Prototypes as identity markers: The double-edged role of prototypes in multidisciplinary innovation teams

Prototypes play a powerful role in facilitating the work of multidisciplinary innovation teams, but if not properly managed, they may inhibit innovation processes. This paper inquires into the tensions that exist around the use of prototypes in multidisciplinary teams. We studied the relationship between work identities (related to teams and subgroups within teams) and prototypes with a field study of a multidisciplinary team in an emergency department, in charge of redesigning the layout of the unit. Results show that different values of subgroup identities are reflected in the solutions devised by the team. These values become salient through the prototype; that is, the prototype is an identity marker, especially when it is characterized by higher tangibility, fidelity and validity. When the prototype is an identity marker, it sparks conflict within the team. We also find that a superordinate team identity can help in solving conflictual interactions. Our analysis contributes to revealing how prototypes as identity markers can both inhibit and facilitate the innovation process of multidisciplinary teams. We offer theoretical and practical implications for managers, team members and designers working in multidisciplinary teams

London Moves East: How the Olympics Impacts Host Communities

While the Olympics desire to remake its host communities through economic and housing reform to the benefit of local people, its housing legacy does not adequately serve the intended communities. By using a case study approach, the London 2012 Olympic Games was analyzed through a provisional codebook created based off of academic research on the concept of legacy and the Olympics. In this analysis, the London 2012 Games were found as not serving the needs of the local population. While there is a strong commitment to creating a tangible, impactful legacy, a lack of government focus on delivering public goods like affordable housing, the strong power of business interests, and the move of powerful entities that is forcing out impoverished local people, are all evident through the Games’ selective housing legacy. Traits found in the London Games also appear in the Vancouver 2010 and Paris 2024 Olympics, making this a significant trend and can be applied to other city projects centered around sport

Convincing the crowd: entrepreneurial storytelling in crowdfunding campaigns

This study examines the structure of entrepreneurial stories in pursuit of mobilizing resources from crowds. Based on a comparative analysis of Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns, we examine in particular how, across different project types, project histories and potential futures are framed and interlinked in narratives to appeal to funders. We find that projects are narrated in different styles—as ongoing journeys” or “results-inprogress”— to convey project value. The former style narrates projects as longer-term endeavors powered by creative initial ideas and a bold vision, inviting audiences to “join the journey”; the latter narrates projects more narrowly as a progression of accomplishments, engaging the audience instrumentally to support next steps. We find that styles are used and combined in different ways, reflecting the tangibility of project outcomes, the sophistication of technology, and the social orientation of projects. Also, successful differ from unsuccessful campaigns in using narratives more coherently. Findings inform research on narrative processes in entrepreneurship and innovation, and research on the mobilization of crowds

Managing Customers and Motivating Employees for Success in the Frontlines

This dissertation is comprised of three papers in the field of frontline marketing, which examines the influence of servicescape, frontline employee (FLE), and service encounter expectations on customer and company outcomes. The first chapter examines the influence of the servicescape on customers’ tipping behaviors. Through the field and lab experiments, I find that customers’ status perception is a key mechanism that drives their tipping behaviors, and, more importantly, that subtle elements of the servicescape imbued with status perception (i.e., the color of service props) increases tip sizes in restaurants. In the second chapter, I investigate boundary conditions for an important work motivator for FLE, organizational identification (OI). Using meta-analytic techniques, I find that OI, which is defined as individual’s sense of oneness with the organization, improves FLE’s in-role performance the most when the work itself is not meaningful. This finding implies that OI is most beneficial when the work itself provides workers with limited opportunity to experience a sense of autonomy (e.g., tellers), competence (e.g., food service workers), or relatedness (e.g., delivery personnel). Finally, in the third chapter, I examine the impact of psychological distances evoked by customers’ story on service encounter evaluation. Drawing construal level theory, I developed predictions that psychologically distant story enhances prospective customers’ narrative transportation, which in turn increases positive service encounter evaluations. I also hypothesize that this distal story effects are strengthened when those who have high need for cognition evaluate intangible service encounter, because their dispositional characteristics that enjoy thinking. The findings across four studies based on unobtrusive field study and series of experiment consistently support my hypothesis. This study contributes to the service marketing literature by revealing how storytellers’ distal stories can positively influence customers’ future service encounter evaluation

The creative act of live coding practice in music performance

Live coding is the creative act of interactive code evaluations and online multimodal assessments. In the context of music performance, novel code evaluations are becoming part of the running program and are interrelated to acoustic sounds. Performers’ and audience ability to experience these novel auditory percepts may involuntary engage our attention. In this study, we discuss how live coding is related to auditory and motor perception and how gestural interactions may influence musical algorithmic structures. Furthermore, we examine how musical live coding practices may bring forth emergent qualities of musical gestures on potentially equivalent systems. The main contribution of this study is a preliminary conceptual framework for evaluation of live coding systems. We discuss several live coding systems which exhibit broad variations on the proposed dimensional framework and two cases which go beyond the expressive capacity of the framework

Evaluation of “AIRQUAL” scale for measuring airlines service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty

Globalisation and stiff competition have changed the landscape of doing business. Decrease in customer loyalty and increase in customer expectations have challenged businesses to come up with unique methods of enhancing their quality of service. The same is true for airlines industry too. As a result, many airlines have transformed their marketing strategies, especially with regard to service quality, in order to compete efficiently in the global market. The marketing literature has introduced models of service quality, e.g.: SERVQUAL and AIRQUAL to help organisations measure and enhance customer experiences. SERVQUAL has been extensively researched and applied in many industries. Similarly, AIRQUAL, a model for the airline industry, has been developed but applied only in Cyprus. Moreover, the AIRQUAL scale lacks validity, as its development process is incomplete. This research, therefore, adapted 30-items of AIRQUAL and assessed and validated this revised scale. The validated scale was then applied to the airline industry of Saudi Arabia. Further, a comprehensive model is proposed, where the impact of the validated scale of service quality is tested with its impact on customer satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, word of mouth, repurchase intentions and complaining behaviour. The assessment and validation process is divided into two main stages: first, qualitative; where four focus group interviews were undertaken that generated 46 items for the adapted scale. These items describe the perceptions of airline customers regarding service quality and were classified on the bases of the scheme proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1988). Second, a three-phase two sample, quantitative, research was performed to derive a validated 30-item scale comprising five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Further, the improved scale was tested in a new market (Saudi market) in order to assess the service quality of Saudi Airlines. A total of 500 self-administered questionnaires were distributed among airline customers. The returned questionnaires underwent thorough screening and cleaning. The reliability of the scale was tested through Cronbach’s Alpha, followed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which emerged with five dimensions. The content, convergent and discriminant validities were established. Further scale confirmation was conducted on a sample of US airline passengers. Finally, the proposed model with nine hypotheses was tested, which resulted in statistically significant results for all the proposed hypotheses

Relational Space: Creating a Context for Innovation in Collaborative Consortia

Corporations are collaborating to meet complex global challenges heretofore considered beyond the mandate of business leaders. These multi organizational consortia are not philanthropic efforts but operate within market parameters with limited input from Non Governmental Organizations. In order to examine some dynamics of successful collaborative processes, we pursue an in-depth multi-method case study of “The Sustainability Consortium,” which has convened numerous Fortune 50 senior managers since 1999. We uncover the primacy of “relational space” – a rich context of trust and inquiry – within which participants create innovative projects for doing business in a sustainable way. Our analysis uncovers the dynamics among relational space and the action projects that ensue. We also account for the stakeholder influences and governance that form the architecture of collaboration. We develop a process model and propositions for further research

Service quality at a military hospital

M.A. (Business Management)With the raise of competition in the Gabonese health industry and increased costs, most health service providers in Gabon have become under pressure to deliver good service quality. This also relates to the military hospital in Libreville in Gabon striving to provide adequate health services to its patients. The cost for hospitals to attract patients through several means such as providing good service quality has become crucial. Patient loyalty and retention can have an important financial advantage for a hospital, thus it has become essential for hospitals to create a sustaining relationship with their patients. The question of assessing service quality presents itself. This study investigated service quality at a military hospital in Libreville in Gabon. It was the objective of this study to establish if there is a difference in how patients rate doctors and nurses on the service quality dimensions. This research was quantitative and descriptive in nature. Theory relating to service quality and patient satisfaction was provided. The population for the study consisted of patients who were at least 18 years old, males and females, who have experienced medical services and stayed over at the military hospital for at least one night. A self administered questionnaire was designed based on the theoretical literature illustrated in the study. The questionnaire assessed various elements that were identified through the literature review. The questionnaire was based on a set of statements linked to the literature theory, and a 7-point Likert scale which enabled respondents to choose from seven different alternatives ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. A number of statistical analysis techniques were undertaken to achieve the objectives of the study, such as factor analysis. The conclusion and findings of the research assisted in explaining the objectives of the study and the results of the statistical analysis were found to reject the hypotheses that there is no significant difference in how patients rate the reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy of doctors and nurses and to reject the hypothesis that patients do not have a positive perception of the tangible aspects of a military hospital in Libreville, Gabon. In terms of the doctors’ services, patients felt a need for more privacy in terms of the confidentiality of their treatment, a need for more individual attention, a need to be heard, and to trust doctors. Therefore such needs could be addressed through improved compassion, communication and understanding of doctors during the diagnosis of the problem. The feeling expressed was that doctors should pay more attention to patients’ problems and share with them their experience. Doctors at the military hospital should develop more work ethic where patients’ records and cases should never be discussed with anyone without patients’ permission. The military hospital should employ highly trained and qualified doctors to address the trust issue with patients. Lastly, consultation time may need to be reviewed to add some extra time to better address patients’ needs during their consultation with doctors. In terms of the services delivered by nurses towards patients, the latter were of the opinion that there was a need for more individual attention from nurses. Such individual attention could include greater information sharing when a patient is treated, friendlier communication to install greater trust and respect. Such needs could be addressed through improved patience, compassion and understanding by nurses during their dealings with patients. Nurses should also develop more work ethic regarding patients’ records, and cases should never be discussed with anyone without their permission. Officials in the hospital should hire highly trained and qualified nurses to address the issue of trust in patients and consultation time may need to be reviewed to add some extra time to better address patients’ needs during their dealings with nurses

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research