ServCollab

 ServCollab Video of Our Webinar on “Improving LIfe on Planet Earth” - YouTube ServCollab and the Journal of Services Marketing recently collaborated to create a Special Issue focused on Improving Life on Planet Earth. If you missed our webinar or you want to view it again, here is the YouTube link to our video recording: https://lnkd.in/gpvDaHvD Video Highlights: Presentations by the editorial team and authors of the seven SDG commentaries. Findings and service research agendas from the commentaries are shared. Some background: Working with Rebekah Russell-Bennett and Mark Rosenbaum (the editors of the JSM), ServCollab synthesized the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into seven Service Research Themes. Seven teams of coauthors from eight countries collaborated to write these invited commentaries. Each commentary explores service research on a Service Research Theme and proposes research agendas to accelerate progress on improving life on Planet Earth. You can find these articles at this Emerald link: https://lnkd.in/gFaYmjZ5

Gendered entrepreneurial resilience Seyfi, S., Kimbu, A. N., Tavangar, M., Vo-Thanh, T., & Zaman, M. (2025). Surviving crisis: Building tourism entrepreneurial resilience as a woman in a sanctions-ravaged destination. Tourism Management, 106, 105025. Research on gender-related challenges in tourism entrepreneurship is growing, yet there has been limited research on how women entrepreneurs cultivate resilience during prolonged politico-economic crises. This gap is particularly significant in developing nations like Iran, which have faced extended international sanctions and economic difficulties. Here women also navigate the unique challenges posed by a religious theocracy. This study explored the lived experiences and strategies through which Iranian women tourism entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs foster resilience amid ongoing crises. The findings indicate that sanctions generate a gender crisis in Iran, positioning entrepreneurship as a vital means of asserting independence and resisting both external pressures and theocratic constraints. By introducing the concept of "gendered entrepreneurial resilience," this study questions the assumption of gender neutrality in discussions of entrepreneurial resilience and provides a contextualized theoretical framework that amplifies the voices of marginalized groups.

Ying, Tianyu & Zhou, Biyue & Ye, Shun & Ma, Shihan & Tan, Xiaoyuan. (2024). Oops, the price changed! Examining tourists’ attribution patterns and blame towards pricing dynamics. Tourism Management. 103. 104890. 10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104890. Abstract The rise of algorithms in the travel industry has complicated the pricing dynamics of travel products and services. This research examines tourists' cognitions of how personalized dynamic pricing, a branch of dynamic pricing common on travel platforms, has been blended with traditional revenue management. A mixed-methods approach was employed to examine visitors' perceptions of price fairness, causal inferences, and blame attribution in relation to these pricing dynamics. Once the service provider and platform were identified as the parties liable for price changes, a pathway was established from various price difference scenarios to travelers' perceptions of price fairness, subsequent behavioral intentions, and blame attribution. The results suggest that segment-based price difference is more likely to trigger tourists’ blame attribution on travel platforms. And tourists tend to generate more acceptable causes for service providers than platforms when they make causal inferences of price discrepancy. By considering the procedural aspect, this research delves into tourists' fairness perception and tries to reveal the intricate interactions between tourists, travel platforms, and service providers. Managerial suggestions are provided in closing to facilitate the buyer-seller relationship.   You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gXV-pZyB  

Vaz N., Araujo CAS. Service design for the transformation of healthcare systems: A systematic review of literature. Health Services Management Research. 2024;37(3):174-188. doi:10.1177/09514848231194846 There is a growing interest in applying the Service Design (SD) approach to innovate and transform healthcare systems. However, comprehensive studies are scarce. This study systematically reviews the literature on SD initiatives towards healthcare system transformation. The research questions are: How has the SD approach been applied to the healthcare sector? To what extent are the SD initiatives contributing to transforming the health systems? What are the main challenges faced by SD initiatives to transform the health system? Which are the main stakeholders involved in the process, and how could they change according to the type of initiative? The search was conducted in March 2021 in eight databases and returned 990 articles evaluated through a research protocol, resulting in 47 studies included in this review. These studies were explored through thematic analysis and considering two conceptual models: the SD approach (Patrício et al., 2020) and the ecosystem perspective (Beirão et al., 2017). The findings show that SD initiatives have been implemented at all levels of the ecosystem, but only 49% (47/23 studies) present a transformative character. The SD initiatives challenges were organized into four themes: (1) Planning SD initiatives as a lever in transforming health systems; (2) Using SD tools creatively; (3) Considering the use of new technologies to transform health systems positively, and (4) Facing the challenges of applying the Experience-Based Design and Experience Based in Co-Design approaches in project development. This study is relevant for helping managers and researchers in their efforts to design truly transformative services with a focus on improving health systems and social well-being.

Kipnis, E., Demangeot, C., Pullig, C., Cross, S. N. N., Cui, C. C., Galalae, C., Kearney, S., Licsandru, T. C., Mari, C., Ruiz, V. M., Swanepoel, S., Vorster, L., & Williams, J. D. (2021). Institutionalizing Diversity-and-Inclusion-Engaged Marketing for Multicultural Marketplace Well-Being. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 40(2), 143-164. https://lnkd.in/dUVUzcPd   Abstract Within an institutional theory framework, this article identifies three interconnected fields of the marketing institution—research, education, and practice—that contribute to advancing the diversity and inclusion discourse in promoting multicultural marketplace well-being. Conducting three studies, one in each field and across contexts in three continents, the authors identify barriers that inhibit effective implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives in today’s multicultural marketplaces. These barriers exist within and across fields and pertain to cultural-cognitive (shared meanings), normative (normative factors), and regulatory (rules and systems) pillars supporting the existence or transformation of institutions. From the research findings, the authors provide specific guidance for institutional work within marketing’s fields and policy developments needed to advance diversity-and-inclusion-engaged marketing for enhancing multicultural marketplace well-being.   You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gTCPJsvM  

Sönnichsen, S., de Jong, A., Clement, J., Maull, R., & Voss, C. (2024). The Circular Economy: A Transformative Service Perspective. Journal of Service Research, 0(0). https://lnkd.in/dwHFYxby The rising awareness of climate challenges and resource constraints has strengthened interest in the circular economy (CE), characterized as an economic system aimed at minimizing the depletion of the world’s natural resources through processes of value retention and value regeneration. Because CE research originated in the engineering field, studies to date have mostly focused on technical and management-related topics. However, due to increasing demands from customers, investors, governmental institutions, and regulatory bodies, companies are increasingly considering how to effectively implement the CE. Despite its increasing importance, the CE is yet an uncharted area of transformative service research (TSR), and little is known about how the CE can support change for greater well-being among individuals and collectives. To fill this research gap, we integrate notions of the CE with TSR and research on value co-creation. The purpose of this paper is to expand research on CE and services by taking a TSR perspective to delineate how value retention and regeneration processes for different levels and spheres in services can effect change for greater individual and collective well-being.

Hai-Anh H. Dang, Stephane Hallegatte, Trong-Anh Trinh. (2024) Does global warming worsen poverty and inequality? An updated review. Journal of Economic Survey. Wiley. [https://lnkd.in/dn64Jv_X) Abstract We offer an updated and comprehensive review of recent studies on the impacts of climate change, particularly global warming, on poverty and inequality, paying special attention to data sources as well as empirical methods. While studies consistently find negative impacts of higher temperatures on poverty across different geographical regions, with higher vulnerability especially in poorer Sub-Saharan Africa, there is inconclusive evidence on climate change impacts on inequality. Further analyzing a recently constructed global database at the subnational unit level derived from official national household income and consumption surveys, we find that temperature change has larger impacts in the short term and more impacts on chronic poverty than transient poverty. The results are robust to different model specifications and measures of chronic poverty and are more pronounced for poorer countries. Our findings offer relevant inputs into current efforts to fight climate change.

Rudnev, M., Barrett, H.C., Buckwalter, W. et al. Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents. Nat Commun 15, 6375 (2024). https://lnkd.in/dUfdrQsV Wisdom is the hallmark of social judgment, but how people across cultures recognize wisdom remains unclear—distinct philosophical traditions suggest different views of wisdom’s cardinal features. We explore perception of wise minds across 16 socio-economically and culturally diverse convenience samples from 12 countries. Participants assessed wisdom exemplars, non-exemplars, and themselves on 19 socio-cognitive characteristics, subsequently rating targets’ wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Analyses reveal two positively related dimensions—Reflective Orientation and Socio-Emotional Awareness. These dimensions are consistent across the studied cultural regions and interact when informing wisdom ratings: wisest targets—as perceived by participants—score high on both dimensions, whereas the least wise are not reflective but moderately socio-emotional. Additionally, individuals view themselves as less reflective but more socio-emotionally aware than most wisdom exemplars. Our findings expand folk psychology and social judgment research beyond the Global North, showing how individuals perceive desirable cognitive and socio-emotional qualities, and contribute to an understanding of mind perception.

From empowering women to being empowered by women: Women tourism entrepreneurs (WTEs) have been increasingly acknowledged as key actors in social innovation. Female entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in fostering tourism-led development (TLD). However, TLD narratives often focus on individual women's empowerment while overlooking underlying gender inequalities. They also neglect broader societal changes needed. To address this, we examine the interplay between empowerment and gendered social innovation in the context of a TLD project aimed at women entrepreneurs. Using a qualitative approach, this research involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 women tourism entrepreneurs from Ecuador and Mexico; and dialogues with 7 project team members. Results shed light on the intricate connection between individual and relational empowerment and gendered social innovation. This study's original contribution is a multiangled framework of gendered social innovation as an ongoing process of social change attached to female tourism entrepreneurship, empowerment, and evolving social practices of working with and among women tourism entrepreneurs as local partners. Pécot, M., Ricaurte-Quijano, C., Khoo, C., Vázquez, M. A., Barahona-Canales, D., Yang, E. C. L., & Tan, R. (2024). From empowering women to being empowered by women: A gendered social innovation framework for tourism-led development initiatives. Tourism Management, 102, 104883.

 Steele, C.R., Berns, J.P., & Schnatterly, K.A. (2024). Gender discrimination lawsuits: How board gender diversity impacts gender litigation likelihood and outcomes. Journal of Business Research. Abstract: Gender discrimination in firms is an ongoing problem, yet we know little about whether board gender diversity affects gender discrimination litigation. Boards are an important and visible component of an organization’s leadership and are positioned to influence firm policies and attitudes. Using social identity theory, we consider how board gender diversity impacts firms that face gender discrimination lawsuits. Furthermore, we explore how greater board gender diversity provides reputational capital which acts as insurance against litigation outcomes. Using a dataset of gender discrimination lawsuits and experiments simulating jury decision making, we hypothesize that more gender diversity on the board will protect firms from gender discrimination litigation and its outcomes. We find that firms with greater board gender diversity are at a higher likelihood of incurring gender discrimination litigation yet receive more favorable decisions by judges and juries including a greater likelihood of receiving favorable verdicts and of paying lower damages. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gBk3di4B