scholarly journals Managing customer-to-customer interaction (CCI) – insights from the frontline

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 798-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Nicholls ◽  
Marwa Gad Mohsen
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Interaction ◽  
Service Organisation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the capacity of frontline employees (FLEs) to provide insights into customer-to-customer interaction (CCI) and its management in service organisations. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study used focus groups and semi-structured in-depth interviews with FLEs to investigate their experiences and reflections in dealing with CCI in a complex service setting in the UK. Findings FLEs are able to recall CCI encounters, both positive (PCCI) and negative (NCCI), with ease. They are capable of conceptualising and exploring complex nuances surrounding CCI encounters. FLEs can distinguish levels of seriousness of negative CCI and variations in customer sensitivity to CCI. FLEs vary in their comfort in intervening in negative CCI situations. Whilst FLEs draw on skills imparted in an employee-customer interaction context, they would benefit from CCI-specific training. Propositions are advanced for further empirical testing. Research limitations/implications The authors studied FLE views on CCI in a customer-centric service organisation in the UK. Future research should further address the FLE perspective on CCI in less service-driven organisations and in other countries. A wide range of themes for further research are proposed. Practical implications The insights presented will assist service managers to assess the CCI context of their own organisation and develop strategies and guidelines to support FLEs in detecting, understanding and responding to CCI encounters. Social implications The paper highlights and discusses the complexity of intervening in negative CCI encounters in socially inclusive service environments. Originality/value Based on FLE-derived perceptions of CCI, the paper contributes conceptually to CCI knowledge by identifying the existence of “concealed CCI”, distinguishing between gradual and sudden CCI intervention contexts and exploring the human resource development consequences of this distinction, with original implications for service management. The study also contributes to extending the scope of research into triadic service interactions.

Triggers and inhibitors of illegitimate customer complaining behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuowei (Joy) Huang ◽  
Chen Zhao ◽  
Li Miao ◽  
Xiaoxiao Fu
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Triggering Factors ◽  
Complaining Behavior

Purpose – The study aims to investigate the illegitimate customer complaining behavior (ICCB) in the hospitality industry from the perspective of frontline employees. In particular, this study identified ICCB incidents, ICCB triggering factors and inhibitors in the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study by using in-depth personal interviews. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with frontline employees who had first-hand experiences with ICCB in the hospitality industry. The interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed following the procedures of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Findings – Analysis of the qualitative data has revealed 7 types of ICCB incidents, 11 ICCB triggering factors and 3 ICCB inhibitors in the hospitality industry, as perceived by frontline employees. The study also proposed a multiple-layer model of ICCB triggers and inhibitors based on the results. Four propositions are developed delineating three layers of driving forces and the dynamics between ICCB triggers and inhibitors that exert joint effects on ICCB. Research limitations/implications – Impacts of various cultural settings, different hospitality business settings (hotels vs restaurants) and profile information of frontline employees on ICCB need to be examined in future research. Originality/value – Findings of this study contribute to the customer complaining literature and the hospitality service management literature by offering the frontline employees’ perspective of ICCB. Hospitality businesses can benefit from this study by using the research findings to develop more effective company policies and training programs to recognize, monitor and resolve ICCB incidents.

Taking stock of the literature on HRD education

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Zachmeier ◽  
Yonjoo Cho
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Content Quality ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature on university-based human resource development (HRD) courses and programs. Design/methodology/approach – The methods used in this paper are integrative literature review and content analysis. Findings – Only 71 peer-reviewed articles that address university-based HRD courses and programs in any way were found. Forty-six were empirical studies and 25 were either conceptual or editorial in nature. The majority of articles focused on HRD courses and programs in the USA and the UK. Perspectives from other countries were nearly absent. Many of the claims about the content and quality of HRD courses and programs were not supported by empirical evidence. Research limitations/implications – HRD courses and programs are offered in universities around the world. Almost nothing is known of their content, quality or methods. Future research on these courses and programs should focus on the relevance of curriculum to the needs of organizations. Originality/value – While HRD research and practice are concerned with learning and development, topics related to the learning and development of future HRD scholars and practitioners are rarely addressed in the HRD literature. This is the only comprehensive review of the small-body peer-reviewed literature on university-based HRD courses and programs. It provides a summary of the findings of empirical research on HRD courses and programs, and an analysis of the warrant for the claims about these courses and programs.

scholarly journals Intellectual capital disclosure: evidence from UK accounting firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 768-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus Duff
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Internal Capital ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent and quality of voluntary intellectual capital disclosures (ICD) by professional accounting firms (PAFs) in the UK. Design/methodology/approach The research method adopted for this study is content analysis considering the ICD in firms’ annual reports, corporate social responsibility reports, websites and recruitment materials. The sample for this research is based on 20 PAFs ranked by fee income. The paper employs institutional theory as its theoretical lens. Findings The findings of this paper show that ICDs vary across different forms of reports. The most frequently reported disclosure category is human capital, while the least reported category is internal capital. Monetary disclosures are most likely to relate to internal capital, while pictorial disclosures are most likely to relate to human capital. Research limitations/implications The sample size of the study is relatively small reflecting the extreme market concentration of accounting services in the UK and internationally. Future research can conduct a longitudinal study to capture the trend of reporting practices and consider narrative and discursive approaches to ICD. Originality/value No previous studies of intellectual capital (IC) disclosure have considered ICDs in professional service firms that are in themselves rich sources of human capital. Furthermore, the investigation uses a wide range of communications and assesses monetary, non-monetary, narrative and pictorial disclosures. This research extends both the IC disclosure and PAFs’ literatures.

scholarly journals Other customer age: exploring customer age-difference related CCI

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Nicholls ◽  
Marwa Gad Mohsen
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This study aims to explore the relevance of customer age differences (CADs) in the context of customer-to-customer interaction (CCI) within various service domains. It provides a thematic framework for understanding CAD-related CCI and critically identifies new directions for research into CAD-related CCI. Design/methodology/approach – Using a narrative literature review approach, different perspectives in the literature on age differences and CCI are analysed towards highlighting and emphasising valuable new themes. Findings – Three coherent domains: the desire for social contact; fellow customer behaviour; and social identity issues are identified to interconnect a fragmented diversity of literature. Many themes for future research directions in the study of CAD-related CCI are identified. Research limitations/implications – Whilst a wide selection of literature sources are critically reviewed, the fragmented nature of the literature on age differences and CCI prevents the review covering all publications. Practical implications – The paper provides service marketing managers and scholars with strategic CCI insights into better serving a diverse age range of customers. These insights will undoubtedly stimulate timely investigation of new avenues to enhance service customer compatibility and satisfaction in increasingly age-diverse societies. Originality/value – This paper provides the first overview of a wide range of strategic considerations aimed at explaining the impact of CADs on CCI in service environments. Essentially, the paper elaborates opportunities and challenges in CAD-related CCI as critical themes for further investigations.

scholarly journals Brand addiction: conceptualization and scale development

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1938-1960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Mrad ◽  
Charles Chi Cui
Keyword(s):  
Survey Study ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to develop a definition of brand addiction and a valid brand addiction scale (BASCALE). Design/methodology/approach The authors used focus-group results to define brand addiction and generate items for the BASCALE and validated the BASCALE with survey data collected in the UK. Findings Based on the 11 brand-addiction features found from the focus groups, the authors define brand addition as an individual consumer’s psychological state that pertains to a self-brand relationship manifested in daily life and involving positive affectivity and gratification with a particular brand and constant urges for possessing the brand’s products/services. Based on the survey study, the authors have established a valid ten-item BASCALE. Research limitations/implications Due to the survey’s setting in the fashion context in the UK, the authors do not intend to generalize the results to other product types and countries. Future research should replicate the BASCALE in different product categories and different countries. Practical implications The BASCALE can serve marketers in the behavioral segmentation and assist brand managers to identify brand addict consumers and maintain long-term relationships with them. Originality/value The authors have developed a definition of brand addiction and a valid BASCALE, which one can use for a wide range of theoretical and empirical research in the marketing and psychology fields. The definition and BASCALE also serve to differentiate brand addiction from other consumer–brand relationships and addiction constructs (e.g. compulsive buying, brand love and brand trust).

scholarly journals Employment relations in the UK civil service

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 930-948
Author(s):  
Andy Hodder
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Management ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Review ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring together two separate strands of the literature (politics and industrial relations) on civil service management and reform to enable consideration of the industrial relations implications of these changes. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is conceptual and has no empirical base. The paper is a general review of existing literature on the subject. Findings – The paper identifies the importance of historical legacy in both management and union behaviour in the civil service. By revisiting earlier civil service reforms, the reader is able to gain an understanding of the rationale for much of the current restructuring of the civil service. Additionally, any discussion of trade union behaviour should be located in the context of union tradition and evolution. Research limitations/implications – In being a general review, the paper does not report empirical evidence but instead provides the background for future research into civil service industrial relations and management. Originality/value – This paper is the first to provide a systematic review of management restructuring in the civil service whilst at the same time considering union responses. As such, the paper is of interest to academics and practitioners in the areas of both management and politics.

Firm size and workplace learning processes: a study of the restaurant sector

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 305-320
Author(s):  
Daniel Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Learning ◽  
Individual Choice ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper asks how workplace learning environments change as firm size increases, and how employees respond to this. In doing so, it looks beyond an exclusive focus on formal training and incorporates more informal, work-based learning processes. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a comparative, qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews with an under-researched group of workers – waiting for staff in restaurants. The data were collected from six restaurants of different sizes. Findings As formally instituted human resource development (HRD) structures expand as firm size increases are more extensive in larger firms, this leaves less room for individual choice and agency in shaping the learning process. This does not inevitably constrain or enhance workplace learning, and can be experienced either negatively or positively by employees, depending on their previous working and learning experiences. Research limitations/implications Future research on HRD and workplace learning should acknowledge both formal and informal learning processes and the interaction between them – particularly in small and growing firms. Insights are drawn from the sociomaterial perspective help the authors to conceptualise this formality and informality. Research is needed in a wider range of sectors. Practical implications There are implications for managers in small, growing firms, in terms of how they maintain space for informal learning as formal HRD structures expand, and how they support learners who may struggle in less structured learning environments. Originality/value The paper extends current understanding of how the workplace learning environment – beyond a narrow focus on “training” – changes as firm size increases.

scholarly journals “A child with autism only has one childhood”: main themes and questions for research from the “Digital Bubbles” seminar series

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Parsons ◽  
Nicola Yuill ◽  
Mark Brosnan ◽  
Judith Good
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Seminar Series ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Main Ideas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the main messages and key questions for further research arising from the seven-seminar series entitled, “Innovative technologies for autism: critical reflections on digital bubbles”, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council in the UK. Design/methodology/approach A synthesis of the main ideas is presented, drawing on the presentations, discussions, participant feedback, and short papers from across the seminar series, which took place between November 2014-2016. Findings There were many positive examples where technologies were positioned and used as facilitative “bridges” between ideas, communities, understanding, and experiences. Researchers and community stakeholders also emphasised the importance of taking different perspectives and working in stronger partnerships with each other. Four overarching research questions were developed from these themes to provide a roadmap for future research, relating to: responsible innovation, technology-enabled social interaction, learning and pedagogy, and engagement. Originality/value The findings and methodologies produced by the Digital Bubbles seminar series, available on the project website (http://digitalbubbles.org.uk/) and in a series of short papers, provide a rich repository of state-of-the-art thinking in the field of autism and technology that is being utilised nationally and internationally in teaching and learning. This paper suggests some valuable future research directions and highlights the importance of establishing and maintaining multi-disciplinary research teams, with autistic people and their families at their core.

scholarly journals Signs and wonders

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Smith ◽  
Peter Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to examine and assess the reputational impact of the logo and symbols of the UK Standard Investors in People (IiP). The extant literature highlights differing opinions in terms of the likely benefits that IiP generates following achievement of the Standard. This paper focuses specifically on the perceptions of reputational claims made regarding existing employees, potential employees and customers. Design/methodology/approach – The debate is explored through 38 interviews using the perceptions of managers and frontline employees within six IiP-accredited firms and one non-accredited firm. Findings – The study indicates that the logo and symbols of the Standard have minimal meaning and significance for the interviewees and their outlook on potential employees and customers. There were some indications, however, that the wider reputational implications of carrying the logo may have some potentially beneficial effects. Originality/value – The paper concludes that the overarching findings present a potentially serious issue for IiP, and that there is a need to understand further the impact and value of the logo and symbols.

Drivers, types and value outcomes of customer-to-customer interaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 710-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen ◽  
Elina Jaakkola ◽  
Irina Neganova
Keyword(s):  
Customer Value ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Customer Interaction ◽  
Interaction Research ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeCustomer-to-customer (C2C) interaction plays a significant role in service. The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers that motivate customers to interact with other customers, the interactions through which customers affect other customers and the value outcomes of C2C interactions for the participants.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a systematic literature review of C2C interactions. The authors analyzed 142 peer-reviewed articles to synthesize existing knowledge about C2C interactions. A generic value framework is used to categorize earlier research and reveal areas for further research.FindingsThe main outcome of this study is an integrative framework of C2C interaction that bridges C2C interactions and customer value. The findings indicate customer-, firm- and situation-induced drivers of C2C interactions. Outcome- and process-focused C2C interactions are identified to result in functional, emotional and social value outcomes. Avenues for additional research to explore issues related to current technology-saturated service settings are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes an agenda for future research to extend the C2C interaction research domain and explore how such interactions create value for the customer. The role of the service provider is not explicitly addressed but is an important area for further research.Practical implicationsCompanies can use the framework to understand how they can become involved in and support beneficial C2C interaction.Originality/valueThis paper reviews empirical studies on C2C interaction, offering a systematic review of C2C interaction and producing an integrative framework of C2C interaction. It identifies a research agenda based on the framework and on topical issues within service research and practice.

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