Research On The Mechanism Of Customer Participation In Co-creation Service Experience

Co-creation,an innovative idea of value creation, receives the extensive concern of scholars. In the field of management or marketing,scholars conduct a variety of research on Co-creation. Academic organizations put the Co-creation as the priority research topics, and more scholars also start research in this area. In real world there have been a variety of products and services experience of Co-creation for study object.However, as Dr. Ruth N. Bolton says, executive chairman in Marketing Science Institute(i.e. MSI), thought leaders recognize that an organization and its partners should create value for each participant through Co-creation. Co-creation service, involved by customers, will have a lot of impact on customer and service organization. But people still, lack of understanding Co-creation connecting customers and service organizations, and service organizations lack of management experience on Co-creation. Obviously, what her said is that Co-creation caused the widespread attention. However there is not enough research in this area and a need for further study. The basic work needed includes: how to define Co-creation? What are the main dimensions of Co-creation? How to measure Co-creation? What is the operation mechanism of Co-creation? And so on.This paper aims at resolving those problems. Through literature, interview, observation and questionnaire survey method, this paper preliminarily achieves the following targets:(1)Definition of Co-creation. Within all limitation of the paper, the author defines the Co-creation which is accepted in the certain degree(.2)The author analyses the dimensions of Co-creation, and preliminarily study operation mechanism of Co-creation service experience(.3)The author analysis and optimize the antecedent factors and outcome variables of Co-creation service experience. The author analysis the motivation and reason of service experience participating Co-creation from the aspect of the enterprise and the customer perspective, and analysis positive outcome and cost risks of Co-creation service experience from the aspect of the enterprise and the customer perspective.(4)The author tests empirically the interrelation of core variables, which include the dimensions of Co-creation and the antecedent factors and outcome variables of Co-creation service experience, in Co-creation service experience mechanism through qualitative and quantitative data generated by interviews and questionnaires.The thesis finally leads to following conclusion and new findings:(1)Deepening their understanding of Co-creation definition. Many scholars have given their own understanding of Co-creation, most of which is superficial, or only from one certain aspect, neither systematic enough nor getting fully allied. On the basis of the previous scholars, the thesis moves forward and forms a more comprehensive and in.depth definition of Co-creation, which lays the foundation for further development. The author puts forward that Co-creation is a positive interaction behavior process between customers and enterprises. Customers contribute their wisdom and labor, co.design, co.produce and provide valuable products, services and experience with enterprises during this interactive process. First, the factors of Co-creation include at least both companies and customers. Second, the object of Co-creation includes tangible products and intangible services, as well as customer's experience and perceived value. Third, the behavior content of Co-creation includes a series of activities between companies and customers. Fourth, the nature of Co-creation is innovation.(2)The author explores the internal operation mechanism of Co-creation service experience. Co-creation is a positive interaction behavior process between customers and enterprises,which includes a dialogue between customers and enterprises, customer information and resources, risk and benefit assessment of customers and enterprises and requires the transparency. Therefore, Co-creation is a complex operation mechanism. Exploring the operation mechanism will contribute to our understanding the essence of Co-creation. The author finds that: service experience Co-creation can achieve in the interaction between enterprise network and customer network. Service experience Co-creation follows the logic and elements of experience creation: Service enterprise and customer will work together to build the experience stage, design together refined experience theme, arranged together the performing role, customize tailor.made experience,and perform together in the theatre. Customers interact positively with service companies through dialogue, assessment, selection, acquisition behavior and consciousness in the premise of transparency. Customer and service companies will always interact closely and dialogue positively. Customers can assess the possibility and benefit of damage, which is caused by customers, who participate in the creation process of service experience. Customers make various options, which constitute conditions and environment of Co-creation, through the interaction between customers and service companies, have consciousness and behavior of initiative acquirements, and attach great importance to corporate transparency.(3)Double-confirmed the antecedent variables and outcome variables of co-creating service experience, and construct an overall mechanism model of it. Companies are willing to participate in co-creating service experience, because they want to increase productivity, improve service quality and customer satisfaction; the others are not willing to do it due to confidentiality of enterprise technology, indistinct definition of intellectual property ownership, information overload of the customers, and difficult implementation of the solutions provided by customers. Customers are willing to participate, because they want to pursue financial returns, social interests, technical knowledge and psychological satisfaction. Customers'behaviors are regulated by increased earnings and reduced costs; service experience Co-creation can improve service productivity and service effectiveness, bring economic value for customers, bring relationship value for customers and employees, and thus affect customer satisfaction; but service experience Co-creation can also bring a range of costs and risks, such as increasing the complexity of enterprise management, the pressure of the service staff, the possibility of fostering competitor, and thus affect employees'satisfaction.(4)Test the overall mechanistic model of service experience Co-creation empirically. First, the author makes an in.depth analysis of the internal mechanism of service experience Co-creation by observing a personalized travel experience. Then the author conducts a questionnaire research designed for service companies and customers, and has the main conclusions as follows: there are positive correlation between customer satisfaction improvement and service experience Co-creation; confidentiality concerns has an negative influence on the company's participation in service experience Co-creation; more difficult program implementation is, the more harder for company to participate in the Co-creation; the pursuit of financial returns has an positive influence on customer's participation in service experience Co-creation; the pursuit of social benefits has an positive influence on customer's participation in service experience Co-creation; the pursuit of technical knowledge has an positive influence on customer's participation in service experience Co-creation; increasing customer benefit plays a regulatory role between customer's participation motivation and service experience Co-creation; reducing customer costs plays a regulatory role between customer's participation motivation and service experience Co-creation; service experience Co-creation has an positive influence on service effect; service experience Co-creation can create relationship value for both sides; the improvement of service productivity will significantly affect customer satisfaction; economic value creation for customers will significantly affect customer satisfaction; relationship value creation for customers will significantly affect customer satisfaction; service experience Co-creation increases complexity of business management; service experience Co-creation increases the pressure on the service staff; management complexity will significantly strengthen the negative impact of employee job satisfaction; management complexity will significantly strengthen the negative impact of employee job satisfaction; fostering competitor will significantly strengthen the negative impact of employee job satisfaction; enhanced working pressure will significantly strengthen the negative impact of employee job satisfaction.