Towards a theory of service innovation : an inductive case study approach to evaluating the uniqueness of services

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2005."February 2005."Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-69).Much of the innovation literature focuses exclusively on product-oriented companies. While scholars have begun researching innovation in service companies, the field of service innovation remains undeveloped and relatively immature. This paper begins with a summary of the various differences that distinguish services and products-building a key framework for analyzing services proposed by Bitran and Lojo (1993). Case studies of three service companies then present detailed information regarding seven specific innovation decisions. The paper compares, contrasts, and integrates these seven innovation decisions to develop three testable propositions suggestive of a service innovation theory. I conclude by drawing attention to future research that might advance the development of service innovation theory and the ultimate generation of a general innovation theory that incorporates both products and services.by Vikram Mansharamani.S.M

The Deepwater Program : a case study in organizational transformation inspired by the parallel interaction of internal and external core groups

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-71).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.This paper attempts to explain why the United States Coast Guard decided to undertake its most recent major capital asset replacement effort-the Deepwater Program-through the use of a systems approach. Several explanations are considered, but a series of interviews and a review of events during the 1996-2003 timeframe yield an explanation that points to bureaucratic politics and status dynamics as the most likely cause. In particular, the paper finds that the Coast Guard's low status (vis-à-vis other organizations within the Department of Transportation) combined with the Deepwater community's high status (vis-à-vis other communities within the Coast Guard) to produce a political environment that made the use of a systems approach almost inevitable. The paper closes by considering the policy ramifications of systems approaches used by relative weak organizations.by Vikram Mansharamani.S.M

Scale and differentiation in services : using information technologies to manage customer experiences at Harrah's Entertainment and other companies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections."February 2007." Vita.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 283-289).This dissertation is focused on the topic of service innovation and explores economies of scale and strategic differentiation in services via an inductive field-based case study of the world's largest casino gaming company, Harrah's Entertainment. It includes comparisons to services firms in other industries such as distribution/logistics (UPS) and for-profit/online education (Apollo Group/University of Phoenix). The findings suggest that scale and differentiation (considered by many to be mutually exclusive in services) can be combined through the strategic use of information technology in a manner that increases customer switching costs, resulting in improved profitability and returns. The limitations of standardization-only scale-oriented strategies are discussed, and the dissertation concludes with a description of the three key components needed by any firm seeking to employ a strategy of scalable service differentiation: (1) a loyalty program, or other means of linking specific transaction data with specific customers, (2) an analytic engine that determines the ranking/prioritization of customers and the criteria upon which to differentiate services, and (3) a set of information technology tools that automate consistent differentiated service delivery across a company's touch-points with its customers.by Vikram Mansharamani.Ph.D