Our qualitative study draws on 41 in‐depth interviews with Australian designer‐founders, with the aim to provide a theoretical perspective on and empirical insights into the relationship between the behavioral practices of design thinking and the cognitive principles of effectuation. The contributions are twofold. First, our study explains how design thinking practices enable designer‐founders to enact the cognitive principles of effectuation. Uncovering these “entrepreneurial ways of designing” provides an explanation for the effectiveness of design thinking for entrepreneurial innovation and new venture creation. Second, our study sheds light on the ways in which designer‐founders interpret effectuation principles through the professional va...
Fueled by technological advances, service delivery today is increasingly realized among multiple actors beyond dyadic service encounters. Customers, for example, often collaborate with peers, service employees, platform providers, or... more
Fueled by technological advances, service delivery today is increasingly realized among multiple actors beyond dyadic service encounters. Customers, for example, often collaborate with peers, service employees, platform providers, or other actors in a service ecosystem to realize desired outcomes. Yet such multi-actor settings pose greater demands for both customers and employees given added connectivity, changing roles, and responsibilities. Advancing prior dyadic readiness conceptualizations, this article lays the theoretical ground for an ecosystem-oriented understanding of readiness, which we refer to as actor ecosystem readiness (AER) . Grounded in a six-stage systematic synthesis of literature from different disciplines, our AER concept unpacks the cognitive, emotional, interactional, and motivational conditions that enable a customer or an employee to navigate a service ecosystem effectively. Building on human capital resource literature, we propose a multilevel framework aro...
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider a broadened suite of paradigmatic lenses to help better understand customer engagement during and beyond COVID-19. During this period of uncertainty and economic downturn, many customers are... more
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider a broadened suite of paradigmatic lenses to help better understand customer engagement during and beyond COVID-19. During this period of uncertainty and economic downturn, many customers are questioning their ways of living and being, and thus businesses are engaging customers in new and evolving ways. To appreciate this broadened realm of engagement requires researchers and businesses to embrace existential humanism as an alternative, yet complementary, paradigmatic lens.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper. The authors consider three distinct paradigmatic lenses on human (inter)action—economic rationalism, institutionalism and existential humanism—and apply these lenses to deepen the underlying theorizing of the customer engagement concept. Further, the authors illustrate how customers engage with businesses in distinct ways, seeking meaning congruent with the challenges faced during COVID-19.FindingsThe authors argu...
The year 2020 sees an important milestone for Professor Michael Kleinaltenkamp (Michael hereafter), as he concludes his official academic working life. This paper acknowledges the significant contribution Michael has made over the years.... more
The year 2020 sees an important milestone for Professor Michael Kleinaltenkamp (Michael hereafter), as he concludes his official academic working life. This paper acknowledges the significant contribution Michael has made over the years. In particular, using Leximancer to undertake textmining of Michael’s English language publications, we not only uncover the underlying structure of these contributions but also explore if and how focal themes of his research have changed, particularly considering his close engagement with the Australasian academic marketing community. Findings indicate foundational facets and the overall gestalt of his research over time, yet also point to important differences across the time periods analysed. Finally, we reflect on our findings from a musical perspective, drawing on Michael’s passion for music, as we thank him for the many jams and the rehearsing, aswell as for his support for the bands and scenes he belongs to. For future research, it should be n...
Purpose The ability to attract and retain volunteers is crucial for not-for-profit organizations, and consequently, the need to understand and manage volunteers’ engagement is paramount. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the... more
Purpose The ability to attract and retain volunteers is crucial for not-for-profit organizations, and consequently, the need to understand and manage volunteers’ engagement is paramount. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of five volunteer engagement dimensions (cognitive, affective, behavioral, social and spiritual engagement) on perceived value-in-context, and its subsequent role for volunteer retention. Thus, providing for the first time an understanding of how unique types of value are determined through different facets of volunteer engagement. Design/methodology/approach To establish the nature and consequences of volunteer engagement, the authors collaborated with an Australian not-for-profit service organization. Using a survey method, the authors studied the organization’s volunteer workforce resulting in 464 usable responses. To capture volunteers’ degree of spiritual engagement, this paper introduces a rigorously developed unidimensional measure. Finding...
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance extant theorizing around resource integration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. A usage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw on... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance extant theorizing around resource integration by conceptualizing and delineating the notion of a usage center. A usage center consists of a combination of interdependent actors that draw on resources across their individual usage processes to create value. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a conceptual inquiry into the usage center. Findings This paper delineates the notion of a usage center by way of focal and peripheral resource integrators, as well as focal and peripheral resources that form part of interdependent resource usage processes. The conceptual analysis reveals the need for resources to be accessible and shareable to focal and peripheral actors, with rivalry and emergence central factors influencing the actor’s usage processes. Originality/value Responding to recent calls for research developing insights into multi-actor value cocreation, this paper is the first to comprehensively and coherently conceptualize...
We are confident this Special Issue will generate scholarly discussion and debate, as well as act as a catalyst in advancing marketing-based engagement research. We thank each of the contributing authors, and in this commentary,... more
We are confident this Special Issue will generate scholarly discussion and debate, as well as act as a catalyst in advancing marketing-based engagement research. We thank each of the contributing authors, and in this commentary, synthesise our key reflections regarding the current state of engagement research, and identify key areas for further research in this area, which emanate from this Special Issue.
Universities are seeking to actively and strategically manage student engagement through providing opportunities for students to interact and engage with the institution on a range of levels and in different ways. However, this... more
Universities are seeking to actively and strategically manage student engagement through providing opportunities for students to interact and engage with the institution on a range of levels and in different ways. However, this increasingly complex and multi-layered nature of student engagement within a tertiary education environment is not well understood. Through qualitative focus groups and a series of interviews with undergraduate and postgraduate students, this study explores and articulates the cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social dimensions of engagement that depict the nature of student engagement. This is one of the first studies that considers social engagement as a dimension of the broader engagement construct and provides an illustration of social engagement at different levels within a tertiary education setting. Further, we demonstrate that engagement occurs with three key focal objects (or levels) embedded within the university structure; the lecturer, course and the institution itself. Hence, this paper contributes to the literature by providing a multi-layered consideration of student engagement and demonstrating the nested nature of engagement across the broad service system (the university), the narrow service system (the course), and the individual dyadic level of engagement (the student-lecturer interaction). These findings could be further considered and empirically tested in other engagement contexts (e.g. employee engagement, customer engagement).
Reputation is critical for institutions wishing to attract and retain students in today's competitive higher education setting. Drawing on the resource based view and configuration theory, this research proposes that Higher Education... more
Reputation is critical for institutions wishing to attract and retain students in today's competitive higher education setting. Drawing on the resource based view and configuration theory, this research proposes that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to understand not only the impact of independent resources but of resource configurations when seeking to achieve a strong, positive reputation. Utilizing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the paper provides insight into different configurations of resources that HEIs can utilize to build their reputation within their domestic and international student cohorts. Specifically, the results of a survey of current students at an Australian university distinguish nine diverse resource configurations leading to HEI reputation for domestic students. Reputation in the international cohort, on the other hand, is associated with six configurations, centered around learning support and campus life. Theoretical and managerial implications for HEIs are provided leading to directions for future research.
Marketing research highlights the importance of actors’ relationships as mechanisms for integrating resources. With its roots in sociology, the concept of embeddedness has gained prominence in the literature on organizations, providing... more
Marketing research highlights the importance of actors’ relationships as mechanisms for integrating resources. With its roots in sociology, the concept of embeddedness has gained prominence in the literature on organizations, providing in-depth insight into how relational structures regulate resource integration processes and outcomes. However, the concept of an actor’s embeddedness is rarely discussed in association with service-dominant (S-D) logic. This limits the extant understanding of factors that influence resource exchange and value cocreation among individual actors in service ecosystems. Against this background, this article links S-D logic with social capital theory to establish and conceptualize embeddedness as a key concept. More specifically, this research identifies and delineates structural, relational, and cultural properties of embeddedness and offers a systematic and complementary theoretical understanding to better explain relational constellations based on actor...
ABSTRACT Although the importance of customer orientation has been well addressed in strategic marketing, these ideas generally focus on managing business-to-customer interactions. Strategic importance of understanding customer-to-customer... more
ABSTRACT Although the importance of customer orientation has been well addressed in strategic marketing, these ideas generally focus on managing business-to-customer interactions. Strategic importance of understanding customer-to-customer interactions (CCIs) has received very little attention. Word of mouth (WOM) research has recently been broadened in the context of CCI. Research that addresses during-the-experience word of mouth (WOMde) in the actual service setting is scant. Thus, we empirically distinguish WOMde and post-consumption experience (WOMpe) and investigate their interconnected relationships within a nomological network. We use a mixed-methods approach to generate and code a collection of WOMde events and a survey to capture further variables of interest including WOMpe. Our exploratory study demonstrates that WOMde has a positive impact both on customers’ emotional reaction in the service context and on brand perceptions. Subsequently, the magnified brand perceptions act as a significant driver of customer trust and WOMpe. We also distinguish between brand-related and brand-unrelated WOMde and offer insight into the effect of both types of conversation on customer perceptions and attitudes.
Humanity is depleting the planet’s natural resources at an unsustainable rate. The pursuit of a circular economy is a strong, viable means of reversing this trend; however, it will require users to take responsibility for the proper... more
Humanity is depleting the planet’s natural resources at an unsustainable rate. The pursuit of a circular economy is a strong, viable means of reversing this trend; however, it will require users to take responsibility for the proper application and protection of resources for future generations. While the daily practices of users play a significant role in enabling a circular economy, this role has largely been overlooked in current literature. Our research synthesizes knowledge from the circular economy and marketing literatures, and draws on stewardship theory to better understand the user’s role in the circular economy. Specifically, we introduce a resource stewardship framework from a user perspective. This framework specifies a set of user circularity practices to minimize the extraction of finite resources, while conserving and regenerating resources already in circulation for future use. These practices occur at various stages in the resource life cycle and include minimizing...
Research Interests:
Marketing research highlights the importance of actors’ relationships as mechanisms for integrating resources. With its roots in sociology, the concept of embeddedness has gained prominence in the literature on organizations, providing... more
Marketing research highlights the importance of actors’ relationships as mechanisms for integrating
resources. With its roots in sociology, the concept of embeddedness has gained prominence
in the literature on organizations, providing in-depth insight into how relational structures
regulate resource integration processes and outcomes. However, the concept of an actor’s
embeddedness is rarely discussed in association with service-dominant (S-D) logic. This limits the
extant understanding of factors that influence resource exchange and value cocreation among
individual actors in service ecosystems. Against this background, this article links S-D logic with
social capital theory to establish and conceptualize embeddedness as a key concept. More specifically,
this research identifies and delineates structural, relational, and cultural properties of
embeddedness and offers a systematic and complementary theoretical understanding to better
explain relational constellations based on actors’ resource integration potential. In so doing, this
research significantly advances marketing science and particularly the S-D logic school of thought
by explicitly clarifying the role of embeddedness and its implications for resource integration. A
set of research propositions is presented laying the foundation for future research.
Research Interests:
A firm’s ability to offer better service and to co-create valuable customer experiences is critically important to achieving competitive advantage.Service-dominant (S-D) logic, along with resource and capability perspectives, provides the... more
A firm’s ability to offer better service and to co-create valuable customer experiences is critically important to achieving competitive advantage.Service-dominant (S-D) logic, along with resource and capability perspectives, provides the underlying theoretical reasoning for the relevance of such capabilities. However, despite researchers’ recent contributions to marketing theory, empirical support for S-D logic and its implications is very limited at the strategic level. An open question, therefore, is what empirically constitutes a value co-creation capability, and what is its impact on important performance outcomes. Building on the conceptualization of an S-D orientation as a portfolio of value co-creation capabilities, this research first operationalizes and validates an S-D orientation measure through a multi-study approach across different contexts. The authors then apply the measurement instrument to an automotive retail setting to investigate the outcomes of S-D orientation in terms of both customer- and firm-related performance metrics. Results provide the first empirical demonstration of the importance of S-D capabilities, and thus S-D logic, for firms.
Research Interests:
Service-dominant (S-D) logic can function as a strategic business logic that portrays creating superior value in conjunction with—rather than for—customers as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. From this perspective,... more
Service-dominant (S-D) logic can function as a strategic business logic that portrays creating superior value in conjunction with—rather than for—customers as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. From this perspective, strategy is about making choices in terms of how to best facilitate and enhance value cocreation for mutual and long-term betterment. While the literature has pointed out the managerial merits of cocreating value, less is known about the organizational capabilities necessary
to execute S-D logic in practice. This article devises an S-D orientation, specified as a portfolio of six strategic capabilities, namely individuated, relational, ethical, empowered, developmental, and concerted interaction capability. In combination, these six strategic capabilities constitute a cocreation capability. The authors develop the conceptual model of S-D orientation through (a) an in-depth literature review and (b) input from 21 expert academics. Conceptualizing S-D orientation provides a foundation
for bridging S-D logic and strategy research with a more general framework, and for guiding much-needed empirical research that will inform managers. From a managerial point of view, S-D orientation provides a holistic approach to align the organization with its value network partners. The article also sets out an agenda for future research.
Research Interests:
Reputation is critical for institutions wishing to attract and retain students in today's competitive higher education setting. Drawing on the resource based view and configuration theory, this research proposes that Higher Education... more
Reputation is critical for institutions wishing to attract and retain students in today's competitive higher education setting. Drawing on the resource based view and configuration theory, this research proposes that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to understand not only the impact of independent resources but of resource configurations when seeking to achieve a strong, positive reputation. Utilizing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the paper provides insight into different configurations of resources that HEIs can utilize to build their reputation within their domestic and international student cohorts. Specifically, the results of a survey of current students at an Australian university distinguish nine diverse resource configurations leading to HEI reputation for domestic students. Reputation in the international cohort, on the other hand, is associated with six configurations, centered around learning support and campus life. Theoretical and managerial implications for HEIs are provided leading to directions for future research.