Laura Di Pietro

Innovation in service ecosystems: an empirical study of the integration of values, brands, service systems and experience rooms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of innovation in service ecosystems by focussing on the role of values resonance in relation to the integration of brands, service systems and experience rooms. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical, explorative case study of an innovative service system is carried out using a narrative approach and presented in the form of a saga. Findings – Insights gleaned from the empirical study are used for conceptual developments. Analysis of the empirical case study is presented as four lessons linked to values, brands, service systems and experience rooms. Originality/value – The paper extends a conceptual framework of innovative resource integration in service ecosystems. The paper also contributes four propositions to inform theory: values resonance is a basis for service innovation, the innovative integration of brands based on values resonance can foster innovation, the integration of resources across service system boundaries grounded in...

Reconciling internal and external performance in a holistic approach

The paper innovatively proposes the use of BNs in higher education sector.A holistic approach is adopted to jointly monitor internal and external indicators.Most relevant variables affecting KPI were identified by mutual information analysis.Results point out the critical issues of the analyzed Master degree. University education is crucial for cultural and economic growth. Thus, the academic mission recognizes the achievement of both institutional and social objectives, and research provides the basis for the systematic creation of knowledge and the development of human capital. Universities attempt to manage a global system with a holistic vision based on data and facts and oriented to the continuous improvement of its effectiveness and efficiency. The goal is achieved by implementing a monitoring system based both on internal and external performances. As a consequence, it is necessary to consider both students perspective regarding needs, expectations, level of satisfaction and loyalty and internal key performance indicators.This paper proposes the use of Bayesian networks for jointly monitoring internal and external performance of a Masters programme of an Italian University in a holistic approach. A Bayesian network is estimated using a learning algorithm able to analyze the association structure among mixed ordinal and nominal variables. Various scenarios are evaluated thanks to efficient computational algorithms of Bayesian networks.

Cultural heritage and consumer behaviour: a survey on Italian cultural visitors

Purpose – The urgency to cope with the international economic crisis has led to efforts to identify innovative tools and frameworks that are capable of regenerating local and national economic development. The enhancement of the cultural heritage sector can be a strategic factor in improving the competitiveness of country systems. In Italy, the nation’s rich cultural heritage is not managed in an efficient and effective manner, even though it embodies a tremendous opportunity to enhance local economic growth, especially in light of the role of new Cultural Technology Districts (CTDs). In this context, the purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey conducted to investigate the behaviour of tourists who consume Italian cultural resources. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an empirical investigation that attempts to identify the needs and expectations of cultural consumers through descriptive statistics, as well as factor and cluster analysis. This study is the beginning of an effo...

Cultural technology district: a model for local and regional development

The urgency to cope with the international economic crisis has led to efforts to identify innovative tools and frameworks that are capable of regenerating local and national economic development. The enhancement of the cultural heritage sector can be a strategic factor in improving the competitiveness of country systems. In Italy, the nations rich cultural heritage is not managed in an efficient and effective manner, even though it embodies a tremendous opportunity to enhance local economic growth, especially in light of the role of new cultural technology districts (CTDs). This article intends to present the CTD business model aimed to promote local and regional development in Italy, to attract domestic and international tourist flows and spread them out more evenly across all regional territories and to verify the CTDs opportunity through the Lazio Region experience.

Data-Centered Platforms in Tourism: Advantages and Challenges for Digital Enterprise Architecture

Digitization changes business processes and enterprise architectures in many sectors. In the Tourism sector more and more data must be analyzed and integrated into business processes. Therefore, the current architecture must be changed to a more flexible, data-driven one. Besides the basements of current Tourism application, we investigate which scenarios are possible via data-centered platforms in Tourism and how this transformation can be done.

TQM for a master’s programme: a case study integrating Kano’s model and quality function deployment

This paper seeks to identify effective procedures for increasing student satisfaction and modernising the reputation of a master’s programme by improving the quality of service. Hence, the main objective of this study is to identify innovative factors that could transform student views into systematic operational procedures. The QFD house of quality (HOQ) methodology, which was adopted and integrated with Kano’s model, was used to identify student needs, determine the types of programme qualities that students found attractive, and translate these elements into the services provided by the programme. The study identifies concepts relevant to the continuous improvement of a master’s programme.

Excellence models in the public sector. Relationships between enablers and results

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify possible correlations between the stated “enablers” and “results” in excellence models, and to explain how different variables contribute to the “enablers” and “results”. A cross-case study of two different excellence models, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in Italy and the Swedish Institute for Quality (SIQ) model for performance excellence, is proposed. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the evaluation of assessment reports of public organizations across two countries, Italy and Sweden. Canonical correlation was used for data analysis. Two hypotheses were formulated: There is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the CAF model, and there is a correlation between “enablers” and “results” in the SIQ model. Findings – The results show that the hypotheses are supported. It turned out that the correlation is higher for the SIQ model than for the CAF model. For the CAF model, “strategy and planning” is the main contributor t...

A scaling up framework for innovative service ecosystems: lessons from Eataly and KidZania

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore why innovative service ecosystems scale up, using a service-dominant logic lens. The focus is on identifying the key drivers of the scaling-up process as the basis for a new conceptual framework on the scaling up of service innovations. Design/methodology/approach An inductive research design is used to zoom in on two innovative service ecosystems, Eataly and KidZania, to identify the key drivers that can explain why innovations scale up. For both companies, the triangulation of semi-structured interviews, archival sources and in-store observations is used as complementary data sets. Multiple investigators and multiple coders have been involved in the data collection, coding process and analysis. Findings An extended conceptualization of service innovation is obtained, grounded in a framework of four drivers of scaling up: effectuation as the basis for creating the value proposition; sensing and adapting to local contexts; the reconfiguration and alignment of resources and forms for collaboration between actors; and values’ resonance. Originality/value This study represents one of the first empirical investigations of the key drivers of the scaling up process of service innovations. The paper contributes with a conceptualization of service innovation and why scaling-up processes emerge, emphasizing the existence of multiple constellations of four drivers.

Do satisfied employees lead to satisfied patients? An empirical study in an Italian hospital

This study aimed to understand the relationship between care provider (employee) satisfaction and patient satisfaction and to identify key drivers of their satisfaction. The European Foundation for Quality Management-based 4P model and Picker’s Patient Experience quality dimension were used as the theoretical basis for understanding the satisfaction relationship along with the key drivers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two wards (maternity and cardiology) from June to August 2014. The partial least squares structural equation modelling method was used to analyse the data. For the 4P model, we found strong evidence for the influence of enablers on the results and eventually on employee satisfaction. Likewise, we found strong evidence for the effect of patients’ experience on their overall satisfaction and eventually on their loyalty. Concerning the relationship between employee and patient satisfaction, we found that a higher patient satisfaction level in one ward was associated with higher employee satisfaction in the same ward. Other findings include the identification of key drivers of patient and employee satisfaction along with improvement priorities for each ward. This study provides insights that can be useful for healthcare managers and policy-makers responsible for developing and planning strategies for more sustainable healthcare organisations.

Heritage and identity: technology, values and visitor experiences

ABSTRACT This editorial examines the notions of identity, visitor experience, values and technology in the context of heritage tourism. In particular, in highlighting the contributions of the special issue, it points out how important these concepts are within the context of heritage cuisine-based tourism and identity meaning-making in leisure and family-oriented consumption of traditional foods. As well, it focuses on the use of technology in enhancing the visitor experience and how visitors identify with heritage places, museum branding as a means of fostering identity and a sense of belonging and the use of crowdfunding as an alternative means of heritage funding that can enhance the heritage identity and facilitate a more democratic way of managing heritage resources.