The value of service robots in embarrassing service encounters

While we tend to think of an attentive member of staff as the epitome of customer service, there are circumstances when customers would much rather not have to interact with one. Maybe they are in a hurry. Maybe they want to avoid small talk. Maybe they prefer to socially distance. Or, maybe, they are a … Continue reading The value of service robots in embarrassing service encounters

April 2022 round-up

This month was rich in time with family and friends, as well as some great time on my own to read, be a tourist, go to a concert, do some gardening… I can’t complain. On the work front, I pushed through with various bits and pieces. Though, I didn’t manage to wrap up any major … Continue reading April 2022 round-up

What Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter means for marketers

Elon Musk made a take-over offer to buy Twitter, and is said to want to implement four key changes at the social media company: Reduce content moderationEliminate automated accountsIntroduce new product featuresOpen-up Twitter’s algorithm The significance of Twitter for marketers According to Hootsuite, Twitter is the 15th largest social media platform in the world (slide 99). … Continue reading What Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter means for marketers

Improving public services delivery through digital technology

Based on their experiences with the private sector, citizens, businesses, and other entities now expect a high level of responsiveness and convenience when interacting with public service. For instance, users expect to be able to subscribe and pay for public services from wherever they are; or to access advice and services’ information whenever they most … Continue reading Improving public services delivery through digital technology

Online groceries shopping – not such a novelty, after all

A couple of weeks ago, while I was putting away the groceries that I had ordered online earlier that week, and which had just been delivered to my house, Child 2 asked something to the effect of “When you were my age, did you ever imagine that you could order groceries from the comfort of … Continue reading Online groceries shopping – not such a novelty, after all

March 2022 round-up

March was supposed to be the month I settled into my study leave. But, then, a staffing emergency meant that I had to cover for a colleague, and I ended up teaching a number of lectures and workshops. Never a dull moment, right?! At least, the weather was lovely for part of the month, and … Continue reading March 2022 round-up

Parents and young people as consumers

This past weekend was Mother’s Day in the UK. The date prompted me to read a paper that has been sitting on my “to read” list for a while: Stella Minahan and Patricia Huddleston’s “Shopping with mum – mother and daughter consumer socialization”. The paper interviewed 30 young women aged 20 to 22 years old … Continue reading Parents and young people as consumers

A public services workforce fit for the future – The role of digital technology

Last week, I went to Parliament, to participate in the House of Lords’ Public Services Committee, which is looking at creating “A public services workforce fit for the future”. The session that I joined focused on the role of digital technology, and I was one of the expert witnesses, alongside Professor Catherine Mangan from the … Continue reading A public services workforce fit for the future – The role of digital technology

Covid-19 lockdowns, 2 years on: positive impact on subjective wellbeing, and lingering effect on time spent at home. But fitness industry is bouncing back.

Last Friday (March 11th) marked two years since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic. In the meantime, we have experienced some truly depressing moments such as when the number of global casualties reach 1 million; as well as some truly exhilarating ones, such as when it was confirmed that scientists had developed … Continue reading Covid-19 lockdowns, 2 years on: positive impact on subjective wellbeing, and lingering effect on time spent at home. But fitness industry is bouncing back.

February 2022 round-up

Some days get imprinted in your mind such that, many years later, you can recall, exactly, the moment when you realised that the world after that moment would bear very little resemblance to the one before it. It was like that with the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11; the attack on the Tube … Continue reading February 2022 round-up