Dr Vicky Story

CSM is running a two-day conference on ‘Service Innovation in Emerging Markets’ on January 25th and 26^th, led by Professor Vicky Story along with Professor Thorsten Gruber and Dr Ian Hodgkinson. The event will include a series of workshops presenting, analysing and discussing the latest trends in service innovation both for emerging markets (EMs) and those coming out of EMs. The target audience will include researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders.

Find out more about the Conference and how to register here: CSM Conference Details

To date, much service innovation work has focused on developed economies, whereas emerging market activities have not been studied to the same degree. Going forward, emerging markets are expected to provide as much as 75 per cent of the world's growth. Thus, they are a vital area to build knowledge and understanding for both researchers and practitioners, who need to understand how to successfully develop new service offerings for these markets. The impact of service innovation can be witnessed across different industries. For instance, the impact of digitalisation in banking goes beyond increasing customer convenience through mobile payment services such as ApplePay or TransferWise. Indeed, access and use of finance is a key driver of GDP growth and poverty reduction in EMs.

In this context, new financial services, such as the one offered by mobile payment service company M-PESA, operating in Eastern and Southern Africa, or the combined banking and financial education services offered by Geosansar in India, and indeed new service provision to base-of-the-pyramid markets in Brazil by established banking groups (e.g., Santander and Bradesco) are recent developments transforming financial services. Examples in healthcare include a new advice and triage service in Mexico and new maternity care services and large-scale eye care systems in India.

By focusing on service activities within EMs across a wide spectrum of disciplines and industries, the CSM event will contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding service innovation in and from EMs through the generation of knowledge, the pooling of expertise and through a critical examination of the area to develop a coherent and impactful research agenda. In particular, the event plans to:

1.     Bring together management researchers from an international and multidisciplinary perspective to generate comprehensive and critical academic debate;

2.     Ensure doctoral students and early career researchers fully participate in this debate;

3.     Develop a clear and comprehensive research agenda;

4.     Supporting the formation/extension of research networks, such as:

1. Engaging practitioners and other stakeholders in this debate to support the outcomes of the event, and 
2. Contributing to policy-making in this research area.

The programme includes keynote presentations, thematic workshops on key contexts and issues. The event will also include special PhD and wider publishing and networking sessions, which will be particularly important for early career academics.

Confirmed academic speakers are:

·          Professor Bo Edvardsson, Karlstad University, Sweden

·          Professor Heiko Gebauer, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), Switzerland

·          Professor Thorsten Gruber, Loughborough University, UK

·          Professor Javier Francisco Reynoso, Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico -  Via Skype

·          Professor Helen Perks, University of Nottingham, UK – Presentation and Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM) Editor

·          Professor John Cadogan, Loughborough University, UK – Discussing Publishing Emerging Economy Research & International Marketing Review (IMR) Editor

·          Associate Professor Nathaniel Boso, University of Leeds, UK