Value-in-Use in the Context of Service-Dominant Logic. An Explorative Assessment Graduate David Wallmer Supervisor Brian Rüeger, lic. oec.
Value is determined by the beneficiary and created through
For practitioners to gain a holistic view of the consumer’s
utilization and processing. In the context of service-domi-
value-in-use created through the consumption of a specific
nant logic, successful companies are characterized by
product or service, it is advisable to consider these factors.
their ability to provide potential value-in-use that is favor-
The approach for assessing value-in-use in the proposed
able in the eyes of customers. For reasons of operation
customer sphere comprised the degree of involvement as
alization, practitioners therefore rely on methods that en-
a criterion for sampling and a semi-structured interview
able the assessment of value-in-use. The purpose of this
guideline to characterize the situational context. Based on
Master’s thesis was to explore factors that stimulate value-
means-end theory, soft laddering was proposed as a
in-use in the customer sphere and to develop an empirical
means for exploring motives in the consumption of Swiss
approach to assess value-in-use created independently
canned beer, which in turn allows the deduction of mea-
from the provider.
sures to increase the probability of value creation.
Based on a synthesis of postulations from service-domi-
The originality of this thesis lies in its ability to bridge moti-
nant logic and motivation theory, factors were proposed as
vation theory and service-dominant logic. On that basis,
determinants of value-in-use in the customer sphere and
the thesis delivers an initial approach for operationalizing
allocated within a conceptual framework. The framework
value-in-use in the customer sphere. As the application
comprises various research propositions which were in-
shows, customer usage journeys are a suitable way to gain
vestigated on the basis of a single case study involving
insights for adjusting service design and service delivery,
Swiss canned beer as the object under investigation. To
which comes at the cost of high resource expenditure. The
explore the research propositions, 16 students from the
major strength of the proposed method is its degree of
ZHAW School of Management were interviewed through
openness, allowing practitioners to adapt the assessment
customer usage journeys. This mixed, one-to-one assess-
procedure to specific needs. Further application of the
ment method was developed by the author and includes
method in other cases could help generalizations to be
soft laddering procedures and a semi-structured interview
made and promote the validity of the approach.
guideline. Group comparisons pursued through quantitative and qualitative analysis showed that the probands’ value-in-use in the consumption of Swiss canned beer relies on motives, involvement, and the situational context in which the product is consumed. Besides different relative frequencies of motives in consumption, variances in the cognitive structures were shown.
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General Management
Masterarbeit