Saara Pekkarinen

Modularity in developing business services by platform approach

Purpose – This study aims to explore the literature related to modularity in developing and manufacturing physical products in order to employ the idea of modularity into the business services context.Design/methodology/approach – In order to answer the defined research question, the authors construct an empirically grounded model for modular service platform. The research design follows an abductive logic beginning with the construction of a theoretical pre‐understanding and elaborating upon it empirically. Streams of literature that are applied are service marketing and operations and product development and modularity research including product architecture design. In the empirical part of the study, the authors elaborate on these issues through a qualitative single case study.Findings – The results show that the developed modular service platform including four modularity dimensions: service, process, organisational and customer interface dimensions can be used to create value in business services.Ori...

Developing the value perception of the business customer through service modularity

Purpose – The present challenge for many service firms is to develop an offering that is flexible and open for tailoring and at the same time achieves efficiency through standardizing processes. Modularity has been suggested as being one tool for achieving this. The goal of the present study is to find out how services provided in modular form (here referred to as service modularity) can exert an influence on the value perception of the customer in the professional services field.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical part consists of a case study of a large provider of professional services involving construction, engineering, procurement and project management service. Data were gathered by semi structured theme interviews of representatives of the case company and representatives of two of its customers.Findings – The modular processes had an influence on the customers expectations that are related to the experienced quality of the service, and hence they create value for the customer. In addition to...

QFD‐based modular logistics service design

Purpose – This paper aims to develop a framework of QFD (quality function deployment)‐based logistics service design to integrate the HOQ (house of quality) technique and modular logic to help in designing logistics services with high quality and a large service variety.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review, a conceptual research framework is built integrating the QFD method and modular logic together. A case study is used to illustrate a real application in logistics service design of the third‐party logistics (3PL) provider.Findings – The results show that QFD and modularity used simultaneously as design principles can ensure service design quality at three layers (service, process, activity) in the modular logistics service platform.Research limitations/implications – This paper provides multi‐disciplinary insights for both industry and academics on how QFD/HOQ and modular logic can be integrated to systematically translate customer requirements into logistics service designs.Pract...

Inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing in logistics services: an empirical study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine customer knowledge sharing between a buyer of a logistics service and the logistics service provider (LSP). The authors attempt to fill the gap in current research by investigating inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing.Design/methodology/approach – A survey study was conducted. Data were collected from buyers of logistic services. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression were used to analyze data and test hypotheses.Findings – Results suggest that open and fluent communication mediates the relationship between customer knowledge sharing and satisfaction with a logistics service provider. In addition, the close relationship with the logistics service provider is needed to strengthen the relationship between customer knowledge sharing and satisfaction with the logistics service provider.Research limitations/implications – This study provided new empirical evidence concerning inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing. The authors suggest that logistic...

Strategic positioning of logistics service providers

This paper gives an overview of strategic positioning models for logistics service providers (LSPs) and presents empirical findings on the strategic positions of logistics companies in Finland. The goal of the research is to learn how LSPs position themselves along selected key dimensions of strategy, using positioning models that represent two major streams of strategy and service research. The investigation is based on a theoretical review of strategic positioning models and on empirical studies with 17 logistics companies operating in Finland. A generalist strategy appears to be popular among the LSPs. However, the competence-based strategies of the LSPs show some signs that positional differentiation may be increasing gradually.

Creating value for the business service buyer through modularity

The present study explores how modularity makes services visible and how it enables the customers to participate in service co-creation. We review the literature on buying business services to determine the buying challenges and we define service modularity and especially concentrate on defining the attributes of a modular service offering. Theoretical framework describing the connections of the attributes and challenges in service buying is elaborated through a single case study of a modular service in a professional service firm. We argue that a modular service offering can help customers by increasing the visibility of the service offering.

Service-dominant logic for managing the logistics-manufacturing interface: A case study

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management of the logistics-manufacturing interface between the manufacturer and its logistics service provider from the perspective of the service-dominant (S-D) logic. Design/methodology/approach: The approach adopted is that of abductive reasoning through case study: data is primarily gleaned from semi-structured in-depth interviews. Field visits and secondary documentation are used to ensure data validity. Findings: The results show that the interface can be categorized into three levels: design interface between products and logistic services, process interface between manufacturing processes and service-offering processes, and information interface between manufacturing information systems and logistics information systems. The results also indicate that ten foundational premises of S-D logic, especially service-focused, customer-oriented, and rational views can be applied in defining and managing these interfaces. Research limitations/implications: This research contributes not only to the theory of S-D logic and managing interface, but also provides managers with guidelines of applying S-D logic to build a service-focused, customer-oriented and relational logic to effectively manage the logistics-manufacturing interface. However, the research is limited to the context of automotive and logistics industries. Originality/value: Three levels of logistics-manufacturing interface, including design, process and information are identified, and S-D logic is applied to identify and manage the interface.

Feasibility of digital footprint data for health analytics and services: an explorative pilot study.

BackgroundAs a result of digitalization, data is available about almost every aspect of our lives. Personal data collected by individuals themselves or stored by organizations interacting with people is known as a digital footprint. The purpose of this study was to identify prerequisites for collecting and using digital data that could be valuable for health data analytics and new health services.MethodsResearchers and their contacts involved in a nationwide research project focusing on digital health in Finland were asked to participate in a pilot study on collecting their own personal data from various organizations of their own choice, such as retail chains, banks, insurance companies, and healthcare providers. After the pilot, a qualitative inquiry was adopted to collect semi-structured interview data from twelve active participants in the pilot. Interviews comprised themes such as the experiences of collecting personal data, as well as the usefulness of the data in general and for the participants themselves. Interview data was then analyzed thematically.ResultsEven if the participants had an academic background and were highly motivated to collect and use their data, they faced many challenges, such as quite long delays in the provision of the data, and the unresponsiveness of some organizations. Regarding the usefulness of the acquired personal data, our results show that participants had high expectations, but they were disappointed with the small amount of data and its irrelevant content. For the most part, the data was not in a format that would be useful for health data analytics and new health services. Participants also found that there were actual mistakes in their health data reports.ConclusionsThe study revealed that collecting and using digital footprint data, even by knowledgeable individuals, is not an easy task. As the usefulness of the acquired personal health data mainly depended on its form and usability for services or solutions relevant to an individual, rather than on the data being valuable as such, more emphasis should be placed on providing the data in a reusable form.