Mingrun Wang, Nazlina Shaari, Sazrinee Zainal Abidin and Yan He
This study aims to identify the superior service strategies for elderly people in the context of sustainable production and consumption, thereby providing the principles for…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the superior service strategies for elderly people in the context of sustainable production and consumption, thereby providing the principles for optimizing the service system of elderly fall-protection clothing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a new service design methodology that integrates a Kansei Engineering methodology and a customer life cycle. The Kansei Engineering methodology can use psychological methods to grasp customer feelings (or needs) and then transfer the collected data to the design domain by using multivariate statistical analyses. The customer life cycle can simulate all the service activities required by a new service system systematically and logically. In terms of the hypothetical scenarios provided by the customer life cycle, the Kansei Engineering methodology can collect service design elements more effectively and logically, thereby making the Kansei Engineering methodology more adaptable to the requirements of service design and sustainable design.
Findings
The research findings are the service strategies required for a new service system of elderly fall-protection clothing, as well as a new service design methodology that integrates a Kansei Engineering methodology and a customer life cycle.
Research limitations/implications
Designing a service system involves more than just figuring out what service strategies consumers desire; it includes examining how the business integrates resources to help those strategies be implemented. This study’s limitation is that it only looks at service strategy development; more research will probably conclude the study on how businesses integrate resources to support service strategy implementation.
Practical implications
Elderly fall-protection clothing companies can refer to the service strategies and new knowledge outlined in this study to optimize their service systems.
Originality/value
The research results of this study fulfilled the research gap in the service design of elderly fall-protection clothing. Furthermore, this study developed a new design framework for Kansei Engineering methodology, enriching a new Kansei Engineering methodology for service design.
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Keywords
Mingrun Wang, Nazlina Shaari, Sazrinee Zainal Abidin and Yan He
This study aims to integrate fall-protection function into the elderly clothing to meet both the daily life and fall-protection needs of the elderly people, thereby upgrading the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to integrate fall-protection function into the elderly clothing to meet both the daily life and fall-protection needs of the elderly people, thereby upgrading the performance of elderly clothing.
Design/methodology/approach
This study identified the design strategies of elderly clothing using an Extended Kansei Engineering methodology. Extended Kansei Engineering methodology is a new design framework developed from the traditional Kansei Engineering methodology to meet the design requirements of the product-service system. This study focuses on the product section of product-service system design. According to the product design process of the Extended Kansei Engineering methodology, this study first collected and organized the design elements and Kansei words of elderly clothing. Then a questionnaire was designed using Semantic Differential Scale. Finally, the questionnaire survey was conducted and the collected data was analysed to understand the consumption preferences of elderly people. A total of 399 elderly people aged 65 and older provided valuable design insights for this survey.
Findings
The research findings include the product design strategies for the development of elderly clothing, as well as a product prototype canvas and a product prototype elderly clothing developed based on the design strategies.
Practical implications
The research findings can provide competitive design strategies for the development of elderly clothing, thereby upgrading the performance of elderly clothing.
Social implications
This elderly clothing integrates fall-protection function to reduce the risk of injury for elderly people due to falls, thereby helping society alleviate the medical and healthcare pressure caused by falls for elderly people.
Originality/value
The research findings can provide competitive design strategies for the development of elderly clothing. Furthermore, the Extended Kansei Engineering methodology introduced in this study can provide product and service designers with design methods that are more in line with the development trend of modern product-service system business models.
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Jinshuai Xie, Lei Tang, Pengfei Gao, Zhengquan Zhang and Liangfeng Li
This paper aims to study the effect of different Ni content on the microstructure and properties of Sn-0.7Cu alloy. Then, the spreading area, wetting angle, interface layer…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the effect of different Ni content on the microstructure and properties of Sn-0.7Cu alloy. Then, the spreading area, wetting angle, interface layer thickness and microstructure of the soldering interface was observed and analyzed at different soldering temperatures and times.
Design/methodology/approach
Sn-0.7Cu-xNi solder alloy was prepared by a high-frequency induction melting furnace. Then Sn-0.7Cu-xNi alloy was soldered on a Cu substrate at different soldering temperatures and times.
Findings
It was found that Ni made the intermetallic compounds in the Sn-0.7Cu solder alloy gradually aggregate and coarsen, and the microstructure was refined. The phase compositions of the solder alloy are mainly composed of the ß-Sn phase and a few intermetallic compounds, Cu6Sn5 + (Cu, Ni)6Sn5. The maximum value of 12.1 HV is reached when the Ni content is 0.1 Wt.%. When the Ni content is 0.5 Wt.%, the wettability of the solder alloy increases by about 15%, the interface thickness increases by about 8.9% and the scallop-like structure is the most refined. When the soldering time is 10 min and the soldering temperature is 280 °C, the wettability of Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Ni is the best.
Originality/value
It is groundbreaking to combine the change in soldering interface with the soldering industry. The effects of different soldering temperatures and times on the Sn-0.7Cu-xNi alloy were studied. Under the same conditions, Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Ni exhibits better wettability and more stable solder joint stability.
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Jingyu Liu, Lingxu Zhou and Yibei Li
The purpose of this study is to evaluate service robots as an alternative service provider that can reduce customers’ social discomfort in hospitality service encounters…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate service robots as an alternative service provider that can reduce customers’ social discomfort in hospitality service encounters. Specifically, the authors discuss when and in what scenarios service robots can alleviate such social discomfort and explain this effect from the perspective of dehumanization.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a social constructivist paradigm, the authors adopt a qualitative research design, gathering data through 21 semistructured interviews to explore why the presence of service employees causes customers’ social discomfort in hospitality service encounters and how service robots alleviate such discomfort.
Findings
This study’s results suggest that both the active and passive engagement of service employees are sources of customers’ social discomfort in hospitality service encounters; thus, adopting service robots can help reduce such discomfort in some scenarios. Customers’ differentiating behaviors, a downstream effect of social discomfort, are also addressed.
Practical implications
Service robots can reduce customers’ social discomfort in certain scenarios and influence their consumption behaviors. This finding offers actionable insights regarding the adoption of service robots in hospitality service encounters.
Originality/value
This research enhances the understanding of social discomfort in hospitality service encounters and expands the research on service robots. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first attempt to reveal the bright side of robots in service encounters from a dehumanization perspective.