Summer Dahyang Jung, Sahej Claire and Sohyeong Kim
Generation Z will be the leading consumer group in the future. Using convenience stores, the study provides an in-depth analysis on Gen Z’s current experience and future…
Abstract
Purpose
Generation Z will be the leading consumer group in the future. Using convenience stores, the study provides an in-depth analysis on Gen Z’s current experience and future expectations from retail stores. The study further highlights the differences between Gen Z’s perception of convenience stores across three different regions – the USA, South Korea and Japan.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 36 Gen Z participants from the USA (12), South Korea (11) and Japan (13). All interviews were first coded based on a preselected list of themes and were further coded with new themes that emerged from exploratory coding.
Findings
Each regional cohort varied in terms of how they experienced and what they expected from convenience stores. US participants showed negative or utilitarian attitudes toward convenience stores, whereas South Korean participants had a positive, personal attachment to them. In comparison, Japanese participants had a relatively neutral attitude. However, all three groups showed a common preference for smart technology and health concerns surrounding convenience store foods.
Practical implications
Convenience store chains should consider the cultural nuances when designing future services. The chains should further strive to remove the health concerns about the foods provided at the stores and design smart technologies that enhance user experience.
Originality/value
The present study broadens the knowledge in this budding consumer segment where current research is limited. It further sheds light on the variance among Gen Zers across different cultural contexts.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine how business ecosystems evolve, what is the identity of business ecosystem and is the ecosystem identity static or dynamics. To understand…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how business ecosystems evolve, what is the identity of business ecosystem and is the ecosystem identity static or dynamics. To understand the above questions, this paper is conducted on stone carving clusters in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The author engaged the ethnographic approach in this study. To sample stone carving clusters of India, the author followed the snowball sampling method. Further, the author did collect the information by informal personal discussions, focus group discussions and participant observations. Furthermore, the thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis were applied to process the data. The validity and reliability of the method was ascertained by testing the credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability.
Findings
The author found that the business ecosystem of stone carving was dynamic, and it was transformed from the buyer-driven ecosystem to the supplier-driven ecosystem. The identities of the early stage business ecosystem and the late stage ecosystem were analyzed through product, network and information flow. The author developed a structural framework to conceptualize the identity domain of the business ecosystem and the author named it as “nature-conduct-performance model.” Also, the author conceptualized the identity evolution, the influence of social system on business ecosystem identity, and identity-based conflicts and identity-based cooperation in the stone carving business ecosystem.
Originality/value
This study is making additional theoretical contribution in conceptualize the business ecosystem from the identity construct.
Details
Keywords
Mokter Hossain, K.M. Zahidul Islam, Mohammad Abu Sayeed and Ilkka Kauranen
– The purpose of this study is to pursue a comprehensive review of the progress of open innovation literature.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to pursue a comprehensive review of the progress of open innovation literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a wide range of literature sources, altogether 293 articles relevant to the study’s objective were identified for statistical analysis. Moreover, contributory articles published from 2003 to June 2015 were included for content analysis.
Findings
The study contributes in two ways. First, based on content analysis of the selected contributory articles, the authors shed light on the overall development of the open innovation literature and highlight the findings of significant studies. Second, the authors provide a detailed picture of the progress of open innovation literature by analyzing the comprehensive set of articles. Total yearly publication activity was calculated, and publication activity in different disciplines was addressed. The study unveils most influential articles, authors and journals that have discussed open innovation. The geographical locations of influential articles and authors are revealed. Additionally, frequently used keywords are listed.
Originality/value
The authors present a new framework of open innovation research, highlight the progress of existing research and suggest avenues for future research.