Browsing by Author "Caic, Martina"

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Design of Robotic Care: Ethical Implications of a Multi-Actor Perspective
(2022-01-01) Caic, Martina; Holmlid, Stefan; Mahr, Dominik; Odekerken-Schröder, Gaby
A3 Kirjan tai muun kokoomateoksen osa
The topic of ethically-sound robotic design is timely and societally relevant as service robots have roles with increasingly social demands in diverse service contexts. Robots fill caregiving roles for vulnerable consumers, including older adults and children. This chapter presents an empirical study investigating social and ethical ramifications of robotic elderly care from the perspective of those receiving and those providing care. Consequently, 36 actors (i.e., older adults, informal and formal caregivers) were interviewed through generative phenomenographic interviews. This approach leveraged data-rich narratives and informant-made visualizations of future networks of care to uncover their expectations and concerns. A multi-actor perspective on the ethical implications of robotic care is captured with three thematic maps built around: 1) assistance, 2) monitoring, and 3) companionship. The results indicate that social robots could improve the well-being of older adults and wider care-providing networks through service, constant presence, and increased reliability. However, the visualizations of future robotic care uncovered informants’ additional latent fears, in addition to ethical concerns found (e.g., decline in agency, loss of privacy, delusion). For example, formal caregivers who emphasized that they do not fear robots replacing their jobs would not place the robot close to the older person in the visualization of future care constellations. This suggests that although formal caregivers tend to give “desirable” responses in interviews, they are still reluctant to accept robots as care co-providers.
Help Me Help You: The Dilemma of Collaboration Between Expert Employees and Chatbots
(2024-10-22) Caic, Martina; Ciuchita, Robert; Chiorazzo, Giuseppe
A3 Kirjan tai muun kokoomateoksen osa
Chatbots have received increased attention in research and practice, especially in business-to-consumer (B2C) settings. The role of chatbots in business-to-business (B2B) is less explored (e.g., speed of customer service via chatbots in industrial settings). In this research, we probe the employee perspective of interacting with chatbots, focusing on collaboration and customer support. We do so through an illustrative B2B case drawing on interviews with expert customer service employees and business customers. We synthesize our findings using the People–Process–Technology (PPT) framework of organizational change. In doing so, we explore the importance of the interplay between the customer service employee and chatbot and impacts on the employees and end-customers’ experience. We uncover a double-edged sword: employees need to collaborate with chatbots to help them better help the employee, but collaborating with chatbots may negatively impact experts’ job-related sense of worth (e.g., employees feeling less competent and skilled).
An Interdisciplinary View of Marketing Ethics
(2020) Mahr, Dominik; Caic, Martina; Odekerken-Schröder, Gaby
A3 Kirjan tai muun kokoomateoksen osa
Leveraging service design for healthcare transformation: Toward people-centered, integrated, and technology-enabled healthcare systems
(2020-06-08) Patrıcio, Lia; Sangiorgi, Daniela; Mahr, Dominik; Caic, Martina; Kalantari, Saleh; Sundar, Sue
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Purpose: This paper explores how service design can contribute to the evolution of health service systems, moving them toward people-centered, integrated and technology-enabled care; the paper develops a research agenda to leverage service design research for healthcare transformation. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual study starts by analyzing healthcare challenges in terms of demographic trends and economic constraints, along with the problems of lack of people-centricity, dispersion of care and slowness in incorporating emerging technologies. Then, it examines the theoretical underpinnings of service design to develop a framework for exploring how a human-centered, transformative and service systems approach can contribute to addressing healthcare challenges, with illustrative cases of service design research in healthcare being given. Findings: The proposed framework explores how a human-centered service design approach can leverage the potential of technology and advance healthcare systems toward people-centered care; how a transformative service design approach can go beyond explanatory research of healthcare phenomena to develop innovative solutions for healthcare change and wellbeing; and how a service systems perspective can address the complexity of healthcare systems, hence moving toward integrated care. Originality/value: This paper systematizes and develops a framework for how service design can contribute to healthcare transformation. It identifies key healthcare application areas for future service design research and pathways for advancing service design in healthcare by using new interdisciplinary bridges, methodological developments and theoretical foundations.
Robotic role theory: an integrative review of human–robot service interaction to advance role theory in the age of social robots
(2022-06-21) Blaurock, Marah; Caic, Martina; Okan, Mehmet; Henkel, Alexander P.
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Purpose Social robots increasingly adopt service roles in the marketplace. While service research is beginning to unravel the implications for theory and practice, other scientific disciplines have amassed a wealth of empirical data of robots assuming such service roles. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize these findings from a role theory perspective with the aim of advancing role theory for human–robot service interaction (HRSI). Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of more than 10,000 articles revealed 149 empirical HRSI-related papers across scientific disciplines. The respective articles are analyzed employing qualitative content analysis through the lens of role theory. Findings This review develops an organizing structure of the HRSI literature across disciplines, delineates implications for role theory development in the age of social robots, and advances robotic role theory by providing an overarching framework and corresponding propositions. Finally, this review introduces avenues for future research. Originality/value This study pioneers a comprehensive review of empirical HRSI literature across disciplines adopting the lens of role theory. The study structures the body of HRSI literature, adapts traditional and derives novel propositions for role theory (i.e. robotic role theory), and delineates promising future research opportunities.
Robotic transformative service research: Deploying social robots for consumer well-being during COVID-19 and beyond
(2020-08-15) Henkel, Alexander P.; Caic, Martina; Blaurock, Marah; Okan, Mehmet
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Purpose: Besides the direct physical health consequences, through social isolation COVID-19 affects a considerably larger share of consumers with deleterious effects for their psychological well-being. Two vulnerable consumer groups are particularly affected: older adults and children. The purpose of the underlying paper is to take a transformative research perspective on how social robots can be deployed for advancing the well-being of these vulnerable consumers and to spur robotic transformative service research (RTSR). Design/methodology/approach: This paper follows a conceptual approach that integrates findings from various domains: service research, social robotics, social psychology and medicine. Findings: Two key findings advanced in this paper are (1) a typology of robotic transformative service (i.e. entertainer, social enabler, mentor and friend) as a function of consumers' state of social isolation, well-being focus and robot capabilities and (2) a future research agenda for RTSR. Practical implications: This paper guides service consumers and providers and robot developers in identifying and developing the most appropriate social robot type for advancing the well-being of vulnerable consumers in social isolation. Originality/value: This study is the first to integrate social robotics and transformative service research by developing a typology of social robots as a guiding framework for assessing the status quo of transformative robotic service on the basis of which it advances a future research agenda for RTSR. It further complements the underdeveloped body of service research with a focus on eudaimonic consumer well-being.
Supporting environmental sustainability in service design. Nudging restaurant customers towards choosing a vegetarian meal.
(2024) Hartikainen, Hanna
School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
The environmental impact of food is significant, and food services have a substantial impact on food consumption patterns. Service design can be used to manage and redesign the food service experience and to meet or exceed customer expectations. However, service design often focuses on what humans want in the moment and lacks tools to consider the needs of future generations. Hence, service design calls for strategies that consider the needs of future generations and ensure environmental sustainability. Nudging is an approach that applies the understanding of mental shortcuts people use in their daily lives, and softly steers choices. This study combined service design and nudging with the aim to support environmental sustainability in food services. In this study a three-week study was conducted in a lunch restaurant in Kouvola (Rosso Kouvola) in November 2023. The intervention focused on the ability of nudges to support the choice of a legume-based vegetarian meal (Herkkis-pasta). The study consisted of one control week and two weeks of nudging (intervention). The main nudge was a contrast-nudge on the menu, supported by a photo of the meal (hedonic enhancement-nudge) and a recommendation by the restaurant personnel (verbal prompting -nudge). To collect data from the intervention, several methods were used: questionnaires, interviews supported with customer journey maps, and observations. The results of the Rosso-intervention are modest. Only 16 out of 516 lunch customers chose Herkkis-pasta during the three-week study. Of these 16 customers, 5 chose Herkkis-pasta during the control week, and 11 chose it during the 2-week intervention. Therefore, the used nudges did not affect the sales figures. However, qualitative data from the interviews and observations showed that a verbal prompting -nudge could be an efficient nudge. This study suggests that there is a synergy between nudges and service design. First, nudge theory provides suggestions concerning how to alter the service to guide customers’ decision making. Second, customer journey mapping (service design tool) 1) provides a visual way to look at the results, 2) helps the interviewees to reflect on the nudges, and 3) measures service experience during the intervention. According to the results, the key driver to choose Herkkis-pasta was that the customers were feeling experimental. However, novelty seeking is not a long-lasting motivation to choose Herkkis-pasta, and therefore there is also a need for strategies that co-create more long-lasting customer value. This study suggests that service value co-creation could support long-term behavior change in nudge interventions.
Towards more environmentally friendly digital design – Case Taiste
(2023) Paulus, Karoliina
School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges of our time and greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm our planet. Digital products have been seen as a way to achieve environmental friendliness, but slowly the scope is broadening to address the negative environmental impacts of digital products and services. Environmentally Friendly Digital Design (EFDD) is an approach that prioritizes our planet’s health mainly by reducing energy consumption. It is a new and still developing field, consequently lacking academic research, especially regarding the implementation of EFDD practices. This thesis is commissioned by a Finnish digital product development company Taiste Oy, interested in starting to incorporate more environmentally friendly practices. The company has fourteen years of experience in developing and designing digital products and services, providing an excellent context for a case study. The aim of this research is to explore how the implementation of EFDD practices can be started inside a company or organisation. Firstly, the role of designers’ awareness regarding the environmental friendliness of digital design in the implementation of EFDD practices is investigated. Secondly, different theories and methods that might enhance the implementation are looked into. Thirdly, a more tangible level of understanding is pursued by exploring what frameworks and processes may help a company initiate the implementation. Iterative service design and case study approaches were chosen for this research. Observations and interviews were utilised to create an initial understanding and to map out the awareness. Co-design workshops and sharing sessions were conducted to involve employees in the process and to explore how EFDD practises could be taken into consideration in the company’s own product development processes. The findings suggest that awareness as the prerequisite is crucial when it comes to the implementation of EFDD practices and that theories of learning organisations and reflexivity are valuable in understanding awareness creation. Reflexivity could help increase awareness of environmental effects and one’s ability to have an impact, while also opening up space to challenge the established ways of designing digital products. For these purposes, an open dialogue was found to be fruitful. A company should also provide needed resources for the employees for them to start adopting new practices. As EFDD is seen as a complex topic, using company processes as scaffolding was found to be an effective way to anchor the topic into real-world and everyday practices. This thesis contributes to the EFDD field and to the academic discussion. The created artefact is a practical example of how the implementation of EFDD practices can be approached. The research adds to the still scarce academic discussion around the EFDD and implementation while connecting it to organisational learning and reflexivity theories.
A transdisciplinary review and framework of consumer interactions with embodied social robots: Design, delegate, deploy
(2022-09) Blaurock, Marah; Caic, Martina; Okan, Mehmet; Henkel, Alexander P.
A2 Katsausartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Social robots are gradually entering the organizational frontline, and research is beginning to unveil the implications for consumer–firm interactions. While empirical studies on human–robot service interaction (HRSI) are scarce in business literature, other scientific fields have generated an abundance of empirical findings that can inform consumer research on successfully integrating embodied social robots in consumer-facing services. In this light, a systematic literature review was conducted across scientific fields, screening over 13,500 research articles. Through a thorough review process, 199 service-relevant empirical research articles were identified. Emanating from these data, an organizing meta-framework is advanced (D3: design, delegate, and deploy). Leveraging this D3 framework, a comprehensive overview of several dimensions of the literature is provided, and key insights for each framework dimension are presented. Based on this overview, implications for whether, how, and when to integrate social robots in practice and a comprehensive future research agenda are developed.
YouTube It Before You Buy It: The Role of Parasocial Interaction in Consumer-to-Consumer Video Reviews
(2022-11) Penttinen, Valeria; Ciuchita, Robert; Caic, Martina
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online reviews are important sources of information that help consumers decide which products and services to buy. Although C2C reviews in video format (e.g., on YouTube) have become increasingly popular, research remains focused primarily on textual reviews. This article emphasizes the importance of C2C video reviews in influencing consumer outcomes through parasocial interaction, a special—albeit one-sided—connection with reviewers. Interactivity and selfdisclosure are suggested as online communication techniques reviewers can use to foster parasocial interaction with their viewers in a single encounter. Parasocial interaction is further established as a psychological mechanism that underlines the impacts of interactivity and self-disclosure on source credibility, leading to improved consumer purchase intentions. The authors also propose that strong parasocial interaction with reviewers exerts a particularly powerful influence on the purchase decisions of consumers who experience low levels of decision confidence, while arguing for the importance of C2C video reviews in guiding the decisions of various consumer groups. Research recommendations reveal how managers can encourage consumers to create and share video reviews on different platforms and offer guidance on the ways companies can foster parasocial interaction through firm-related marketing communications.