Service Systems and Value Modeling from an Appreciative System Perspective

Since its inception Service Science has created a substantial body of knowledge about services and their provision. Most notably, the concept of Service System was defined in order to describe the co-creation of value by the service provider and customer. We introduce the concept of Appreciative System defined by Vickers in the study of the way individuals and organizations apprehend and act on their environment. We show how the appreciative system concept can be applied to a service system model with the SEAM enterprise architecture method

Support: Can it be a value creation strategy for positive marketing?

In pursuit of improving people's wellbeing and engaging in positive marketing, this paper addresses the application of Vickers' Appreciation System to deepen our understanding of how people comprehend their environment and respond to improve their situation. The paper highlights how companies can collaboratively engage in people's appreciation and support them in fulfilling their needs

Collaborative action research for the governance of climate adaptation - foundations, conditions and pitfalls

This position paper serves as an introductory guide to designing and facilitating an action research process with stakeholders in the context of climate adaptation. Specifically, this is aimed at action researchers who are targeting at involving stakeholders and their expert knowledge in generating knowledge about their own condition and how it can be changed. The core philosophy of our research approach can be described as developing a powerful combination between practice-driven collaborative action research and theoretically-informed scientific research. Collaborative action research means that we take guidance from the hotspots as the primary source of questions, dilemmas and empirical data regarding the governance of adaptation, but also collaborate with them in testing insights and strategies, and evaluating their usefulness. The purpose is to develop effective, legitimate and resilient governance arrangements for climate adaptation. Scientific quality will be achieved by placing this co-production of knowledge in a well-founded and innovative theoretical framework, and through the involvement of the international consortium partners. This position paper provides a methodological starting point of the research program ‘Governance of Climate Adaptation’ and aims: · To clarify the theoretical foundation of collaborative action research and the underlying ontological and epistemological principles · To give an historical overview of the development of action research and its different forms · To enhance the theoretical foundation of collaborative action research in the specific context of governance of climate adaptation. · To translate the philosophy of collaborative action research into practical methods; · To give an overview of the main conditions and pitfalls for action research in complex governance settings Finally, this position paper provides three key instruminstruments developed to support Action Research in the hotspots: 1) Toolbox for AR in hotspots (chapter 6); 2) Set-up of a research design and action plan for AR in hotspots (chapter 7); 3) Quality checklist or guidance for AR in hotspots (chapter 8)

A Bibliometrics Portrait of Chinese Research through the Lens of China Economic Review. A research proposal.

Notwithstanding, in the last two decades, there has been a noticeable increase in published work on the research field of Chinese economy. There are few studies, which analyze the evolution of Chinese economics research, and the weight of international economics within it, by resorting to objective methods, namely bibliometrics. Giving our focus on Chinese economics related research, we select to base our empirical analysis on the “seed journal” China Economic Review (CER), which is the most important economic journal especially concerned with the issues of Chinese economy. We classify and assess all the (522) articles that were published in CER from its genesis (1989) up to December 2010. We construct three main databases: the first database as bibliographic database that contains the more than 500 articles published in CER, where we classify articles by themes (such as Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and International Economics) and types(such as formal vs. empirical); the second database includes the references of those 500 articles, which we denominate ‘roots of Chinese economics research’; and the third database, the ‘influence of Chinese economics research’, where we have all the studies that cited (more than 3000 references) the 500 articles published in CER. By undertaking an exploratory statistical analysis on the three databases - bibliographic database, ‘roots’ database and ‘influence’ database, we are able to assess three main group of issues: 1) the importance, within Chinese economics of the topic ‘international economic’; the types of research that are pursued in the period of analysis (formal vs empirical); and the most prolific authors in the area; 2) the ‘roots’ of Chinese economics, that is, who and which outlets are influencing most Chinese economics research; 3) the scope of influence of Chinese economics literature.Evolution of research, Economics, Bibliometrics, China Economic Review

The effects of loyalty programs on customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty toward high- and low-end fashion retailers

This study examines the differential effects of the benefits customers receive from a loyalty program (LP) on satisfaction with the LP, trust in the LP, and store loyalty for high- and low-end fashion retailers. With survey data from U.S. LP subscribers, the study tests the relationships using multiple regressions and analysis of covariance. The results show that symbolic benefits are more important for high-end fashion store consumers' satisfaction with the LP; conversely, utilitarian benefits increase consumers' satisfaction with the LP more in low-end fashion retailing, whereas hedonic benefits increase consumers' satisfaction with the LP in both types of retailers. All benefits in both types of retailers affect trust in the LP. Finally, satisfaction with and trust in the LP are important drivers of loyalty to the retailer. The findings have important implications on how managers of high- and low-end fashion retailing can effectively design their LP rewards to maximize loyalty

Visioning the future of Aquaculture in Hawai‘i

The University of Hawai‘i Aquaculture Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (sanctuary) co-hosted "Ho‘olālā i ka mahii‘a o kēia mua aku", a workshop focused on visioning the future of aquaculture in Hawai‘i. The workshop offered an opportunity to bring diverse stakeholders together to facilitate a dialogue on issues regarding aquaculture in Hawai‘i and to build relationships to promote future collaborations. Topics of discussion included food safety and security - sustaining local communities by enhancing locally produced and consumed foods; stimulating job creation while conserving natural and cultural resources, existing and future aquaculture projects, considerations for project siting and national aquaculture policies. A Workshop Advisory Team (WAT) was formed to plan the workshop and was comprised of cultural advisors, community and stakeholder representatives, and state and federal agency representatives. The WAT identified a workshop process, content, and potential participants. The workshop was the first of a series of planned discussions and brought together cultural and fishpond practitioners, community members, farmers, business and food industry representatives, subject matter experts, state and federal agency representatives and marine resource managers. The first day of the workshop was an information-sharing day open to the public. The format included presentations and panel discussions with opportunities for questions and answers. Presentations were provided on topics including: • Historical context of aquaculture in Hawai‘i • Current aquaculture activities in Hawai‘i • A national perspective of aquaculture • The role of the Department of Land and Natural Resources in the oversight of aquaculture in the State of Hawai‘i. Panel discussions included: Native Hawaiian aquaculture practices; today’s open ocean aquaculture; and cultural and environmental considerations in aquaculture practices. The remaining two days of the workshop focused on identifying common ground among the diverse participants to stimulate value-based discussions among multiple stakeholder groups. The remainder of the workshop focused on the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) strategic planning process for invited participants. Appreciate Inquiry is a process that identifies areas of common ground within a diverse group and is highly effective in stimulating discussions based on shared values among multiple stakeholders through a series of iterative and interactive sessions. The "Ho‘olālā i ka mahii‘a o kēia mua aku" workshop provided an opportunity for diverse stakeholders to expand participation in aquaculture-related conversations that involve cultural, community, economic, and natural resource interests. By utilizing the Appreciate Inquiry strategic planning process, facilitators worked with participants to identify commonalities and shared values that promote relationship building and allow for future collaborations. Discussions served to share and increase participants knowledge of a variety of issues including food safety and security - sustaining local communities by enhancing locally produced and consumed foods; stimulating job creation while conserving natural and cultural resources, existing and future aquaculture projects, considerations for project siting and national aquaculture policies. Additionally, it was recognized that although the workshop was an important step in visioningthe future of aquaculture in Hawai‘i, ongoing discussions will have to include additionalcommunities and stakeholder representatives to engage others in the process. To that end, fishpond revitalization and restoration were recognized as an important issue for many participants and there was agreement that a follow-up workshop should be planned for fishpond practitioners and agencies to discuss obstacles and challenges to fishpond restoration. This workshop will serve as an important venue to continue sharing knowledge and experiences relative to engaging community members to provide input in considering the future of aquaculture in Hawai‘i. This report provides an account of "Ho‘olālā i ka mahii‘a o kēia mua aku" workshop, a historical context and information on current aquaculture activities in Hawai‘i, and supplemental information regarding aquaculture projects globally. The intent of the report is to provide transparency and share information more broadly with those who did not participate in the workshop

Design and design thinking in business and management education and development

Design and design thinking have been identified as making valuable contributions to business and management and the numbers of higher education programs that teach design thinking to business students, managers and executives are growing. However multiple definitions of design thinking and the range of perspectives have created some confusion about potential pathways. This paper examines notions of design and design thinking and uses these definitions to identify themes in higher educational programs. We present the findings from an initial exploratory investigation of design and design thinking in higher education business programs and define four distinct educational approaches around human centred innovation, integrative thinking, design management and design as strategy. Potential directions for management education programs are presented

Invited Paper: Subsumption of Information Systems Education towards a Discipline of Design

Disruptive innovations continue to reshape channels of learning. The Information Systems discipline may be among the least immune to these disruptions. As such, students have greater access to the acquisition of the computing skills and knowledge that are commonly presumed to suffice entry-level employment positions sought after by graduates of Information Systems programs. Further, these same technologies disrupting education are shaping the organizational and business environment such that it is fair to reflect on the disposition and complexion of the discipline as a whole and surmise whether this past will predict the future. Moreover, businesses and organizations are finding that the supply chain of workers needed to harness these disruptive technologies flows neither exclusively, nor even optimally, through academia. Upon reflection of this disruptive circumstance of skills and knowledge development, we consider subsuming the IS discipline into the broader auspice of design buttressed equally by emphases on technical excellence, business acumen, and leadership. We explore principles for a design-focused philosophy for Information Systems education that assumes that while higher education programs may have lost the lead in technology skills development focused on entry-level employment, we may reassert our role in computing education through the embrace of design at the philosophical, epistemological, and pedagogical levels