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Service development as practice: A rhetorical analysis of customer-related arguments in a service development project

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  • von Koskull, Catharina
  • Fougère, Martin

Abstract

Summary In this paper, in order to examine service development as practice, we draw on extensive ethnographic material covering an entire service development process. Through a rhetorical lens, we identify what types of customer-related arguments the project members use in order to drive the development process forward and confront these findings with service development literature. We find that customer orientation is rhetorically present mostly when it comes to what the team should do (i.e. appeals to ethos, expressed as identification with the customer but also as guilt). However, this type of rhetoric does not lead to action as prescribed by normative marketing literature - such as formal acquisition of and reliance on market research - due to more decisive arguments about resources.

Suggested Citation

  • von Koskull, Catharina & Fougère, Martin, 2011. "Service development as practice: A rhetorical analysis of customer-related arguments in a service development project," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 205-220, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:27:y:2011:i:2:p:205-220
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    1. Eric von Hippel, 1986. "Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(7), pages 791-805, July.
    2. Abbie Griffin & John R. Hauser, 1993. "The Voice of the Customer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27.
    3. Andrew H. Van de Ven & Marshall Scott Poole, 1990. "Methods for Studying Innovation Development in the Minnesota Innovation Research Program," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(3), pages 313-335, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Konu, Henna, 2015. "Developing a forest-based wellbeing tourism product together with customers – An ethnographic approach," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-16.

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