• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.164-172
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• 2010

This study reviews the influence of culture in interpersonal servicescapes by examining the restaurant retail setting. Two cultures (Canada and France) are surveyed in order to better understand their retail expectations towards interpersonal servicescapes. Using Hofstede's (1991) cultural dimensions to explain some of the differences between Canadian and French restaurant patrons, this study demonstrates a potentially interesting research avenue in the field of cross-cultural interpersonal services marketing. It demonstrates that cultural dimensions do not operate independently but interdependently. Understanding this can help retailers better explain complex service interactions between countries that may appear similar in terms of various socio-demographic features. In this exploratory research, a measure via exploratory factor analysis was developed, one that encompasses both the physical and service aspects common to interpersonal servicescape by using personality traits. This measure was tested in order to better understand the service expectations between two cultures, Canada and France. Five dimensional structures were uncovered in both cultures but with different traits and groupings. The differences between the traits uncovered and the overall Canadian and French personality structures find some explanation using Hofstede's (1991) cultural dimensions. The results of this survey point to a possible explanation as to why when services are transferred between cultures, the perceptions of them can be different and sometimes even lead to service failure. There are clearly some cultural differences between the Canadian and French consumers and their overall expectations regarding their consumption experience. Reviewing the first factor of the French and Canadian personality structures shows that the individualist/collectivist differences are apparent between the Canadian and the French cultures. The second dimension also has quite a few traits in common, five, all of which have the personal treatment aspect of the restaurant experience that a service provider would be responsible for: polite, respectful, and dedicated. Notable is that the French dimension does not include the authenticity or the hospitable aspect of the experience but includes even more features that are inherent to the personal interaction, such as charming and courteous. The third dimension of the Canadian and French structures reflects completely different expectations. Whereas the French dimension centers around energy and enthusiasm, the Canadian version is more laid-back and relaxed. There is extroversion in the French dimension to introversion in the Canadian dimension. This could be explained by differences on the Uncertainty Avoidance dimension as outlined by Hofstede (1991). The fourth dimension seems to confirm previously outlined cultural differences. Whereas Canadians, being a bit lower on uncertainty avoidance and power distance, prefer an intimate and private experience, the French continue to expect extraversion and inclusive features to their experience. The fifth dimension is in the French personality structure a clear expression of the high power distance society, where the roles of the players in the restaurant experience are clearly defined and the rules of engagement preserved. This study demonstrates that different cultures clearly do relate to different expectations regarding interpersonal services. This is apparent in the dimensions that come up in both the French and the Canadian personality structures, not only in terms of how different they are but also in with which cultural dimensions these can be explained. For interpersonal servicescapes, the use of personality traits is interesting as it allows for both physical and service features to be accounted for. Furthermore, the social component inherent to interpersonal servicescapes surfaces in most of the dimensions of the service personality structures. The quality of social exchanges is extremely important, and this even more so in cross-cultural situations, where the expec tations regarding the service experience may vary. As demonstrated by this research and using Hofstede's (1991) paradigm, not all societies will have the same expectations pertaining to the interpersonal services. Furthermore, the traditions surrounding the type of service can also have an impact on the service evaluations and differ between countries and cultures. However, using personality traits may also allow for retailers to see which service traits are common to two or more cultures where they seek to be present, and focus on these in the offering. The findings demonstrate the importance of the individualist and collectivist dimension for interpersonal servicescapes. This difference between the French and the Canadian personality structure is apparent in the most dominant dimension as well as within others. The findings are a step in explaining how retailers can transfer and then measure interpersonal services across cultures.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.127-154
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• 2017

This study aims to identify various service innovation patterns in the service industry and understand the main differences among them. We attempt to create a new typology of service innovation by analyzing its patterns based on the four major dimensions of service innovation (i.e., service concept, service delivery, customer interaction, and technology). We then investigate whether firms pursuing different service innovation patterns significantly differ from one another in terms of their performance (high and low performance). Based on empirical data collected from 198 Korean firms in the knowledge-intensive business service sector, four major clusters composed of different service innovation dimensions are identified. These four clusters can be interpreted as specific service innovation patterns, including "technology based high customer interaction," "high technology based high service delivery," "service delivery and high customer interaction-integrated," and "strongly balanced" innovators. High firm performance does not depend on the individual service innovation dimension but on the specific configurations of such service dimensions. Customer interaction also has an important role in achieving innovation success and improving firm performance, while technology has a key role in enhancing firm performance. This study sheds new light on service innovation research by developing a new typology of service innovation, identifying four major clusters as service innovation patterns, and exploring the relationship between service innovation patterns and firm performance.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.59-75
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• 2013

As education environment is changing rapidly and competition of education industry is more intensive, the importance of service view about education is increasing as a differential competitive advantage. This study attempted to investigate the impact of service convenience as a different competitive advantage on e-learning acceptance by using TAM. The purpose of this study is to examine how five-dimensional service convenience constructs(decision convenience, access convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affect consumers' perceived usefulness, attitude and usage intention. For this study, data were gathered from respondents who bought or used e-learning services and analyzed by structural equation model. Among the five-dimensional service convenience constructs, two constructs(benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affected consumers' positive perceived usefulness, attitude and usage intention about e-learning service. The results show that management and investment to improve benefit and post-benefit service convenience make consumers' positive attitude and usage intention about e-learning service.

• International Journal of Quality Innovation
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.55-67
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• 2008

Following this introduction, this paper presents two conceptual and theoretical analyses-(i) CSR and its relation to profit and charity (ii) CSR as part of a service business model. The paper then illustrates these concepts using a comparative study of four service firms, with particular emphasis on their different CSR activities and how these affect the mission of each company. All four of the service companies are global actors with strong Service Brands (Edvardsson, Enquist and Hay, 2006) and a leading position in using CSR as a driving force for doing business: IKEA, Starbucks, H&M and the Body Shop. The paper then draws together the conceptual analysis and the case studies in a discussion of how CSR can be a proactive driver in the service business. Because of the limit space for a QMOD paper the focus is on the conceptual and theoretical analysis part and the empirical part and discussion/conclusion has to be further developed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.5-19
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• 1994

The new concept of level of service for the airport system indicates that there must be strong stimulation to proceed with the current stereotyped service standards which are being criticised due to their being based on, either physical capacity/volume or temporal/spatial standards that directly incorporates the perception of passengers. Quantitative factors have been dealt with the main service measurements when evaluating level of service. However, the passenger's perception for the provision service at the airport system is definitely important consideration to assess level of service. To enhance the reliability of service level evaluation from the passenger's point of view, this study has adopted three main evaluation factors ; temporal/spatial factors as quantitative measurements and comfort and reasonable service factors as qualitative measurements. The multi-decision model was constructed using Fuzzy Set Theory and applied to a case study at Seoul Kimpo International Airport. Results are presented in terms of passenger satisfaction with a variety of different values.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.54-67
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• 2007

This study is purposed to find out the relation between the customer loyalty and customer satisfaction factors in Cheonan banquet service. To achieve the objects, customers of banquet companies in Cheonan were selected for a questionnaire survey and a total of 293 valid questionnaires are statistically analyzed, using frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis and regression analysis. The results can be summarized as follows. First, gender, occupation, family forms showed the statistically different results in the service trust. Second, service trust, menu and traffic factors have been approved to affect the revisit intention of a customer significantly. Third, service trust, menu and facilities factors have been approved to affect the word-of-mouse intention significantly. In summary, banquet managers in Cheonan have to focus on the customer satisfaction factors such as service trust, menu, traffic, facilities to meet the customers' needs.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 2001

In this paper, we present an intensive patient monitoring service through the Internet, which enables medical doctors to watch their patients in a remote site, to monitor their vital signs and to give them some advices for first-aid treatment. The service consists of three service objects: Monitoring Information Service(MIS), Vital Sign Monitoring Service(VSMS) and Multimedia Consulting (MCS). Through the MIS, medical doctors can get information about the patients currently under monitoring, including their names, ages, genders, symptoms, current main complaints and current locations. The VSMS enables medical doctors to monitor in real-time patients' vital signs such as electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, temperature, blood oxygen saturation (SpO$_{2}$), invasive blood pressure (IBP), and non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP). It also generates alarms when the patients are likely to be in a critical situation. The MCS provides a real-time multimedia desktop conferencing facility for watching patients and instructing attendants to administer some first-aid treatment. We carried out some experiments according to two different scenarios. The intensive patient monitoring service was functioning well in a 100Base-T Ethernet LAN environment.

• Fashion, Industry and Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.53-63
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• 2017

The growing significance of corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry has shed light on the importance of preparing fashion students to become socially responsible professionals. In spite of numerous benefits of service-learning, the teaching/learning method has been rarely employed in the fashion design and merchandising context. Therefore, the purpose of the study was first, to examine the concept and models of service-learning and compare different types of service-learning programs, and second, to discuss service-learning projects that were adopted in a visual design class as examples that service-learning can be effectively integrated into the fashion design and merchandising curriculum. This study provides the opportunity to share successful service-learning implementation with other educators to help with effective incorporation of the pedagogical program into the curriculum.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.19
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• pp.561-568
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• 2015

A lot of electrical energy is used in our daily life. While energy saving concerns are overall, consumption practices of people in general are very different. People want to control their energy use and by knowing the amount of energy they use. Smart plug is a new device that measures electricity usage through each plug at an outlet with on/off control. User experience for electrical devices in regards to electricity usage should be newly designed. In this study, based on the survey, personas have been devised and their energy use experience in relation with smart plugs have been designed. Service models have been designed as well. By designing service with smart plug, user could enhance the experience of energy usage and saving and energy consumption practices could be improved in a sustainable manner.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.24 no.66
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• pp.11-18
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• 2001

In this paper, we analyze an M/G/1 two-phase gated service model with threshold. We consider compound Poison arrival Process and general service time, where the server fives two different modes of services in order, batch and individual services. Server starts his service when the number of arrived customers reaches the predetermined threshold . We find the PGF of the number of customers in system and LST of waiting time, with which we obtain the means of them.