Ian Alam

Bio: Ian Alam is an academic researcher from State University of New York System. The author has contributed to research in topics: Customer retention & New product development. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 10 publications receiving 2038 citations. Previous affiliations of Ian Alam include State University of New York at Geneseo.

A customer‐oriented new service development process

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to answer the question: how can a new service development (NSD) program in the financial services industry be managed? More specifically, this research has two objectives: to explore the stages in the NSD process; and to explore how customer input may be obtained in the various stages of the development process. After a review of the new product development literature, the case study methodology involving in‐depth interviews with managers and their customers is described. Analysis of the data showed that there were ten stages in the NSD process, and whether those stages were managed linearly or sequentially was a function of the size of the firm. In addition, how NSD managers obtained customer input in each stage, was uncovered. Implications for NSD managers include which stages to concentrate on, and how to capture customer input.

An Exploratory Investigation of User Involvement in New Service Development

Abstract: Due to major structural changes in the service sector, many service managers are recognizing the need to continually develop new services that are timely and responsive to user needs. Thus, user input and involvement in new service development are an important area of inquiry. Although there has been a resurgence of academic and practitioner interest in new service development, there is a dearth of research on how users are involved in new service development. This study first combines insights from extant literature and exploratory interviews with practitioners to identify four key elements of user involvement, including objectives, stages, intensity, and modes of involvement, and then investigates these four elements in 12 service firms. Based on the findings, the author develops an inventory of activities that needs to be carried out in involving users in a new service development project.

Fieldwork and data collection in qualitative marketing research

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a systematic and rigorous process of data collection and fieldwork in qualitative research using four empirical studies of customer interactions in new product development (NPD) as examples. The intention is to dispel a misconception that the qualitative research lacks objectivity and methodological robustness.Design/methodology/approach – To collect data for all the four studies a preliminary process of conducting fieldwork was first developed from the extant literature. This preliminary framework was applied in the first study and subsequently revised twice in the second and third study by incorporating necessary changes and additions. Finally, the framework was tested and further refined in the fourth study.Findings – The findings from these four empirical qualitative studies have demonstrated that a theory generating idiographic research such as field interviews could be carried out systematically. These findings also provide a basis for proposing a st...

Service innovation strategy and process: a cross‐national comparative analysis

Abstract: Purpose – Only limited attention has been paid to the issue of new service development (NSD) in a cross‐national context. To address this critique of the literature a comparative cross‐national study of NSD strategy and process of financial service firms in Australia and the USA was conducted.Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a cross‐sectional, survey‐based methodology. The US sampling frame included 274 large financial service firms situated in the Northeast region of the USA. The Australian sampling frame consisted of 262 firms situated in the Southeast region of Australia.Findings – The data pattern suggests that the firms in both the countries use different new service strategies to compete in the industry and emphasize different sets of development stages in developing new services.Research limitations/implications – The analysis has been restricted to two countries: Australia and the USA. This suggests the need for further comparative studies of NSD in other cultures/countries.Practica...

Capabilities for managing service innovation: towards a conceptual framework

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and reflect on a set of dynamic capabilities for managing service innovation and applies a dynamic capabilities view (DCV) of firms for managing service innovation.Design/methodology/approach – This theoretical paper offers a conceptual framework for managing service innovation by proposing six dynamic service innovation capabilities. This framework builds on and is integrated with a model of service innovation that covers the possible dimensions where service innovation can take place. On this basis, avenues for future research into managing service innovation are identified and managerial implications discussed.Findings – The six dynamic service innovation capabilities identified are: signalling user needs and technological options; conceptualising; (un‐)bundling; co‐producing and orchestrating; scaling and stretching; and learning and adapting. It is hypothesized that successful service innovators, which may include manufacturing firms developing into ...

A New Theory for Public Service Management? Toward a (Public) Service-Dominant Approach:

Abstract: This article argues that current public management theory is not fit for purpose—if it ever has been. It argues that it contains two fatal flaws—it focuses on intraorganizational processes at a time when the reality of public services delivery is interorganizational, and it draws upon management theory derived from the experience of the manufacturing sector and which ignores the reality of public services as “services.” The article subsequently argues for a “public service dominant” approach. This not only more accurately reflects the reality of contemporary public management but also draws upon a body of substantive service-dominant theory that is more relevant to public management than the previous manufacturing focus. We argue that this approach makes an innovative contribution to public management theory in the era of the New Public Governance. The article concludes by exploring the implications of this approach in four domains of public management and by setting a research agenda for a public-service...

Co-production and the co-creation of value in public services: A suitable case for treatment?

Abstract: Co-production is currently one of cornerstones of public policy reform across the globe. Inter alia, it is articulated as a valuable route to public service reform and to the planning and delivery of effective public services, a response to the democratic deficit and a route to active citizenship and active communities, and as a means by which to lever in additional resources to public service delivery. Despite these varied roles, co-production is actually poorly formulated and has become one of a series of ‘woolly-words’ in public policy. This paper presents a conceptualization of co-production that is theoretically rooted in both public management and service management theory. It argues that this is a robust starting point for the evolution of new research and knowledge about co-production and for the development of evidence-based public policymaking and implementation.

Service Innovation Viewed Through a Service-Dominant Logic Lens: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Analysis:

Abstract: Research to date on service innovation is rooted primarily in traditional new product development focusing on tangible goods. In this article, the authors invoke insights from the emerging service-dominant logic (SDL) perspective and propose a conceptual framework for investigating the antecedents and consequences of service innovation. They then develop a set of hypotheses pertaining to potential predictors of two distinct facets of service innovation (volume and radicalness) and the impact of the latter on two measures of firm performance (revenue growth and profit growth). They test their proposed model using data from a sample of luxury hotels and find that (a) collaborating with customers fosters innovation volume but not radicalness (and vice versa for collaborating with business partners); (b) a firm’s customer orientation—both directly and in interaction with innovative orientation—contributes to innovation radicalness; (c) collaborating with contact employees enhances both innovation volume and r...

New service development: learning from and with customers

Abstract: New service development relies on the complex task of understanding and anticipating latent customer needs. To facilitate proactive learning about the customer, recent findings stress customer involvement in the development process and observations of customers in real action. This paper draws on theory from market and learning orientation in conjunction with a service‐centered model, and reviews the literature on customer involvement in innovation. A field experiment was conducted in Sweden with end‐user mobile phone services. The design departures from the nature of service that precepts value‐in‐use and by borrowing from relevant techniques within product innovation that supports learning in customer co‐creation. The experiment reveals that the consumers' service ideas are found to be more innovative, in terms of originality and user value, than those of professional service developers.