This article develops a new model depicting how organizations can help customers test out and experience a service prior to purchase and consumption or use. When customers buy a new car, for instance, they are allowed to test-drive it to get the feel of it. When customers wish to purchase services, it can be more difficult to provide customers with a “test drive.” In some service situations, service organizations can and do provide “test drives,” but it is suggested that such experiences take place in a simulated setting. This article introduces the notion of hyperreality, the simulated reality of a service experience. It also introduces the concept of the “experience room,” the place where the simulated experience takes place. Based on the existing literature, the authors apply six dimensions of experience rooms to demonstrate how organizations can cocreate value, in conjunction with the customer, through hyperreality in a preservice experience.

PurposeThis paper seeks to utilise Prahalad's five activities of co‐creation (customer engagement, self‐service, customer involvement, problem‐solving, and co‐design) to explore how value co‐creation occurs in the context of a public‐transport service provider.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a single qualitative case study of the Swiss federal railway operator (SBB).FindingsThe findings enrich understanding of value co‐creation by showing that the case firm is not merely a value facilitator, but has increasingly become a value co‐creator through the five co‐creation activities noted above. Organisations should take a comprehensive view of value co‐creation if they are to exploit its full strategic potential.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is a single case study with a focus on the supplier perspective.Practical implicationsPublic‐transport operators should facilitate the active participation of customers in designing and implementing their processes and systems. Rather than relying on knowledge about the customers, customer‐relationship management should be based on knowledge of the customers (that is, the knowledge that customers possess).Originality/valueThe paper provides a comprehensive framework to help organisations manage the value co‐creation process. The study shows that a public‐transport service provider is not restricted to making value propositions, but can actively influence and assist customers in their fulfilment of value‐co‐creation.

Objective: The objective of this exploratory study was to analyse "test drives" of service offerings in a variety of service contexts by applying existing design dimensions of experience rooms in order to develop some principles to assist service designers who are interested in developing such "test drives" for their potential customers Methodology/approach: An exploratory qualitative study is undertaken using three case studies with varying levels of simulation/artificiality. Data were collected from documents and interviews with service providers and customers and analysed using a framework of six dimensions. Findings: The study added a sixth dimension to the existing five dimensions or experience rooms found in the literature. It also proposed seven principles to guide designers who seek to create new service "test drives". The study also introduced the new notion of "value in pre-use" (a development of "value in use") to describe the potential value of "real" services yet to be purchased. Finally the study documented some of the advantages and disadvantages of using "test drives". Research limitations/implications:The exploratory and interpretive nature of the research, and the limited number of cases and respondents, limits the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications:The study provides several principles that can be used in the design of service "test drives". Originality/value of paper: This is the first paper to analyse the design dimensions of service "test drives" and to propose the notion of "value in pre-use".

Purpose -The aim of the present paper is to study what effect CSR has had on the practice of organizations. Design/methodology/approach -Since the effects of CSR on practice are an understudied topic the paper adopts a single case study design and studies Swedbank. Theoretically the paper approaches the problematic from the perspective of neo institutional theory and stakeholder theory. Findings -If CSR approaches colonize organisational practice, a fundamental shift from a shareholder strategy, to a social harmony strategy may be experienced, i.e. that the current focus on shareholder needs in contemporary organizations is balanced with the needs of other stakeholders. CSR adoption is surprisingly high at Swedbank and the paper thus argues that CSR might change the practice of organizations toward social harmony.Research limitations/implications -The case study design does not make possible empirical generalizations. Therefore, further research should focus on generalizing the findings. Further research might also conduct case studies by using the adoption framework in other empirical settings. Originality/value -The paper offers new insight on of the adoption of CSR in organizations and connects this issue to stakeholder theory. Additionally, framing the adoption of CSR from an institutional perspective is also novel.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present a model for values-based service brands grounded in values-based service management. In undertaking this task, the paper addresses two research questions: "What is the role of values in creating customer value and corporate identity?" and "How can values and corporate identity be communicated to customers and thus contribute to customer-perceived service value?". Design/methodology/approach -Based on five narratives from a value-driven company, IKEA, the paper proposes a model of values-based service brands in action. The model is based on interpretations of how IKEA manages and communicates values in practising values-based service management. Findings -The study distinguishes four types of "values" in the example of IKEA: economic, social, environmental, and communication-based. These are incorporated into the model. Originality/value -This is the first study of the role of values-based service brands in creating value in use for customers.