Customer-to-customer co-creation of value in the context of festivals.

The notion of customers co-creating value with the firm has recently gained considerable attention within the service marketing discipline. The Service-Dominant (S-D) and the Customer-Dominant (C-D) logic in marketing in particular emphasise the active role of customers in the co-creation of value. But further theoretical insights are needed into the process of value co-creation. Specifically, customer-to-customer (C2C) value co-creation that takes place as customers come together to socialise, interact with each other and to be co-present in socially dense service settings, requires further conceptualisation. C2C value co-creation is explored in this thesis in the socially dense service setting of multi-day outdoor festivals, using the concept of value-forming social practices as a theoretical lens. The methodological design is guided by the social constructionist stance, which complements the practice-based value approach in co-creation research by emphasising the importance of social contexts. Methods adopted include ethnographic-style participant observation, document and visual materials analysis, and a total of 52 in-depth interviews at five different UK-based outdoor multi-day festivals. Interpretive analysis identifies six distinctive C2C co-creation practices: Belonging, Bonding, Detaching, Communing, Connecting and Amiability. Each practice is described in terms of the actions in which it is embodied. The practices are positioned in a two-dimensional framework, with the Value orientation and the Value immersion dimensions reflecting the complexities and ambiguities that exist in social contexts. Aspects of subject- and situation-specific practice elements are examined with regard to their role in influencing the C2C co-creation process at festivals. Practice-based segmentation and social servicescape design strategies are proposed, which can be used to support and facilitate C2C co-creation. A theoretical contribution is made to the body of knowledge in service marketing, and the S-D and C-D logics in particular, by advancing understanding of what specifically is involved in C2C value co-creation. The thesis also offers holistic insights relevant for service marketing practice. It provides tangible recommendations that could lead to more favourable social outcomes for customers and consequently, competitive advantage for the firm

How do tour guides cope with knowledgeable tourists? Conceptualising knowledge/information asymmetry in tour-guiding contexts

Purpose Tourists’ resource integration both offers opportunities and presents challenges to tourism service providers. Focussing on the tour guide perspective, this paper explores how tour guides experience knowledge/information-based asymmetry in encounters with tourists, and identifies the roles and coping strategies used by guides to facilitate service co-production.Methodology Critical incident technique (CIT) is used in qualitative interviews with 47 tour guides in Scotland, broadly representative of the Scottish tour guiding context. 107 critical incidents were analysed, with an average of 2.32 incidents per interview. Narrative analysis of the incidents was performed inductively in four iterative steps using QSR NVivo.Findings Three resource asymmetry incident categories are identified: 1) Probing - Guide-Oracle is questioned by inquiring tourists and copes through diverting, evasion, and follow-up strategies; 2) Learning - Guide-Magpie learns from expert tourists through acknowledging and co-delivery; and 3) Negotiation - Guide-Diplomat with greater knowledge helps misguided tourists save face through appeasing, following the official line, and tactfully correcting.Originality The paper contributes to service co-production research in tourism by theorising about contexts where knowledge/information asymmetry exists between tour guides and tourists, particularly where fluid power relations between guides and knowledgeable tourists occur, or where misguided tourists co-produce the service by prioritising own meanings. Findings highlight the importance of soft skills and other non-content capabilities of guides, and suggestions are offered for effective training and resource sharing/ learning initiatives for tour guiding services

Practice-based segmentation: taxonomy of C2C co-creation practice segments

Purpose: This paper explores and evaluates practice-based segmentation as an alternative conceptual segmentation perspective that acknowledges the active role of consumers as value co-creators.Design/methodology/approach: Data comprising various aspects of customer-to-customer co-creation practices of festival visitors were collected across five UK-based festivals, using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with naturally occurring social units (individuals, couples and groups). Data were analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis procedure within QSR NVivo 10.Findings: Private, Sociable, Tribal and Communing practice segments are identified and profiled, using the interplay of specific subject- and situation-specific practice elements to highlight the ‘minimum’ conditions for each C2C co-creation practice. Unlike traditional segments, practice segment membership is shown to be fluid and overlapping, with fragmented consumers moving across different practice segments throughout their festival experience according to what makes most sense at a given time.Research limitations/implications: Although practice-based segmentation is studied in the relatively limited context of C2C co-creation practices at festivals, the paper illustrates how this approach could be operationalised in the initial qualitative stages of segmentation research. By identifying how the interplay of subject- and situation-specific practice elements affects performance of practices, managers can facilitate relevant practice-based segments, leading to more sustainable business.Originality/value: The paper contributes to segmentation literature by empirically demonstrating the feasibility of practice-based segments and by evaluating the use of practice-based segmentation on a strategic, procedural and operational level. Possible methodological solutions for future research are offered

Mega-events brand meaning co-creation: the Olympic case

Purpose: This study explores a multi-stakeholder perspective on brand meaning co-creation in the context of the Olympic Games as a unique mega sports event brand with a strong brand identity, in order to understand how the brand manager may integrate such co-created meanings in a negotiated brand identity. Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing a qualitative methodology, the paper provides a tentative framework of co-created Olympic brand meanings by exploring the narratives of stakeholders' brand experiences of the brand. 16 semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Olympic stakeholders were conducted and analysed to identify key meanings associated with the Olympic brand. Findings: Through their transformational and social experiences of the Olympic brand, stakeholders co-create brand meanings based on Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. However, at the same time they offer their own interpretations and narratives related to competing meanings of Spectacle, Exclusion and Deceit. Alternative brand touchpoints were identified, including blogs, fan and sports community forums, educational and academic sources, and historical sources and literature. Practical implications: The brand manager must become a brand negotiator, facilitating multi-stakeholder co-creation experiences on a variety of online and offline engagement platforms, and exploring how alternative brand touchpoints can be utilised to access co-created brand meanings. Originality/value: The study contributes to tourism branding literature by providing exploratory evidence of how brand meanings are co-created in the relatively under researched multi-stakeholder sports mega-event context

The effect of starch-based biomaterials on leukocyte adhesion and activation in vitro

Leukocyte adhesion to biomaterials has long been recognised as a key element to determine their inflammatory potential. Results regarding leukocyte adhesion and activation are contradictory in some aspects of the material’s effect in determining these events. It is clear that together with the wettability or hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, the roughness of a substrate has a major effect on leukocyte adhesion. Both the chemical and physical properties of a material influence the adsorbed proteins layer which in turn determines the adhesion of cells. In this work polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells and a mixed population of monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes (mononuclear cells) were cultured separately with a range of starch-based materials and composites with hydroxyapatite (HA). A combination of both reflected light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used in order to study the leukocyte morphology. The quantification of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used to determine the number of viable cells adhered to the polymers. Cell adhesion and activation was characterised by immunocytochemistry based on the expression of several adhesion molecules, crucial in the progress of an inflammatory response. This work supports previous in vitro studies with PMN and monocytes/macrophages, which demonstrated that there are several properties of the materials that can influence and determine their biological response. From our study, monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes adhere in similar amounts to more hydrophobic (SPCL) and to moderately hydrophilic (SEVA-C) surfaces and do not preferentially adhere to rougher substrates (SCA). Contrarily, more hydrophilic surfaces (SCA) induced higher PMN adhesion and lower activation. In addition, the hydroxyapatite reinforcement induces changes in cell behaviour for some materials but not for others. The observed response to starch-based biodegradable polymers was not significantly different from the control materials. Thus, the results reported herein indicate the low potential of the starch-based biodegradable polymers to induce inflammation especially the HA reinforced composite materials

The future of transformative events: An event leaders’ perspective

Purpose – Focussing on the perspective of business event leaders’ perspective, this study explores the future of transformative experience (TE) events, recognising a paradigm shift from organising conventional events to designing and guiding transformative experiences in the MICE context.Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative interview-based design, insights from 20 international business events industry leaders were gathered and analysed using thematic analysis through a multi-step process with MAXQDA.Findings – The findings discuss the future of transformative events by identifying the paradigm shift towards TE in business events and outline key dimensions of the leader’s and team's mindset and skills. Five design principles for TE events in the MICE sector are identified: Design for change; emotionally experiential environments; personal engagement; responsibility; and, transformative measurement.Originality/value – The study adds to the emerging body of knowledge on transformative experiences and contributes to an extended stakeholder perspective, namely that of business event leaders and their teams who are instrumental in facilitating transformative events. An original framework for designing TE MICE events is offered as a theoretical contribution.Practical implications – The study offers a snapshot of how transformative events of the future could be designed and suggests a series of practical insights for MICE event leaders and organisers seeking to leverage events as a catalyst for intentional transformation, positive impact and long-lasting change